“Once again a fantastic experience. Thank you. It has been great to have all this help so many times. We will certainly recommend you to friends.”

J.T. moved within Hampstead

“Very helpful, responsive, professional, good team.”

M.S. moved from Islington to Kensington

“Excellent, we would use you again, as we have in the past.”

L.H. moved from Cambridge to Acton

“Very good as usual. Many Thanks”

L.C. moved from West Hampstead to Finchley

At this time of year we are always concerned about our men driving in snowy conditions. There are several vehicle checks that we have to do to make sure that our vans are kept in good condition for this type of weather. The first is to make sure that the tyres are pumped up and that you have a spare tyre with the relevant equipment for changing it. If you’re having trouble in the snow, so will the tow truck. We also have to make sure that each van has anti-freeze liquid and a scraper so that the driver can see out the window. Every van must have a first aid kit in case something happens and they can’t get to A&E quickly. Our guys always wear safety boots that are waterproof anyway, but they do help if the guys ever had to park the van and walk out in the snow because they have very good grip. It’s also always a good idea to take a bottle of water along in case you’re stuck in the car for long periods. Luckily, we tend to move homes and offices within London where the snow does not affect us greatly and we are very lucky to have a lot of gritting trucks out there helping to keep the roads clear.

“Absolute life savers – we could not have coped without Amber Moves”

J.F. moved from Watford to Welwyn Garden City

“Excellent, excellent, excellent. I have never seen a team of people work so hard and so effieciently and with such care and good humour. Amber Moves have been BRILLIANT – I would wholeheartedly recommend them.”

T.P. moved from Chalk Farm to Highgate

“Absolutely fabulous service. Lovely people to work with. Timely, good-mannered, helpful. Highly recommended. Brilliant service!!”

S.R. moved from Barnet to Finchley

The cold snow is falling and it is white

At least our crews are at home, tucked up tight

We never shun work, always in the zone

But just for today, we’re glad we’re at home

Last week we celebrated a fantastic year in removals. This time last year, we were really and truly the recession and the effect it was going to have on our business. Since a decrease in house sales was a direct effect of the financial downturn, a decrease in corresponding house moves was also felt. However, since then, the economy has lifted and in conjunction with loads of effort from everyone in our team, we have survived this last year and done quite well.

We’ve done some amazing moves this year. We moved a couple 5 days before they gave birth to their first daughter – I remember because she has the same birthday as me! We moved another couple on the day that their baby was due. The idea being that the due date would be the one day the baby would not arrive. Everything went to plan, but the new parents-to-be were quite tense all day waiting for the first signs of the new arrival.

We continued our regular work of moving, storing and archiving for one of our corporate clients throughout the year. We had 4 office moves that resulted in executives from those companies choosing to move with us also. This year’s most complicated office move required 10 men to take 3 vans’ worth of equipment and files from the 6th floor in Cavendish Square, where city works had nicked our parking spaces to the 6th floor in Trafalgar Square where the entrance is next to one of the busiest bus stops in London. However, our biggest office move this year required 14 men every day for 3 days which resulted in the relocation of over 300 office workstations.

We moved

“Very impressed with all guys – professional, friendly & helpful”

K.P. moved from West Hampstead to Highgate

“4 years in store and it’s as good as new.”

R.Z. storage items delivered to Hampstead

“Amber Moves – You’re just the best! You’ve made the refurb much easier.”

D.H. refurbishing house in Mill Hill

“You guys always do a great job for me.”

S.H. moved some items to store from Kensington

“Very helpful – as always.”

L.C. internal move in West Hampstead

“Thank you for a wonderful move! Martin was really switched on and made it all very easy.”

G.dK. moved from Brentford to Chiswick

“I am very grateful for the cheerful and practical help.”

D.H. moved from Highgate to Muswell Hill

“The wonderful men did such a great job.”

M.F. moved from Potters Bar to Staines

“Excellent”

T.S. moved from Regents Park to Kensington

“Professional job. Very good management.”

