Shipping companies

[TravellingKatherine]

Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for shipping companies? I have got quotes from a few and they all come in at much of a muchness so struggling to work out how to decide. Any advice welcome?

[VERYSTORMY]

They are all a bit of a muchness. Though do not take their insurance and you can play them against each other by informing one you have a cheaper quote.

[KirstyLP]

Here's a few things to check:

1) are they all like for like in terms of quality? Find out if they are all FIDI FAIM certified - this is the leading professional certification for international movers giving you peace of mind that your chosen company is fully qualified, licensed and independently vetted in over 200 areas for overseas moving. You can find a list of members on their website. You can also look for members of the BAR overseas moving group which also means they provide an advance payment guarantee. Are they also using FIDI members at destination? 

2) have they all quoted for the same things? check volume of goods, transit time, method of shipment, any special packing, other inclusions/exclusions 

3) check online reviews - this forum is a great place to start you could also try facebook pages, google or industry specific sites like referenceline or which? trusted traders too if you'd like more. 

4) gut feeling - once all your other due diligence is done the final differentiation ultimately is who do you trust? Who has been helpful and knowledgeable so far? Who has really listened to your specific needs and made sure the service they propose fits what's important to you? although not foolproof as some companies are great at sales this may be a good indication of the type of company they are and the type of service you can expect during your move. Does anyone add any extra value like tracking or extra services you're thinking of taking up, if so include them in your review too. 

Hope that helps?

Kirsty 

[TravellingKatherine]

I did look at reviews online. I every single company I have looked at has far more terrible reviews than positive ones. Probably because people like to complaint more than say positive stuff. They can't all be terrible?! So I think I'll just pick one of the ones I've found and go with it.

[PFC1975]

I can only say of my own recent experience 

 

we went with Doree Bonner and there qoute & Service before & when packing was great 

But we then arrived in Australia & within a day get an email saying our half container is larger than expected can we now pay an extra £1,300 . 

 

I wasnt impressed so I replied that there expert agent came round & detailed all our stuff & in fact since then nothing had been added & in fact a couple of items since removed as we were no longer taking them 

 

I received a reply saying they will re check , which they did & said I owe an extra £800 now . 

 

I still wasnt happy with this but they sort of have you over a barrel as ultimately you need your stuff shipped . Reluctantly I paid 

 

I felt it was a ploy with a good quote beforehand so we go with them & then they add on extra once you can't go back 

Our stuff eventually arrives taking nearly 3 months 

when it did arrive  the sister company used was Grace Removals who on the day delivered it & after couple of hours left leaving us with about 50 boxes unpacked etc when we'd paid for that service. 

So upon calling them & saying I wasn't happy & id paid for unpacking etc about 3 hours later the actual manager came round to help as he couldn't get any staff to come back & two days later the boxes were removed 

 

we had sone minor damage to stuff the biggest our 50 inch TV which was in a crate with the corner broken & our little girls bike damaged 

currently going through insurance now 

Overall Doree Bonner were ok but was very disappointed with the extra cost . If getting a quote in future I'd ask about any future costs etc . 

Being first time we've done this you live & learn