subject: Choosing the Right Company For Your Removals to France by:Vincent Robinson [print this page] As the credit crunch has drastically effected the domestic removal industry, more and more local removal companies have branched out into the European removals market to keep their vehicles moving. Whilst they may be experts in moving you locally; do they have the required knowledge to comply with French road transport laws? As the French police are notorious for imposing hefty on-the-spot fines: any failure to pay promptly by the removal company could result in a delay in receiving your furniture.
It is imperative to locate a trusted and renowned removal company, having wide experience in removals to France and removals from France to the UK. Before you proceed in booking your removal, you should satisfy yourself that they have been offering French removal services for a considerable period of time. Is the company solely operating in the Anglo-French relocation market? As Europe is too vast to have local knowledge in all member states. You should also look for a mover connected with local movers in France, This will enable the supply of smaller vehicles for moves with awkward access and extra manpower if required.
For greater peace of mind- obtain a company with membership to a recognised trade association like: The British Association of Removers. Members of this Association are inspected on a regular basis and their terms and conditions of trading have been approved by the Office of Fair Trading.
If you are looking for a part load service, make sure the company are involved in a high volume of removals to France, ensuring you don't have to wait for them to consolidate loads in order for you to receive your effects on time. Check the terms and conditions on their service-as some companies will ask for up to 30 days from date of collection to deliver your effects in France.
Unless your looking for a budget service, the company should offer a complete door-to-door service/room to room service, including different packing services to suit your requirements. It is a legal requirement that the removal company completes an itemised (ideally numbered) inventory of your effects upon collection as well as obtaining an onward delivery address in France, to comply with French import regulations.
The next piece of information is vital if you are choosing a part load service, where there maybe up to 9 other customers effects on the same vehicle.
The removal operatives will ask you to sign the inventory as correct-once all your effects are collected, you should always insist on your own copy of the inventory to use as a cross reference when the removal operatives are delivering your effects. The delivering operatives will not take offense if you stand at the door and ask them to call the item numbers out as they bring your effects into your new home. Yes, a good delivery crew should be able to manage it on their own but, if you do it yourself it will not only allow the crew to concentrate on placing your items in the correct place and speed up delivery;but also give you complete piece of mind that everything has arrived safely before the removal crew depart.
Another major factor when choosing a mover is the goods in transit insurance offered. Check to see if it is included in the quotation, offered free of charge or charged as an additional extra. Also check the overall value your effects are insured for. Removal companies offering the standard liability scheme undertake to compensate you for loss or damage of your effect- even if it does not result from their negligence. This is subject to you, declaring the overall value of your effects upon acceptance of their quotation. A reputable mover operating this scheme will highlight the importance of the client declaring the overall value of their effects to be relocated; as failure to do so limits the liability to 40.00 per item in most cases.
If you are being placed into containerized storage: check the total liability limit per container the remover is offering. You may be insured for a total of 25,000 but the mover could have a limit of 5,000 per container, therefore if you were placing a 5,000 item into store it would have to be placed into it's own container to have the correct cover.
Finally always read the terms and conditions-so you understand exactly where you stand in the contract between you and the mover regarding service. Delays, compensation (if things go wrong), independent ombudsman/arbitration schemes offered and which items are not covered like jewellery and chipboard furniture.
Vincent Robinson relocation consultant,
For more information on removals to France visit http://www.removalstofrance.com owned by Dee & Dee Removals BAR members servicing France for over 20yrs.
About the author
With over 20 years hands on experience in European relocation, and after working for some of the premier overseas removal companies in the UK. I have gained excellent reputation within the European removal industry and am well placed to offer free advice and assistance for people looking for a reputable company for their removals to France. I always quote hands on experience as I have worked my way up the company ranks from a porter to a driver. Then onto the transport manager's position, before accepting my new role as sales manager and senior relocation coordinator. This experience has proved invaluable to many client's, who feel re-assured that the person on the other end of the line is a true expert who can often offer information on their chosen destination through personal knowledge, not book taught or researched from the internet.
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