All Posts in "Yank"

How can you cut down on your costs of moving?  These are some lessons we’ve learned.

1.  Don’t move.  That’s simple enough and several times during the moving process, we did think about calling the whole thing off.

2.  Sell off everything and just take your clothes and whatever can fit in your suitcases. 

3.  DIY.  No, I don’t mean carry your entire shipment onto the plane (that would be terribly expensive) or ship.  You can only do this if you own your own plane or ship.  But, you can pack your own belongings.  This can be tricky, as you’ll read further.  But, it will definitely save you some money and a headache.  We had used a moving company once for an interstate move.  We did most of the packing, but they arrived early and ended up “helping” to pack.  What they did was open up some boxes and threw whatever they could find into it.  This is called “professional” packing services.  Therefore, for the international move, we used our “amateur” packing techniques, which included bubble wrapping and cushioning using our own clothes.  But, at least, we knew where everything was.  We labelled the outside of the box and made a list, numbering each box and giving a little more detail of its contents.  Using the company’s services meant you had to pay for the labour and supplies.  The cost varies from company to company.  The downside to DIY is that you are responsible for the contents.  The movers will still make their own list and the boxes need to state their contents.  Some movers require that you leave the boxes opened so they can inspect them.  Some companies, such as IntlMove, will not provide insurance cover for damages if you do any part of the packing yourself.  So, either allow them to damage your goods and you can claim for them later (if they’ll even acknowledge your complaint) or pack it yourself.  Some will allow you to deliver the goods to the docks, if you live nearby.  You do have to check with the companies.

4. Insurance?  As I stated, if you pack your own goods, some will only cover for total loss, not damage.  That means if they lose your shipment, you can claim against them.  We figured, unless the ship sinks, we should receive our goods, damaged or not, so we waived the insurance.  We found out later that everyone recommends you take the insurance.  I don’t see how that could have helped us.  I doubt they could adequately compensate for the loss.  After all, most of our goods had sentimental value, rather than monetary value.

5. Don’t go with the cheapest.  As we’ve learned, IntlMove gave one of the cheapest quotes, but in the end, we paid for a lot of “extras”.  We were lucky, however, since we actually received our shipment.  Others were not so fortunate.  I hope they took out insurance.

Yank by — May 7, 2009 in My Journey 1

My first advice for anyone planning an overseas move is to make preparations well ahead of time, by months.  This will enable you to find a good moving company.  Because you really need to research several different companies before deciding which is the right one for you.  There are some good ones and some really awful ones out there.  Some of them are real scam companies, preying on vulnerable customers.  After all, you are in a very vulnerable position.

Word-of-mouth reputation is better than anything that the company can say for itself.  But, you do have to be careful because some companies may print up false or paid testimonials.  If they are members of certain professional organisations, you should try and discover if any complaints had been filed against them and what the final resolution, if any, was.  There are certain memberships and licenses that they must hold and you should check to make sure they do hold these.  The internet is a very useful tool, so get on it and find out if anyone has complained via the internet.  There are forums, such as MovingScam.com and others, where members can discuss issues involving moving and moving companies.

I have since discovered that it is best if the company does a visual inspection of the goods before giving you a quote.  However, it is not always a guarantee that services rendered will be the best.  I will say that IntlMove did not do a visual inspection.  They contract with various companies to do the work for them, therefore, they cannot send a representative out to give a quote, because it might not be the same one to load up.  What they do is provide a computer calculator to estimate your weight and volume and they quote from that.  The problem with their calculator is that it is not accurate and does not account for real-life items.  In addition, IntlMove only quote for volume, not weight.  Yet, if you exceed the weight limit, you pay extra.  Next time, I would find a company that provides a quote for both.  Bear in mind that for international moves, you will probably be given non-binding quotes.  That means, that if you exceed weight or volume, you pay the extras.  If anyone knows of an international mover that provides binding quotes, I’d really like to hear from them.

Find out what’s included in the quote.  Usually, it includes all fees at the point of origin.  We were told up front that all destination charges were extra – that included port fees, customs, etc.  What we were not told was that fuel charges for the ship were not included – we do not know if we paid a portion of the charges (because I’m sure the ship carried more than one shipment) or the entire fuel charge.  I don’t know if you could possibly ask for a receipt of actual fuel charges.  What we were also asked to pay from the destination agent was x-ray fees.  Because different ports have different policies regarding x-rays or manual examination, I would check with the ports before paying these.

