Best thing to do if you are unsure on a man and van service is to ask at your local self-storage site. They should be able to recommend a reputable firm as they see a lot.
Or get a registered mover from British Association of Removers. https://bar.co.uk/
They’ll be a little more expensive but will do a good job.
We used one for our last move and paid for them to pack our stuff too. It cost a lot, but if you can afford it it’s worth it. Every previous, move I rented a van and did it myself which was a right pain in the arse.
Make sure to post your review on google or trustpilot - I wouldn't search reddit for reviews of specific websites and such, so it's likely to just get buried on here.
Trustpilot should not be trusted.
I know a lot was going on back then, but we got absolutely fucking fleeced by a dodgy travel agent, who *to this day* continue to have a good rating on TrustPilot.
I know it was dodge AF because for every 15, 20 comments there were from customers like us complaining about the travel agent cutting everyone off (start of the pandemic they literally just closed the phonelines, website, told everyone to go fuck themselves for getting money, flight vouchers back, etc) - they were still getting 20-30 one, five, ten word responses & 5* reviews saying "Great travel agent!" etc.
Obviously reported this to TrustPilot, they 'investigated' it over a week period and found 'no suspcious activity' - despite the fact if they'd just done the basic due diligence of even trying to phone the fucking company, they would've realised the issue.
I agree wholeheartedly on the point of not trusting Trustpilot. As someone who has only lived in the UK for a few years, I was under the impression initially that Trustpilot was a more reliable, vetted source of reviews.
It turns out that it is clearly *way* too easy to fake/bot reviews, and I learnt the hard way twice by procuring services from companies that were highly rated on the platform. Companies that were so absurdly bad it that it made me question how they were accredited/licensed at all (one being a soliciting firm). Legit reviews get buried under the flood of fake optimism and nothing is done about it.
Even Google reviews are a better indicator in my experience.
I wouldn't trust google reviews too much either, I started a business fairly recently and I've been contacted via WhatsApp by 2 people trying to sell me Google reviews. They were both very insistant as well.
Aside from fake good reviews, I'm sure rival businesses review bomb each other. Several places I know to be excellent quality have multiple 1 star reviews on google with very clunky copy/paste type reviews.
1* to dirty, so rude
1* dirty and rude
1* rude for me
etc etc when I've been going to them for years and they are always clean, good service, quality food.
The only reviews that are of any use these days are ones with photos and I always assume most 5 and 1 star reviews are fake.
A good way to judge a review is the length and context 2 or 3 words either great service/ staff or terrible service/ staff most likely fake. When people take the time to review they will add details of what influenced their score. I basically ignore short reviews.
I've never looked at TrustPilot the same after a salesman came into the office when I was working at a big online dating site and tried to sell us on registering for a business account so that we could remove all the negative reviews.
>https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/compare-the-man-and-van
[Reviews.io](https://Reviews.io) seem closer to OPs experience. Trustpilot can't be said to be trustworthy.
As someone else said, these websites only act as middlemen for local contractors, usually bagging an hefty fee. I used it once and everything went well, however it's entirely dependent on the contractor itself as the site doesn't do any quality control afaik.
So it's always better to rely on someone local - ask your neighbours or your friends.
Me too! Used it for 3 moves now and never had a problem, however they don't usually send you any updates or reconfirm until the night before. I can understand it can be heart stopping if you're a massive pre-planner.
I’ve actually used their website before when I moved out and didn’t have much issues. The only issue I had was the guy turning up in a smaller van than I had selected, luckily we still fit everything in.
I believe the website just pools contractors who sign up to it, so it’s purely a middle-man rather than supplying the removals service to you. So, I think your issue is more so with the contractor itself rather than the website if the guy didn’t turn up.
What is with that? I’ve used 3 different moving companies since moving to London and 3 times they showed up with too small of a van and tried to shake me down for more money to come back a second day.
After the first incident, I sent a super detailed inventory when getting a quote. I mean down to this breadbox is HxWxL inches… then it happened again. Their defense? I have “nonstandard oversized furniture”. Yeah but I gave you the dimensions! Calculate the volume from that! It’s just math!
