Do NOT use ASL Removals (Removal Services in general)

Member Name: A and B

Product:	Removal Services in general
Date:	04/11/07 (204 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: everything

We had an appalling experience with ASL Removals (aka Everest Removals, it seems...) during our long distance move from London to Scotland, matching the pattern seen from the other reviews. If you want to read the full horror, see below. The main message is this: THEY ARE RIP-OFF MERCHANTS.

Following our experience, we have reported this company to Consumer Direct who have now referred them to trading standards. We urge you all to do the same:
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ or 0845 4040506

In addition, we have informed the portal who referred this company to us:
http://www.uk-removals.co.uk

WHAT HAPPENED

1. Their moves coordinator came round to estimate the number of boxes we would need to move our belongings & give us a price for the job. He came across as very trustworthy, leading us to believe we were dealing with a professional and reliable service. The email quotation which followed was competitive (cheap but not suspiciously so).

3. When packing material was dropped off, only boxes (obviously not of the correct strength to take household belongings) were delivered - no bubble wrap or packaging tape. Also, they were late for this appointment.

4. On the day of the move, they arrived 1.5 hours late. The packers were not professional (despite claims made on this company's website) and seem to pack our things rather haphazardly (including wrapping our breakables in our own towels, pillow-cases, etc.). They even asked us for packaging tape & extra boxes etc. to take our belongings!

5. At the end of a long day, the coordinator informed us that the amount to be moved was far in excess of what he had agreed with us and that they would have to transfer it all to a larger truck at their depot, as they would not be able to legally drive the vehicle they had brought on the motorway (too heavy). Plus, they would now require 3 people to do the job - all news to us. Even more shocking, the charges for this basically doubled their original quote. Worse still, they expected the full amount in cash. This was never explained to us.

At this point we felt we were being held hostage as all our belongings were in their van.

6. We demanded to speak to their manager who eventually agreed to a tiny reduction and also to take some amount as BACS transfer. Having no choice, we had to proceed.

7. The following day, we received no news of the progress of the removals van from ASL & neither had our family, who had been waiting all day long at the destination address. We called for progress and were told they were still many hours away; they then gave us an ETA. At that time, we rang again and were told the same.

8. After a further call much later that evening, they revised their ETA to 11pm and were insistent that someone be at the address to receive them. This was 30 hours after they collected our belongings. They eventually arrived at 2.30AM and our elderly mum was risen from her bed to meet them. We were moving into a flat, so obviously concerned about disturbing all of our new neighbours as well as our poor old mum.

We learned later that they arrived with only 2 people & what appeared to be the original van, despite demanding payment for an additional person & a larger vehicle.

9. Many of belongings were damaged & the boxes strewn over the flat.

Summary: Rip-off merchants, unprofessional, incompetent