L.A. moved from Maida Vale to West Hampstead

“This is the second time we have used Amber Moves – the service is excellent. I would definitely recommend to others!”

H.M. moved out of store to Greenwich

“This is the second time we have moved with Amber Moves. We couldn’t recommend Andrew and his team more highly. They are polite, hard-working and totally dependable. Thank you so much!”

N.W. moved from Gerrards Cross to Launton

“5th time we have used Amber moves and we will again. Thank you”

J.T. moved within Hampstead

“A fantastic seamless move! So professional & helpful. Hardly knew they were there – would recommend again.”

A.G. moved from Archway to Bishops Stortford

“Great job, efficient, fast, helpful!”

G.F. moved from West Hampstead to Archway

Today is July 14th – Bastille Day!

So in support of great moments in the history of house clearances, here is a clip from ‘Allo ‘Allo.

Viva Le France!

These are some of the comments that have come from our customers this month.

“Friendly & helpful, exceleent service.”

P R, moving within Edgware

“Prompt and rapid. Will use again.”

J T, pack & move to Hampstead

“Fantastic service. very friendly and helpful in every aspect of the move. Many thanks!”

M L, pack & move to Ealing

Once again, Amber Moves have received the prestigious title of Remover of the Month. This award is only given to removal companies who receive ‘Excellent’ feedback on more than 98% of their Quality Questionnaires. The award is independently adjudicated by the National Guild of Removers and Storers and takes in to consideration all member removal companies across the country.

Andrew and ‘the ladies in the office’ would like to thank our men on the front line who make sure that we receive this fantastic award every month! Thanks guys!

The removal company used for the Cameron family’s move to Downing Street, was chosen not only for the very politically correct blue and yellow livery but also, I am sure, because of their skilled professionalism and experience of providing a London removals service , which all moving companies worth using should be proud of. So I was somewhat shocked and surprised to see pictures in the Times on Friday 28th May, showing a number of items being taken out of the house without being appropriately wrapped and protected. Lamps are notorious for being damaged if not adequately protected and as for the flat screen TV ! carried out on it’s stand completely unprotected I was horrified, but maybe this was just done for the camera’s. Perhaps it was the pressure of being watched by the world’s press, anyway I am sure that this is not the normal way they do things.

So when you are thinking about moving home or organising office removals, consider

a) Not having the world’s press on your doorstep ?

b) How is the removal company going to wrap and protect your possessions ?

c) Do they have adequate liability cover ?

d) Will you have the correct man power to successfully complete the move?

Any comments welcome

Well what an April and May to come for this London removals company. The moving market aprears very active with new enquiries for moving home, 50% up from 2009/2008 and a continual flow of satisfied clients rebooking. Two 2010 office removals within the city, have led to household moves. Their CEO’s were so impressed with our attitude and service on their office reloaction, that they booked our crews to carry out their home move.

One of the UKs leading biodiversity experts was stranded in spain as a result of the volcanic Ash airport closures. Her domestic move was due to take place, what could she do ? Through the use of our internet survey form system we were able to organise the move and parking.

Finally thankyou for the invitiation from the www.actiontotheword.com who are performing The Merchant of Venice at the Camden Peoples Theatre Box office 08444771000 11th – 23rd May 2010. We were able to complete a full pack and move from NW4 to E13 for a member of the cast with no rehearsal time lost. We look forward to seeing John on stage.

From time to time we have customers ask us whether it is really necessary to dismantle certain pieces of furniture. This is understandable as one does not want to spend a lot of time unnecessarily dismantling a piece of furniture only to find that it doesn’t fit back together quite the same way. However, for many of us, our wardrobes, etc were built in situ and so we don’t have any real idea as to whether it can come out of the room or indeed down the stairs in full.

