Biddulphs International

I recently moved my household contents to storage using Biddulphs. The sales staff ([Name removed by Sirelo]) was efficient and helpful and supplied a quote the same day that I submitted the inventory. Shortly after I confirmed acceptance of the quote I received an email from the operations team confirming the date of the move. On packing day, [Names removed by Sirelo] were courteous and gentle with my things as they packed and wrapped. On moving day the whole team was great, and supervised by [Name removed by Sirelo], who remained onsite all day. The team was professional, friendly and I felt as if they treated my items with care and respect. Thank you to [Name removed by Sirelo], CEO, for your reassurances and for the call on the day to see how it was going. I look forward to receiving everything back in ship shape condition from storage when we find our new home. Thanks Team Biddulphs - I would recommend you guys to everyone. Not to mention that your pricing was extremely competitive for such a big name in the business. Lastly, I also want to mention that it is such good practice to see that you hire disabled people as part of your moving team (a hard of hearing person). I was truly impressed by it all.

We recently moved to Dubai and employed who we thought to be a reputable moving company, Biddulph’s International to move your most cherished belongings. Like so many, we approached a few companies and did the groundwork by checking customer reviews etc. and although they have 90 years of business experience and “stellar reviews” I would like to warn potential clients to be more vigilant during the packing process.
Prior to the Biddulph’s packing team arriving on the 12 November 2020, we pre-packed all our household items (like items with like items), ensuring that only items that were allowed and that we were definitely taking were in the house. The rest was donated or sold. When the packers left, the shelves were empty and we were under the impression that “ALL” our items were packed in boxes ready for shipment. All done on the second day with a day to spare, lucky for us, one would think.
After delays and inaccurate invoicing due to staff rotation during the festive period, we finally received our consignment on the 25 February 2021. Part of the paid for service was for the shipping company in Dubai to unpack the boxes and remove all packaging material however we had to forfeit this as upon opening a few boxes we noted that the packing was done so haphazardly or should I now say strategically that the Dubai agents were at a loss. To mention a few examples, a box labeled hangers had hangers, folded clothes, a vanity case but worst of all; all of the above were dumped in the same box as toilet mats. A box that had clothes was mixed with shoes. A vacuum cleaner and outdoor equipment lumped together with our towels and linen! Unprofessional and unacceptable! This was reported to the whole Biddulph’s team and I received a generic response from the Branch Manager that they will investigate and revert back.
During this period we endeavored to unpack ourselves, we noted a very obvious item that was missing, a pair of brand new athletic sneakers that was still in its box. This was one of the items in the smallest room of the house and one would have to breach COVID safety protocols to be present at all times to monitor and it was also the only room in the house with no camera surveillance. Ironically, the room and cupboard the Supervisor was personally packing. This was again communicated to the Biddulph’s team and weeks had passed with no response so I had to follow up with them. I was the given a slurry of excuses for the delays, the Branch Manager was off sick, etc. but surprisingly I received responses only when the tone of my messages changed from patient and accommodating to irate when I informed them that I will be reviewing them as such.
The response from the Operations Manager was that the disciplinary hearing yielded the dismissal of one of the packers and the others were still being investigated. He then requested the cost of the sneaker.
Feeling violated we tried to go through the tedious task to verify if each item in that room was packed and made it to Dubai. We noted expensive, unopened lotions, oils and perfumes, as well as expensive bathroom accessories that were also missing. With just these few items mentioned and their cost exceeding R2000, we had to stop ourselves from continuing the verification process so as to not make ourselves feel even more violated and exposed. We will NEVER be able to FULLY grasp the extent of the actual number of items that never made it to us, for the sake of our own sanity.
This too was communicated with the Biddulph’s team, whereby the Operations Manager proceeded to discard the information I provided him with and responded with insurance clauses instead. He added further insult to the wound by making it seem as if he was being so gracious and doing me a favour by offering me an amount of R1000 using the term 'EX GRATIA' which by definition means 'as a FAVOUR or from a sense of moral obligation rather than because of any legal requirement.'. Wow, I am supposed to be so grateful Biddulphs!

