Removals in Edinburgh

Larger removals companies versus Small removals/ Man with vans.

Firstly all my own removal service quotes  includes one or two ( if requested) removals porters helping load/unload goods onto the van.

I read some comments on an Internet forum/blog about this subject and to me its not really fair on those hardworking UK wide Man with vans, that’s all it is really when you move house is a Van and someone to help, YES DO  HELP, I understand the stereotypical reputation some may have of guys with white vans, the white van man syndrome, most are honest, hardworking and looking to provide quality removals porter & van hire, no point in being high & mighty (snobbish) with them, they prob earn more & work less, No 9/5 stagnation like ther masses !!!

When you use larger moving companies you’ll get 3/6 guys doing the move, I’ve seen it with my own eyes in Edinburgh, they’re usually hired in casual help ,and really don’t care how they handle your possessions because there on minimum wage and its not regular work at times, so its irrelevant to them what the moving companies reputation might be, after I witnessed furniture scuffing up a stair wall and a bag of golf balls bouncing all over the stair back down again with the removal porter being aggressive & abusive, when told off for damaging the wall, I can only comment on what I’ve witnessed.

 One of the worst companies seems to be Pickford’s, probably the biggest removal companies in UK if not the world - Ive lost count of customers saying it was damaged in a prior removal by them, so big isn’t always best ! probably badly trained staff, so beware anyone whose worked with them…..I can think of one new Removals company in Edinburgh based in Tollcross

Also read comments rubbishing man with a van services from a removal business who do everything from courier work, distribution and the like.. I don’t trust any company who has to trade on doing all those other transportation services & other totally unrelated businesses connected with removals, it shows they are not getting the work they want, after all that’s what they advertise as, a so called  top quality removals company!! Maybe its due to not having a good reputation or are just not doing it right, goes hand in hand really never mind actually using a van that is smaller than most Removals man with vans …or more than likely just not giving value for money to the customer, and generally over charging for jobs, I think I know what it is …

Firstly when using a small moving company you’ll probably be getting the owner of the business doing the job, so his own reputation is on the line, he will more than likely have assistance and again they will use trusted furniture movers or in my case another small removal company owner who knows what they are doing and has over 10 years experience in moving antiques, art etc so please never think if it says Man with Van for hire its not a great service, it is… and it might offer a far better for less move than you might expect !!

Fixed Removals costs versus hourly rate?

Van Man Removals Edinburgh always prices jobs at a fixed rate we just don’t do hourly rates, why you may ask, well firstly we think its not much an incentive to work by the hour, apart from working very slowly & your paying for the travelling time as well, so it seems unfair for customers and just not good value ~ So if your removals Man with a Van goes the long route round and gets stuck in Edinburgh traffic your paying for it, then there’s the labour part…Working for an hourly rate as I’m sure you do, do you work as hard as you can for your employer, going that extra mile to get the job done ? Well there you go… question answered!! So imagine how long the jobs going to take, especially if it s a 3rd floor job, sounds cheap at £20 per hour doesn’t it ? but if it takes 3-4 hours you’ll probably pay more for their moving service than you would do for our removal service that’s a clear fact!

If you look at some larger company websites offering Domestic and Commercial clearances and to a smaller extent removals in Edinburgh, they list per hour prices coming at in £35ph and have minimum 2 hr charges which to me are massively over priced for this type of service, professional budget removals, considering I’ve recently heard they are no longer in business… whether thats to do with their charges I’ve no idea…It just means more work for Van Man Removals !!!

Recycling in Edinburgh by helping people out !

If your moving home you probably are chucking out some old furniture and various other bit ‘n’ bobs, why not try and save the planet instead of dumping it. I always tell some of my customers, almost to the point of talking myself out a paying  job, to try and get rid of it to a local charity shop or charities whom provide for people starting up a home. Places like Four SQUARE @ logie green Road just round from TESCO CANONMILLS who do a valuable job in helping vulnerable people in Edinburgh back into society and need goods to furnish flats, they re more than happy to take you goods if its on fair/good condition. Van man removals is happy to do this for a small fee, on the other hand you could try Bethany Christian trust Main depot in Jane street with shops in Leith, Morningside, Portobello,Stockbridge,Corstorphine ,who sell furniture/bric a brac & Clothing etc for profit to help others, their a bit more fussy on the furniture’s condition but again its always good to recycle something that got a bit of life in it yet and again Van Man is willing to take any itemS along to jane street Edinburgh.

