Having moved house more times than most would think sensible, I have become somewhat of a connoisseur in the different types of moving services and what to consider when going through the horror of a relocation.
I have tried numerous disastrous DIY attempts involving van hire which always end in tears – usually mine. What I’ve learned is that while it might potentially save a couple of hundred quid on the surface, hiring and driving a van is really stressful. Also, unless you are a professional, packing a van is a skill and unskilled people like me are highly likely to end up breaking things or unable to fit everything inside.
I’ve also learned the hard way to not risk opting for budget man and van services. It has to be said, that not all of these have been a total disaster, but going with an unregulated provider can lead to problems. For me on one occasion the cost ended up ballooning for various obscure reasons (the team refused to carry anything up the stairs, and instead opted to slowly load the apartment block’s lift, thus meaning the job took hours longer than it should have), while another carelessly broke several items and refused to rectify the issue.
In this situation, I have found that unless the removal company is properly insured, and you have opted for the correct level of cover – there is nothing you can do if things go awry.
Of course, things can go wrong even with regulated providers, moving house is fraught and accidents happen. When moving from New Zealand back to London lots of our stuff was damaged after being in a shipping container for three months at sea, despite the best efforts of the company who had packed things for us. But because we had taken out proper insurance, we were able to replace most of it.
So when it came to planning our most recent move I was not only concerned about hidden costs, but also potentially having to navigate our belongings being damaged. What I found when looking even at the premium offerings is that costs vary wildly and I’m not really clear on why.
After our previous disasters, I opted only to use companies that are part of the British Association of Removers – so if anything were to go wrong I could escalate to the regulator if the company couldn’t resolve the issue.
Also, with a toddler in the house, slowly packing up and living around boxes for weeks on end wasn’t a safe or pleasant option, so I costed-up companies who offered a same-day pack and move service – something I expected would be hugely expensive. However, once I added up the cost of buying the boxes (£180), I found that it was surprisingly economical to opt for a full pack and move service with Gentleman & A Van – whose costs including packing came out the same as just the removal cost of a similar-looking company, with equally good reviews.
Speaking to Terance Puna of Gentleman & A Van ahead of booking, he sympathised with my previous bad experiences. He explained about his company’s membership of the British Association of Removers, and how the regulator ensured his company and others like it were accountable and delivered high levels of service. He said the hidden costs of regular man and van services were a common complaint – companies like that often charge by the hour, rather than just a blanket overall cost.
Our move was from Brighton to west London and cost £1,840 plus VAT, including packing. A similar move from another part of London, without a packing service cost the same in 2022 after an initial quote of £1,200 – the company underestimated the length of time needed (they moved at a glacial pace and would only use the tiny apartment elevator rather than the stairs…), as well as damaging a bed and a wardrobe.
The bad experience made me realise how powerless you are as a consumer when a company has your entire home packed up, and you are completely at their mercy when it comes to what happens on moving day.
Thankfully Terance and the team at Gentlemen & A Van lived up to their moniker. Everything from the off was just nice, civilised and professional, I suspect this has something to do with the fact Terance is a New Zealand army veteran – everything was reassuringly ordered and precise. Right from the video call audit of belongings to the accurate estimation of how much time the move would take, everything had military precision.
On the day, two smart branded vans arrived with four equally smart guys dispatched to pack our belongings, drive them to our new home and unpack the other end. Liam, who coordinated the move on the ground, had his team take a room each. Within three and a half hours they had boxed and packed the house from scratch and loaded it into the vans, as well as dismantling two beds, a cot, a large dining table and a sofa. It would have taken us ages to pack the boxes ourselves, and after this experience, I will always opt for a packing service – it took so much stress away.
There were small touches that really impressed me as they packed, the guy doing the kitchen marked all the cupboards with tape when he had emptied them, to make sure he didn’t accidentally forget one. He also taped open food packets to make sure nothing spilt.
I have previously felt uncomfortable with people from removal companies packing things for us, but all of the guys were pleasant and professional people who made us feel completely at ease.
I was also particularly pleased to see the care the team took of my surfboards. It helped that Liam represented South Africa in surfing, so knew that surfboards are fragile, but they were equally careful with our bikes. It may sound trivial and obvious, but they just took great care and were respectful of our belongings. Too often I’ve watched people chucking things around like rogue baggage handlers and I was glad to not have to pretend to be fine while watching on as my precious surfboards are whacked into doorframes.
At the other end during the offloading, the team were as organised as they were packing. Everything ended up in the right place and they put the furniture back together carefully with absolutely no breakages. A balloon from my daughter’s room even appeared out of one of the boxes that had made the move unscathed.
When the guys eventually left in the early evening they were still cheery, polite and charming. Gentlemen indeed.
To complete the experience, the team even comes back weeks later to collect the boxes to recycle them on another move. Very handy if you don’t have a friendly council recycling service that will take folded cardboard.
If you’re considering a move soon I would absolutely recommend getting a quote from Gentlemen & A Van. I had quotes from several outlets and the company came out on a level or cheaper than the competition, and I can safely say the level of service was a serious cut above any of my previous experiences.
