Expat from singapore moving to Australia

[Jack_Sanders]

Hi, I am a Canadian national who's been living in singapore for the last eight months. I have been relocated to a new office in Sydney, Australia and will be moving in 2 months. i am in dire need of a reccomendation for a good Mover at fair prices. I have been recommended Collin's Movers and Santa Fe, from trusted sources. Is there anyone else out there or does anyone had any experiences with these movers? I'd appreciate a response if possible. Thanks.

[Strong Eagle]

Check Unicorn that advertises in the banner at the upper right of the screen.

And, I'm not making that recommendation because they advertise... I found them to be responsive, helpful, and all inclusive of your shipping needs.

[Matney]

I moved from OZ to Singapore. Kent moved me out of OZ and KC Dat moved me into my condo here. Kent can be found in all the major cities in OZ and I have no trouble recommending them. KC Dat were very reliable, hard working, and quick. Good Luck!

[marriedwithkids]

much depends if your company is paying for it. Movers are graded like 5 star, 4 star, and 3 star hotels. If your company is paying, why not go for the best? If you're paying, then it's a different story, but don't expect 5 star level of service for 3 star price. All will serve your basic transportation need but the service and level of attention e.g promptness of calls being answered and returned will differ.

Here's my take on some representative companies in each sector:

Top tier:
KC Dat, Santa Fe, Crown Relo

middle tier:
Allied, Family Movers, Interdean Interconex, Helutrans,

basic tier:
Collins, Raffles, Unicorn

[Jack_Sanders]

I will be paying from my own pocket so the possibilty of my company paying the move for me is definitely out.

I have your replies and it seems really interesting. I have done my research and the feedback i get is that the top tier Movers charge ridiculously expensive prices for service which the middle and basic tier can offer at reasonable yet affordable prices.

I thought of Santa Fe, and when i told my colleagues about this, they said "oh-oh....",

So guys should i now get quotes from the all the Movers or what should i do?

[marriedwithkids]

jack: I guess it all depends on how much time you have. If you have all the time in the world, why not get quotes from all the Movers and decide which one you're most comfortable with based on your budget?

As to the level of service, I must say understanding your own expectations on the service level is veryimportant. If you expect only a basic level of service i.e. having the stuff moved and are happy to do things like fill up customs forms without any help or having your relocation consultant physically present to guide you through it, handle insurance claims yourself (if any), the basic tier Movers are good enough. If you're used to being waited on hand and foot, expect phone calls to be returned within the hour, have your relocation consultant visit you during the pack out and fill out the forms with you, have your mover handle your insurance claim, then you're going to be very disappointed in most cases with the basic tier movers as they tend to operate with smaller setups to save cost, so the staff are multi-tasked and stretched. It's also no secret that basic tier providers at this end will use basic tier providers in Australia as well to give you a more competitive quote, so you may get Joe Blow and son delivering your stuff in Australia instead of a more reputable household name. So while the basic tier company over at this end may do a good job and meet your expecatations, Joe Blow and son in Oz may not do as good a job!

Your friends who have had good experiences with basic tier movers may have had low expectations to start with, which is why they won't see the value of moving with a top tier provider.

Hope this helps! Best wishes for the move.

[Carpe Diem]

Comments from different friends: Helutrans is good value for money. And Santa Fe, as you say, oh-oh....

[Western]

Do yourself a favour, do [b]not[/b] use Unicorn.

They keep lying, make you pay extra fees and refuse to pay anything. We have used them and it was MOST HORRIBLE. Everything broken because of inappropriate packing (on palettes without proper fixing!), breach of contract, no response, 4 moths delivery time, no payment to local agents. Believe me it is a nightmare. The local agent here, which is on the website of Unicorn, told us that we had better get a lawyer immediately if we had shipped our stuff with Unicorn. And be aware, once you are away from Singapore, you have a problem with enforcement of your rights.

If you don't believe me, check here:

http://www.freightdeadbeats.com/SIN.htm

[Strong Eagle]

How does a year old thread get resurrected like this? Jack was moving in 2 months over 13 months ago.