It is a stressful time when you move house, but when you ask us to move you, we will help you plan everything so that it all goes smoothly. When we visit your house, show us everything that has to go, and don’t forget the loft, the garage and the garden. That way we can make sure we have all we need, including the correct sized vehicle, enough men and appropriate quantities of packing materials for the job.

We are members of The British Association of Removers who own a company that designs and supplies packing materials. Specially designed cartons are used for most items with thick wollen blankets to protect your possessions. Hanging clothes travel in temporary cardboard portable wardrobes, so that the only creases in them are the ones that should be there. All these items are recyclable too. We’ve come a long way from the tea chest and newspaper era.

You can, if you wish, do the packing and unpacking yourself, but of course, we are not responsible for anything that gets damaged during that operation. Whether we pack or you do we would recommend you ask us about standard liability cover included as part of our written estimate.

We understand that moving is expensive with all the legal and agent’s fees, but we offer good value compared with D-I-Y. We do it everyday and are used to getting the wardrobe down the stairs safely. We know how to load the vehicle legally and securely so that your possessions won’t get damaged. Do you know anything about front axle overload? The Police do! Also D-I-Y usually takes longer than you expect, which could mean missing property hand over time with the problems and expense that then could be incurred. It’s surprising how many people come to us for their next removal following an earlier D-I-Y attempt.

Remember, we are members of the British Association of Removers. We comply to their very high service and financial standards which includes our staff being trained by and accredited to the Movers Institute, the training wing of the BAR.

In 2006, we signed up to the B.A.R Code of Practice as approved by The office of Fair Trading to offer a higher standard of consumer protection to our customers

We use a modern container storage system specially designed to hold household furniture. This system is totally secure as special climps front door securely in place. Other features that deter would-be thieves from having access to storage containers are that they are stacked one above the other and close together. Also, unlike commercial storage, complete strangers are not coming and going all day and our warehouse also has an electronic security system. Container storage is safe, reliable and relatively inexpensive. When you use this system you are usually packed and inventoried at your home and then loaded straight into dry, secure containers, which are taken to our warehouse. This eliminates handling, as the contents will not normally be touched again until they are returned to you exactly as you last saw them. Once in store, your goods are safe, dry and dust free.

When you are looking to store, there is no substitute for a personal visit to the warehouse. We are proud of our warehouse and welcome the opportunity of showing you how your goods will be cared for whilst in our possession. When you store family goods of sentimental value you are handing them over to a stranger, so it’s worth spending half an hour just checking the warehouse. (Don’t always believe the big ads in Yellow Pages)

Privacy?
Depositing goods is just like opening a bank account. No one other than the contract signatory can give instructions and in accordance with the Data Protection Act, no details of your removal will be divulged.

Fire in Store?
You should give us a written valuation for your belongings so that we can arrange for adequate fire in store insurance cover.
Please understand that you must give us this written valuation before the work can commence.

Access?
If there are some items you may need back before others, tell our representative when he calls to discuss storage with you. On moving day, it’s sensible to remind our foreman and he will plan the packing accordingly. If you leave it as an afterthought, it can be expensive!

White Goods?
If white goods are going into store, you should defrost the refrigerator or freezer about a week beforehand (leaving the doors open) and ensure your washing machine/spin dryer is clean and dry.

What should not go into store?
Never send precious items such as jewellery, money, deeds, coins or collections into store. Also, we cannot accept hazardous goods such as paints, aerosols, gas bottles or other potentially inflammable items.

Obviously no plants, food or animals should be sent for storage. We also recommend
that everything going into store is clean and dry - so think about any items that live outside the house and get them ready well in advance.

Code of Practice

Take the risk out of moving home

• 150% Cash-back guarantee against cancellation
• Free conciliation Service
• Approved and monitored by the Office of Fair Trading

The BAR Code of Practice
The British Association of Removers Code of Practice is the only code in the moving industry that’s approved and monitored by the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme

All BAR members abide by the Code that dictates the standard of service you will receive, the quality of the materials used, the standards of vehicles and warehouses, staff training requirements and what will happen if something goes wrong. Most importantly the Code requires BAR moving companies to deal with you in a courteous and sympathetic way at all times.

Our Key Commitments to You
We promise to act fairly and reasonably with you and uphold all standards contained in the Code. Our key commitments are:

• To make sure that our advertising and promotional literature is clear and not misleading.
• To provide you with a clear description, price and timetable for the work carried out.
• To offer insurance or other protection options.
• To explain clearly our liability for loss or damage, the time limit for making claims, and cancellation/postponement rights and charges
• To provide staff who are courteous, competent, and committed to providing a high standard of service.
• To deal quickly and sympathetically with things that go wrong
• To publicise the Code, have copies freely available and make sure our staff are trained to put it into practice.

Financial Protection
The Code says that if we cancel a removal more than 10 days before the agreed date for the work we must pay you back everything you paid to us. If we cancel less than 10 days before the agreed date we must pay you 150% of the monies paid. This means that you can be confident that we will arrive to do the work on the agreed date. It we are not able to do the work on the agreed day or pay the 150% refund, the BAR Pre-payment Protection Scheme will be speedily activated to have the work completed by another member or provide you with a full refund.

If Something Goes Wrong
If you have a complaint about our service we will try to resolve it fairly, quickly and efficiently. If we can’t settle your complaint to your satisfaction you may refer it to the BAR’s FREE conciliation service on;

E-Mail: consumer.affairs@bar.co.uk
Telephone: 01923 699486

If you are still not satisfied a low-cost, independent arbitration scheme is available operated by the Charted Institute of Arbitrators.

OFT Monitoring
The Office of Fair Trading monitors our performance, and that of all BAR members, to make sure that we are operating within the BAR Code of Practice and that the Code is working properly in the customers’ interests. You can help by completing our customer satisfaction survey form.

If you would like a free copy of the full BAR Code of Practice you can download it from the BAR website on; www.bar.co.uk

The Environment
All packaging material used are supplied by The British Association of Removers and when no longer needed, are recycled by ourselves for future re-use or re-manufacture.