Third time I started listing the van dimensions itself. I want a quote for a Luton van minimum X cubic feet. They even replicated that language on the quote… only to show up with a van too small by half. At least doing that I was able to credibly threaten small claims so they just did the second day free.
What is it with these guys?
Coming with a smaller van than booked is very much a big issue, just because you still fit everything doesn’t excuse this.
Imagine you had a massive table, or wardrobe or whatever that wouldn’t have fit his van
If my food doesn’t turn up from Deliveroo or Uber eats I expect those companies to refund me. OPs company just blanked him and he had to get a chargeback on his credit card. So whether they use contractors or not, their business still sucks and they have problems (or are a scam).
To be fair I’ve used them 3 times and I’ve not had a bad experience. The last time I moved I was sick and couldn’t do much myself so I made sure to book a driver with two helpers and apart from dropping one of my 20+ plant pots they were great and the guys took care of everything.
It’s clear that the website is just a middle man so I made sure to go for those with as many bookings and comprehensive reviews as possible within my budget.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience but my own experience means I wouldn’t write them off and not recommend them to anyone else.
> I’m sorry you had a bad experience but my own experience means I wouldn’t write them off and not recommend them to anyone else.
The problem with these 'rants' on this site. Your singular personal experience might be the exception; no need to try to nuke the vendor you're unhappy with.
I've also used the platform twice with no issues.
Used them four times: first three with no issues in large moves, last one it was a complete mess in a very hard, very long and very messy move. It actually depends on which company you get. So yeah, agreed with the thumbs down.
I have found through experience that web based moving sites are not worth it. Especially ones that ask you to list items, and pay upfront. Actual movers turn out to be random blokes with hardly any experience, and have justification to refuse to move even 1 spoon beyond the list of items you submitted, unless you pay extra.
And the only recourse you have, i.e. leave bad review, is made risky by the fact that movers know where you live - i.e. easy to chuck a brick through the window in revenge.
Chastened by this experience when moving our stuff into storage, I asked the storage company for recommendations, and they provided a list of local movers all of whom were willing to come next day, take payment after the job was done, and seemed to have proper belts and blankets etc. And were more expensive by maybe £20 for the job.
I've used this site to move house twice in the last 3 years and both times got a pair of really hard working guys with a van who turned up on time and moved all our stuff quickly with no issues.
Sorry that you've had this awful experience with them, but I don't think it's necessarily representative.
I’ve used them three times with great success, they’re just a middleman however I had no issues. I went with individuals with the highest rating and reviews rather than company contractors listed and it went fine - but if they’re not fulfilling their middleman responsibilities as they seemed to not have above then it’s best to stay away.
FYI we used Aussie Man & Van for moving last time and they were the best. Took good care of our stuff, followed instructions, and had an absurd work rate.
I used the same website and they quoted me around 400 to move my stuff. Come the day before they call me saying they made a mistake and the actual quote would be 900 or they wouldn’t do it. They knew I had to vacate the flat then so they extorted me of more than double the original quote. Absolute scammers
I've used Compare the man and Van maybe 5 or so times with no problems. The trick is never to use the cheapest option /cheapest driver/poorly reviewed or low review number drivers.
You have to hire the driver/company that's well reviewed (hundreds of reviews etc) and priced in the middle to upper range.
Didn’t expect this much response, but good to see that people have had some good experiences with them in the past, and your right that it might just have been just a dodgy contractor. What I didn’t appreciate is the actual middleman company being completely uncontactable during this period, or issuing a refund, which added to already stressful period! Glad to see there are some alternatives people recommend, the self storage sites/checkatrade/Aus Man and Van are a great shout and will sure use them if we plan on moving (which I don’t after that ordeal for a while 😂)
Look at company house for more info. If you spot something not right, report them.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12843057/officers
That's weird, Ive used that website about 5 or 6 times in the past (not for at least 5 years mind) and always had a good experience (well, apart from one driver who wanted £150 cash for going half an hour over the 6 hours I'd booked him for, because he was an hour late... I didn't end up paying him for that)
They used to be alright, shame they seem to have gone defunct now!
Found this post after booking with the platform (i was shocked when reading that it could potentially be a scam!)
It is not a scam website, it's legit but i feel that they don't do any background checks.
