I recently read an article which I found quite disturbing. The article was from a Sydney removalist, obviously someone working from behind a desk who’s forgotten what it’s like to do a real day’s work, throwing mud at “one man bands”, what he was referring to was the owner operator removalists. I find this disturbing as I myself am an owner operator. I also know of other owner operator removalists who offer a very professional service.

He was rattling off numbers of A.F.R.A. members and saying that basically anyone with a truck could call themselves a professional removalist. Being an owner operator I take a level of pride in my work that cannot be duplicated by the larger removal business. It is my reputation as a professional removalist as well as the reputation of my business that is on the line, and it is my clients that are looking to me to provide a superior service and without them I do not have a business. So for me being an owner operator removalist, it is of so much importance that I offer quality service because my business is in a much more fragile position than the larger operators. Also being the business owner as well as the removalist I am able to offer a much more personalised service, the client deals with me the whole time from the moment they first pick up the phone until the job is completed, and I’m responsible the whole time for the entire process. This is simply not possible with the larger removal business. I have heard of people being transferred to a Melbourne office when enquiring about a Sunshine Coast relocation. I have also worked with a larger furniture removal business for 12 months, who were supposedly the world’s best international movers of 2008, and when I compare the quality of work they provide for their clients compared to what I offer they simply do not do as good a job.

As far as professional movers go I know that when things get busy the bigger business will hire just about anyone to do the work, from recent school leavers, university students, or simply anyone unemployed looking for work. They simply give them a uniform and send them out in a truck and presto, there is your professional removalist. I’m sorry, but I have years of experience moving people and I know that I do a better job of moving people than their employees. Maybe their sales are better, maybe their marketing is better, and yes surely they are making better money but there is absolutely no way that they offer a better service to their clients.