K.P. moved from West Hampstead to Highgate

“4 years in store and it’s as good as new.”

R.Z. storage items delivered to Hampstead

“Amber Moves – You’re just the best! You’ve made the refurb much easier.”

D.H. refurbishing house in Mill Hill

“You guys always do a great job for me.”

S.H. moved some items to store from Kensington

“Very helpful – as always.”

L.C. internal move in West Hampstead

“Thank you for a wonderful move! Martin was really switched on and made it all very easy.”

G.dK. moved from Brentford to Chiswick

“I am very grateful for the cheerful and practical help.”

D.H. moved from Highgate to Muswell Hill

“The wonderful men did such a great job.”

M.F. moved from Potters Bar to Staines

“Excellent”

T.S. moved from Regents Park to Kensington

“Professional job. Very good management.”

L.A. moved from Maida Vale to West Hampstead

“This is the second time we have used Amber Moves – the service is excellent. I would definitely recommend to others!”

H.M. moved out of store to Greenwich

“This is the second time we have moved with Amber Moves. We couldn’t recommend Andrew and his team more highly. They are polite, hard-working and totally dependable. Thank you so much!”

N.W. moved from Gerrards Cross to Launton

“5th time we have used Amber moves and we will again. Thank you”

J.T. moved within Hampstead

“A fantastic seamless move! So professional & helpful. Hardly knew they were there – would recommend again.”

A.G. moved from Archway to Bishops Stortford

“Great job, efficient, fast, helpful!”

G.F. moved from West Hampstead to Archway

So in support of great moments in the history of house clearances, here is a clip from ‘Allo ‘Allo.

Viva Le France!

“Friendly & helpful, exceleent service.”

P R, moving within Edgware

“Prompt and rapid. Will use again.”

J T, pack & move to Hampstead

“Fantastic service. very friendly and helpful in every aspect of the move. Many thanks!”

M L, pack & move to Ealing

Andrew and ‘the ladies in the office’ would like to thank our men on the front line who make sure that we receive this fantastic award every month! Thanks guys!

So when you are thinking about moving home or organising office removals, consider

a) Not having the world’s press on your doorstep ?

b) How is the removal company going to wrap and protect your possessions  ?

c) Do they have adequate liability cover ?

d) Will you have the correct man power to successfully complete the move?

Any comments welcome

One of the UKs leading biodiversity experts was stranded in spain as a result of the volcanic Ash airport closures. Her domestic move was due to take place, what could she do ?  Through the use of our internet survey form system we were able to organise the move and parking.

Finally thankyou for the invitiation from the www.actiontotheword.com who are performing The Merchant of Venice at the Camden Peoples Theatre  Box office 08444771000 11th – 23rd May 2010.  We were able to complete a full pack and move from NW4 to E13 for a member of the cast with no rehearsal time lost.  We look forward to seeing John on stage.

Our men have a lot of experience with these things and have developed a spatial awareness of how furniture can be moved through doorways and down stairs. They can generally see just by looking at it whether a piece of furniture will go through or not and they are right 99 times out a 100! Now we’ve had customers insist that the men try to take a piece down the stairs before dismantling it, despite being advised that it is best to separate the item into smaller parts first. This generally only wastes time by opting for a strategy that is simply not going to work. Dismantled furniture is also easier to protect, having fewer protrusions means that it’s easier to wrap in bubble wrap.

There are thousands of different kinds of furniture, with different ways of putting them together and some are more fragile than others. I am very proud of our men who are daily faced with a new piece of furniture and managing every time to dismantle it. Most of us remember when we bought that new piece of IKEA furniture and it took the whole day to put together, but our men manage to achieve the same in much less time. (And they do so without any screws going missing.)

Dismantling is a necessary part of a removal and helps to speed up the loading process and ensure that the customer’s possessions are kept safe. Always make sure whether dismantling and reassembly are included as part of the move when selecting a removal company.

This week we celebrate three events.  Firstly, our owners’ daughter and the company’s name sake,  Amber, came of age on Saturday 27th March,  HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY AMBER.  She celebrated this day  not by moving home but by apprearing as JoJo in the sensational production of Seussical the musical at the Barnet Arts Depot Theatre. Well done Impact Group for an amazing set and spectacular show. For those who couldn’t get tickets you missed a brilliant sell out performance.

Secondly and coincidently Amber Moves realised it’s 18th year of continuous trading and growth.  thank you to all our clients for your continual support. It is with you and your referrals that this success has been made possible.