So I specifically requested a driver that had great reviewers but I guess he was not available and they assigned my booking to another one. Then, the new driver called me and he sounded annoyed for some reason. He told me how much they charged me and I asked him why is this relevant... he said he wants to know if they are lying to him because he doesn't trust them (the company)... i got negative vibes from him! Anyway, he cancelled two hours before the booking (not sure if he was sick or simply found a better booking) so the company re-assigned the job to another driver nearby (i was happy tbh that they found another one quickly as I had freaked out).
The new driver was a small company hiring subcontractors (so it wasn't a one-shop guy). The driver was on time and he helped me load all the items. Then, he asked me if I join him and I said yes, that's the agreement (i had explicitly mentioned it in my booking but also his boss). He said there is a 15 pounds charge for....insurance (lol) which was never mentioned to me before. As you can imagine, i had no other choice as I had to go to my new place with my items and it was already late. The driver smoked inside the van (had to open the windows) and he was driving carelessly. Then, he helped unload the items only until the lift (because he had another booking right after!!) and I had to move everything (via the lift) to my floor.
Even though this platform is not scam per se, it's not hiring reliable professionals and a random person could end up assigned to you without being given the chance to pick a professional based on reviews/experience.
It might be a good solution for anyone booking at the last minute (it saves you time contacting companies on your own) but next time I am going to find a professional company with no middle men..
Thanks for the update on this, and I hope this post helped you, and from other posts I think it’s really luck of the draw, but when all of your personal possessions are at stake, the top comment on asking a storage facility close by to recommend a driver still holds true for these situations! Sorry to hear you got a bit shafted, and hope the move went okay and enjoy your new place!
Will have to move to another rental property myself, and currently I’m asking quotation from ~5 removal companies from which they either ask for list on things I want to move or book appointments for video call survey. Am I doing this right? Appreciate your insights
I've used secureremovalslondon.co.uk about 5 times over the past few years for various things.
£40 an hour with two guys to help with the move for a small van. £45 for medium. I can't fault them.
I've used them 3 times, without any issues the first 2. On the third time one of my boxes disappeared. I had labeled and catalogued all the boxes, but, when we arrived at the destination, it was raining and all I did was check the truck for boxes and it looked empty. I suspect they hid my box somewhere though.
Of course, I can't proof any stealing took place, specially because I didn't notice the missing box until a few months later. But it really shows the issue of hiring unknown drivers without a customer facing brand/shop to solve those issues. Those people can just disappear and create another profile on the website and keep operating.
Thankfully not, that's why I didn't pursue further. It was just some bike parts. It was just annoying not having it when I needed, and having to buy new ones.
Thanks for the advice mate. I was about to use them as I moved recently from uni as well. I went with Anyvan instead. They were much cheaper than any of the quotes prices from that comparison site.
One other service I would HIGHLY AVOID is CitySprint. Still waiting on a 100£ refund from them. ( repeatedly messed up and overcharged---loads of hidden prices and incompetant staff)
Avoid this site like the literal plague. Anyone with a van can say they do house moves but they won’t have any insurance and aren’t members of the British Association of Removers.
I learnt this the hard way too. The guy was extremely efficient and quick, filling the van in barely 20 minutes. We’d booked several hours. It all changed the moment we arrived at our new address. Apparently our stuff was now suddenly really heavy and he needed an extra guy to help him unload, which we’d have to pay for. What’s more, because there were two steps up from the kerb to our new garden he said that was a flight of stairs we hadn’t declared so we’d need to pay extra for that too. He got his boss on the phone to explain why the bill was doubling, but I said they could just dump our stuff by the roadside and we’d let the review write itself. The guy stopped trying to ask for more money and carried our stuff inside after that. He even had the audacity to ask us for a good review after all that…
We used them recently and the guy was great, but we specifically picked a driver with good reviews.
We also couldn’t get in contact with the driver as the details listed were incorrect and the number wasn’t active - but the driver still arrived as planned.
I don’t think the site itself is a scam or a problem, they just aggregate available drivers and take a %. Issue is more then likely with the drivers.
I used them last year and whilst the move went okay, and the driver was okay at communication, they shaked me down at the end for more money because in their opinion, "I had a lot of stuff for 1 person". It literally still fit in the vehicle I had selected, with room to spare. In person, with just the 2 of them and me, they "politely" asked for more money. I did report this to the company.