Find out the whole process of payment.  We were very uneasy with the way IntlMove did it, but since we were pressed for time by that point, we had no choice.  They liked to do everything by email.  They sent you a form, an agreement to sign.  You had to fax or email a copy of your deposit as well as signing an authorisation form for them to cut a draft from your bank to pay for the move.  Then you had to mail them your check.  This is in addition to providing a copy of your passport and other personal information.  I refused to provide them with my social security number because they were getting too much information that I thought was unnecessary.  After they receive your deposit, they ask for the remaining balance before they will call the pick-up agent.  They stipulate that the pick-up agent cannot pick up the shipment until they have your check for several days.  Yet, then they explain that you and the pick-up agent can negotiate the pick-up date.  If you get confused, don’t worry.  I don’t think they mean for you to understand.

The pick-up agent takes it to their warehouse and weighs it.  Supposedly, moving companies need to inform you of when and where the shipment will be weighed and give you the option of being present.  Also, the scales used need to be certified.  IntlMove does not do this, and I have been told this only applies to interstate moves, not international moves.  If anyone knows differently, let me know.  I find it unfair that you cannot witness the weighing because it gives them the freedom to make up a weight and get extra money out of you.  A second weighing takes place just before the shipment gets loaded onto the ship.  If it is less, they will not inform you (because that means a refund).  But, if it is more, you will have to pay another fee.  Now, IntlMove did tell us that after we made our payment, we may receive either one or two more bills.   The first will be after the first weighing, the second after the second weighing. We got both, of course, though the second bill only contained fuel charges and charges for the supposed additional packing done by the pick-up agent.  As I said in the other post, they did not put on any additional packaging (and they defaced legal documents to say that they did).

Now, if you don’t pay the fees like IntlMove want you to, they send you threatening emails saying they will hold your shipment hostage until you pay the ransom.  (Never mind that you paid for 30-days warehouse storage in case you needed it.)  This is ILLEGAL!  If any company ever does that, warning bells should start ringing and you should start making plans to report them.  However, since your belongings are in their hands, you will have to pay the ransom and deal with this after you receive your shipment.

I should mention that once you agree to use IntlMove, the person you talked to no longer is involved.  You have to deal with Administration, Accounts, and Operations.  And, those three don’t always work together, even though my husband suspects it’s all one and the same person.

In future posts, I will address insurance, packing, etc.

Yank by — May 6, 2009 in My Journey 1

We just came back from the circus.  It’s only a small one – John Lawson’s.  One big top tent, no animals, no swinging acrobats.  However, it was a trip worth taking.  For two hours, the talented circus performers amazed us with some athletic displays and stunts.  The kids always find the clowns amusing.  I must admit that when we first saw how small it was, I thought it was meant to be just for kids.  But, the performances were good enough to impress adults.   They have one more night in Newick, then they move on.  So, if they’re in your area, you might want to check them out.  You can find out more at: http://www.johnlawsonscircus.co.uk/

Yank by — May 5, 2009 in Leisure 1

When we visited the UK this time last year, we drove around Wiltshire and found a small village holding a Mayday Fayre.  Very “villagy” setting.  It had food, music, a few games and several table-top stalls.  But, having a British husband, I knew we were not getting the full traditional fayre treatment.

So, we hoped to do better this year.  It was with dismay, however, when I found that two places nearby were holding a fayre and neither sounded very traditional or interesting.  The Friday-Ad did not list any others.  So, I turned to the internet.  The problem with that is that many villages would not think to advertise there.  But, I figured, if they didn’t use technology and they wouldn’t even list in the papers, they probably either didn’t have one, or it was not worth listing. I guess I didn’t realise that some of these villages might be so well-known for having a grand fayre that word-of-mouth was adequate.  Since we are not too well-acquainted with anyone in our area, we didn’t hear about any.

