Handy Moves

Looks like @Handymoves have been sold to incompetent and terrible customer service individuals called @amazingmoves and @handyservices. . Customer service and manager, Maria Parker has non-existent customer service. We booked a removal service with them. We have been using @handymoves for years when they had the best management team and extremely hardworking and efficient workers. They basically turned up, said they wanted to be paid up-front. We brought out the money, the removal guy made an excuse about making a call to the office, stepped out of the house and never returned. We called the office and Maria Parker said they couldn’t do the job! No apologies, no alternative time slots offered, NOTHING! We even asked if they could help with some of the load. She declined abruptly. So please DO NOT BOOK THEM! Unless YOU INTEND TO MOVE YOUR LOAD yourself. Worst customer service in history… Don’t deserve to be in business and treat people like this.
Their website address: www.amazingmoves.co.uk
Phone numbers: 02039700488, 0208 7433 609
The good reviews above were before the company’s management was changed. Apparently @amazingservices and @handyservices bought this phone numbers etc 2 months ago…
Apparently changed hands about 2 months ago…
There are better, efficient and more customer service- oriented companies out there.

Service cost: £120

I had been quoted £1190 by Halfords , and only paid £790 with Handy Moves, which involved 4 guys and 2 x Lutons. After reading reviews I half expected the guys to be 2 hours late, and to break a few items. Well, they turned up a respectable 20 minutes late ( not bad considering they came straight frim another job and from London!). They introduced themselves and cracked straight on with moving! We had 2 large offices packed full of furniture and boxes.. The way they pack the van is a work of art! I had noticed a few reviews moaning that the guys barely speak english, but why does that matter? 2 of them had little english, but the other two spoke quite a bit. I had bought them drinks, which they refused to drink until they had finished loading both vans! These guys work incredibly hard, and on minimum wage, so please remember this before moaning at them, they are proffesinal movers and need little to no direction on how to carry and handle items. Just let them get on with it. They handled our property with great care, and actually refused to let me help ( I am female). When we got to the new unit they made quick work of unloading both vans. I gave each of the 4 guys £40 bonus.. And let me tell you, they were over the moon ( they would work 8 hours to receive this in a wage).. Please remember to show these guys the respect they deserve, they work incredibly hard, for little money & without complaint. I will be most certainly be usung this company again next year when I move home. Thank you Handy Move.

Service cost: £790

Where do I start with this company? They smashed a ceramic bed knob on our vintage bed making it worthless and did not mention a thing. Which was exactly what happened with a vintage glass cabinet and pine wardrobe. This was along with completely guaging out a hole in a wall of our rental property which we then had to spend time filling in a painting over. One of the removal men could not speak English and the other barely could. We did not discover the full extent of the damage until they keft demanding more money that was owed.   Upon complaining to the Manager there was absolutely no empathy offered for the clearly upsetting situation for us, merely pointed us to the T&C's about what we could claim. Basically the movers acted with the least amount of care I have ever seen in my life and no matter what damage they do you won't get anything back.   Absolutely appalling.

Service cost: £500

I chose Handy Moves to do our move and really regret it. The alarm bells should have been ringing when I tried to get a quote from them and got 3 or 4 different quotes with different options. Their prices seemed reasonable for the size of my move. We had a large house move with furniture and initial conversations with them alluded that they had experience.

I worked for a moving company for years and all you really get with Handy Moves are a couple of labourers who can carry boxes with NO MOVING EXPERIENCE AT ALL. Boxes were thrown into a van, heavy stuff on top of fragile stuff clearly marked. Furniture wasn't protected in the van and just dragged across the floor causing damage. I asked for some furniture to be wrapped but all you get is some oversized cling film that they use. No blankets or protectors as experienced movers would use.

Everything was literally just thrown into the truck so they could leave for the destination. The whole moved was rushed with no respect shown to your belongings. It felt very much that they were on commission to complete as many jobs in a day. When we asked about their day this was clearly apparent as they couldn't wait to get to their next move.

At the destination this was worse than the pickup. Most boxes were just piled into any room when boxes were clearly marked for each room. There was NO Professionalism, NO Care or knowledge about how to do a move. After being in the new property for 15 minutes they damaged the kitchen floor (see attached pic) and their response was that they Do Not take responsibility for damage to property. So you have been warned.

If you have a house move with your precious belongings AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE. The cost at the end of the move was also £200 MORE than what was quoted.

