Questions
Twenty-five questions, answers first
Several of these answers are no, and those are the useful ones.
Grouped by what you are actually trying to work out: whether it is a van job at all, how collections work, what happens on the day, the overland routes, and how pricing and cover work here.
Van or firm
Van or firm
- How do I know if I need a firm instead?
- If it is a whole house, if everything needs packing, if there is a piano, if the goods are going into storage in the middle, or if the date depends on a completion chain — book a firm. Those five are on a page of their own here.
- You are turning work away. Why?
- Because a van crew on a house move is a very long day that finishes badly for everybody. Taking the booking and discovering it on the morning is worse for you than a straight no in advance.
- Can you do a one-bedroom flat?
- Usually yes, with two people, where the furniture is yours and nothing needs packing. A one-bed is the largest thing that is reliably a van job and the point at which it stops being one is about the packing rather than the volume.
- What if I send you a job you turn down?
- You get a reply saying it is not a van job and roughly what sort of firm to look for. No quote, no call-back sequence, no attempt to talk you round.
- Are you a courier?
- No. Couriers move parcels through a network with sorting hubs. We move one load in one vehicle from one address to another, with the same two people at both ends.
Collections and marketplace pickups
Collections and marketplace pickups
- What do you need to know before a collection?
- The seller's full address, what the item is, the seller's own measurement of it, which floor it is on at their end and at yours, and whether they have dismantled it. Those five answers prevent nearly every wasted journey.
- What if the item is bigger than the listing said?
- Then it may not fit through your door, and that is why we ask for the seller's own measurement rather than the listing's. Ask them for a photograph with a door frame or a kitchen chair beside it — it tells you more than a number.
- Do you check the item before loading?
- We look at it and will tell you honestly what condition it appears to be in, and we will photograph obvious existing damage before it goes in the van. We cannot judge whether it is what you bought — that is between you and the seller.
- What if the seller is out?
- We confirm with you before setting off and ask you to confirm with the seller. A wasted journey is a real cost and it is almost always avoidable with one message the day before.
- Can you collect from an auction house or saleroom?
- Yes, and they usually have their own collection procedure, a release paperwork requirement and an access window. Send us whatever they sent you and we will work to it.
On the day
On the day
- Do you bring blankets and straps?
- Yes, along with a trolley. They come with the van rather than being charged as extras, and nothing rides in the back unprotected.
- Will you take it into the room?
- Yes. Into the room you name, not the nearest floor inside the front door. Where something needs assembling we will do that too if it is straightforward.
- What if there is nowhere to park?
- Then the carry becomes part of the job and we need to know in advance. We look at both addresses on a map before the day and will tell you if either one is a problem.
- Can you dismantle furniture?
- Yes, where it comes apart and there is room to work. A glued carcass does not come apart, and a flat-pack item that has already been moved twice may not survive being taken apart a third time. We will say which we think it is.
- What will you not put in the van?
- Gas bottles, paints and flammables, anything for disposal, cash and valuables, live animals, and pianos. The first four are a safety and licensing matter; the last is a specialist job.
Overland to Europe
Overland to Europe
- Why those four countries?
- Because a van is genuinely the right vehicle for them. Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino are small, have no port of their own, have approaches that suit a van and not a lorry, and take household loads far too modest for a shared container.
- Do you drive it yourselves?
- Yes, on a sole-use run. On a shared run the load travels with others going the same way, which costs less and is handled more. We say which applies.
- What about the paperwork?
- We prepare the transport documentation and the inventory. You supply the supporting documents and make the declarations, and their accuracy is legally yours. None of it is legal, tax, customs or immigration advice.
- Are there restrictions on what can go?
- Yes, and they are route-specific. We will give you the restricted-goods list before anything is packed rather than after it is loaded.
- What if the van cannot reach the address?
- Then the last stretch is a carry, and on a hill it is a slow one. Tell us before we leave London, not when we arrive — a photograph from the nearest parking answers it.
Prices, cover and complaints
Prices, cover and complaints
- How do I get a price?
- Send both addresses, what the item is, the floor at each end and a photograph of the biggest thing. You will get a written price back once we have looked at it properly.
- Is the price fixed?
- It is fixed against what you told us. If the access or the item turns out materially different — a flight nobody mentioned, an item half as big again — we will say so at the time rather than afterwards.
- Are you insured?
- We carry goods-in-transit and public liability cover. Limits, exclusions and the basis of settlement are set out in the booking contract, and anything high-value should be declared before the day.
- What if something gets damaged?
- Tell us at the time and put it in writing. Claims and the periods that apply to them are dealt with in the booking contract, and we photograph existing damage before loading precisely so that this conversation is straightforward.
- How do I complain?
- Email us with the booking reference and what went wrong. We will acknowledge it, look into it and reply. The formal procedure is in the booking contract.
Tell us what it is and where it is
If it is not a van job we will say so, and say what to book instead.
Both addresses, what the item is, what floor each end is on, and a photograph of the biggest thing. That is enough for a straight answer and a written price.