Thirdly, and for the fifth year running, Amber Moves were awarded the excellence award for services to household moves and office relocation from the National Guild of Removers and Storers.  Thank you to all our wonderful family of staff whose daily endeavours of true care and attention to detail have made this recognition possible.

So remember if you are Moving Office or Home, give 18th Birthday Amber Moves a phone.

IT crates are suitable for moving servers and computers

Planning and managing the relocation of IT systems requires an enormous amount of skill, expertise and manpower. Your IT department will need to maintain your computer system and network during the office move.  However they will probably have never relocated before. Therefore, it would be best to seek professional advice. It is advisable to appoint a removal company who work in  conjuction with an IT specialist at an early stage, to assess the project accurately so you can decide when and where you might need additional resources. Amber Moves work closely with a number of IT consultancies  and have recently engaged West Tek  to ensure we never drop an e.mail.

When moving office , please remember the IT equipment needs to be a  wrapped and moved correctly using size specific crates. 

The server unit mechanisms will need extra considerations.  Often old unwanted componets need to be disposed of. It is essential this is carried out using the WEEE directive and that any confidential data has been removed, destroyed or rendered irretrievable.

Your work stations need to be ready for your IT, so it is vital that the dismantling and reassembly is co ordinated.  Making sure that you have an onsite IT technician for the day of the move and that all system back ups have been taken and verified.

Finally don’t underestimate the time for testing and reinstalling.

You should talk directly to the removal company and remember that the industry attracts many ‘man and van’ amateurs that opertate in the black economy with untrained staff and illegal vehicles.  When you speak to the removals office, give them as much information about your property,  position and the place you are moving into. Every move is different and presents its own unique challenges, no one solution or price is appropriate.  The more details concerning your move that you give the better the intial estimate will be.

After this stage of the estimation process when you feel comfortable with the removal companies attitude and cost you can to to the home visit.  Often this is a good time to have some packing material delivered by the surveyor.

A trained surveyor will ask lots of questions, he will want to look throughout your office or home and garden.  He will, where possible, access parking requirements (especially for London removals). All this will take time but is is worth taking this time, as it will ensure that your move is costed correctly.

Once the survey has been completed, the surveyor should provide an on the spot written and realistic quotation with the removers terms and conditions.

It is recommended that these items are dismantled prior to the move day where ever possible, although with moving home this is not always possible as you are likely to need to use the furniture up until the actual move day.   Amber Moves usually dismantles on the packing day. Taking apart these items is a skilled job and requires the proper tools. (Do you know were you put that allen key?)  If you want this service, make sure it is included in your removal cost.  Many removal firms hide this cost as an extra and it does not appear in the estimate.  The more items of furniture that you have to be disassembled and put back together on the house move  or Office move the longer the job will take.  Again it is important that the time is considered and usually a fitter is required as part of the removal team , particularly in the office move environment where desks with partitioning and computer trunking systems can take upto an hour per desk to dismantle and reassemble. 

Wardrobes are the most complicated and time  consuming items to deal with in the home move.  Old style wardrobes divide in the middle, so all the pieces crossing the join have to be removed.  Modern wardrobes dismantle into panels and although termed ‘flat pack’ the chipboard is very easily damaged and needs extra care and attention when taking apart in preparation for reassembly,  all the component parts also need to be wrapped and protected particulary the frontages and any glass pieces, usually a super bubble wrap with edging is required.

So to answer the question  ‘ do I need a dismantling service ?’ the answer is yes if the furniture was put together and you do not have the skill, time , tools and wrappings to complete the proceedure.

Office disposal is governed by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)  directive which became law in the UK in 2007. It covers the production disposal and recycling of electrical equipment and diverts as much as possible from landfill through proper reuse and recycling. The implications of this directive will be discussed in future blogs

With domestic moves, Amber Moves has created a programme of clearance, based on the office model to ensure that the excess items are reused,  recycled and donated,  so that a minimum goes to landfill and the home owner has a convenient and cost effective method of disposal.

In step one, the householder is advised on how to keep the waste to a minimum as part of their home removal.  After the advice has been implemented the unwanted items and and rubbish are collected.  In phase two all the boxes and packaging associated with the move are prepared whenever possible for the next move or storage. Part three of the clearance is to recycle the unwanted furniture and clothing through request initiatives and Freecycle.  Small items including unwanted clothes are donated to local charity shops.  Amber Moves also has storage units where these items are stored in preparation for spring boot fares, where they are sold by volunteers for charity. The fourth phase is to recycle the component parts; wood, metal, plastic, paper etc. at a recycle depot. Finally non recycle material is taken to a registered waste management site, where it is weighed and correctly tipped and so ends the clearance programme that is conducted by this London removals company.

