Removals a Richman's business
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Removal contractors are feeling the effect of the do-it-yourself trend but Mike Rutherford finds that they are joining the opposition where they cannot beat them. Kent operator offers five different types o service to attract customers.
THE DO-IT-YOURSELF revolution, whether in self-drive vehicle rental, home improvements, car repairs or wine making, has taken off with a vengeance over recent years. The self-drive boom, coupled with a depressed property market spells disaster for many but none more so than for removers.
In short, removal companies are not only suffering because fewer people are moving (high interest rates and problems with selling are forcing people to sittight), but also when they do move, house buyers/sellers economise to the full. If they can carry out their own legal work (and more are doing so) they can certainly move furniture into a hired van.
Richman Removals Ltd of Gillingham. Kent is a small company, geared to the problems that the removal industry faces. After much deliberation, the company has adopted the "if you can't beat'em, join rem" policy. It now hires out 35 c vans.
Self-drive vans are a r threat locally when three or fr trips between destinations . not a problem. On longer ru more than one journey wo. clearly be impractical.
Most people who hire a si drive van automatically assu a high price for a removal I are often surprised when ft compare the costs. A local mc within a ten mile radius woi cost about £75 with Richrr whereas a hire van costs a rou £17 for a day, plus fuel, hr plus strained backs and gra2 knuckles.
Of course, a removal compe hiring out a self-drive van coi be accused of competing IA. itself. But there are advantag Customers who request a sr drive van can often be sway into having the removal done them when they realise that I price difference is relativr small — a good selling point.
Richman Removals' price 05 for a local move does r provide packing. In addition that price, customers have y for insurance and value ded tax. The company recks that it can complete up to o local moves per vehicle in a V.
Vlost of Richman's enquiries Tie from within a 10 mile iius. They advertise locally, d rely on potential customers ;ing the vehicles in the area, it o relies on customers' recommdations. It uses its track ,ord that it has been in busk is for over 100 years. Its modheadquarters are in a resiitial street which gives it the age of the friendly neighbourod removal company. Richin offers five methods for )ving home — DIV., with a ton Transit together with :eking boxes if required; the dget plan, which leaves the ;tomer to do all his own pack!, loading and unloading, with :driver wrapping and packing 3cts into the van; the ecomy level where Richman )plies the van and men.
'ragile items are packed by removal men (as agreed with estimator) who will also d/unload — the customer 3s everything else.
he fourth option is the "sten.c1" package with the comiy supplying a removal van,
men and packing equipment. Al packing, dismantling (not mains disconnections), loading/unloading, is done by the crew who will also position all items in the rooms at the new location. Specially developed packing materials are used for mattresses, clothes and books to give maximum protection.
Finally, Richman's de luxe service the company supplies a van and men, all household effects are packed to full export standards and specialist treatment is given to specific high-value items such as antiques. Loading/unloading and positioning of furniture is also provided. Following an initial enquiry from a potential customer, Richman carry out a room by room appraisal of premises, basing the cost of the move on cubic capacity rather than weight and of course, distance is a major factor in pricing a job.
Access to and from premises is a problem that sometimes arises. Wardrobes taken apart, windows taken out, awkward grandfather clocks and the biggest headache of all, the piano, can all cause difficulties. Richman's most awkward assignment recently was to move a grand piano through a window.
Most of Richman's removals fall into three categories — local, day trips (London or the south coast for example), and long distance. With Chatham's naval base conveniently placed, Richman often move members of the forces from Chatham to Plymouth, which I have taken as a typical removal.
On a move from a three-bedroom house to a three-bedroom house, the company would load in the morning and return the following day from Plymouth, with men sleeping in the vehicle.
The price for such a move woul, be in the region of £300 for th economy package (custome doing his own packing) an, about £330 for the standar, package which includes packinc Vat, and about eight per cent c the removal price has to b added on for insurance. There i little chance of getting a retun load from Plymouth accordin, to Richman director, Trevo Richman. Jobs are therefor normally priced on a round-tri basis, but if a back load is avai able from Plymouth, the £30 quotation is reduced to E190 fo both parties.
A company like Richman RE movals on a local move explore the possibility of return loath but on longer journey there i not much hope. The chances c someone moving from Ply mouth to the Medway area z the same time as someon doing the reverse, are slim.
