Home removalsCustomers seem to have this misconception a Luton van fits all removal jobs: let me tell you this is not the case. You have various sized Luton’s and every vehicle has a weight/load limit – having a tail lift decreases that limit to even less load weight/capacity.

The majority off small removals companies’ man with vans  use 10ft Luton’s (old ford transit with a box) not that great for a proper average home move unless you do 2-3 or more trips in it. The capacity is around 13-14 cubic meters and they all have weight limits, some no more than a smaller panel van. You will not get a one bed roomed flat in the small Luton unless you have little or no furniture and little possessions. You would normally need 14-20 cube to move a one bed roomed flat maybe a two if you are very lucky.

If you are moving a 2/4 or more bed roomed property you may/will need a 7.5 ton van,  twice the capacity of a large Luton van and it can legally take the weight involved. A lot of movers over pack the van and don’t actually think about the weight of the load if its going a short distance it might be fine but on motorways long distances it might become a problem especially if you are stopped by vosa . The next step is the big companies who run 13+ ton trucks, don’t be fooled by removals firms with Luton’s saying we can do it, unless it’s a big Luton – yes they can do it but it may take 2 or more trips and you might just not have time for that!

Man with vans mostly use panel vans: again only good for moving very small removals single items to mostly lightly furnished properties. The most useless van of all is the standard transit van; strangely people set this as the standard for moving home!? It has a low roof 1.4m height you can’t even stand up in them; if you can’t stand up straight in a van its no use in my view and just think you can even get a mattress in them without bending it, unless its a single mattress ! - capacity is only suited to very small jobs and is a waste of time for any small flat moves and a waste of time for customers as well who may not know whats needed to move the volume in volved. Panel vans can go up to 17 cubic meters so make sure the van/truck for the job is right.

Some companies say we use a 3.5 ton vehicle - yes, well you will find most vans bigger that a transit van are 3.5 tons but that doesn’t mean they can carry that weight. It will normally be 1200-1500kg unless the vehicle has been modified to carry more weight and if it was a tail-lift even less weight !

I would suggest this site its free and will save you a lot of money rather than using a local Edinburgh removal company to take small volume a long distance for 100s of pounds

go to

www. freightalerts.co.uk

So if you live near a football/rugby stadium or indeed an area that large events occurs like T in the park or the Edinburgh Marathon think about finding out of anything is on when you book the Home removal .

Ive just recently returned from exeter and luckily Glastonbury had finished!

Well I suppose it does depending on situation… You could have a block 5 high or you could have a block 14-20 levels high. That’s when it becomes a real issue, depending on what part of town you are doing the flat Removal in e.g. the good/bad parts, it’s probably best to start after 9am, most of the residents who work will have used the lifts and you could have a good run. The removal is done in no time with little interruption. On the other hand places like Gilmer ton to the North,calders/wester hailes on west side of Edinburgh may have issues. It’s best to start very early before the natives awake, normally around 10-12 I find.  The lift can sometimes vanish for up to 5 mins at time, this really ads the time on for the movers (This is when the hourly raters come into the own) plus you also have the nuisance factor that some kids/adults who see someone is moving home deciding that’s pressing all the buttons just for the hell of it is quite amusing! So next time a customer moving home says don’t worry there is a lift, have a little chuckle how little they know.

 You might have a problem! Most delivery/courier companies have one driver doing the run, so unless you have arranged suitable labour/assistance, he will leave it on the kerbside because that’s as far as he can safely move the single item, make sure you know what the online shop conditions are for the Edinburgh Home delivery, most are Ground – kerb to kerb, will they provide suitable labour? Or is that your problem, no point in finding out when it’s on your doorstep.

 I have lost count (true- not made up) of the number of times I’ve had calls from almost hysterical customers panicking about their new oak Habitat sideboard sitting in the front garden with dark clouds gathering and are desperate for help! Those customers need someone, a professional Edinburgh  removals guy to assist at very short notice.

We are happy to assist if this is the case so please save our number to your phone even if you know of a friend who’s in bother moving goods in the home give us a call, short notice labour only removal jobs are our speciality.

Van Man Removals are happy to undertake straightforward internal office moves for small or large businesses with Edinburgh, archive storage collections /deliveries, transfer of goods/materials city to city – again all subject to terms.

WE don’t do contract hire or work exclusively with any one company but we can give advice on contacts who may be interested if you are looking for someone to do this type of work.

Not something Van Man Removals usually offer, why? Because our free Home Removal quotes are always fair and always very competitive, what’s the point in overpricing, worst still kidding customers what is taken off is a discount? I’ve read some companies offering these so called discounts for seemingly a select few, students/bank/corporate/council staff In Edinburgh, but to be pretty frank why give discounts in the first place? Unless Removal companys need to get the job-at any price! Sound business plan that is!!

