17 Feb 2025 · RemovalReviews
1.0 out of 51.0
We recently moved to Brazil from the UK, and our experience with Robinsons' was disappointing from start to finish. To keep things factual, our main points are:
1) Poor communication with Robinsons regarding the relocation processes and in general.
2) No consultation regarding their choice of Agents acting for us in Brazil.
3) The inventory from Robinsons was found to be inaccurate. We needed to correct this (and other paperwork required before shipment) for the Agents in Brazil (Metropolitan). Errors in the Robinsons packing list required us to obtain new notarized documentation, causing delays.
4) The date of the boat departure from the UK was delayed.
5) An incorrect invoice was received from Metropolitan, requring us to chase Robinsons to resolve.
6) There was a lack of clarity or justification regarding port, customs and other "expenses" in Brazil. Some seemed bogus, and we could do little to challenge them as we were essentially held to ransom as we waited for our stuff to arrive (70 days after packing in the UK)
7) There were at least six loading/unloading operations between our UK and Brazil addresses, greatly increasing the likelihood of damage and loss. We understood our goods would be packed into a container by Robinsons, and that container would be delivered to our address (as had been the case when we moved from Brazil to the UK in 2006). We feel misled by Robinsons, who, quite frankly, did not have a clue about the way things would be handled once outside the UK.
8) Damage to furniture was directly attributable to poor packing of large furniture items by Robinsons. We had deep scratches and dents in several furniture items.
9) In contrast, Robinsons also overpacked many items (e.g., boxes with a few robust plastic items wrapped in multiple layers of paper).
10) We have no final receipt from Metropolitan and no account of the large fee we needed to pay to have our shipment delivered to our home. This total lack of transparency is borderline corruption.
11) We provided multiple photos of our damaged goods and a list of missing items` for insurance purposes. We were disgusted by the response from the loss adjuster, who simply dismissed our claim, saying all our stuff was old and essentially worthless in her view and offered £305 net of the £250 policy excess, telling us that was a generous offer! That does not even cover the cost of some repair work, let alone the replacement of items that will never be the same after the rough treatment they received during shipment. If you do nothing else, forget their insurance: it's a worthless rip-off.
In summary, Robinsons do not: (a) provide the excellent service they claim; (b) have knowledge or control of goods once outside the UK; (c) take responsibility for the damage to goods directly attributable to their packing and handling; (d) deal with insurance claims in a fair and balanced manner.
We regret choosing Robinsons and urge others looking for a moving company to look elsewhere to avoid an experience like our own.
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