A one bed property will need 50- 60 boxes, with perhaps four wardrobe boxes for clothes.

A two bed property will need 70-100 boxes with probably six wardrobe boxes for clothes

A three bed property will need 130-150 boxes with maybe ten wardrobe boxes for clothes

As the property gets bigger with the additions of bedrooms, garages, garden;  the number of boxes required will dramatically increase.  All the boxes used should be strong and 2 or 3 ply walled.  It is recommended that all your homes items are boxed when one needs to use storage.  Flimsey boxes will collapse and will not protect your valuables. The range of boxes awailable for a move is consderable, however, a box the size of a standard microwave is the best for stacking, carrying and protecting your possessions.  A few larger boxes for bedding, lampshades, stereos, TV’s may be appropriate.  It is best to pack books at the bottom to half the volume and put lighter items to the top.  All boxes should be labelled clearly with contents and should be entered into a checklist inventory

On the face of it, it did seem that our quote was double the other company.  On closer inspection this is what we found buried in the small print, or not mentioned:

Hi Andrea

I just wanted to thank you and all your team for being so absolutely brilliant on Monday and in the build-up to my move. I was braced for the whole moving experience to be stressful and unpleasant, but Matthew, Robert and Levente made it incredibly easy.  Special thanks for managing to get the piano down the stairs with a huge amount of difficulty and effort but without a single complaint.

I’ll certainly be recommending you to everyone I possibly can!

Thanks again
Best wishes
Alison

I just wanted to thank you and all your team for being so absolutely brilliant on Monday and in the build-up to my move. I was braced for the whole moving experience to be stressful and unpleasant, but Matthew, Robert and Levente made it incredibly easy.  Special thanks for managing to get the piano down the stairs with a huge amount of difficulty and effort but without a single complaint.

I’ll certainly be recommending you to everyone I possibly can!

Thanks again
Best wishes
Alison

This is a copy of an email I received today from a lady we moved within London.  High praise indeed!

One of the referrrals wrote us this lovely testimonial….

“I’d have no hesitation in recommending anyone to use Amber Moves – they’re simply the best removal company I’ve ever used.  They made a stressful experience as painless and easy as possible.  The moving team were pleasant, courteous and careful with our belongings – nothing was too much trouble.  The whole process went smoothly and quickly and before they left, they were particularly keen to ensure that everything was placed exactly where we wanted it in every room.  Full marks – I will certainy be using them again for my next move.”

The build up to moving home can be so fraught that most people are actually surprised when the removal day goes so smoothly.  It is our aim in life to raise client’s expectations of a move and they should be absolutely sure, that having chosen the right removal company, of course the day should run like clockwork.

We’ve done it again and are proud to show off our award for the period January to June 2009.  This award recognised the hard work put in by our removal crews and hopefully is raising expectations of how a good removal should be conducted.

The newsletter has been so well received and has highlighted the various services we offer ranging from home removals through to charity work through to office moves.

The competition is also proving to a be a great success and entries are coming into our mailbox everyday.

Plans are afoot for the Autumn issue already and we appeal to all our readers for feedback and or articles they would like to submit for inclusion.  Nothing like a bit of free promotion so why not take advantage.

Click on the link below to read your copy….

http://www.ambermoves.com/amber-news/

Dear Andrea,

I just want to say how grateful I am for the wonderful work you did to move my parents. If you need a reference I would be happy to supply it. This may be the only time my parents will ever use a removal firm, and you made it a great one. Your staff were kind, patient, respectful and absolutley lovely. They were so helpful and efficient, and I can’t believe how relaxed the whole experience was for us all, thanks to your organisation. I really liked how respectful they were to my parents’ holy pictures, which mean a great deal to them. I have told everyone that you are the best removal firm I have ever come across. I can’t really put into words how grateful I am to you all – from the preliminary meeting to the move itself.

A survey conducted by YouGov for Ecclesiastical, the charity insurer, found 13 per cent of people used the stores to stretch their budgets.  It found more women were donating more than men.

Mary Portas, of Mary Queen of Shops fame, also has a show coming out soon testing and promoting the rise of charity shops.  She has set up a shop in the popular Westfields Shopping Centre in London where the television documentary has been filmed, and if successful there may be plans to roll out more shops.

So, if you’re moving home – donate your unwanted stuff to charity shops and join this burgeoning trend.

Moving to smaller premises to reduce costs

Upgrading to better premises because rents are now cheaper and prime office space is sitting empty

Closing down and amalgamating offices

Expanding and growing business (this does happen during a recession!)