His final response to me on 31 March 2021 was that he will see what he can do. I forwarded my banking details as requested. To date all he did was NOTHING! No further communication, no resolve. Dead silence.
So to all the South African families moving abroad, please take heed. So don’t let COVID protocols of social distancing and be distracted during the packing process. Be on the lookout for the small, expensive items that may not make it to their destination.
Leaving one’s country and having worked extremely hard to be able to make such a move and a stressful one at that, in the first place does not entitle service providers to class me an easy target that does not sweat the “small stuff” and the impression that the fact that we CAN make such a huge move means we have surplus and that Biddulph’s packers are ENTITLED to it! Very hurtful.

I am only rating this on the pickup and packing experience in Cape Town because my goods have not shipped yet. The packing team was really excellent. Professional, fast and responsive. I have no experience yet of the actual shipping or the operations at the UK end.

Professional company and very clear explanations to how the moving process to the UK works and company offered two weeks of free storage. Best quote with excellent Google rating.

They were helpful, kept in contact and were efficient. They helped to assist me with customs processes as I was moving to Swaziland

Overall all went well and at the UK especially communications were good. There was a hiccup in RSA as the first attempt at delivery occurred without prior notification hence I was not available to receive it. After that, however, all went well.

Truck crew loading, offloading and transport good.
Admin back poor. No after hours service, truck late due to other loads scheduling, send to small truck

On delivery in Rustenburg on 07 Jan 2021 my couch was left behind not sure how this happened.
Instead of bringing it the following day it was brought the following week

My TV stand was broken they could not even fit the legs. Today is 28 Jan 2021 and they have not brought back the stand and no one bothers to update me on the progress.
I am really inconvenienced by this as my TV is sitting on the floor.
I am really not happy with their service.

On time... Excellent service... Friendly.. They communicated well... Nothing was broken or damaged.. They deliverd earlier than they said... Loaded and off loaded fast

Move went without incident but better communication would have been appreciated. Communication specifically related to confirming dates and times. Otherwise the staff efficient, and from what I could ascertain from other's experience with Biddulphs, I felt that my possessions were in very reliable hands

Late in loading, driver had no idea how to find the new address, management unavailable after hours to resolve issues with loading delays, excessive damage to furniture, poor communication from Biddulphs on resolving issues with damaged furniture

They were great, the furniture was definitely taken care of-wrapped well.
The crew was excellent- on time, very friendly. I will not hesitate to use them again

Under the Covid-19 lockdown conditions in Holland and South Africa. UTS and Biddulphs did a wonderful job moving our goods from front door to front door. Staff were friendly, helpful and hard working. No breakages due to well packed boxes. Thank you.

The feedback and response from the sales team were quick and precise. The packing and moving team were very accommodating, friendly, and helpful. No damages or loss during the move. Will definitely use Biddulphs again.

What an amazing experience with Biddulphs! We moved on the 16th of Oct 2020 and everything leading up to and including the day, done by Biddulphs was just awesome. Moving houses made easy! I can definitely recommend them! 10/10, thanks for making moving a breeze!

Great at sales, lovely people. Staff a bit hasty, some breakages. Unloading was a bit hurried and sloppy.

Fantastic experience from start to finish. Great teams on both end and a lot of attention to detail. It took our goods only 4 weeks to arrive, which really surprised us. Had a great experience - thank you.

Great service all the way. From the initial communication by email, then phone.
The process was fast, efficient and the communication with the controllers was perfect.
The packers were professional and on time. All told, a very satisfactory experience.

The Botswana team were simply amazing in assisting us with moving our stuff over from Botswana during Covid-19. They constantly communicated with us and everything ran so smoothly.

The team of packers came into my house and stole items while packing. Company hasn't taken an action.
I would give them zero stars if I could.

Relocating to France during very difficult times (Covid 19), we had the opportunity to appreciate the services provided by Biddulphs international. In spite of some worries linked to the situation, everything went well and we want to thank especially the people who packed furniture and boxes before filling our container. They did a remarkable job. In France the team selected by Biddulphs was ponctual, efficient and friendly. We would recommend this company and we certainly will send a second container with [name removed by Sirelo] and his team to completely empty our property.

