How do you choose a removal firm?

[FreddoBaggyMac]

Hi. Please does anyone have any advice on choosing a removal firm? Is it best to go with someone reliable like Pickfords (who I assume you'd pay more for?) or a smaller local firm?

How much notice do removal firms normally need of your moving date?

Thanks for your help!!

I heard that a mate had a good exp with local ppickfords
got em in to quote
they were more than another co
rang pickfords and siad " oi i want to use you but you were too much £££"

so they mathced the other quote.

this was in 2001 though

Might be worth a try Muster - thanks!

Actually we just got loads of quotes and found Pickfords were about the cheapest! (Though that was for moving and storage combined, so yours might be different).

We got lots of quotes from a mix of small local firms and big national ones, then went by a combination of price (including insurance - check that as prices vary lots, esp. if you will also be using storage!) and how professional they seemed - they will usually send someone round to see how much stuff you have before quoting, esp if you are using storage or getting them to pack, so you get a good chance to talk to the person and see what you think of them.

Went with P's in the end not only because of price but because I had moved with them once before (years ago and not chosen by me - arranged by firm I was relocating to) and found them good then.

As for notice, it depends what day you want to move - if you want to move Friday or at weekend I think you might need a lot more notice, but we booked for a Thurs and only booked the date about 2 weeks before.

PS read the small print well too, as some of them have lots of extra options, waivers etc. which you might not actually need so can save money if you cancel those.

Some of it will depend on your area when moving with a national firm. We chose Pickfords as there quote was competitive and from their literature all the protective stuff they used to cover tv's, mattresses etc. looked really good. In reality we saw none of this - just old blankets used to cover our gear! Their packing was appalling and took ages, they sent a van that was way too small, despite having been to assess all our stuff - so this is why for our next move I won't choose Pickfords and will chose a local firm as this won't be a long distance move.

Thanks everyone, very helpful. Am thinking Bishops move look good at the moment...

I had a friend who had a disaster with them.
It depends on the team on the day but if my day again I would use Cadogan Tate every time... I see them a lot and they look excellent. Ours were recommended but appalling. I have heard a lot of good things about Bushells if you are in SW London!!
I would use a premium firm any time if you have particularly nice stuff. It is not worth skimping on moving costs when you think of what even a decent table or chair costs...

Thanks The HappyCat - I'm not in London though and I think Cadogan Tate only operate there??

Pickfords were disastrous for us in July, moving from West London. The guys were great, but they did not allow enough van room, so after a lot of threatening from us, they sent another van at 11.30am, we were supposed to COMPLETE AT 12! We did not leave the house until 3pm, thank goodness the new people were not moving in that day or we would have had to pay them compensation.
They damaged loads because it was so rushed, when I complained they said that it was too late, all complaints have to be dealt with within 2 weeks.