If you are of a nervous disposition or don't like swearing look away now.
FUCKING UK FUCKING Removal firm have FUCKED UP and FUCKED me off big time.
Email received last week,to confirm container will be arriving in Jo'burg on 4th March.
Email received today from agents in Edenvale to say container arrives in Durban on 4th March, OK a slight mix up, Durban-Jo'burg about a 4 hour drive.
But, included in the email were 5 attachements requiring completion in triplicate, stamped and returned to office in Edenvale by Monday am oh and payment of approx £250.
So I call them, I explain I can't access emails on my phone and that I don't have access to a printer and what does 'stamped' mean and where do I get it done? I also inform them I can't make payment over the internet, (see blog re buying a car) but they don't take cash payments, can they help me please?
Yes they can, come to Edenvale on Monday, print and complete forms, use their internet to make payment, drive to Pretoria to customs to get forms signed, return to them so they can process, OK so not the easiest of tasks, but at least they are willing to help. Go google Centurion where we live, then Edenvale, then Pretoria to see where I have to drive to and from all day, but at least I can get papers signed in time to recieve my containers of furniture.
In the meantime I have emailled the UK agents and asked them the following:
1. Why didn't you tell me this either verbally or in written format.
2. Where has the extra cost come from? and again, you never mentioned that.
3. How the fucking hell do you expect me to do all of the above (didn't mention how helpful the agents in SA have been, they don't need to know that)
There are also further complaints to follow like:
We would've liked our container shipped up beginning of January as they informed us it took 10-12 weeks to arrive plus customs clearance time that the SA agents would organise.
So they removed our furniture on December the 23rd, they had provided us with a full quote for the price and insurance.
On the 23rd as they were removing the furniture I went to the office with the insurance quote form and was informed there was an additional £800+ cost to pay as that was included in the cost. I also asked when our goods would be sent and was informed they needed a copy of the visas...which we didn't have and knew the earliest date would be 7th January (as it happened they were delayed for a further week, again see blog on visas)It was likely our container wouldn't be sent till end of January at the earliest.
As soon as we had the visa we provided them with a copy for them to inform us container now won't be sent till 1st February. The implications of this, not only the costs involved detailed below but the fact with 2 kids we were living in a house with no furniture over Christmas, eventually having to move into company flat in Manchester, which was furnished as it all got too much for us.
So based on the 10-12 weeks they told us, there was alot of stuff we sold or gave away, not thinking that our furniture would reach us until sometime in April, for example iron, bedding, towels and quite alot of other stuff including all our white goods, as we thought we'd have to buy those kinds of items anyway and it seemed pointless to have 2 sets, as it happens we will have about 1 week in our new house (current rented accomodation is fully furnished) and in that time we could eat take out, arrange for clothes to go out for laundering.
So yet more cost involved we now need to buy all the above mentioned goods and the cost here is far greater than the UK.
We SHALL be seeking compensation from the company involved and if I do not get a satisfactory answer I will be naming and shaming on twitter, to make sure no-one else has the same problems as we've had.