Regardless of the reason behind the office move, there is still the work and costs involved to be considered.  It is only when you start planning an office move do you realise what’s involved.  Amber Moves comes into play somewhere down the line once you have made the decision to move and can advise you on how to carry out the move, pack up in advance with the supply of crates, dispose of unwanted office furniture and arranging off-site storage for files, archives, excess furniture.  Right down to sorting out the parking suspensions outside the building, always a problem in London, Amber Moves carries out your office move with the least amount of stress and the most amount of help and support.

We also work in partnership with companies arranging secure shredding, safe removals, cleaning services and crate hire.

Customer satisfaction is the key to our business and ongoing success and we are very proud of our staff because without them, we wouldn’t keep getting excellent ratings.  So much of our removal work comes from recommendations and referrals and we hope to continue moving homes across London throughout 2009 and beyond.

Also, many thanks for all your teams help, they did a great job and very flexible on the move.  Would certainly use or recommend you again, and I think the landlord would recommend you as they guys looked after the building so well.

I may be in touch again in a few months and see if some of the guys are available to help us rebuild and move furniture around.

The move involved moving approximately 5000 cubic feet of office furniture from newly refurbished premises in Mayfair to another London address.  The Landlord of the building was most particular that no damage be caused to the building.  He had obviously had bad experiences with previous companies and insisted on vetting all our insurance documentation in advance.  We were delighted at the end of the job that he was delighted.

The client was a pleasure to work with and we both understood the need for flexibility on the move, especially given the short notice.  Ultimately all the credit goes to our staff who did the job and exceeded expectations all round.

]]> http://blog.ambermoves.com/178/high-praise-indeed/feed/ 0 http://blog.ambermoves.com/140/july-moves/ http://blog.ambermoves.com/140/july-moves/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:42:58 +0000 Andrea http://blog.ambermoves.com/?p=140 How was your move with us?  Blog away…..

“Good communication and a very swift move.  We will use Amber Moves again in the future.  A special thanks to Marcin who made sure that everything was packed correctly and nothing left behind.  Excellent.”

St James’s Land – London office move

“Thank you very much – your staff were fantastic!  Really helpful and very friendly.  We will definately recommend them.  Thanks again.”

Jeffersons – Mill Hill to Whetstone office relocation

“A very good team who are a credit to your company”.

Iris Office Services – London Office Move

West End to Hendon Flat Move

Thank you so much to all of you, especially Matthew and Gabriel.  You were wonderful and what could have been very difficult was made incredibly easy.  Thanks again.

Golders Green to Finchley House Move

Fantastic professional service with a smile.  Lots of useful suggestions.  Great job!

Hampstead to London NW1 Flat Move

Absolutely fantastic service – the best we’ve ever had.  Thanks to the guys who made our move day stressfree.  All the best!

West Hampstead House Move

Everyone was great and made the move seem so easy.  We would definitely recommend you.  A really great job!  The guys were incredible.

NW3 House Move

Excellent from first phone call.  Was a recommendation!  I will certainly continue the word of mouth.  Fabulous, freindly chaps, worked so hard relentlessly.  Will def come back if ever move again!!

Internal Move, NW3

We will be using Amber again!  Still great the 5th time!

Office Move, West End

Utterly fabulous.  Very efficient, very helpful and thought ‘outside the box!’

June has been another good month and the Quality Questionnaires our clients fill in after their move have arrived in the post.

Of the 23 cards received, every one rated the overall service quality as excellent.

Some of the comments received, include:

“Excellent team work, very helpful and obliging, communication between us all made this a good experience.  Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Amber Moves in future.  Well done and many many thanks.”

Mr/s Chambers – House Move from Hendon to West Sussex

“Great service – made everything really easy”

Mr/s Stone – House Move within London

“Very good, efficient and friendly service. Thanks!”

Mrs Gillerman – House Move to Hampstead

“These guys rock – will definately use them again”

Mrs Shillum – Move from Self Storage to Highbury

“The boys were absolutely fantastic.  No request was too big and very helpful for our complicated move.  See them in December for our return.”

Mrs Betts – House move from West Hampstead to Hornsey

“Amber Moves were excellent, I can’t praise them enough.  Polite, efficient, hard working, reliable.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.  It was a pure pleasure dealing with them”

Mr Salahuddin – House Move from Kingston to London SW1

The National Guild of Removers and Storers Excellence Award. Amber Moves of London won this Achievement Award for providing Excellent Service to their customers for removals and storage.  Every customer moving house in London fills in a Quality Questionnaire at the end of their move and every questionnaire received back rated our services as Excellent.