Anyhow, I turned to technology.  I know we should plan our weekends way ahead of time, but nothing in our lives ever fall into place with our plans anyway.  So, I was searching for activities on Sunday.  I was quickly frustrated with the Google searches because I could not find anything nearby.  Some great fayres were being held in various counties around England, but none in our area.  A fewer smaller events were taking place in villages in our Sussex, but they were not close and they were for Sunday.  So, we had already missed out.  If the family was willing, I thought we might try one of the fayres in a neighbouring county.

But the kids were having too much fun with cutting the grass.  (Oh, yes, we couldn’t use the sheep, so we bought hedge shears – they were easier to store and a lot cheaper than a lawn mower.  The kids decided that they wanted to cut the grass, so we let them have at it.  Please don’t report us to the authorities for breaching child labour laws.)  They didn’t want to go anywhere because they found some snails and placed them in a jar and were using their cut-up grass to make salads for their new pets.

Monday morning and I turned to Google again.  After several pages of listings, I finally came upon a small village between Horsham and Crawley, called Rusper.  It didn’t sound big, but certainly bigger than the one last year.  Besides, it was a fairly short trip.  The kids were interested, but not overly enthusiastic.  The younger one liked the idea of a teddy bear parachute.

Well, that was the first stop of the day for us.  We arrived two hours into the festivities and looked around to see what was available.  One of the first events we witnessed was the end of the first Panto Horse race.  It was hysterical and they were calling for people to participate.  The older one had a blank expression on her face and was clearly not impressed with anything.  The younger one pressed for the parachute, so we headed over to the church.  There, Pooh Bear made his first parachute jump from St. Magdalene’s, boasting the highest church tower in West Sussex.  Pooh Bear even got a certificate of achievement for his bravery.

Pooh landed in time for us to witness the second Maypole dancing of the day.  A group of young girls expertly twisting and turning the ribbons around the Maypole was a new experience to me and our girls.  Things went very well until the last dance, when the girls had weaved an intricate pattern on the pole, then went out and each returned with an audience member.  Whether it was the number of dancers present or the newcomers having no idea what to do, it was hard to say, but there were a few moments of confusion as they tried to disentangle the ribbons.

We had already missed both Punch and Judy shows – we have yet to see one.  We went back to the little park where stalls were set up for Tombola, Lucky Dip, some kids’ games, and a few table-top sellers.  We missed the Tombola, but they took a turn with Lucky Dip and the younger one went to hook some boats.  We went back and forth to watch some Wellie Throwing, Panto Horse racing, and coconut shying.  Finally, our older one took an interest and tried the coconut shy.  She was unsuccessful but did manage to hit a coconut once.  Daddy had much less luck.

She also wanted to go in on the Panto Horse, but by this time, it was too late.  But she did jump in for the tug-o-war at the end.  There were several battles between the three pubs in the village.  Then there was the kids’ one, followed by women.  Now, the girls were winning their war when a group of older boys jumped in and pulled the boys back.  More boys joined in for the second war and still had a hard win.  Quite unfair when most of the boys looked to be about 10 years and over, while most of the girls looked to be about 10 years and younger.  Oh, well, they had fun.  They’re looking forward to more May Fayres and fetes.  Tonight, we have a circus.

Yank by — May 5, 2009 in British Culture 11

Moving to another country is always full of stress.  One of the biggest hassles is the actual transport of personal property.  It would be great if you could just pack your suitcases and go.  But, for most of us, we are moving our entire lives.  Finding the right moving company will determine whether the move is a “piece of cake” or a living nightmare.

Let me start by saying that ours was closer to the nightmare.  Because of that, we decided to cool off before we go into some nasty tirade against the movers.  After all, we want to sound objective.  That is why I’ve decided that now is the time to discuss international moving.  I may actually have several blogs to write about regarding this.

We’ve had no experience with international moves until now.  We did not do our research as we should have, because we were not aware of all the pitfalls.  We looked for international moving companies and only one was persistent enough to get our business.  But let me warn my colleagues out there that they should beware of IntlMove.  I don’t know how many of you have ever used them, but they definitely belong to the “rogue” category.

From what I can gather on the internet, IntlMove was doing very well until 2008.  If you look on their website and see all the testimonials, they were all dated from December 2007 and beyond.  If you want to find complaints, most occurred last year.  What went wrong?  I don’t know but I will share some of our experiences here and write some advice on subsequent blogs.