Thank you to [name removed by Sirelo] and his Cape Town team for the professional manner in which handled my transaction. From the first phone call, to the collection of the items, everything ran smoothly. I would highly recommend Biddulphs International again. Best Regards Bev

Moving is traumatic and it is a tossup between divorce and moving as to which one is the worst.
My wife and I are very glad we chose Biddulphs. A few years back we used Biddulphs to move from Athol to Oaklands and then from there. M[name removed by Sirelo] was our consultant for both moves, she came up trumps and both moves went very well.
We received quotes from others. Both were very arrogant and got many things wrong so it was refreshing to meet [name removed by Sirelo]. She thoroughly explained all the aspects, responsibilities and was very co-operative and helpful. She met her deadlines (unlike the others) and promptly responded to our questions. She was very ably supported by [names removed by Sirelo] who attended to our issues very promptly despite having to work from home because of the Covid pandemic.
So we had confidence that the team would handle the packing and crating very professionally and we were not disappointed. The team was ably led by [name removed by Sirelo] and the members had a good sense of humour so our confidence was heightened. They all had ready smiles especially the deaf lady ([name removed by Sirelo]I think). [name removed by Sirelo] and his team worked exceptionally hard and tried to finish after 4 days which was their own deadline; [name removed by Sirelo] budgeted for 5 days and she was right. They had to cart all 200 boxes and crates up a long driveway but they did so with smiles. On Thursday the team was exhausted but wanted to finish. But as 5 days had been budgeted for I sent them home way after 5 p.m.
So this part of the move went very well and that is down to excellent training, motivation and certainly a team spirit. These are difficult to achieve but from our experience Biddulphs has met them. We hope our experience in the UK – we are going home – meets the service excellence we experienced here.
We note the statement on the boxes that they remain the property of Biddulphs so we look forward to seeing [name removed by Sirelo] in the UK when she collects them. Can she bring [name removed by Sirelo] as he took apart a bed and I not sure if I remember how to put it together again?! But a demonstration of his professionalism he marked each corner, then put the bolts, etc. in separate envelopes and then in a large one. As they were loading he told me the envelope is in crate 158. Just imagine if he had not!
Our sincere thanks to the Biddulphs team who handled our move very professionally and congratulations on building such a professional business.

Professional , efficient and helpful office in George. The manager [name removed by Sirelo] was very knowledgable and ready to assist us with all our guestions during moving out of the SA during the Corona lock down. Everything went well accorfing to plan and our belongings arrived in Sweden without any damaged.

From the start we dealt with a lady by the name of [name removed by Sirelo]. My daughter raved about her and she was dead right! A more helpful, understanding lady you will not find. What a pleasure.
The packers overseen by name removed by Sirelo] were great - efficient, friendly. I was totally blessed that they hired a deaf person to do the packing of the more delicate crockery etc. He was awesome. They had a guy who was both deaf and dumb doing my daughters stuff. I commend you Biddulphs - a company with heart.

I very seldom give 10/10 but this whole team deserve this high accolade. Just WOW. Incredible team!!

It was simple and easy to get an estimate, without having to pick up the phone. The price was half that of competitors. Sales rep, [name removed by Sirelo] was fantastic. Funny, confident, empathetic and super efficient.
It was a small consignment of a few precious items. I couldn't afford insurance and had to take a chance. All items arrived in good condition, except for one wooden chair which broke on its way from Cape Town to Pretoria (1,400km). It is a piece I inherited from my grandmother and hence it was not replaceable. Without questioning me, Biddulphs fetched the chair, had it repaired by their carpenter and returned a few days later looking better than it had before it was shipped.
Thanks [names removed by Sirelo] for going the extra mile. See you next time!

We experienced great service from all staff at Biddulphs, ranging from the Operations Department ([name removed by Sirelo]) to the driver ([name removed by Sirelo]) - all were extremely helpful and professional; especially with us being oversees and arranging the move during lock-down. We will definitely recommend Biddulphs to our networks.

Every thing done totally professionally and timorously, even in Lockdown.
Real value for money quote.
Willingness to accommodate all our needs.
Great communication throughout.
Excellent staff with good care of all items.
A big thankyou to the whole team!