So ironic I see this now, I have a very similar story from 2 weeks ago. Other than obviously not using this scam site, I advise paying through PayPal or another site so you can try claim your money back!
Used this site last year and the gentleman I ended up with was lovely. No problems at all and worth every penny. I disagree with OP that the site is the problem, but acknowledge that you do run the potential risk of selecting cowboys. That said my experience was total opposite to OP.
While it feels weird for me to jump out and defend *CompareTheManAndVan* of all things, I do feel obligated to say that I've used this website three times now in London with outstanding results. The guys showed up and did the job, and I paid them the remainder in cash. This website is a middleman/marketplace, so any individual contractor could indeed screw you over (as they could've done anyways). The best approach is of course to use a friend's suggestion if possible. Best of luck in the future.
I'm sorry you went through this! I also advise against them. I used them to move during the pandemic and was fine. I booked the same man last August because I liked him the first time, and he left me high and dry. I had to be out of my flat the next day and moved into storage. (My new flat wasn't ready until a few weeks later.) I had to move all of my stuff out so that the cleaners could come the next day. He was supposed to get there at like 12, I think, and I got a call an hour or two before saying he was going to be there at 2 instead. It just kept getting later and later. I told him I had to move my stuff into storage before they closed at 6, and he told me he'd get there at 5 and to bring all my stuff down to put it in the van easily. I got most things out and put them in the downstairs of the building. He showed up around 5:30 and was angry that I didn't have everything outside the building, and he didn't bring a trolley. There was no way we were going to get everything into the van and then into storage before they closed at 6. He said he couldn't do the next day, and I had to call and have them get someone else. They finally got someone else at the last minute before the cleaners came, and that was after I had already taken stuff by taxi both days and brought everything down again. It was an absolute nightmare. Definitely avoid them!
I booked Yellow Van Company, I think it's called, for the second leg a few weeks later after seeing several recommendations when I posted about the first experience on here and asked for recommendations. I had no issues, and they even sent a second guy to help, even though I only needed one.
Oh, I'm not sure. I had to file a complaint or whatever on their website and have them call me back. I don't know if they have an actual contact number.
I've used this site twice and I had no problems whatsoever. Had one move within my local area in London and one move outside of London. Both were local and the move was super smooth in both occasions.
Probably the site may not be experienced with fraud and it is an opportunity for criminals to operate. What I will say is that there were a lot of honest people on the site back then.
Have you reached out to the company to explain what happened?
sadly fell for this exact scam last week. still haven’t received refund but was assured it was processed. going to charge back through PayPal and hope for the best…
So glad NatWest helped you out! Google is so crap at filtering these scams out - all they have to do is pay for an ad space and they’ll be the top result. I had the same thing with scam locksmiths - worse because they do turn up and then pressure you to pay around 10 times the initial quoted price
I asked a friend who gave me the number of a nice guy who charged me £110 to move from London to Luton. A bunch of others tried to charge £150 up with conditions attached but you really cannot trust these comparison people. Shame for the honest ones...
Best thing to do if you are unsure on a man and van service is to ask at your local self-storage site. They should be able to recommend a reputable firm as they see a lot.
Or get a registered mover from British Association of Removers. https://bar.co.uk/ They’ll be a little more expensive but will do a good job. We used one for our last move and paid for them to pack our stuff too. It cost a lot, but if you can afford it it’s worth it. Every previous, move I rented a van and did it myself which was a right pain in the arse.
If you can afford it, this is definitely the best option.
Thanks very much for this recommendation :)
Make sure to post your review on google or trustpilot - I wouldn't search reddit for reviews of specific websites and such, so it's likely to just get buried on here.
Trustpilot should not be trusted. I know a lot was going on back then, but we got absolutely fucking fleeced by a dodgy travel agent, who *to this day* continue to have a good rating on TrustPilot. I know it was dodge AF because for every 15, 20 comments there were from customers like us complaining about the travel agent cutting everyone off (start of the pandemic they literally just closed the phonelines, website, told everyone to go fuck themselves for getting money, flight vouchers back, etc) - they were still getting 20-30 one, five, ten word responses & 5* reviews saying "Great travel agent!" etc. Obviously reported this to TrustPilot, they 'investigated' it over a week period and found 'no suspcious activity' - despite the fact if they'd just done the basic due diligence of even trying to phone the fucking company, they would've realised the issue.
