Choosing the right shipping company

Hello again from sunny Cyprus!

Last week I mentioned about how much I learnt about shipping when we moved to Cyprus and that as a result, I wrote two reports to help others – one specifically for Cyprus, and one that is generic.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share this information with you. So, if any of your friends are thinking about moving overseas, you might like to get them to become a follower. I’d be really pleased if you did.

Believe me; you have to be extremely careful about who you are shipping with.

First and foremost, make sure you employ a professional removal company. Beware of the cowboys, because they are out there - and they disguise themselves very well!

So what should you look for? Well, be very careful when you are obtaining remover’s details from the Internet as a great deal of these are not bona-fide movers. A website that looks good doesn’t necessarily mean you will be working with companies who have high professional standings. Some of these companies even ask for deposits on-line before they have visited you. Alarm bells should be ringing at the first sign of this!

Your safety net is to look for bona-fide professional memberships, which you can check out yourself.

BAR (British Association of Removers) have a Code of Practice, which is the only code in the moving industry that is approved and monitored by the Office of Fair Trading under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.

All members abide by the Code that dictates the standard of service you will receive, the quality of the materials used, the standards of vehicles and warehouses, staff training requirements and best of all – what will happen if something goes wrong!

Most importantly, the Code requires BAR moving companies to deal with you in a courteous and sympathetic way at all times. You also have financial protection.

The other memberships to look for are FIDI, a network of International Quality Removers. Most BAR members are members of FIDI, and often also members of FAIM (part of the FIDI group), HHGFAA (Household Goods Forwarders Association of America), EURA (European Relocation Association) and ARP (Association of Relocation Professionals).

I’ll carry on with this next week, but in the meantime, if you or any of your friends are emigrating, have a look at www.emigrationguide.com – you can get a free monthly newsletter packed with information about emigrating.

That’s it from me for this week.
Best wishes as always.

Jackie
http://www.cyprusbuyingguide.com