Were polite and helpful. Always returned emails promptly and packing was efficient. Delivery was delayed due to the lockdown but eventually all received so far no breakages found but not all unpacked.

Biddulphs are excellent! Have had my household contents in storage with them for the last 6 years and have just moved into my new home. Everything was in perfect condition and the whole Biddulphs team in every department was outstanding. They took the stress out of moving during lockdown. Everyone was kind, careful and so helpful. Bravo and thank you Biddulphs!

They are accommodating, very professional, reliable and their willingness to go the extra mile for clients speaks volumes. Keep up the good work. Beverley Hendricks

22-05-2020:
Pictures arrived broken due to poor packing and too many to a crate. Collectables packed ourselves were stolen out of boxes when we unpacked.

12-06-2020:
It appears your record-keeping is as good as the service you provided then. What motive would one have for making such a statement if it never happened? I can assure you, our move was handled by Biddulphs and the damage to pictures and missing possessions was not made up at all.

Professional, well trained and friendly staff at all levels. Move went very smoothly, efficiently and all items packed, loaded delivered and unpacked with care.

Everything went well... Consultant and packing staff very efficient. Delivery and handlers on the receiving end also efficient and friendly notwithstanding Coronavirus.

Goods arrived without a single thing broken, and all intact. Communication was good, however needed some prompting in the beginning to get things moving. Quotes were honoured even when there were some changes in allocation, and the team was helpful when communicating with them

Great service, professional personel and really knowlegable. They put my mind at ease with the hundreds of questions I had, and kept me up to speed with the progress of the move. Pricing was also very competitive.

We had to change the moving date several times due to the late settlement on my dad's property and also requested several amendments in relation to the original quote. These changes were all made quickly and we really appreciated the flexibility and patience. The team on moving day did an amazing job and were an absolute pleasure to work with. We are so glad to have chosen Biddulphs.

We recently moved to Mauritus and want o say how impressed were were with Biddulphs and their Mauritian team Service De Déménagement , they were extremely professional, friendly and efficeint and we got all our household possessions landed safely and delivered to us, with no problems. Highly recommend them.

Worst moving experience ever - and we’ve moved nearly 15 times. They arrived so late and only started at 12.30. Then after about 2/2.30 hours of working the staff took a lunch break. Then they ran out of packaging materials - boxes, bubble wrap, tape, paper - and no back up plan!
We called and called supervisors and Operations managers and kept getting told ‘we making a plan’ eventually we gave up at 10pm.
The truck was too small as well so we had to wait for a second tto I’ll qhich was over an hour away: this truck never arrived either. We have had to leave the trailer loaded and outside our house overnight - stuff got shipped in two trucks.
A horror story from the beginning.
Worst service ever! I will never recommend Biddulphs to anyone and I’ve already sent a notice through to our HOA to publish a notice for my neighbours.
You might be the cheapest quote but honestly it wasn’t worth trying to save two thousand extra.
Feel sorry for the on-site staff as they are left picking the pieces of poor management from the top!
Never again!

Exceptional service from beginning to end. Incredibly professional, competent and friendly staff. Everything they promised was delivered on time. Couldn't do enough to help us. Great care taken of all our possessions, wrapped with great care, no damage. Very highly recommended.

what a pleasure. The staff were efficient and so professional that it was only a pleasure dealing with them. Their quote was more than reasonable, and the whole move was painless. What a pleasure to deal with them.

I have used Biddulphs at least 3 times in the past 15 years and each experience has been positive. Most recently I moved my furniture from Durban to Kimberley and the communication was good -- I always received an answer or call back the same day when i contacted them. On removal side, they were patient with an unforeseen need to take off the trellidor to get the couch out, requiring them to wait an extra few hours. Service was on-time; they actually delivered a few days early and arrived very early on delivery day. The unpackers, Welcome and his assistant, were careful and thorough and took away the boxes and the wrapping. They worked quietly and methodically.

The removal was well planned and executed with very pleasant and caring staff. Their timing on both days was excellent and the damages to our furniture were minimal.