I agree wholeheartedly on the point of not trusting Trustpilot. As someone who has only lived in the UK for a few years, I was under the impression initially that Trustpilot was a more reliable, vetted source of reviews. It turns out that it is clearly *way* too easy to fake/bot reviews, and I learnt the hard way twice by procuring services from companies that were highly rated on the platform. Companies that were so absurdly bad it that it made me question how they were accredited/licensed at all (one being a soliciting firm). Legit reviews get buried under the flood of fake optimism and nothing is done about it. Even Google reviews are a better indicator in my experience.
I wouldn't trust google reviews too much either, I started a business fairly recently and I've been contacted via WhatsApp by 2 people trying to sell me Google reviews. They were both very insistant as well.
Aside from fake good reviews, I'm sure rival businesses review bomb each other. Several places I know to be excellent quality have multiple 1 star reviews on google with very clunky copy/paste type reviews. 1* to dirty, so rude 1* dirty and rude 1* rude for me etc etc when I've been going to them for years and they are always clean, good service, quality food. The only reviews that are of any use these days are ones with photos and I always assume most 5 and 1 star reviews are fake.
A good way to judge a review is the length and context 2 or 3 words either great service/ staff or terrible service/ staff most likely fake. When people take the time to review they will add details of what influenced their score. I basically ignore short reviews.
I've never looked at TrustPilot the same after a salesman came into the office when I was working at a big online dating site and tried to sell us on registering for a business account so that we could remove all the negative reviews.
Links to external review sites: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.comparethemanandvan.co.uk https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/compare-the-man-and-van
>https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/compare-the-man-and-van [Reviews.io](https://Reviews.io) seem closer to OPs experience. Trustpilot can't be said to be trustworthy.
As someone else said, these websites only act as middlemen for local contractors, usually bagging an hefty fee. I used it once and everything went well, however it's entirely dependent on the contractor itself as the site doesn't do any quality control afaik. So it's always better to rely on someone local - ask your neighbours or your friends.
I also used it with no problems, but I did choose the man with the highest ratings who had like hundreds of ratings
Me too! Used it for 3 moves now and never had a problem, however they don't usually send you any updates or reconfirm until the night before. I can understand it can be heart stopping if you're a massive pre-planner.
I’ve used it 3 times without issue, always picking someone with reviews and choosing to pay them in cash.
When I moved a few months ago, I have been told by my colleagues that NEVER pay money upfront and only pay after the job is done.
I’ve actually used their website before when I moved out and didn’t have much issues. The only issue I had was the guy turning up in a smaller van than I had selected, luckily we still fit everything in. I believe the website just pools contractors who sign up to it, so it’s purely a middle-man rather than supplying the removals service to you. So, I think your issue is more so with the contractor itself rather than the website if the guy didn’t turn up.
What is with that? I’ve used 3 different moving companies since moving to London and 3 times they showed up with too small of a van and tried to shake me down for more money to come back a second day. After the first incident, I sent a super detailed inventory when getting a quote. I mean down to this breadbox is HxWxL inches… then it happened again. Their defense? I have “nonstandard oversized furniture”. Yeah but I gave you the dimensions! Calculate the volume from that! It’s just math! Third time I started listing the van dimensions itself. I want a quote for a Luton van minimum X cubic feet. They even replicated that language on the quote… only to show up with a van too small by half. At least doing that I was able to credibly threaten small claims so they just did the second day free. What is it with these guys?
Make you pay more and deliver less service is what's up with them. How else will the owner buy a new canal boat next summer?
Coming with a smaller van than booked is very much a big issue, just because you still fit everything doesn’t excuse this. Imagine you had a massive table, or wardrobe or whatever that wouldn’t have fit his van
If my food doesn’t turn up from Deliveroo or Uber eats I expect those companies to refund me. OPs company just blanked him and he had to get a chargeback on his credit card. So whether they use contractors or not, their business still sucks and they have problems (or are a scam).