Recycling for cash

Or you could recycle your furniture for cash by taking it to the Auction Houses in Edinburgh there is one off Leith walk in Jane street called Ramsey Cornish and another place just outside town Thomson roddick Scottish auctions out at rosewell out past Ikea or if you have some thing really special like artwork or antiques, Id suggest Lyon & turnbull at broughton place just off broughton street, remember when using the auction you have a fees premium on the sale so please check it out before taking the goods along or using van man removals for the job (we are skilled antique/art movers)

Recycling for free

If all above fails and you have limited time and just want it out the house you could just place an ad on freecycle one of the yahoo groups or on the local Gumtree as long as its in fair condition someone will want it, the other crazy idea is leave it outside your property with a note attached saying free to good home or if a TV say its still working and in a few blinks of an eye it will vanish… esp TVs & good sofas, people are scavengers at heart so this isn’t such a bad idea.

Home Removals advice all in one place, small company big advice! Not many small moving companies offer a service like the one I offer, totally impartial advice on moving and self storage, I can recommend Edinburgh self storage companies whichever is local to you or offers the best service and price in Edinburgh, straight forward advice on your requirements, no smarmy sales pitch, ‘’please go with us’’ style for a so called discount. Just good old-fashioned honest advice, are we not all fed up with those, been on the training course, suited cardboard cut out clones telling us mind numbing stuff they don’t believe themselves…were not bored in our jobs so don’t bore us! We care about what we do, even if we don’t do the job!

If we cant do your removal large or small, have no fear its because either we are fully booked up, it happens quite often due to being one of the best flexible Man with Van removals companies In Edinburgh, or we just cant take the volume you must have a 3+ bedrooms property, we never kid ourselves on, heaven forbid wasting customers time by taking on massive Removal jobs we just cant handle, and only discover this on the day of the job due to inexperience in dealing with the initial call or chancing our arm just to get the job at all costs, that’s just not our style I’m glad to say.

Luckily We can offer contact details of alternative moving companies in the Edinburgh area who give the same value for money service we do, and have the same ethics we have – in business to be in business to provide quality at fair prices no matter the removal job size or Van Man hire and its not all about how much we can get, its about giving the best service at a fair price and leaving the customer happy.

I started Van Man Removals from scratch in late 2004 with no help from local fund it at any cost bodies or with free, dare say it, easy to spend if its not yours tax payers government money, getting certificates at the end saying how good you are according to god knows who… its been hard work form day one, with some friendly valued advice for an experienced contemporary, I’ve found the best way is to work hard & learn for your mistakes and be totally honest with customers and they will appreciate it even if sometime it seems hard at the time, honesty is the best policy for both parties.

Life can sometimes get on top of us; Simple things like Dusting & cleaning are a real chore – leaving things till the last minute… Cleaner’s day off maybe, left it for a while & it’s built up, but now you’re moving on so it doesn’t really matter or does it?

Got the removals guys coming & you’re off a new nice clean place ,Great !, Well it might just be worth your while giving all surfaces a quick wipe with a clean damp cloth (before the removal) That TVs been sitting for a few years & has a thick layer of your dust , hi-fi ,pc, tops of wardrobes, cabinets etc … that cookers a greasy mess ,don’t even mention the washing machine … Wow, look at the fridge I never knew so much Disgusting gunge could be collected such a small place ….

Just got up & forgot to pack the bedding properly… happens to everyone ,maybe the local laundries closed down or washing machines on the blink & its been a while since you had the chance to clean the duvet & pillow cases due to your very busy lifestyle ,well its been a long hot summer & youre too busy to bother with things like that …. just handing a crumpled pile of your bedding to the removals guy , …. stop a second….. Think! put it into a bin liner so its packed in plastic bags , its contained & protected & so is the removals guy .

Maybe you’ve got a shed with tools to be moved at the bottom of the garden, over the grass that’s been used by your 5 dogs – Well need I say more, the removals man is coming to physically lift those items & move it & if its makes you feel queasy what are those guys going to feel?

A wee spruce up ready for your new clean living space, ideally you make sure the goods going (being moved) are clean , its only Common Decency & Good Manners!!

*Pleasenote
we DO NOT turn up for Removals jobs dressed like this!!