moving experiences within Hong Kong

pin · 12-08-2011, 05:02 PM

I've just recently moved home (yet again) in Hong Kong.

This time the move was quite a big job as furniture (beds, wardrobes, TVs, sofas) needed to be moved. By moving I mean these items needed to be dis-assembled and then re-assembled at the new place.

I had contacted various moving companies, some local and some more expat oriented. Ended up getting two companies Yan Yan and Links to come round to my place to get a more detailed quote.

The sales person at Yan Yan had a quick look at the place and then gave a quote the next day. The sales person at Links took their time, asked various questions and then gave their quote. Both claimed to give an "all-in" price. But then, they started saying that if X needs to be done, then we will need to charge extra. An added benefit of Links was that they would pack all the goods for you (but you would have to unpack at the other end).

I eventually went with Yan Yan (basically because they were the cheapest by a few thousand dollars). Yan Yan provided us with boxes and tape prior to the moves, allowing us to pack our belongings. First time round, however, they forgot to provide us with bubble wrap, so they had to return for that.

Day of the move was set and time arranged for 10am (with an odd job man coming round and hour early to dismantle some fixtures to be taken to the new place). I get a call at 8.40 in the morning saying that the moving van has arrived and we need to be there ASAP (I was about to start to eat breakfast at McDonalds). OK, so this is new, a company that's early, but they were over an hour early!!

In any case we rush back to our flat to let the movers in. We were expecting at most about 3-5 movers. Yan Yan had sent over an army of 10 movers. They started getting on with their work, seems like a bit of chaos, but the movers were doing their job. We had been promised one of the movers would be English speaking, which was the case, but his level of English was limited. There were times when the movers just resorted to Cantonese, so my missus had to deal with them.

We did find a few of the movers to be very rude. One even started telling my wife off (in Cantonese) and pointing at her. He was having a moan at our IKEA wardrobe and saying that these things are only supposed to be installed one time and that he would never move for us again (fine by us as well). Anyway, everything got packed up and we drove to our new place.

One of the problems with our new place was that the lift is actually quite small. We were told by Yan Yan that if they had to carry any items up stairs there would be a HK$40 charge per floor. I was worried this would be a possibility as some of the items were actually quite long. Luckily everything did fit into the lifts.

The movers quickly unpacked the items. We have a glass table which the movers shifted around a bit. As the floor for the new place is stone, some glass scraped off, so we asked the movers to stop shifting the table around. Same mover as before decided to tell my wife off about this. Anyway, everything got shifted and the odd job man hung around for a bit longer to hang up the various fixtures.

I paid the men (they cheekily asked for more money for their tip over what I had given them) and off they went.

When the move was completed we noted some of our chairs got quite badly damaged by the move. I contacted Yan Yan about this (and about the few other problems I had with them), however, to date I haven't heard back from the company.

Overall, I guess we got what we paid for. They moved the stuff for us. Most of the items got their in one piece and the job was done quickly. However, their "customer service" style was quite "local". Would I use Yan Yan again? I'm not too sure, but then again, their price is very competitive.

shri · 12-08-2011, 05:10 PM

>> I guess we got what we paid for.

This was our experience with Yan Yan when we moved from Cyberport to our new office (3+ years ago). We had very specifically asked them if anything was insured and if I recall, they said no and I moved our expensive stuff (removed drives from servers etc) by myself.

We supervised the packing and ensured everything was wrapped / protected before it was put into the truck.

Overall, they were thousands cheaper than any comparable quote we got, so it was worth the risk as they essentially moved office furniture / partitions / desktops without drives etc.

There was a bit of moaning as the original person had mis-estimated the number of trips it would take, but it all got sorted out with a good tip to the movers.

Bit shoddy that they've not gotten back to you. Least they could do is call you back and let you know nothing was insured and you're not going to get any money out of them.

goodbye kitty · 14-09-2011, 11:31 PM

I'm moving flat in a couple of weeks. I'm going from a fully furnished place so no furniture to take. Just clothes, lots of books, TV, computer and a mattress, kitchen bits and the rest. Most will fit into boxes.