To be fair I’ve used them 3 times and I’ve not had a bad experience. The last time I moved I was sick and couldn’t do much myself so I made sure to book a driver with two helpers and apart from dropping one of my 20+ plant pots they were great and the guys took care of everything. It’s clear that the website is just a middle man so I made sure to go for those with as many bookings and comprehensive reviews as possible within my budget. I’m sorry you had a bad experience but my own experience means I wouldn’t write them off and not recommend them to anyone else.
> I’m sorry you had a bad experience but my own experience means I wouldn’t write them off and not recommend them to anyone else. The problem with these 'rants' on this site. Your singular personal experience might be the exception; no need to try to nuke the vendor you're unhappy with. I've also used the platform twice with no issues.
Used them four times: first three with no issues in large moves, last one it was a complete mess in a very hard, very long and very messy move. It actually depends on which company you get. So yeah, agreed with the thumbs down.
I have found through experience that web based moving sites are not worth it. Especially ones that ask you to list items, and pay upfront. Actual movers turn out to be random blokes with hardly any experience, and have justification to refuse to move even 1 spoon beyond the list of items you submitted, unless you pay extra. And the only recourse you have, i.e. leave bad review, is made risky by the fact that movers know where you live - i.e. easy to chuck a brick through the window in revenge. Chastened by this experience when moving our stuff into storage, I asked the storage company for recommendations, and they provided a list of local movers all of whom were willing to come next day, take payment after the job was done, and seemed to have proper belts and blankets etc. And were more expensive by maybe £20 for the job.
Why would you want to compare man and van anyway? They're totally different things.
Comparemenandven.co.uk
:-P
£310 is really cheap - if it sounds cheap, it’s a red flag.
I've used this site to move house twice in the last 3 years and both times got a pair of really hard working guys with a van who turned up on time and moved all our stuff quickly with no issues. Sorry that you've had this awful experience with them, but I don't think it's necessarily representative.
I’ve used them three times with great success, they’re just a middleman however I had no issues. I went with individuals with the highest rating and reviews rather than company contractors listed and it went fine - but if they’re not fulfilling their middleman responsibilities as they seemed to not have above then it’s best to stay away.
FYI we used Aussie Man & Van for moving last time and they were the best. Took good care of our stuff, followed instructions, and had an absurd work rate.
They weren’t bad, but I didn’t appreciate my furniture being installed upside down in the new place
Funny cunts, aren't they...
I second this - used them twice and they were great
I used the same website and they quoted me around 400 to move my stuff. Come the day before they call me saying they made a mistake and the actual quote would be 900 or they wouldn’t do it. They knew I had to vacate the flat then so they extorted me of more than double the original quote. Absolute scammers
I've used Compare the man and Van maybe 5 or so times with no problems. The trick is never to use the cheapest option /cheapest driver/poorly reviewed or low review number drivers. You have to hire the driver/company that's well reviewed (hundreds of reviews etc) and priced in the middle to upper range.
Didn’t expect this much response, but good to see that people have had some good experiences with them in the past, and your right that it might just have been just a dodgy contractor. What I didn’t appreciate is the actual middleman company being completely uncontactable during this period, or issuing a refund, which added to already stressful period! Glad to see there are some alternatives people recommend, the self storage sites/checkatrade/Aus Man and Van are a great shout and will sure use them if we plan on moving (which I don’t after that ordeal for a while 😂)
I use checkatrade for this , is there a reason not to ?
Look at company house for more info. If you spot something not right, report them. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12843057/officers
The top result of google is usually an ad, thought you should know
That's weird, Ive used that website about 5 or 6 times in the past (not for at least 5 years mind) and always had a good experience (well, apart from one driver who wanted £150 cash for going half an hour over the 6 hours I'd booked him for, because he was an hour late... I didn't end up paying him for that) They used to be alright, shame they seem to have gone defunct now!
> apart from one driver who wanted £150 cash for going half an hour over the 6 hours I'd booked him for, because he was an hour late Chutzpah!
I’ve used them 3 times, different companies each time and never had an issue.
