Yikes!
Joined: 15 Oct 2004
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 Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 1:58 am Post subject: My Experience with International Movers |
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Well, I know a lot of people (including myself) have posted asking questions about moving their stuff overseas. I got quotes from a couple of movers, picked one, and they have just finished packing and moving my stuff out. So I thought I would give some details in case anyone was curious. I am not trying to endorse any particular mover, nor steer anyone away from any mover. I am just trying to provide some helpful information. (I do plan to post a follow-up in a month, or so, when the stuff arrives, to tell how it went on that end.)
First of all, I contacted three movers for rate quotes: Woosung Global, Zimmoah, and Chosun. Chosun never replied. Zimmoah and Woosung both sent employees over to estimate my moving expenses. Zimmoah's person came first (I contacted them first). The estimate was that I had 13 cubic meters. My stuff includeds a large wolid wood desk, a drafting desk, two large solid wood book cases, a La-Z-Boy, a sofa and footstool, a dining set (with 2 chairs), a mountain bike, somewhere around 400 books, a couple hundred CDs, a bunch of clothes, and various home furnishings (vases, wall hangings, etc.). Zimmoah did not provide a rate on the spot. The employee explained that someone in the Pusan office would put the estimate together. I waited 2 days, then contacted her to find out about my quote. She got it to me around 6pm the next day. The quote was as attached file with itemized expenses. They are as follows:
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE QUANTITY UNIT PRICE AMOUNT
1. ORIGIN SERVICE CHARGES 12.00 CBM U$100.00/CBM U$1,200.00
Packing, In land transportation, wooden crate
bonded warehousing, customs clearance,
containerizing and documents.
2. Line Haul charge(KyungKi to Pusan) - - U$300.00
3. SEA FREIGHT 12.00 CBM U$60.00/CBM U$720.00
(Pusan to L.A)
4. THC & W/F 12.00 CBM U$21.50/CBM U$258.00
5. DESTINATION DELIVERY CHARGES 12.00 CBM U$155.00/CBM U$1,860.00
Ex vessel to residence delivery(Flagstaff, Arizona,U.S.A)
customs clearance, unpacking,
and placing removal of debris.
restitution of empty container
Excluding customs tax & duty.
6. INSURANCE PREMIUM 2.00% OF TOTAL INSURANCE VALUE.
A/R, ITE, Breakage
TOTAL AMOUNT: U$ 4,338.00
10% of V.A.T will be added when applicable
This quote seemed awfully high to me. But I will say that the guy who came to my house to do the estimate was especially polite and professional.
Next, Woosung visited my house. After the quote from Zimmoah, I had decided to get rid of some stuff before moving. I eliminated an eight-foot high (if stacked) pile of books and papers, plus 400 liters (because I filled 4 100 l bags ;> ) of miscellaneous stuff, the sofa and footstool, about 100 l of clothes, and all the items from my kitchen. Surprisingly, the estimated cbm was still 13!! I was stunned. Was this some racket? Does every just say "13"? Or is that the minimum? Well, the man assured me he rarely over-estimates, and the charges would be no higher than for 13 cbm. The rate was just $190 per cubic meter -- all-inclusive!! Packing, line haul, sea freight, insurance, destination charges -- all the same services as Zimmoah provides. There is an additional charge of around $150 for customs to x-ray my belongings when they arrive in the US, he says. But that still brings the total to $2470 for moving charges plus $150 = $2620.
I decided to go with Woosung.
I scheduled them to come at 9 am on Saturday; they were at the door at 8:30. Early? In Korea?!? Well, I took it as a good sign. There were two movers. I showed the senior one around to point out what to pack (I had a bunch of stuff that wasn't going and needed to make sure they didn't pack that). After his tour, he brought in the junior guy and the three of us did a second tour, with the senior mover pointing out (about 80% correctly) what to pack, and me correcting him. They got to work: I hovered from time to time. A few things bothered me about the work. The senior mover tried packing up two items (an old computer in my trash pile and an electric piano that will go to a friend's house here in Korea) a couple of times each -- luckily I caught him every time. He also boxed up two "h"-shaped chairs in a sort of "69" position in a big box -- resulting in an "H" shape -- with nothing else in there. I was a little peeved at all the wasted space. He could have stuck in throw pillows or anything light to take up the empty volume. When it seemd obvious he wouldn't, I did it myself. He later enclosed the whole "box" with cardboard, but I had already maximized the space :> They, of course, left the front doors open the whole time (3 hors) they were there -- except when I got up and closed them, but it seemed they would get them open again right quick -- which annoyed me. December. Cold. Heating oil (yeah, oil) costs lots of money. The senior worker also approached me and "requested" coffee. More of an expectation. Actually, I had been about to offer some, but I was a little insulted by his asking. Just touchy, I guess ;> The only other thing that annoyed me was that I had already organized a lot of my stuff (which you don't have to do -- but I was going through stuff to get rid of stuff I didn't want to take) and had put books, etc. into plastic bins. Well, they just lifted the whole bin into a box of nearly the same size and taped it up. I hadn't intended on taking those bins, but I got 5 of my 12 shipped, anyhow. I could have had them remove them, but I decided to use those ones in the states. Not a big deal at all, but it illustrates that you should expect the movers to assume everything goes. My advice is to monitor their work, and to be sure to totally get rid of stuff you don't want moved before they arrive. Having said all that, they worked diligently and and had professional, affable attitudes. I have at times been upset by the seeming rudeness of "ajossis" in my home (workmen, etc.) but if I have to have movers in my house, these guys are just fine.
After everything was boxed up, the boss (who showed up for the last stage of marking boxes and preparing an inventory) revised the estimate to 12 cbm and prepared an invoice for the revised amount ($2,280) (plus $150). Then he said he would email me with payment information. Pre-payment is standard.
And that's where I am now. Empty house and awaiting payment instructions. I am very glad I chose Woosung, based on what I have seen so far, because I cannot fathom how there could be a $2000 difference in the services provided by the other mover.
I'll try to update this post in the future to let you know what conidition the shipment arrives in, the transit time, etc. I hope this has been informative for those out there considering a move. And, again, though I cannot deny some bias in my opinion -- which is only based on my own experience -- I am not trying to suggest which mover you should choose. As with any major expense, it is a good idea to shop around. Best of luck in your moving adventures! |
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