Our men have a lot of experience with these things and have developed a spatial awareness of how furniture can be moved through doorways and down stairs. They can generally see just by looking at it whether a piece of furniture will go through or not and they are right 99 times out a 100! Now we’ve had customers insist that the men try to take a piece down the stairs before dismantling it, despite being advised that it is best to separate the item into smaller parts first. This generally only wastes time by opting for a strategy that is simply not going to work. Dismantled furniture is also easier to protect, having fewer protrusions means that it’s easier to wrap in bubble wrap.

There are thousands of different kinds of furniture, with different ways of putting them together and some are more fragile than others. I am very proud of our men who are daily faced with a new piece of furniture and managing every time to dismantle it. Most of us remember when we bought that new piece of IKEA furniture and it took the whole day to put together, but our men manage to achieve the same in much less time. (And they do so without any screws going missing.)

Dismantling is a necessary part of a removal and helps to speed up the loading process and ensure that the customer’s possessions are kept safe. Always make sure whether dismantling and reassembly are included as part of the move when selecting a removal company.

Congratulations and celebrations all round. What a week for Amber Moves the London office and home moving family firm.

This week we celebrate three events. Firstly, our owners’ daughter and the company’s name sake, Amber, came of age on Saturday 27th March, HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY AMBER. She celebrated this day not by moving home but by apprearing as JoJo in the sensational production of Seussical the musical at the Barnet Arts Depot Theatre. Well done Impact Group for an amazing set and spectacular show. For those who couldn’t get tickets you missed a brilliant sell out performance.

Secondly and coincidently Amber Moves realised it’s 18th year of continuous trading and growth. thank you to all our clients for your continual support. It is with you and your referrals that this success has been made possible.

Thirdly, and for the fifth year running, Amber Moves were awarded the excellence award for services to household moves and office relocation from the National Guild of Removers and Storers. Thank you to all our wonderful family of staff whose daily endeavours of true care and attention to detail have made this recognition possible.

So remember if you are Moving Office or Home, give 18th Birthday Amber Moves a phone.

IT crates are suitable for moving servers and computers

Planning and managing the relocation of IT systems requires an enormous amount of skill, expertise and manpower. Your IT department will need to maintain your computer system and network during the office move. However they will probably have never relocated before. Therefore, it would be best to seek professional advice. It is advisable to appoint a removal company who work in conjuction with an IT specialist at an early stage, to assess the project accurately so you can decide when and where you might need additional resources. Amber Moves work closely with a number of IT consultancies and have recently engaged West Tek to ensure we never drop an e.mail.

When moving office , please remember the IT equipment needs to be a wrapped and moved correctly using size specific crates.

The server unit mechanisms will need extra considerations. Often old unwanted componets need to be disposed of. It is essential this is carried out using the WEEE directive and that any confidential data has been removed, destroyed or rendered irretrievable.

Your work stations need to be ready for your IT, so it is vital that the dismantling and reassembly is co ordinated. Making sure that you have an onsite IT technician for the day of the move and that all system back ups have been taken and verified.

Finally don’t underestimate the time for testing and reinstalling.

How do you get an accurate and appropriate estimate for moving home or office ? The answer is to choose a removal company that is recommended when ever possisble. The moving firm should be a member of the Removals industry Ombudsman Scheme and a recognised Trade Body. They will have a written Code of Practise that looks after the customers interest.

You should talk directly to the removal company and remember that the industry attracts many ‘man and van’ amateurs that opertate in the black economy with untrained staff and illegal vehicles. When you speak to the removals office, give them as much information about your property, position and the place you are moving into. Every move is different and presents its own unique challenges, no one solution or price is appropriate. The more details concerning your move that you give the better the intial estimate will be.

After this stage of the estimation process when you feel comfortable with the removal companies attitude and cost you can to to the home visit. Often this is a good time to have some packing material delivered by the surveyor.

A trained surveyor will ask lots of questions, he will want to look throughout your office or home and garden. He will, where possible, access parking requirements (especially for London removals). All this will take time but is is worth taking this time, as it will ensure that your move is costed correctly.

Once the survey has been completed, the surveyor should provide an on the spot written and realistic quotation with the removers terms and conditions.