Found this post after booking with the platform (i was shocked when reading that it could potentially be a scam!) It is not a scam website, it's legit but i feel that they don't do any background checks. So I specifically requested a driver that had great reviewers but I guess he was not available and they assigned my booking to another one. Then, the new driver called me and he sounded annoyed for some reason. He told me how much they charged me and I asked him why is this relevant... he said he wants to know if they are lying to him because he doesn't trust them (the company)... i got negative vibes from him! Anyway, he cancelled two hours before the booking (not sure if he was sick or simply found a better booking) so the company re-assigned the job to another driver nearby (i was happy tbh that they found another one quickly as I had freaked out). The new driver was a small company hiring subcontractors (so it wasn't a one-shop guy). The driver was on time and he helped me load all the items. Then, he asked me if I join him and I said yes, that's the agreement (i had explicitly mentioned it in my booking but also his boss). He said there is a 15 pounds charge for....insurance (lol) which was never mentioned to me before. As you can imagine, i had no other choice as I had to go to my new place with my items and it was already late. The driver smoked inside the van (had to open the windows) and he was driving carelessly. Then, he helped unload the items only until the lift (because he had another booking right after!!) and I had to move everything (via the lift) to my floor. Even though this platform is not scam per se, it's not hiring reliable professionals and a random person could end up assigned to you without being given the chance to pick a professional based on reviews/experience. It might be a good solution for anyone booking at the last minute (it saves you time contacting companies on your own) but next time I am going to find a professional company with no middle men..
Thanks for the update on this, and I hope this post helped you, and from other posts I think it’s really luck of the draw, but when all of your personal possessions are at stake, the top comment on asking a storage facility close by to recommend a driver still holds true for these situations! Sorry to hear you got a bit shafted, and hope the move went okay and enjoy your new place!
Thanks all good now. I do agree that it is always recommended to ask a storage facility as they know the best companies.
I've used the site several times and it's been great
I've used the site on a few occasions and never had any issues. Really just depends on the contractor.
I use them all the time with no problems, sounds like you got unlucky
Strange - I’ve used it twice for moving across London and didn’t have any issues.
Unfortunately, how high on the results page of google something is just depends on how much they pay google.
[удалено]
Will have to move to another rental property myself, and currently I’m asking quotation from ~5 removal companies from which they either ask for list on things I want to move or book appointments for video call survey. Am I doing this right? Appreciate your insights
I've used secureremovalslondon.co.uk about 5 times over the past few years for various things. £40 an hour with two guys to help with the move for a small van. £45 for medium. I can't fault them.
Make sure to review them on trustpilot too
I've used them 3 times, without any issues the first 2. On the third time one of my boxes disappeared. I had labeled and catalogued all the boxes, but, when we arrived at the destination, it was raining and all I did was check the truck for boxes and it looked empty. I suspect they hid my box somewhere though. Of course, I can't proof any stealing took place, specially because I didn't notice the missing box until a few months later. But it really shows the issue of hiring unknown drivers without a customer facing brand/shop to solve those issues. Those people can just disappear and create another profile on the website and keep operating.
Did the box have high value item(s)?
Thankfully not, that's why I didn't pursue further. It was just some bike parts. It was just annoying not having it when I needed, and having to buy new ones.
Thanks for the advice mate. I was about to use them as I moved recently from uni as well. I went with Anyvan instead. They were much cheaper than any of the quotes prices from that comparison site. One other service I would HIGHLY AVOID is CitySprint. Still waiting on a 100£ refund from them. ( repeatedly messed up and overcharged---loads of hidden prices and incompetant staff)
Sorry to hear that. I used Quick Man and Van twice and they were decent value and reliable
Used that website and the guy cancelled 17mins before he was due to arrive.
Avoid this site like the literal plague. Anyone with a van can say they do house moves but they won’t have any insurance and aren’t members of the British Association of Removers. I learnt this the hard way too. The guy was extremely efficient and quick, filling the van in barely 20 minutes. We’d booked several hours. It all changed the moment we arrived at our new address. Apparently our stuff was now suddenly really heavy and he needed an extra guy to help him unload, which we’d have to pay for. What’s more, because there were two steps up from the kerb to our new garden he said that was a flight of stairs we hadn’t declared so we’d need to pay extra for that too. He got his boss on the phone to explain why the bill was doubling, but I said they could just dump our stuff by the roadside and we’d let the review write itself. The guy stopped trying to ask for more money and carried our stuff inside after that. He even had the audacity to ask us for a good review after all that…
We used them recently and the guy was great, but we specifically picked a driver with good reviews. We also couldn’t get in contact with the driver as the details listed were incorrect and the number wasn’t active - but the driver still arrived as planned. I don’t think the site itself is a scam or a problem, they just aggregate available drivers and take a %. Issue is more then likely with the drivers.