Service cost: £850

Handy Moves assisted me with my office move from Leicester to London. I used their man and van service, seeing as it was much more cost effective. It all saved me a great amount of time. The man and van team arrived promptly at my Leicester office and without hesitation, began loading my several boxes into the van. The van, I must say, was immaculate and modern. The movers did have a slight issue with my desk, though. It was an awkward shape. In the end, they dismantled it carefully and then it had no trouble fitting into the van. They arrived at my new office in London right on time, and took my boxes and desk up to my 3rd floor office. As soon as they put everything down, they reassembled my desk for me. All I can say is that I was more than happy with their overall service.

Service cost: £1540

Cheers Handy Moves for transporting my goods safely from Coventry to Derby. It was a pleasure working with you. Right from the very start, when I called them up, the woman I spoke to was pleasant and really helpful. She gave me some really useful moving tips as well which came in handy soon enough. As for them movers themselves, well, they are lovely. Hardworking and diligent and friendly, I enjoyed working with them on my Derby move. I honestly could not have chosen a better removal company to work with than these guys. They were highly qualified and experienced – they did a great job and never once stopped for a break. They are so dedicated to making your move smooth, it’s great to see. So i’d like to say a big thanks to all of you atHandy Movesfor making my move to Derby smooth and easy. Much appreciated!

Service cost: £450

 I hired this removal firm because I had something, a large item, I had bought online from a well-known auction site shall we say, delivered to my address. As this was over 100 miles away and as indicated, a very large item I needed to hire a reliable man and van company. I went with Handy Moves and it did everything that was expected of them. I am going out of my way to leave a positive review because I was especially impressed by the speed they got everything done and the care and attention of placing the item within my home. The two removal men were also very polite which I place great importance on. Highly recommended.

Service cost: £390

After a back injury that happened a few years ago, I have struggled with no end with carrying even slightly heavy things. Thankfully, when I was moving from Northampton to Lewisham, Handy Moves helped me with the lifting side of things. They literally did it all and I was expected to do very little. There was some confusion to begin with as there was a slight mix up with the boxes, but thanks to their efficiency, they deal with the problem and sorted it all out. My move to Lewisham was completely stress-free and I didn’t have the slightest worry throughout the entire move. Handy Moves really helped me out and didn’t find it a problem at all to do all the lifting for me. In fact, they were kind. Overall, I wish to say a big thank you to everyone involved with my move from Northampton to Lewisham. Will definitely be hiring you again if I need you!

Service cost: £480

Handy Moves helped me with my move from Manchester to London, and I have to say, I was more than happy with the service provided to me! At the start, they were great. They carried all the heavy boxes right to my front door and in all honesty, I had to do very little. The team of movers at Handy Moves handled most of it. They, however, showed up a bit late but I think we managed to fit in the time they gave me. All in all, my move to London from Manchester was a good one and turned out rather well. Thank you very much – your hard work was much appreciated. Will definitely use your services again.

Service cost: £2000

Extremely bad experience. Would never move with this company or recommend them.  - Over 2 hours late - Turned up with very small van when Luton van was requested - Rude and unapologetic removal men - Customer services could not confirm when and if another van would be sent - Customer services said they would call me back with information in half a hour - 2 hours later attempt to cancel and was told I would be charged a cancellation fee. Had to argue to get money back Appalling service and not particuarly cheap anyway - DO NOT MOVE WITH THIS COMPANY.

Service cost: £106

Smashed glass table due to lack of attention, ripped sofa by aggressive loading, turned up 5 hours late and refused to acknowledge calls asking about the delay, surly, rude and aggressive staff. Telephone sales team will not pick up your call if they know it is a complaint and they recognise your number. They will not return your phone calls or emails when you complain. Even their staff agree they have no customer complaints procedure.They rely on the fact that they do not need repeat business from the same customer. I wish I had read all the negative reivews online.

Service cost: £110

Expected the movers to be there at the time they had appointed: 2,00PM. By 2,30 we called them wondering what was going on and they said the movers were still in a previous job and would be 3 hours late!  Called us again at 3pm and sent someone at 3,30PM> 1 person with 1 van when we had originally hired 2 people. They then charge us full price because in the contract it stipulates that the time of pick up is "estimated".  Unprofessional, unreliable, a complete disaster. Don't ever hire them! .

Service cost: £96

Handy Moves said they would drop boxes off at 8am on Monday. They didn't turn up. I called them and they said the van had broken down and they would drop the boxes off the following day. Didn't turn up. I called and they said they would call back in 5 minutes. They didn't call back.  I called again and they said they would call back in 5 minutes. They didn't call back.
That was the end of my Handy Moves experience. I would advise against using them.

Aussie Man With Van did the job well and without the uncertainty added to an already stressful house move. .

