What makes Amber Moves unique

We are often asked what makes us different from any removal company.  A good analogy would be that we are to the removals industry what boutique hotels are to the hotel industry.

We are an independent firm with no preconceptions about how removals should be done and neither do we have the old guys saying, “but we’ve always done it this way”.

Every customer ringing the office gets straight through to someone who can give them a quote then and there, answer any questions and deal with queries or problems on the spot.  Even if someone is not at the point of booking or we don’t have any availability for their preferred move date, we are still happy to offer moving advice or assistance with the purchase of packing materials.

The contrast between us and other removal companies, is that large firms require you to speak to several people or wait for someone to get back to you or alternatively the company is so small that you are calling a mobile number and speaking to someone whilst they are physically moving someone else.

We do our move surveys differently too.  Our surveyor is highly skilled as well as being passionate about the service we offer and the company as a whole.  He will sit down and ask you all the questions about your move and your needs, taking family situations, time constraints and complications into account.   Once he has surveyed the property and calculated the volume to be moved, he sits down with the customer and talks them through the quote.  That way they are left with a full and accurate estimate and a complete understanding of how the job will be done and charged for.  We pride ourselves on not having any small print, hidden extras and secret costs that get presented on the day.

As a result of a good survey, we are then able to brief our removal men on the day of the job so they know exactly what to expect, what items require special care and attention and even know the names of the children of the house!

Our quotes often allow for more time than our competitors but that is because we wrap and protect every item.  Of course a job can be done quicker if it is just “lobbed” in the van but that is not the service we offer.  We would rather do the job properly or not at all.

Once the men are on their job, they are charming, understanding and polite and nothing is ever too much trouble.  They do so many little extras that make the move special and more than just another chore to be got over with as soon as possible.

In summary, we always exceed expectations and know that we are only as good as our last removal.

Removals and the Credit Crunch

Too often what we read in the financial pages is reporting of a trend that we as a business felt three months previously.  An example is September/October last year – the phones literally stopped ringing round about the time of the Northern Rock fiasco.  It was a good while later that reports started filtering through that small businesses were struggling and the economy was looking shaky.

July and August have been our two busiest months with most days being fully booked and having to turn away many move enquiries yet reports are that the housing market is in the worst slump for 19 years.  We have certainly felt a slight upturn in our fortunes and hope that long may it continue.  Will we be reading reports of an upturn in October/November?

Of course it takes time for statistics to be gathered, results to be published etc but looking at the day to day fortunes of a typical small business may well be a more accurate prediction of how the economy is faring.

It is fair to say that some of our business is as a direct result of the credit crunch – companies downsizing, redundancies and restructuring always results in office relocations, churning and closing offices down.  On the domestic market front, sellers are taking the attitude that they may as well sell now before things worsen and their moves have been in the pipeline for several months.  A number of our clients are selling and putting their possessions into storage while they rent and consider their options.

We have kept our prices steady whilst trying to cover rising costs, especially diesel, still offering the same level of service.  There is no point in offering cut price jobs just to keep ticking over, as we intend to survive the slump and still be in business, stronger and wiser at the end of the recession.  In the boom time every man and his van set up a removals company but this blip in the economy will be a true test where hopefully the good guys survive and the cowboys move out.

A week in the Amber Moves booking diary

Another busy week in the moving world.  To give you an idea of the services we offer, here is an extract from our removals diary….

Monday

• Collection and recycling of old office furniture from an accountancy firm in the West End

• Assistance with export wrapping and loading up a container for shipping in Swiss Cottage
• Survey a past customer for move on Saturday from E8 on Saturday

Tuesday

• Pack and move 1 bedroom flat from Hampstead to NW1
• Load up of two 20ft shipping containers at storage for delivery the following day

Wednesday

• The whole company working on one job in Kensington.  Delivery out of storage, unpack and feng shui the whole flat right down to measuring the distance of cushions on the sofa!  Hanging pictures and mirrors, lots of reassembly and  disposing of all the packing materials
• Two surveys for potential moves- one in Crouch End and one in NW5

Thursday

• Internal moving with wrapping and protection of furniture in SW7
• Packing service in Finchley of large 4 bedroom house
• Collection of archive boxes in Windsor and delivery to Putney for one of our regular office move clients
• Evening box delivery

Friday

• Four man crew moving from large house from Finchley to Hadley Wood
• Large office relocation from Brook Green to Kensington with internal moving and crate hire, working through into the evening
• Surveys and box deliveries

Saturday

• House move within Hackney
• Continuation of large office move in W8

Sunday

• Day of rest for everyone!