Another reason I would like to write about this now is because we might have to consider returning to the US.  If we do, we will not be using IntlMove.  I hope that some of my colleagues might be able to give me advice on companies they have used and trusted.

One of the most frustrating things about IntlMove is that there is no personal service.  Everything is done via email.  The representative does call you up, but once you’ve agreed to go with them, they will not discuss anything on the phone.  They claim that email provides a “paper trail” against “he said/she said” issues.  Fair enough, but that didn’t help us in the end.  They contract with other moving companies to pick up your goods and deliver them.  Once they have it in their hands, you are at their mercy.  They tried to hold our shipment hostage, demanding more money, claiming that we went over our weight limit and that the moving company had to do additional packaging.  I will admit that we went over the weight limit.  We know because we personally weighed everything and overestimated.  But we did not go over by the amount they claimed.  We, however, cannot prove our point on that score because they used their own scales.  But we had proof that there was no additional packaging, attested to by the moving company that delivered the goods.  But they ignored our complaints, denying that anyone had any knowledge of this.

We’ve already reported them to the BBB and the FMC.  We have still to contact the Bureau of Enforcement.  We’ve also reported them to MovingScams.com, a forum for people making moves.  Unfortunately, there are still people being scammed by IntlMove right now.

Yank by — May 1, 2009 in Travel 6

It’s all over the headlines.  You can’t turn around anywhere without hearing about the swine flu epidemic.  Will it turn pandemic, do you think?  The number of suspected as well as confirmed cases have risen.  How scared are you that it will become a serious crisis?[ad#ad-1]

Some people were speculating that the swine flu is really just another “wag the dog” to get us off the topic of the economy and global recession.  However, the swine flu is worsening the recession by hurting the travel industry.

Maybe I’m a little complacent about this epidemic right now because of my location.  We live out in the villages, away from densely-populated city centers, so the risk is rather low.  No one around us has been on holiday in Mexico and if they had, we hardly come into contact with anyone except through school and the gym.  Am I reasonable or is this just a false sense of security?

I’d like to know how my colleagues out there feel about this epidemic.

Yank by — April 30, 2009 in My Journey 4

Our oldest daughter had an eye exam yesterday.  She had been complaining of not seeing far very well.  At first, it seemed like she was pretending, just to get glasses.  But soon, she started to complain more.  Finally, we booked her in for an eye exam.  Before we could get in, one of her teachers noticed that she had trouble seeing the board from her seat, which is located near the back.  (She was placed there due to her academic abilities.)  So, I was prepared to hear that she would need glasses, at least for distance vision.

And she did.  What I was not prepared for was the NHS benefits for those under 16.  Not only was the eye exam free, but she automatically qualified for a voucher for her glasses.  This entitled her to free or reduced-price eyeglasses.  There was no paperwork to fill out, no claims to make, no declaration of financial need.  All children under 16 have these basic entitlements.  It was wonderful.  It wasn’t too long ago that I had my own eyes checked at the optician’s and had to buy new glasses, so I was well aware of the costs involved.

I completely understand the attraction of free medical care and it is a big plus in the UK. I have not experienced medical care here, so I cannot comment on the quality.  However, I wouldn’t expect it to be any different from the US.  The natives may complain of the wait in some cases, but that does not sound too different from the US, either.  Of course, there are lots of taxes over here.  But if you expect certain fundamental benefits, that is one of the things that must be accepted.

The other thing I was not prepared to hear was that she will need an eye exam every 6 months until her vision stabilises.  Apparently, children’s eyes can change quite drastically in a short time. (Sigh.)  I can’t imagine going through childhood with glasses.  I know many do, but in my family, those of us wearing glasses did not need them until adulthood.  She can’t wait to get her glasses.

Yank by — April 29, 2009 in My Journey 3

I remember years ago, while watching a sports game, my husband commented on the American habit of jeering and taunting the opposition.  He couldn’t understand it because it was just not done in England.  Of course, this usually occurred only in professional sports.  But, then, you notice how parents and, sometimes, coaches can get riled up in amateur team sports.  These people are all supposed to be role models for our young athletes.

