[Mickstim]

We are thinking of using Crown to ship our furniture and very precious motorbike. We were really impressed with the woman who came to give us a quote as was a kiwi who had worked for 3 years for Crown in Auckland and was very knowledgable about everything. What we very much like is that they have their own movers in NZ and with all the negative stuff going on here about Moving Co and NZ Van Lines we suspect that might be a better option. Also they have an office in Tauranga where we can actually speak to people.

However they are a fair bit more expensive than anyone else and we want to know - are they worth it?? If anyone has had a positive or negative experience of them please let us know, and specifically if anyone has used their Tauranga office.

Thanks a stack

Bx

[james the mechanic]

Hi Barb
We got a quote from Crown, I think they were the most expensive, however I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen any complaints or problems about them online.
As you said Crown use their own guys at the NZ end, rather than subcontracting and this could be why.
Just look at Hollands current problems with the Moving Co. or mine with NZ Van lines has anyone had problems with Crown that they would like to share?
Is it just possible that this is the price of truly professional service?
Best Wishes:nice1
James

[kowhai]

Good morning
We have used Crown 7 times to move within the North and South Islands. Have also specifically employed them to move heavy furniture around the house ( ! ) and for long term storage.I have always found the office staff , packers and removal chaps to be friendly and courteous, efficient and punctual. I don't have any links to the company - but am more then happy to recommend.

[jubjub]

We used them from Scotland to Auckland and found them great, although the UK office staff were a bit slow at getting back to you, the Auckland office were great though. did everything they said they would and with me being pregnant at the time, that was worth every penny.

[Caroline and Dave]

Although we haven't moved our stuff over yet and Crown were the most expensive ,we have booked with Crown as all the others did not reveal all the facts to us and Crown were honest and covered everything even down to organising a parking waiver from our local council. All the others said we would have to do this. Also all our furniture is being put into large crates called a lift van which fits inside the container. That way when our stuff goes into storage the other end they do not have to unload everything, they just remove the crates from the container and take them to storage. We have been assured that Maf will inspect when the seals are broken at our premises. We do not mind paying extra if they take good care of our stuff. Also I went to the Crown office in Albany and they showed me letters of praise for them but they also showed me 2 complaint letters just to show that they do have problems. Both of these cases were sorted to the clients satisfaction.

Hope this helps

Dave and Caroline

[Lara Croft]

We used Crown at this end (NZ) and they were brilliant, I can't recommend them highly enough. From guiding me through the paperwork - even coming out to the house at the weekend to collect it! - to unloading and unpacking, I thought they were excellent. Polite, courteous, friendly, and genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs.

J

[Mickstim]

Thanks all for your feedback! We had just made up our minds that it was worth paying the extra £300 - £400 for Crown and then today got our quote from Whites at a whopping £800 less. So we are trying to get hold of Crown to see if they will drop their price a bit, otherwise I think they may be a luxury too far as there is a LOT of stuff we could do with £800!!

Bx

[M&J]

We used Crown and although they left some stuff in the UK after a little negotiation they shipped it free of charge, only one box. We also negotiated on the first quote and got a reasonable reduction so definatley worth haggling a bit.

Jo

[Mickstim]

We have tried haggling but they are only prepared to drop £50 off their original quote - so think we may just have to go with White's as £750 pays for a lot of hassle. Decisions decisions...............

Bx

[Caroline and Dave]

We have tried haggling but they are only prepared to drop £50 off their original quote - so think we may just have to go with White's as £750 pays for a lot of hassle. Decisions decisions...............

Bx
Who do whites use in NZ? If its NZ Van lines or The moving company, have a good think.

[Hongi Hicker]

We wern't sure about taking our things, but the majority opinion from others was a resounding yes. So we have toted up the value and it's scary, we hadn't realised how much stuff we had and how much it would cost to replace it.

It seems to us that to just hand your valuable things over to someone without looking at there premises, without checking how long they had been in business, without doing your homework is crazy.

We intend to get a number of the quotes and then short list the ones we prefer and then go see them...if we were buying a shed or conservatory thats what would happen.

Maybe we should then compare notes, on fact not feeling:confused: :confused:

[james the mechanic]

It seems to us that to just hand your valuable things over to someone without looking at there premises, without checking how long they had been in business, without doing your homework is crazy.

We intend to get a number of the quotes and then short list the ones we prefer and then go see them...if we were buying a shed or conservatory thats what would happen.

Maybe we should then compare notes, on fact not feeling :confused:

You’re confused!!!:confused:
I think you need to read a bit more on this and other forums about shipping agents, as it appears you don’t exactly understand the way the majority of them operate. (I actually could take offence right now, but I prefer to view it as plain naivety).
Do you understand that shipping agents are just that, AGENTS? All of them subcontract part of the job by definition, to a certain extent all you have is feelings to guide you, its nice to base these on fact but in my experience not always possible.
How you compare the process to buying a shed just beggars belief,:no sorry perhaps it’s just me, but I’m very confused.
Best wishes,:nice1
James

[Caroline and Dave]

It seems to us that to just hand your valuable things over to someone without looking at there premises, without checking how long they had been in business, without doing your homework is crazy.

We intend to get a number of the quotes and then short list the ones we prefer and then go see them...if we were buying a shed or conservatory thats what would happen.



As James says, shipping your goods is totally different to buying a conservatory.The biggest problem is 99% of shippers use agents in New Zealand. This is where the problems could be. Hardly anyone has problems at the UK end. If you check the recent moving polls from Moorf, you will find that there are people who have had good experiences with the likes of NZ Van Lines and The Moving Company but there seem to be
more who haven't.At the end of the day any firm can have problems but some seem to have more than others. So if you were to go around various companies in the UK checking them out you will be quite satisfied on a whole as there end runs smoothly.As I have already said the problem always seems to be at the NZ end.

Hope this helps

[Smiler]

We have tried haggling but they are only prepared to drop £50 off their original quote - so think we may just have to go with White's as £750 pays for a lot of hassle. Decisions decisions...............

Bx

Is that White's in Portsmouth, Barb?

:no

[Smiler]

Who do whites use in NZ? If its NZ Van lines or The moving company, have a good think.

They use NZ Van Lines :mad:

[Mickstim]

Yep - they use NZ Van Lines and until James's bad experience we were thinking that as long as it's not the Moving Co we would be quite happy with them. Now we are not so sure, but the price difference is huge! Crown's quote was much higher than any of the others and I'm sure you do get what you pay for - but it's still a LOT of money!!

Bx

[Caroline and Dave]

Thought you may like to look at this
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/301/RipOff0301747.htm#285800

Also check out British expats .com. They have complaints galore on NZ van lines.
Sorry if I seem anti NZ Van lines, I would just hate for you to get into any problems