Most navy-related move involve people who insist a doing their own packing. Th Navy usually asks its staff to ot lain three estimates and the, accepts the lowest.
Trevor Richman says that th busiest days for moves are Fr days or Mondays. Unlike som others, the company does nc offer midweek discounts a most people in a chain are ur able to control the day the move anyway. Normally, book ings are received seven t, fourteen days in advance an the company asks for paymen on the day of the move rathe than sending out invoice afterwards. This helps the casl flow.
There appears to be a friendl. and healthy rivalry between re moval companies in the Gilling ham area, although the "on, man bands" worry Trevor Rich man. There are, he says, abou
ialf a dozen in the area, and vhile they are often cheaper han larger companies, the one nan operators never appear to ast long. However, as soon as )ne goes out of business, mother — with the idea of makng a quick profit for little investnent — is quick to move in to eplace him.
Richman Removals, Bodkins nd Pickfords all operate in the rea, are all British Association if Removers members, and all vork together sensibly, despite leing in competition. In addiion, there are about three other Pstablished companies in cornPetition with Richman and alhough they have been operatlg for many years, they are not ssociation members. It is not Inknown for Richman to borrow local "rivals" vehicle and manpower occasionally, and vice ersa.
Customers shop for the heapest quotation, says Trevor lichman whose own company elies on recommendation ather than the cheapest estirtates.. A Richman estimate is sually accurate says Trevor, but hould there be an unforseen itch, like a piano not going in to
the new house due to a tricky. access, a surcharge is reluctantly imposed — especially if an extra man needs to be hired. But real problems do not arise so often. "We ask all the right questions first," says Trevor. While removal rates differ from area to area, systems for pricing differ too. In the south, customers are given a quote for the job while in some parts of the north, Trevor Richman understands that companies often charge by the hour. "You wouldn't get away with that here in the south," he says. He is probably right but that, as he says, this is due to tradition which is hard to change. If commercial garages and solicitors can charge by the hour, then perhaps others should think about doing the same. Richman Removals has 10 vehicles, but currently only runs five, two of which are Bedfords. "They're fairly reliable and fairly cheap to repair. Bedford's are the best for our sort of work,"
The company used to carry out its own vehicle maintenance, but with fewer vehicles on the road and recent staff cutbacks, it now only concentrates on minor servicing. Should it be required it still has its own workshop.
Trevor Richman says that he aims to keep his vehicles for about ten years and then scrap them. Long distance vehicles are put onto local work after about four or five years and spend the second half of their working lives on less arduous journies. On average, each vehicle covers about 25,000 miles a year. When replacing vehicles, Richman use existing aluminium bodies and invest in new chassis cabs. Vehicles are now fitted with tachographs which, on the whole, Richman drivers like. Trevor Richman is "not too happy about the original cost of tachographs" and is equally dissatisfied with the repair service available to hire which, he fears, could result in vehicles being the road too long. Tachogra analysis was so time consumi for Richman Removals that has now joined the Tachof scheme which provides a co plete chart analysis servi "Analysing took such a lc time," says Trevor. "It's far t ter for others to do it for us."
To a lesser extent the cc pany also undertakes comrr era] removals. When vehicles standing idle, a few phone ci to the right contacts can at le result in some work — "our ups", according to Trevor Ri man.
The B.A.R. has its uses, si Trevor Richman, although he. mits that it is not that well kno to the man in the street. Desr that, Richman uses the B.,8 logo on its vehicles, written e mates and stationery and as 7 vor Richman points out custo ers do see the B.A.R. emblem a seal of approval. As one of sales brochures says — "aE member of the B.A.R., we hay reputation to maintain".
"There's a lot of help betwE members. There's nothi worse than not knowing who turn to," says Trevor. The As elation, through its directo helps. On a run to Plymou Richman Removals would prc ably use two men and enge locally, between two and fo But ofte, two or three men loa vehicle, one takes it to its de: nation where he is met by porter hired through B.A.R.
Richman Removals has prt ably seen better days in its lo history. But it is obvious that company is still keen to sati the people that matter — 1 customers.
"We'll give them what a want," says Trevor Richman.