We know that moving is stressful, expensive and time consuming, so why not do it yourself? That’s right hire a van, get some friends around and just move the stuff yourself that will be cheaper right? Well maybe…but it does depend. Let’s take today’s example, a house swap from Henderson Place, Plymouth to Grassendale Rd, Plymouth, probably a mile apart at the most. The lady booked me as her man and van to move from a 3 bed to a 3 bed. The move cost her £70! She was very organised and clearly on a budget, so she had boxed most of her things in advance and moved most of it, apart from a few large items downstairs. She had a chap to help with the lifting and access was excellent (unusual for Plymouth) so I could park right by the door.
So, would she have saved money had she done it herself? I’m not sure what a van costs to hire these days, but I’m guessing in Plymouth, around £30-£40 quid and of course it doesn’t come with a driver and experienced helper. You also have to put some fuel in the van and certain places are very particular about the condition of their van when it’s returned. Having moved many people over the last few years you become a bit of a Tetris Master, able to organise a van’s loading to prevent damage and accidents. There are concerns that the man and van won’t care about your precious possessions, but of course I survive on positive recommendations and not claiming on my insurance. Accidents do happen, but usually it’s where the customer has decided to get their mates around to help and they may well have little experience or concern about getting the stuff in the back of the van.
Of course I would say that, it’s what I do, but having done it for a while, where customers try to save a few pennies by doing it themselves or only hiring one man, when two are needed, then they generally spend more money on the job, get more stressed and cause more damage. If it were me, anything for an easy life. I mean £70 for a 3 bedroom house in Plymouth, that’s a no brainer!
www.manvanplymouth.co.uk