Do you recommend that I hire a moving company or one of these 'man with a van' companies? Is there much difference in price? If I don't get a proper movers, where can I get boxes? Hubby and I are happy to help with moving and the new place is a 3rd floor walk-up! What's reasonable as a tip? Is it per person?

freeier · 15-09-2011, 12:54 PM

i am looking at a very small moving project now.. (since i only stayed 6mths and have barely accumulated anything in the service appt).. anyone knows of a reliable man with a van type of operation shop to run to ? i need them to provide boxes and i will use them to move my stuffs after i packed.

shri · 15-09-2011, 01:16 PM

freeier : we've used a number of them, pretty much all the same. They'll show up and you load / unload. They may help you if you offer them some extra cash. We've generally called the van companies which have vans all over town with their numbers on them. I'll check when I go down, there are a few that park near our building. Often it boils down to who is available at the location you want a pick up.

If you just need a few small boxes, ask your local super market.

Football16 · 15-09-2011, 01:28 PM

Man with a van ain't supplying boxes. You want him to arrive when your stuff is at the street ready for loading so you need to be able to watch it. We had 3 to get it downstairs.

I did man with a van but local friend made the call the morning of the move 30 min. before we needed him. Most speak just Canto but I am not sure.

He isn't typically coming to your suite OR your cost would be much greater.

Boxes I guess from super market as Shri says or find a place to buy a few.
Their must be a place to buy a few and get some tape (cheap).

goodbye kitty · 17-09-2011, 11:33 AM

I'm in the process of getting quotes from several places. Once they are all in, I will feedback.

So far, man with a van type guys have told us to pack it all and call them to say how many boxes/what size items to get a price. This seems a risky way to move house so we are pursuing moving companies. Man with a van cater to single items mostly plus I've been told they only drive the van and do not assist with lifting. There are plenty of van men out there though so this may not be the same for all.

gilleshk · 17-09-2011, 11:53 AM

I checked out moving companies and looking at costs decided to do it myself since I had the time. You can rent larger trucks with drivers and the one I had was happy to lend a hand for an additional tip. I packed and dismantled all the stuff and got it down to the lobby, the driver helped in loading and unloading the truck which had a trolley and a hydraulic lifting platform so it was quick and easy. Also did a couple of van trips for smaller items. The cost was less than a third of what the moving companies quoted...

freeier · 17-09-2011, 06:50 PM

Thanks Shri. Let me know. I estimate I will have like 6 to 8 boxes. If I even move at all (is 20% cheaper rental worth the hassle ESP if I have to commute from wanchai now instead of walking down escalator everyday)

Originally Posted by shri:

>> I guess we got what we paid for.

This was our experience with Yan Yan when we moved from Cyberport to our new office (3+ years ago). We had very specifically asked them if anything was insured and if I recall, they said no and I moved our expensive stuff (removed drives from servers etc) by myself.

We supervised the packing and ensured everything was wrapped / protected before it was put into the truck.

Overall, they were thousands cheaper than any comparable quote we got, so it was worth the risk as they essentially moved office furniture / partitions / desktops without drives etc.

There was a bit of moaning as the original person had mis-estimated the number of trips it would take, but it all got sorted out with a good tip to the movers.

Bit shoddy that they've not gotten back to you. Least they could do is call you back and let you know nothing was insured and you're not going to get any money out of them.

bookblogger · 17-09-2011, 10:11 PM

I watched as an old granny pushed a cart of cardboard down the street, pulling her disabled dog along on a trolley. A homeless guy saw her collapse from exhaustion, and he crossed the road to give her his last skewer of fishballs. Then, a policeman stopped them both, but instead of issuing a ticket, he gave them each a cheque for a million dollars.

It was a really moving experience.