Biddulph's has been wonderful so far! Allen provided excellent pre-moving customer service, with valued advice and quick responses to all of my questions. The crew that came to pack my household goods were fantastic - friendly, quick and efficient. I am very pleased so far and hope things continue as smoothly on the other end! :-)

They communicated with me through emails informing me of my shipment when it arrived in South Africa. They unpacked and got rid of the packaging themselves. There was not a single missing/broken item. I did not pay for storage for the car though SARS took a long time to assess it. Frances was able to allay my anxieties re the delays by SARS. She also was able to find answers to my questions.

Excellent!! Thank you to [Names removed by Sirelo], the financial department and most of all the staff doing the hard work with moving our furniture. You all are stars, very professional, friendly and helpful. On time, handle with care and clean up the area afterwards. I will make use of Biddulphs very soon for a long distance move and highly recommend them.

To everyone at Biddulphs,

A huge thank you is in order to your amazing team! Our moving truck arrived at our new home here in Kruger National Park yesterday!!!!! We were so excited all had finally arrived!!!! We could now make our place home with your help.

The moving crew of four guys was fantastic! They came in such good attitudes after a long drive to us and were so helpful and kind. We were so concerned they wouldn’t make it back to the gate before it closed but they’ve were so good in helping offload and were relaxed in knowing they had plenty of time. It was record time of unloading if I may say so myself!!!!

Thank you thank you for such great service!!! Well done to [name removed by Sirelo] for your amazing help in quoting us and sorting things out from your side. Then the team who collected from our home in PMB, and finally the team who made the long drive to us; [names removed by Sirelo].

Trust everyone made it back safely.

Everything went according to plan! From packaging my treasured goods to delivery on the other end. Very happy that I chose biddulphs.

I have moved 6 times in the last 15 years. They have only been short distance moves, within the same city, but for each move I have used Biddulphs. The staff have always been friendly and very efficient, and only leave the job once they are completely sure that we are satisfied with everything.
If / when it happens, my 7th move will definitely involve Biddulphs again!

Biddulphs gave us great door to door service. Our container arrived quicker than we thought and we had zero breakages. Would use them again.

From our first enquiry, they were very helpful with informing us what to do from size of container needed to insurance cover and heaps of tips and advice on what we needed to know. Delivery in Brisbane to our door as promised. Such great service all round.

We chose Biddulphs as a family friend had recommended them as a reliable, value for money operator. My biggest worry with moving back home was how I was going to get all my stuff back in one piece. Not bore with too much detail but my goods made it home all in one piece. No complaints from me would recommend them Everytime. Keep up the good work Biddulphs !

In April 2019 The Rotary E-Club of Greater Cape Town was donated nearly 240 cartons containing more than 1500 Lego education sets by “Care for Education” in Johannesburg. These sets will be donated to various disadvantaged schools and care centres in Cape Town and will reach some 4 500 children. Lego education solutions makes use of playing to open up the world of early math, science and language skills. This will foster a love of discovery and investigation to help the youngest students to develop social and emotional skills that set them up for a lifetime of successful learning. Other skills that will be developed are creativity, problem solving, logical thinking, etc. In short LEGO is very educational and great psychological therapy through play.

The Rotary E-Club of Greater Cape Town was faced with a transport challenges of these Lego sets from Gauteng to Cape Town. By means of this letter we would sincerely like to thank Bidduphs for their assistance in transporting the LEGO set free of charge to Cape Town. It is understood that the value of this transportation is to the amount of R7.647,50. The donation of the free transport is very much appreciated by all the children who will receive the Lego sets and by our Rotary E-Club.

From start to finish what a great experience, got my quote super fast and staff were extra friendly when collecting our goods and thankfully everything arrived at the other side all in good order. Keep up the great work Biddulphs

Autism South Africa are most grateful to Biddulphs! We just wanted to give you some feedback on the incredible team, lead by [names removed by Sirelo], who did our pro-bono move yesterday. They were absolutely amazing! It was a difficult move as they had to carry everything up 1 flight of stairs as the lift in our building only goes to the third floor. I had my doubts that they would finish yesterday but they pushed through until 6pm last night and completed the job working like Trojans.