I don’t follow sports much.  But I remember a news story a few months back about how parents here in the UK were becoming extremely competitive (more so than the athletes) and aggressive at tennis matches.  Then, just last week, a talk show host brought up the issue of bad behaviour amongst athletes and their fans at football (soccer) matches.  They noticed this most especially with football, but not cricket or rugby.  It’s very interesting the trend that is developing.

Growing up in the US and having witnessed the taunting, I never thought twice about it.  When my husband suggested that fans applauded good effort on the part of their opponents, I thought it sounded strange.  After all, it’s a competition, isn’t it?  You’re supposed to support your team and want them to win, right?  Why cheer on the opponent?  Well, it has nothing to do with supporting the opposition.  It has to do with showing good sportsmanship.  Giving credit where credit was due.  You see post-game interviews and those who show good sportsmanship will praise their opponents.  If they’ve won, it’s a lot easier for most players to be generous.  But when they’ve lost, I have more respect for the players who say, “They beat us because they were a better team” or “They played better”, rather than “We lost because we didn’t play hard enough.”  It’s as if the latter group was saying they were better but they just couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.  A very arrogant attitude.

One of the ways schools are trying to teach good sportsmanship is by applying the mercy rule.  It’s already been in effect in some areas, but they are trying to widen it.  It basically means that if a team is ahead by so many points, then the game is forfeited.  I’m not sure this is a very good idea as it may teach kids to give up when the going gets tough.  It’s probably best just to let them play it out and everybody shake hands at the end.  I wouldn’t advocate that the winning team let up in their efforts either.  They should just play the “benchwarmers” at that point.  Then, everyone gets a chance to participate.

Though the jeering may have infiltrated British sports, to the dismay of the general public, I don’t believe that cheering for their opponents will ever take in the US.  The mentality is so different.  Society has changed somewhat in the UK, but I do hope that they don’t lose their sense of sportsmanship.  It somehow sets them apart.

Yank by — April 27, 2009 in Leisure 2

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Flying into England during the summer months, we could see fields of yellow interspersed in the fields of green.  We have never been able to identify the crop.  As we drove around the countryside, we saw that the yellow plants were flowers of some kind.  Sometimes, those plants can be scattered along the roadside.  My first impression is that they looked like some weeds, or wildflowers that used to grow in our backyard in America.  But I can’t believe that farmers would be planting fields and fields of them.  As we drive by, sometimes we can detect a fragrance from them, but it’s hard to say whether it was actually from the plants.  You see, it’s not exactly a pleasant fragrance, like you would expect from flowers.  (Then again, I don’t think all flowers have pleasant fragrances.  Take marigolds, for example.)

Now that spring is here, I’m starting to see those yellow fields again.  During the winter months, those same fields looked fallow and I never suspected that they would be growing these plants in the spring.  So, what are they?  I haven’t found anyone who might know.

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Yank by — April 23, 2009 in My Journey 4

As the green campaign is very important in the EU, we’d like to do our part.  Our grass, which stayed green throughout the whole winter practically, shot up in the last month.  It is nearly a foot in some areas, with the weeds even higher.  We don’t have a lawnmower and it seems a waste to get one.  We would have no place to store it anyway.  The edge of the lawn by the fences are nice and trim due to the sheep sticking their heads through and feeding to their content.

We had considered letting the sheep graze on the lawn to keep it low.  We see that they are doing a wonderful job along the edge.  But we worry about the smell and mess of sheep manure.  After all, the kids still like to run around in their barefeet.  The landlord had even suggested this option when he saw the lawn, so he would have no problems with it.  It’s been rather tricky catching the farmer, though.  He visits once or twice a day, very briefly to do what he has to do.

In the last couple days, one of the lambs has found his way outside of the gates and was grazing on common grass areas.  I was tempted to lure him into our yard and let him feed, but the sheep and lambs are still somewhat wary of us (except for the flocks that chased us in the fields).  Even the ones feeding on the edge would turn and rush away when we open the front door.

As I said, we’d like to do our part to reduce carbon emissions and there’s no greener lawnmower than a sheep or goat.  We just need to resolve the manure issue.  Oh, and get the farmer’s permission as well.  We wouldn’t want him to think we were stealing his animals.

Yank by — April 22, 2009 in My Journey 4