Packing House up????

[holland]

I rang John Masons, and they said that the cost is based on whether or not you are dismantling the stuff yourself. Anyway,despite that, I managed to wangle them taking apart my glass rotating coffee table, as we nearly had a divorce putting it together...so goodness knows what would happen taking it apart!!!!

Not long now.....Im scared!!

Who have you all sorted out for insurance, I haven't even sorted that yet, I must do some research on that later

j xx

[thezorbster]

You could try Letton Percival for insurance - they were half the price of the removers insurance - 1.5% I think. Just do a web search for them and give them a ring. We have used them following advice from others on the forum. Saved us quite a bit.

[Jo Jo]

We went with John Mason's insurance. It's more expensive than Letton Percevel, but the latter had a much higher excess so would have cost more if we had to make a claim in a worst case scenario situation (i.e. if our container ended up washed ashore somewhere). But, to be honest, if we had had more time to sort it out, we might have chosen differently, but I'm glad to know that should the worst happen we are fully covered.

[holland]

We've been quoted 1.6%..I asked if it was negotiable and the answer was 'no'.>..I rang up to ask a few questions, and felt like they weren't really that helpful ( at first)...they seemed to warm to me as the conversation went on!!! I asked about what would happen if 1 of my 6 dining room chairs was damaged...he said we would try and fix it, and I said 'what if you couldn't'...he said 'we would try and find a replacement', I said 'what if you couldn't find a match'...he said 'we would have to look into that'....I didn't seem to get any reassurance...and to be honest it put me off a bit...if I am struggling getting the answer I want before anything has broken...what is it going toi be like if I have to claim??

Anyone made a claim through Letton??

J xx

[Smiler]

Holland

Yes we had to claim through Letton's. Have a search for some of my old post's from Dec/Jan 2005 if you want the gory details. Our car was badly damaged and the motorbikes too. We also had breakages in the household stuff, mainly due to poor packing by the removal co.

But LP were brilliant. They immediately sent a loss adjuster round and handled the whole thing very professionally and efficiently. I had very little to do as they sorted it all out. They also sent the cheque to my sister in the Uk to put in my bank account.

We found it easy to fill in the insurance forms and also sent photo's of valuable pieces and the vehicles, with the forms. This way they had a record of condition before the move. I must have had a premonition for that one.

I can't recommend them enough.

[holland]

Thanks Smiler, thats a relief!!!

I would send forms off if there wasn't a blinking postal strike!!!

J xx

[Familyofmonkeys]

My advice for doing an inventory is to list everything you possibly can (time permitting). The packers working for shipping companies do not list every item, and you may have problems with insurance if things are not listed.
We had a few things damaged, nothing serious luckily, but the insurers try it on. For example, our step ladder went missing. It was in a box labelled 'Garden Items' by the packers. It was opened by MAF, and then repacked....minus the stepladder (we saw it being packed UK end). Insurance company said that as it was not individually listed on the packing list, they would not pay out. We also had a couple of chipped saucers in a box labeled 'glass & crockery', which again they argued about. But at the end of the day, the stuff was 'professionally packed' and therefore covered, so they had to pay up. I mean, it's not like packers are going to list every pair of socks in a box of clothes, or it would take them several days to pack up a house.

Other advice, is that packers will pack at lightening speed. We were told that they often arrive and people are just not ready e.g. they have not drained and dried things like washing machines, they they have to stand around waiting, as people do not expect them to be so quick at packing. They are also very inventive with their use of space. If there are things you want to be packed together....tell them and place them together before the packers arrive. Make sure anything that MAF will need to look at is also kept separately.

As for Tempur mattresses, make sure you say IN WRITING that it has to be laid flat, before the packers arrive. That way, if it is damaged, there will be no arguments other end. Plus, make sure it is properly insured. In NZ they start at about $4500 and Tempur pillows are about $200.....we just got a nice new mattress, but I wasn't allowed to spend that much money

[Graham Cross]

Can you pack the drawers with clothing and stuff so that you will know where they are when you get there. I have got a room full of craft stuf and have packed my stamps and card and paper in metal drawers and plastic containers 7 metal drawers. 8 plastic drawers and must have at least a dozen plastic boxes. That is before we start on the rest of the house. Am I taking too much?

[Myrkk]

How much packing can you do yourself before the packers arrive? We have a lot of books/CDs and Vinyl which is easily packed but would be nice to have packed away just now before we put the house up for sale. Would the packers be ok with that or would they want to see inside the boxes for themselves and so repack them?

[Smiler]

How much packing can you do yourself before the packers arrive? We have a lot of books/CDs and Vinyl which is easily packed but would be nice to have packed away just now before we put the house up for sale. Would the packers be ok with that or would they want to see inside the boxes for themselves and so repack them?

Anything we'd already packed before the shippers arrived had Packed by Owner or PBO, written on the inventory. MAF looked in a couple of the boxes but not all of them.

I'd pack them now, it's a job done and a little bit of pre sale decluttering sorted too!