Service cost: £550

I am totally disappointed with their service. When I contacted intially with all the details they gave me a quote of 108 pounds. Then I called them again after 2 days to confirm it they raised the quote to 162 pounds but it was too late for me to approach any other agency then and I accepted for that. But they turned up much earlier than the scheduled time agreed with me  and I had to be 20 mts late as I had to keep with my appointment. They increased the price agin to 216 pound and charged from my credit card. Never ever will seek their service. Height of fraudulence Thanks.

Service cost: £216

On the plus side nothing was lost or broken and the men doing the actual driving and carrying were polite cheerful and helpful.

On the negative side, after seeing the contents of my home the clerk estimated two Luton vans, four men and a quote of about £680. This was a gross underestimation and in the end they charged me nearly £900 and a third van was required on the following day. When I complained about this they told me that they had sacked the clerk but offered me no compensation. Their manner was arrogant I believe that this was a deliberate attempt to deceive me. I strongly suggest that people stay clear of this dishonest firm.

Service cost: £860

I would never use this company again or recommend them to anyone else. They charged me over £1,500 to pack & move the contents of a 2 bed flat less than 1/4 mile (more than twice their original estimate).
They failed to honour their assurances given over the phone that they would do the job in one day -even if it took till midnight, and instead decided around 5pm, having packed up most stuff, that they were too tired to finish the job that day. I had to plead with their office on the phone to at least move some basic items that evening so that I didn't have to sleep on the floor (my bed having been dismantled & bedding packed) & go without food.
Despite their assurance that they would bring plenty of extra packing materials, they ran out halfway through packing and charged me for the time taken to go and get more. The men they sent spoke very little English and the communication problems may have contributed to them mislabelling some boxes ( I had provided colour-coded labels for different rooms) and depositing quite a few of them in the wrong room. Some of their packing was very poor ( I eventually found my laptop in a black bin liner together with a dressing gown that they had somehow muddied, outside my bathroom).
They also managed to 'get lost' on the very short drive and disappeared for over half an hour, making no attempt to contact me. They incurred a large parking fine (which they charged me for) on day2 because they had packed up all my visitor parking permits and because they had parked with one wheel on the pavement. They were apparently too lazy to use a bigger parking space  on the other side of the road.
Their charging method leaves you no leverage to dispute/negotiate re costs. I have seen all their empy 'apologies' to other reviewers. Please Handymoves, if you are truly sorry about my experiences, do not insult me with pious comments  - just arrange to refund some of your excessive costs for such poor & stressful service delivery.

Service cost: £1504

I will never use again. I have written numerous complaint emails about my furniture that was broken in the process, rude removal staff who disregard my concerns and called twice to follow up my complaint, which they never responded to to find no one even bothered to look at my complaint. Then told I had to pay them £150 more if I wanted my furniture replaced which they broke! They removed electrical appliances from my home without permission and I had to ask three times to stop unscrewing my speakers, which didn't needed to be removed to get my furniture in. Wrote to George director of the company and still no response. First complaint was written to them on the 8th March 2013. I am not seeking legal advice as they have posted false advertising, removing property without permission and damaging my goods without using proper precautions and measures stated that they would on the website.

Service cost: £135

    From the initial booking with them to the day of the move, Handy Moves have been superb. I was greeted over the phone by a friendly, well mannered lady who was very helpful indeed. She told me everything I needed to know and answered all my questions. And as for moving day, the removal men came early, loaded and unloaded, and even took my boxes to the front door of my new house. The rates they charge for the service they provide is amazing. I am very impressed with them and shall be using them again sooner or later. I actually was really scared after reading some reviews about different companies on the internet but actually I guess that they can't be trusted, however I decided to share my experience and let people know how happy I was with the services of Handy Moves.    .

Service cost: £800

We booked Handy Moves to do an afternoon office move. We booked 2 vans and 4 men at 4pm but this is NOT what we received One van arrived at 4.30 and the second did not arrive until 5.15. This meant that in order to get the move done in the timeframe required I had to send staff out to buy our own bubble wrap (Handy Moves was meant to be supplying this but failed to provide it in advance of the actual move.)  I then had to disrupt the whole office by asking them to help with the moving of the furniture.  Their removal men only carried one desk downstairs. My team had to do the rest.  This meant that significant working time for the whole business was lost as a result of Handy Moves' complete inability to give us the service that we contracted with you. Their communications were also absolutely chaotic -  we had to keep calling to find out what was happening and there was little evidence that the customer service team knew what was going on.    Lastly the people came to collect the crates at 8am in the morning without a prearrangement for this to happen. Since this is outside office hours it was only by chance that there was someone here.  Since we had no idea that they were arriving so early we had not had the chance to make sure that all the crates had been collected.  Another complete failure of communications from Handy Moves.  The worst thing was that Handy Moves called me as the move was going on to take payment and I explicitly told them that I was not authorising payment to be taken until I had spoken to a manager about the appalling service they had provided. They took payment anyway. .