They have my utmost respect as it was so hot and humid yesterday! I also did not hear one word of complaint or saw a long face. They were machines!

Please convey our appreciation to the team!

Very good move. All arrived safley and very quickly. They could adapt and work fast. The team was postiive and motivated. Handled the difficult items well.

Dealing with them a breeze. If we had any questions, it was answered apromply and the way all their staff treated us, was wonderful.

What a pleasant experience. The move was efficient and the staff ultra-friendly. The truck turned out to be slightly too small - no problem - the manager came out with a bakkie after we had left, collected the remaining items, and delivered them personally before we had finished unloading the truck.

Overall a smooth and happy move.

Do not use this company if you shipping goods internationally, they kept changing prices at the 11th hour. Did not communicate changes in shipping times etc etc. Always full of excuses and generally just shocking service and ended up costing us a lot more than it should have.

Firstly, I’ll start off by saying that once I payed them for the container all communication with the company and it’s employees went downhill from there .
From the very beginning I had made myself clear wanting ‘door to door ‘service, meaning, I wanted everything paid off and having no extra fees once my container arrived in the port of Piraeus (Greece).
I was assured by their employees at their offices in Cape Town that all was going to be arranged, but unfortunately none of the above was done .
I now find myself paying an extra 1000 euro for the delivery of my goods to my house and extra port fees.
Anyway, to make a very long story short , I would definitely not recommend this company to anyone thinking of moving their goods overseas.
Their customer service is poor and I am disgusted about how they handled my container.
I honestly feel disrespected by that company for not doing their job properly causing me extra 1000 euro in expenses.
Sending a container with this company was a stressful experience.

I recently moved to the UK from SA. Not one of the pieces of furniture arrived undamaged. Boxes where crushed. Hardly any of our crockery survived. This on top of Biddulphs leaving a box of expensive appliances behind. Given this box too arrived with contents broken they should have left it in Cape Town. The first move took over 3 months far from the 6 weeks promised. The last of our items arrived 6 months later. Appalling!

superior quality packaging materials and boxes and blankets used.
Very professional.
Not a single cracked drinking glass. No scratch furniture or picture frames.
Took fantastic care of my belongings.
wonderfull attitude of staff

It took 7 months for us to receive our 16 boxes that we had shipped with them. They said it could take up to 16 weeks for them to arrive. We would never have chosen them if they had let us know beforehand that this was going to be the case. Be warned!!!

Very FRUSTRATING dealing with this company. Do not use them, be warned. Extremely bad communication skills across all chains. Not transparent with poor customer service. Told us goods will be with us at a specific date and up till now, we not have yet received out items and have no idea when they will be arriving. We shipped 14 boxes with them in total and have not received them.

Went out of their way to meet our needs as we had strict timelines to keep. They sent extra staff to help pack everything faster. Very professional

Good service and good pricing

I definitely recommend them.

Good efficient move, only a couple of items broken

The agent was excellent. On the days of the packing the guys came in and did a great and professional job.

Everything went well untill we paid them. Container was suppose to be placed at 10:00 the final morning but only arrived at 18:00. No feedback from rep or manager after calling them numerous times. Kept on lying to us about placement time. Had to cancel painters that needed to paint the house. Ended up having to pay painters R2500 for the missed booking. Untill today after container was shipped we had no feedback from rep or general manager regarding status of goods.

Logistic manager was disorganized. Sales manager was good

They were gr8. The only thing negative was the estimator that made us belive we didnt have enough space on the container. You can pack a 4 bedroom house in a 20foot container

Everything was performed smoothly with no issues. No breakages worth noting.

They were quite rough in handling our furniture and especially the 'fragile' boxes

The price, service and word of mouth reputation

Efficient, friendly, helpful and very accurate estime on the volume of the household goods

No feedback or information provided. Had to keep on phoning and ask them for information that they should have came back to me

Good arrived in good shape

Our container hasn't arrived yet. Our real feedback will be based on the condition that everything arrives. They had also been slow on feedback when making enquiries.

Their rate was good, communication excellent and service overall very good