Or more than likely you the customer being over charged anyway, so the so-called Home Removal discount makes the price falsely come down to a more apparently realistic price, somehow expensive doesn’t seem that bad now, but its still expensive (all in the mind!)  Compared to what you should be charged for a Home-Move, well that’s my theory; I’m not a great believer in discount schemes, it doesnt make the job any easier so why take less for working just as hard – its all smoke and mirrors. Our prices are the prices you will pay… for a Professional reliable company offering home Moving on a Budget so please don’t ask for a discount!!

Someones always cheaper – even without the ‘hook’ of promised money off, esp if you work for a particular organisation, why not every customer? if i work for the council or a bank… why should my move be less than the next person??

Some people think to save money on their removal they ask for a price for one man then two, then opt for the one man price because its costing them less – I don’t work that way myself, if the job sounds as if its going to be pretty hard graft 3rd/4th floor to the same I usually always suggest two removals porters as well as the customer assisting if possible if it’s the man with a van service the want. I’ve found out far to often that a job can be even harder when your working with someone not used to climbing stairs or lifting goods or really just getting on with it or taking phone calls and chatting away during the move & putting unnecessary strain on the removals guy who’s also doing your share of the work.

If you agree a price assisting helping load the removal van -stick to it! I recently did a Edinburgh Removal from Bernard terrace/London street and it was a 1st floor to a 3rd floor the customer goods where no relation to what they informed me they had, supposedly 12 boxes and 5 suitcases actual item count around 95 items, I had to re-schedule work on that day. Being a difficult 3rd floor the customers ran out of steam 10 mins into the full hour, without a break, it took to get it up the stairs. Considering the job was priced for one man with customers help, luckily I had my removal porter with me but none the less it made things a bit of a strain the rest of the day, the customer was relieved when job was over but we still had work to do.

It’s really more than my business is worth to risk injury or potentially messing up days moving schedule due to the work not being done as quick as it should be. It’s false economy trying to do a difficult move on a cheap with less labour, it actually becomes harder.

Another problem that happens occasionally are people looking to move sofas assuming if it’s a 2 seat small sofa one man can lift it, some Edinburgh man with a vans might attempt this, but I don’t… why? Well you need safely to remove item out a property without damaging the walls doors or knocking things over etc, some might not bother; I actually do, as well as getting it safely into another property. A Recent issue  I had when someone thought I could do all this myself, it was a white 2 seater, I wasn’t aware why the customer couldn’t help, it would have been easy for them to tell me – they insisted I could do it myself due to being easy ground level to ground level (Actually down a flight of steep steps at destination) … help was arranged & luckily so, as there was no way I could have done it without issues, narrow hall and 2 doors, trying to keep sofa clean without dragging it, why couldn’t the customer help but never said ??  they had one arm, I’m not sure what they would have said to me if id ripped the cover & soiled it due to dragging it out and in but that didn’t happen as ~Van Man 

Moving and thinking do you need one or two helpers?

Some people think to save money on their removal they ask for a price for one man then two, then opt for the one man price because its costing them less – I don’t work that way myself, if the job sounds as if its going to be pretty hard graft 3rd/4th floor to the same I usually always suggest two removals porters as well as the customer assisting if possible if it’s the man with a van service the want. I’ve found out far to often that a job can be even harder when your working with someone not used to climbing stairs or lifting goods or really just getting on with it or taking phone calls and chatting away during the move & putting unnecessary strain on the removals guy who’s also doing your share of the work.

If you agree a price assisting helping load the removal van -stick to it! I recently did a Edinburgh Removal from Bernard terrace/London street and it was a 1st floor to a 3rd floor the customer goods where no relation to what they informed me they had, supposedly 12 boxes and 5 suitcases actual item count around 95 items, I had to re-schedule work on that day. Being a difficult 3rd floor the customers ran out of steam 10 mins into the full hour, without a break, it took to get it up the stairs. Considering the job was priced for one man with customers help, luckily I had my removal porter with me but none the less it made things a bit of a strain the rest of the day, the customer was relieved when job was over but we still had work to do.

It’s really more than my business is worth to risk injury or potentially messing up days moving schedule due to the work not being done as quick as it should be. It’s false economy trying to do a difficult move on a cheap with less labour, it actually becomes harder.