Service cost: £330

I have never written a review on any subject online before but felt the need to warn people of this company.  I understand that sometimes issues can occur with service but in the case of this company there are so many issues that they don't seem to care about that it wouldn't be fair to just let it go. We were moving from a small 2 bedroom ground floor flat to a flat less than half a mile away (admittedly on the second floor but we did tell them that) and had booked 2 men and a van.  We mentioned beforehand that we had some Ikea furniture that would need to be dismantled and they said that this would not be a problem and were then sent a quote for just over £200 for 4 hours work. On the day the 2 men turned up at 10am (was meant to be 9am) and set to work.  My wife went out leaving them to it. Cutting a long story short it took them 9 hours to complete the job (well it did for one of them as the other one just left after 7 hours) and this was mainly due to the fact that one of the staff was incapable of the job (as admitted by the one worker who was actually very good). The fact that the incapable worker was inappropriate (asking my wife why her husband wasn't around to help and why she was getting the bus into town when it was only a short walk away) was just another indication of how poorly they vet their staff before sending them out. At the end of the day my wife had a call from Handy Moves saying that as it had taken 9 hours rather than 4 that they would be taking £680 out of our account which we could not afford and would take us over our overdraft.  Even though my wife pleaded with the person on the end of the phone that this was wrong and not to process it he simply answered that it was too late and he had already done it. As this left my wife in tears the member of staff that was still there apologised not only for the work they had done, how long it had taken but also for the fact that they 'might' have broken our bed before telling us to 'speak to David' as he would be able to sort things out and organise a refund. The next day we tried to get through to David but unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen and is still unavailable nearly a week later. Maria however was able to confirm that we had in fact been overcharged and would organise for a refund.  I asked what they would do about the 'potentially broken bed', the fact that the worker was inappropriate as well as slow and the charges we incurred for the overpayment that was taken out of our account and her response was pretty much that she could do nothing but apologise. She admitted that they had not worked with one of the movers before and that he had not yet received training but it was OUR fault that we had not brought up that we were unhappy with his work earlier.  It is also OUR problem that we have incurred charges as they are not able to pay the money back into our account as quickly as it was taken out (the payment showed up on our bank statement within 24 hours yet it took 4 days to pay it back in after plenty of begging).  It was also OUR fault that we hadn't printed off and signed an inventory for them even though we had filled in an inventory online. We were offered no compensation for the fact that it took them so long (having to pay £464 for what was initially meant to be a £216 job and for our broken bed.  However, we were told that they would not be using that mover again so obviously admit that he wasn't up to the job! In a nutshell use this company at your peril and if you do, make sure you read the small print and keep an eye on the workers while they are doing their job as it is YOUR responsibility to make sure they do what you are paying them to!  .

Service cost: £480

Thought I had done my homework when checking out London removals companies but somehow managed to pick a company that wasn't listed with checkatrade or ratedpeople so partly my own fault for what lay ahead. Removals day arrived and midday I was expecting a call from the handymoves removal team. Around 1pm received a call from their office saying the guys were held up and would be with me between 1.30 and 2pm. The buzz to my door was around 1.20pm so not too bad (nearly one and  a half hours late) but there was only one guy not the two needed.    The missing one was supposed to make his way from Brixton but was still in Brixton apparently. After some phone calls the handymoves man that was here was ordered to collect the other guy and then come back to begin the removal. Around 3.30pm two guys turned up but now there was nowhere to park! Head office was rang and the phone was handed to me. The female at the other end (Wendy?) said if I wished to cancel - I handn't even mentioned cancelling - I'd be charged a cancellation fee.    It was decided to try again tomorrow and I wanted the move to go ahead asap so gave the company one more chance. Same two guys arrived and we all got to work. My brother and myself helping to load and unload though not the heavier items such as cooker etc. The men didn't slouch and I am thankful for that. I believe they hadn't met each other until this job which didn't bode well but they managed alright with a little arguing here and there. One mirror was broken and a modern steel lamp. There's a large narrow dint (about 14") across the front of the fridge part of our nearly new Bosch fridge freezer and an email sent to handymoves telling them this elicited no response.     We started at 9am and finished at 1.45pm and charged 5 hours. Total charged £270.

Service cost: £270