Both the home and the office contain items of furniture that have been assemble in situ. London removals often have, desks, beds, sofas, bookcases, twin cupboards, wardrobes, tables, cots and ouotside toys and garden furniture, even sheds. All took time to build (more than you remember) and are usually accompained by assembly instruction. However when it comes to your move, the instruciton have disappeared (not that you understood them in the 1st place) and these items all have to be dismantled unless they are being left behind. They also need to be reassembled in your new home or office unless they are to be put into storage.

It is recommended that these items are dismantled prior to the move day where ever possible, although with moving home this is not always possible as you are likely to need to use the furniture up until the actual move day. Amber Moves usually dismantles on the packing day. Taking apart these items is a skilled job and requires the proper tools. (Do you know were you put that allen key?) If you want this service, make sure it is included in your removal cost. Many removal firms hide this cost as an extra and it does not appear in the estimate. The more items of furniture that you have to be disassembled and put back together on the house move or Office move the longer the job will take. Again it is important that the time is considered and usually a fitter is required as part of the removal team , particularly in the office move environment where desks with partitioning and computer trunking systems can take upto an hour per desk to dismantle and reassemble.

Wardrobes are the most complicated and time consuming items to deal with in the home move. Old style wardrobes divide in the middle, so all the pieces crossing the join have to be removed. Modern wardrobes dismantle into panels and although termed ‘flat pack’ the chipboard is very easily damaged and needs extra care and attention when taking apart in preparation for reassembly, all the component parts also need to be wrapped and protected particulary the frontages and any glass pieces, usually a super bubble wrap with edging is required.

So to answer the question ‘ do I need a dismantling service ?’ the answer is yes if the furniture was put together and you do not have the skill, time , tools and wrappings to complete the proceedure.

When the decision to move has been made, whether an office or a household removal; what does one do with those unwanted, broken and to be replaced items? One could move these belongings as part of the reloaction and store them in the vain hope that one day they may become useful. Alternatively one could dispose of everything using Amber Moves programme of clearance.

Office disposal is governed by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive which became law in the UK in 2007. It covers the production disposal and recycling of electrical equipment and diverts as much as possible from landfill through proper reuse and recycling. The implications of this directive will be discussed in future blogs

With domestic moves, Amber Moves has created a programme of clearance, based on the office model to ensure that the excess items are reused, recycled and donated, so that a minimum goes to landfill and the home owner has a convenient and cost effective method of disposal.

In step one, the householder is advised on how to keep the waste to a minimum as part of their home removal. After the advice has been implemented the unwanted items and and rubbish are collected. In phase two all the boxes and packaging associated with the move are prepared whenever possible for the next move or storage. Part three of the clearance is to recycle the unwanted furniture and clothing through request initiatives and Freecycle. Small items including unwanted clothes are donated to local charity shops. Amber Moves also has storage units where these items are stored in preparation for spring boot fares, where they are sold by volunteers for charity. The fourth phase is to recycle the component parts; wood, metal, plastic, paper etc. at a recycle depot. Finally non recycle material is taken to a registered waste management site, where it is weighed and correctly tipped and so ends the clearance programme that is conducted by this London removals company.

One of the many questions you will need to consider when moving home is ‘how many boxes do I need for my house removal’ ?’. There is no single figure, as every move is different and every item varies in its fragility, size and weight. However based on twenty – five year exp0erience as a london removals estimate/surveyor with Amber Moves, I am able to give these guidelines to the prospective mover.

A one bed property will need 50- 60 boxes, with perhaps four wardrobe boxes for clothes.