Another problem that happens occasionally are people looking to move sofas assuming if it’s a 2 seat small sofa one man can lift it, some Edinburgh man with a vans might attempt this, but I don’t… why? Well you need safely to remove item out a property without damaging the walls doors or knocking things over etc, some might not bother; I actually do, as well as getting it safely into another property. A Recent issue  I had when someone thought I could do all this myself, it was a white 2 seater, I wasn’t aware why the customer couldn’t help, it would have been easy for them to tell me – they insisted I could do it myself due to being easy ground level to ground level (Actually down a flight of steep steps at destination) … help was arranged & luckily so, as there was no way I could have done it without issues, narrow hall and 2 doors, trying to keep sofa clean without dragging it, why couldn’t the customer help but never said ??  they had one arm, I’m not sure what they would have said to me if id ripped the cover & soiled it due to dragging it out and in but that didn’t happen as ~Van Man

I’ve lost count of the enquires calling to move an item long distance and spluttered at the cost of getting it there, not thinking about the time & fuel costs involved with these type of jobs, like the lady who bought a stainless steel range cooker on ebay for £200 less the cost new, great bargain! But item was in Edinburgh & going to Sheffield 278 miles away, needed two removals porters to move it & once she paid for this to be done the total cost grossly exceeded buying it new…or the conservatory wicker chair set bought for £75 and was to go to Cornwall or indeed the customer who felt I was being offensive by suggesting moving a single bed from Southside Edinburgh to north of Aberdeen didn’t justify cost of taking it there, in relation to the cost of the bed & what the removal to aberdeen would cost, I thought I was giving some sound advice, is being honest being offensive?

Student movers taking personal goods long distance think it shouldn’t cost more than £200 for a vanload Edinburgh to London, yes I’ve asked them! I normally go into a well-rehearsed guff about time, fuel and earning a living wage, ‘’but its just bin bags of clothes’’ usually comes the reply, Im not sure how many Man & vans price jobs on the value of goods being moved, that’s not how it works – it’s a Removal business after all! It’s about time, distance & all costs related to making it happen.

I normally always suggest a great site called freight alerts usually to people looking to transport a single item or a relatively small amount not justifying the full price cost of an long distance removal from Edinburgh, its free to post an ad with details of job required, couriers & Man & van removals companies are members of this site and check regularly if they are going UK wide and need to fill an empty van going back home, commonly known as a back-load, or a half van travelling and having some space to fill, known as a part-load.

I must be doing something right as those customer usually get back to me thanking me for this info, freightalerts.co.uk, and they’d never have thought of it or in fact no one even suggested it to them usually due to the ‘if I’m not doing the job, I’m not interested’ attitude, which is not how our removal company operates!

Customers quite often looking to move in Edinburgh Lothian area call up asking how much it is for the hiring a Man with a van to move, expecting a price just to be given without any actual information being passed on, I’m not sure how other removal companies deal with this…. maybe they pluck a figure out the air and hope for the best! But before I can give a quote I would need some info, for example both removal street addresses, floors involved, some idea what’s being moved, will you be helping or do you need two removals porters and most importantly time & date of the move, things like that, I like to know what im doing and never just turn up not knowing what I have to do,.

I would hope to be told if there is difficulty with parking access, some people never mention this for some reason, when its perfectly clear it’s a problem (you did move in after all) silly things like your property is right on a pedestrian/zebra crossing, believe it or not you cant legally park on zig zags or black and white strips or better still a combo of both on a roundabout, polwarth gardens Edinburgh is good for that one, one chap didn’t think it was necessary to mention this but suggested we could park at the bus stop on the other side of the road , seemingly happy for us to risk life and limb carry his furniture & boxes over the road past the speeding traffic or should I say over the zebra crossing Or better still your on a 3rd floor but you’re in the attic conversion which is actually a 4th floor up a very tight narrow stair case (any top floor vague student move in marchmount) I’ve lost count of the times this has been overlooked, best of all your property is on a hill with access via a small doorway to garden area 50ft walk to the front door – its true !!, down dangerous uneven steps onto a grassy/muddy slope leading to the property and was covered in snow and ice… not safe, well I thought so.. It never occurred to customer to tell us this before hand about the difficult access or put salt down prior to our arrival, it added around 45 minutes to the job…. its not moaning its asking for common sense to be used, we are after all carrying your goods from the Removals van to your home.

Asking for the address your moving from & going too?

The other common misunderstanding is when customer asked where are you going from and to ‘’one address in Edinburgh to another’’…which street?…. EH1?? Postcodes are a great for sat nav but the human brain doesn’t work that way, Ideally you tell us the actual street address, I don’t ask this out of being mildly curious, I like to judge if we can park the Removal van ok without holding up traffic & park legally-ish or like Rose street which is vehicle restricted 1030 am till 930pm or I know there are roadwork’s on so it creates another issue we may have to contend with, usually makes sense to find out all these details, doesn’t it??

Back to the sensible stuff- I don’t charge by the hour, I give fixed priced moving quotes, the customer gets the better deal rather than hourly rate priced jobs some movers offer, I normally suggest the customer goes round the property before calling and get a rough list of the goods/furniture/ volume so we both have an idea, is it fair if I say X amount turn up and you have 300% more to move than suggested in the initial call? Do I charge you another 300% …would that be fair? I would say not, So before you call please have a wee think, its not asking much I want to be fair to you as im sure you will be to me, You could go with an hourly rate removal company but will they work as hard, I offer some form of knowing the actual price if the information given is correct.

What am I trying to say?
Use common sense and be sensible -We are here to help you!!