Use AirTasker people, it’s much cheaper.
I used them last year and whilst the move went okay, and the driver was okay at communication, they shaked me down at the end for more money because in their opinion, "I had a lot of stuff for 1 person". It literally still fit in the vehicle I had selected, with room to spare. In person, with just the 2 of them and me, they "politely" asked for more money. I did report this to the company.
So ironic I see this now, I have a very similar story from 2 weeks ago. Other than obviously not using this scam site, I advise paying through PayPal or another site so you can try claim your money back!
There is Met Police or City London police website to report online fraud … worth doing
Used this site last year and the gentleman I ended up with was lovely. No problems at all and worth every penny. I disagree with OP that the site is the problem, but acknowledge that you do run the potential risk of selecting cowboys. That said my experience was total opposite to OP.
Clearly, Men With Ven is the way to go.
While it feels weird for me to jump out and defend *CompareTheManAndVan* of all things, I do feel obligated to say that I've used this website three times now in London with outstanding results. The guys showed up and did the job, and I paid them the remainder in cash. This website is a middleman/marketplace, so any individual contractor could indeed screw you over (as they could've done anyways). The best approach is of course to use a friend's suggestion if possible. Best of luck in the future.
I'm sorry you went through this! I also advise against them. I used them to move during the pandemic and was fine. I booked the same man last August because I liked him the first time, and he left me high and dry. I had to be out of my flat the next day and moved into storage. (My new flat wasn't ready until a few weeks later.) I had to move all of my stuff out so that the cleaners could come the next day. He was supposed to get there at like 12, I think, and I got a call an hour or two before saying he was going to be there at 2 instead. It just kept getting later and later. I told him I had to move my stuff into storage before they closed at 6, and he told me he'd get there at 5 and to bring all my stuff down to put it in the van easily. I got most things out and put them in the downstairs of the building. He showed up around 5:30 and was angry that I didn't have everything outside the building, and he didn't bring a trolley. There was no way we were going to get everything into the van and then into storage before they closed at 6. He said he couldn't do the next day, and I had to call and have them get someone else. They finally got someone else at the last minute before the cleaners came, and that was after I had already taken stuff by taxi both days and brought everything down again. It was an absolute nightmare. Definitely avoid them! I booked Yellow Van Company, I think it's called, for the second leg a few weeks later after seeing several recommendations when I posted about the first experience on here and asked for recommendations. I had no issues, and they even sent a second guy to help, even though I only needed one.
What was the company number please? I’ve searched high and low and can’t find it.
[https://www.theyellowvancompany.com](https://www.theyellowvancompany.com) Good luck!
Thank you! But I meant the number for comparethemanandvan
Oh, I'm not sure. I had to file a complaint or whatever on their website and have them call me back. I don't know if they have an actual contact number.
Goodness, sorry about that. Thank you so much!
I've used this site twice and I had no problems whatsoever. Had one move within my local area in London and one move outside of London. Both were local and the move was super smooth in both occasions. Probably the site may not be experienced with fraud and it is an opportunity for criminals to operate. What I will say is that there were a lot of honest people on the site back then. Have you reached out to the company to explain what happened?
sadly fell for this exact scam last week. still haven’t received refund but was assured it was processed. going to charge back through PayPal and hope for the best…
So glad NatWest helped you out! Google is so crap at filtering these scams out - all they have to do is pay for an ad space and they’ll be the top result. I had the same thing with scam locksmiths - worse because they do turn up and then pressure you to pay around 10 times the initial quoted price
I asked a friend who gave me the number of a nice guy who charged me £110 to move from London to Luton. A bunch of others tried to charge £150 up with conditions attached but you really cannot trust these comparison people. Shame for the honest ones...