a chum moved house a couple of years ago and did use a professional local firm of removers to complete a short haul job.
He did not pay for the packing service and when you see how much extra space mismatched boxes take up in the van i recommend to anyone that they at least get same size boxes. Removals team were pleasant, talkative and fast. So fast that completion had not taken place and therefore they went back to base.

Completion was slightly delayed but at 1pm the news arrived and stage two begins. Into the car to drop keys off and pick new keys up. That all goes well, what can go wrong. We arrive at new house and there are three removal vans - two from our firm and a clapped out Ford Transit Luton of around 20 years of age. That is odd.

Our removal team don't look happy the owner is still moving out, which of course he should not. Yes, the previous owner who is a consultant surgeon has managed to demonstrate why paying cheap is not always wise. He would have been better off with Mr. Shifter such was the lack of competence of these men with a rust pile (furrins an all)

I mentioned our removal firm had two vans. One team had turned up to help their mates out on a Friday so they could all go to the pub. What happened was the surgeon was offered to use the spare van for the dregs of his stuff and his removers could then load their van from the yard and let my friends get on with moving in. That is what happened and life was sweet.

The surgeon had actually been out of the house for a year and only a few items were in the house but the level of incompetence was staggering. His level of cheapness was soon revealed in the scant regard to building regulations on an extension and the main bathroom.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Thu 8 Jan 2015, 9:18, Reply)