Shipping Companies - Any Recommendations

[Kiwijo]

I have been searching through International Shipping Companies trying to get some info together.

Id really love to hear from people about the following.......

- Which Shippers did you use
- Why did you choose them
- Would you recommend them
- Any good or bad things about your experience with them
- Did they pack the container or did you do it yourself

Thanks in advance

[JandM]

There are lots of old threads that will come up on Search, so you'll find people's own experiences, good and bad.

[Moomette]

This recent thread might be of interest to you: http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31309

We used Pickfords as their quote was quite cheap and the lady who came in to do their inventory seemed nice enough, plus I'd seen them recommended here. The packers in London were great and worked around what we wanted left last as I was there with our 6 month old daughter through the two packing days. They also didn't complain in the slightest about the amount of stairs to our second floor flat nor the lack of parking on the red route; they just got on with it. Everything arrived intact and the service at the Auckland end was great too - they even picked up all the boxes and packaging materials after us having four weeks to unpack everything. All in all, I would recommend them based on the service we had

[shelscrape]

We used Anglo Pacific. Packers were fantastic, worked really hard, endless paper and padding used, nothing broken when we unpacked in NZ.

If I were you I get quotes from at least 3 companies. YOu can pick up a load of info from the person doing the quote on how to clean things to MAF standards, what you can and can't take too

[Kiwijo]

Thanks for the input all of you. Am gonna have to sit down and trawl through the archives when I get some more free time.
Cheers.
:O)

[janrzm]

In Jan 09 we used Robinsons from Sheffield to Tauranga.

The packers were great. Had a team of between 3 & 4 guys , took 3 days to pack a 40ft container.
They packed everything.

Container took 7 weeks door to door.

No problems except for a small issue with MAF fees this end which seems to happen frequently.

They also matched the cheapest insurance quote.

[Charlotte B]

My very recent of Pickfords was so poor that I am having to battle to get our money back since they didn't actually bother to pack items, just tossed them in to boxes (including glass and other fragile/breakable items.) I've moved internationally a great number of times and have never had to claim for anything on insurance but this time was very different. Here is a selection of some of the damage they caused purely by not packing, or inappropriately packing our items:

Ceramic heirloom castle poorly packed and damaged (intricate bits have snapped off)

The legs and side panel of a side table have been snapped inwards and the table destroyed due to unacceptably poor wrapping.

An antique oak console table has been ripped in two, lengthways and the legs are buckling underneath due to unacceptably poor wrapping to and will require significant work to repair it,

A white Ikea wardrobe with a high gloss finish, has had the gloss surface chipped off at the back corners, due to unacceptably poor wrapping. Something has been rammed in to it.

Our computer CPU was simply wrapped in your flimsy cardboard and not put in a carton with padding, thus meaning it has been handled as if it went unwrapped. My husband discovered that someone had written “top” on the front, which means it was stowed on its back, where all the peripheral ports are.

The keyboard was thrown unwrapped in to a box and now will not function.

My sewing machine and overlocker were both thrown in to cartons with no padding or wrapping of any description and this will certainly have decreased their lifespan, if indeed they even work at all.

A glass Pyrex measuring jug was put loose in to a box, with no wrapping. It will be no shock to you that it is chipped.

There is a chip in our dark stained dining table that now shows the light pine beneath. A chair is also chipped. Something was clearly rammed in to the table. These items were very poorly wrapped and apparently rather roughly handled;

An antique, family heirloom clock made of black basalt has been destroyed because it was put in to a carton with no wrapping or padding to protect it from the other items that were in the box, each with no wrapping or padding.

A wall clock was put in one layer of paper wrapping and placed, glass front against another item, in to a box. The clock surround is bent and the glass broken, though the mechanism still appears to keep time.

A multitude of glazed photographs in frames were hurled in to boxes with absolutely no packing or wrapping and since the box was not full, they were left crashing about with nothing to soften the movements.

2 lamps were put loose, with no wrapping or packing of any kind in to a carton, together. Both shades are now bent and broken.

A severe dent and splinter has been caused to the top of a stunning NZ native wood chest of drawers. It appears as if something was dropped on it from a height The damage is due to unacceptably poor wrapping.

The computer monitor has been jammed in to a box that is way too small for it and consequently the box was turned in to a diamond shape (should be square). There is scraping to the monitor.

My husband's shirts and ties were all boxed in a wardrobe hanging box. Due to rough handling, someone has snapped the hanging rail and the ties will all have to be pressed. It's not cheap and he has about twenty to twenty-five ties.

The Dualit 4-slice toaster was also dumped in a box with no wrappings and now one element doesn't work.

They (you'll love this one) even managed to wrap drink bottles and kids beaker cups with water in them. They now stink and I doubt they can be used again.

Our printer/copier/scanner (Lexmark) was dumped I a box with no packing and has consequently become unreliable, sometimes turning on and other time not. The plug port has been smashed and I believe there is internal damage.

By the way, should anyone wish to see images of this, pm me and I will send you a link to some photographs. I am so utterly disappointed in Pickfords that it makes me feel sick that I used them. We entrusted our precious things to them (not the beds etc, but more the irreplacable stuff).

The mot gauling thing about this experience is that Pickfords are refusing to admit liablity and refund our packing costs. They didn't provide the service we paid for and so I am reporting them to BAR who regulate the industry in the UK. I will also go for Trading Standards (though I think the BAR standards are set by BAR in conjunction with TS) and will also send copies of pictures and a report to a few media outlets as I think people need to know to avoid them.

Any questions please feel free to ask.

A sad and disappointed
Charlotte

[Duncan74]

We had simmilar with our packers (not pickfords) in respect to damage on numerous items dur to poor wrapping.

However their branch at this end were exceptional and did a lot to help right the damage, and restore confidence of the company.

As a sample, then look at the aerial in the photo below ;-)





Hope you do get some compensation Charlotte.

[victoria24]

to be honest duncan, looking at the vintage of it, they might have done you a favour

[nickiware]

I dunno these museum pieces can fetch quite a bit ; )