A two bed property will need 70-100 boxes with probably six wardrobe boxes for clothes

A three bed property will need 130-150 boxes with maybe ten wardrobe boxes for clothes

As the property gets bigger with the additions of bedrooms, garages, garden; the number of boxes required will dramatically increase. All the boxes used should be strong and 2 or 3 ply walled. It is recommended that all your homes items are boxed when one needs to use storage. Flimsey boxes will collapse and will not protect your valuables. The range of boxes awailable for a move is consderable, however, a box the size of a standard microwave is the best for stacking, carrying and protecting your possessions. A few larger boxes for bedding, lampshades, stereos, TV’s may be appropriate. It is best to pack books at the bottom to half the volume and put lighter items to the top. All boxes should be labelled clearly with contents and should be entered into a checklist inventory

An archive is a box of information, generated by a business, that needs to be retained for record and statutory reasons. Archiving is the storage management and eventual secure destruction of these data boxes. There are typically three strategies employed by businesses. The first method is to store the boxes in the company office. This results (as the boxes mount up) in a cluttered unmanaged and ineffective use of expensive office space. Staff time is wasted on discovery and eventual secure disposal. As business grows, more staff are required and so an early office move is deemed necessary, which is great news for organisations like Amber Moves, a leading light in the London Based Office Removals industry.The second strategy is to store offsite using a self-store unit. This is a seemingly economical solution to clearing premium office space. However, who delivers and collects the boxes, who keeps track of the boxes, how is the security of your company records maintained? These problems are great news for Amber Moves, who provide secure data storage solutions to the London Based Office Removals Industry.The third and perhaps ideal programme for archiving is to use an off-site records storage system. The boxes are provided and managed using a bar code tracking system, which can be implemented to the individual file level as required. The archive and storage company provides a pick up and retrieval service. Information, invoicing and returns are managed. Disposal and destruction systems are put in place. Your office is not filled with excessive yet important files. Staff time is not wasted trying to locate long forgotten invoices, the security of the data is guaranteed. Business organisations will only need larger premises for the right reasons. Which is great news for Amber Moves who provide off-site Archiving, Storage and removals for London Based Offices.

On the face of it, it did seem that our quote was double the other company. On closer inspection this is what we found buried in the small print, or not mentioned:

We are very proud of our inaugural issue of Amber News. We’ve sent it out to all our clients, past and present as well as to all the Facilities Managers in London.

The newsletter has been so well received and has highlighted the various services we offer ranging from home removals through to charity work through to office moves.

The competition is also proving to a be a great success and entries are coming into our mailbox everyday.

Plans are afoot for the Autumn issue already and we appeal to all our readers for feedback and or articles they would like to submit for inclusion. Nothing like a bit of free promotion so why not take advantage.

Click on the link below to read your copy….

http://www.ambermoves.com/amber-news/

The Times (26 May 2009) reported that the recession has boosted Britain’s charity shops with one in ten people butying more from the outlets than before the recessions and one in five donating more goods.

A survey conducted by YouGov for Ecclesiastical, the charity insurer, found 13 per cent of people used the stores to stretch their budgets. It found more women were donating more than men.

Mary Portas, of Mary Queen of Shops fame, also has a show coming out soon testing and promoting the rise of charity shops. She has set up a shop in the popular Westfields Shopping Centre in London where the television documentary has been filmed, and if successful there may be plans to roll out more shops.

So, if you’re moving home – donate your unwanted stuff to charity shops and join this burgeoning trend.

Whether we are deeply in recession or starting to see an upturn, with the worst behind us, the fact remains that companies will continue to relocate offices in London.

Moving to smaller premises to reduce costs

Upgrading to better premises because rents are now cheaper and prime office space is sitting empty

Closing down and amalgamating offices

Expanding and growing business (this does happen during a recession!)

Regardless of the reason behind the office move, there is still the work and costs involved to be considered. It is only when you start planning an office move do you realise what’s involved. Amber Moves comes into play somewhere down the line once you have made the decision to move and can advise you on how to carry out the move, pack up in advance with the supply of crates, dispose of unwanted office furniture and arranging off-site storage for files, archives, excess furniture. Right down to sorting out the parking suspensions outside the building, always a problem in London, Amber Moves carries out your office move with the least amount of stress and the most amount of help and support.

We also work in partnership with companies arranging secure shredding, safe removals, cleaning services and crate hire.