Clark & Rose

Avoid - Huge Claim, a whole lot of hassel to get paid

We moved with Clark and Rose in June of 2022. We had £18K worth of damage furniture claimed with them - a lot of broken items, tape wrapped around the furniture so that when it was removed, it took the finish with it, mold on furniture (which the latter isn't entirely their fault as the container leaked, but they still said that we weren't eligible for coverage for it even though we paid them £3K+ for marine insurance coverage. In the end, they said that they were the insured and not us and it was up to their discretion). It took us over 1 year to get this settled and we had to do it through an independent third party agency offered by the BAR. They initially offered us £4.5K to settle; we got £10K which was the max that we could get from the process at the end of June in 2023. If it wasn't the maximum that we could get awarded, I'm SURE that we would have been awarded for all £18K. They played a whole lot of games with us, especially Richard Clark. I would avoid them at all costs. Horrible, horrible experience and a completely untrained packing staff. If you are moving down the street, maybe they are alright?, but if you are moving overseas or anywhere beyond 5 miles, I would pick another moving company, just in case. With that said, if you do pick Clark & Rose due to their low prices, try to get a solicitor to look at the paperwork before you sign ANYTHING with them, and supervise EVERYTHING that they pack, especially your furniture!

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: £19500

We moved house 6 weeks ago using Clark and Rose. They turned up nearly an hour late. After about an hour 3 of the 4 team went to the local garage for refreshments and were gone for a good 40 minutes. Despite someone coming out to estimate the van size there wasn't enough room in the lorry for our plants that were in pots. However, the move went ok, the lorry was unpacked and because we thought the team had done a good job we gave them extra cash to say thank you.
The next day we realised just what a good job they had done! I discovered that my wallet, its contents and a large sum of money had disappeared (despite being covered and well hidden in a drawer). I rang Clark and Rose to ask if the removal team had seen the wallet etc or moved it but nobody had seen anything!!
I know that the only people to have access to my wallet and money were the removal team. I reported it to the police as a crime. I have contacted Clark and Rose on 3 occasions and as of today have had no communication from them at all.
I have contacted the Removals Ombudsman and The British Association of Removers neither of which could help.
I feel completely let down by Clark and Rose. We trusted the removal team to come into our house and have been treated very badly.
I would suggest finding another removal firm.

Service cost: £1000

I interviewed half a dozen companies (3 from Bedford, 3 from Bath) but was most impressed with Tom from Clark & Rose who assured me they could 'beat the best quote' - which he did - by a pound, but who's counting?! He assured me that everything would run professionally smooth and was the only representative of any removal company who seemed to understand the pressure and stress I was under, especially as I was moving from the only place I've ever lived and separating from my husband into the bargain.. add to that a very nervy cat who's never been further than the local vets and Tom was very understanding, promising that once we got to Bath, that myself, the cat and my bed would be the first things to be moved into the new home and if there was time, the removers would offload as many other boxes as they could considering the travel/time constraints.
What can I say about Alan and Jamie? Book them every time if you can! Professional, adept, courteous, kind, a joke for any occasion (even if it's difficult to understand because of the Scots accent) and so quick I still have trouble believing I've actually left and arrived here. I hate cliches, but nothing was too much trouble for them and they understood precisely how stressful everything was and went out of their way to try and alleviate any unnecessary nerves.
Once they'd returned and offloaded the remainder of the boxes the following morning, we found it hard to say goodbye to them; they'd almost become a part of the family move themselves. It didn't matter that a couple of bits were missing or things maybe didn't come out as complete as they went in; they made the experience one to remember - and remember fondly which is something I never thought I'd say about a house move.
Thanks guys - you're both stars and welcome for tea and biscuits anytime you're passing.

Service cost: £1299

I have moved 3 times in as many years and C&R was hired to perform my most recent removals service. They were quoted 3 days to pack, move, unload, place and unpack our belongings to which they only performed half of the work. Pack/dump. When I say dump, this is what they did. They essentially dumped everything into our garage and left after 2 days. The crew was extremely disrespectful of our belongings (broke things to make them fit, crushed/crumpled pressed suits, stole crisps ate them then dumped the empty bags inside of packed linens..) the list goes on. The final straw was that the stole £14 from our seven year olds savings jars then refused to cop to it when interviewed. We have taken the poorly matter up with our relocation company, and have provided several pictures of the goings-on that occurred. They received the response that C&R will give us £250 for misc damage and the theft. We are still going back and forth to dispute the invoice. We have been in our new home for 4 weeks and still haven't sorted through the damaged items and carelessly packed belongings. For the cost, it would be better just to hire people off the street. Avoid this company at all costs!

Service cost: £3500

Completely inconsistent and arbitrary. Glassware was packed to survive drops from a great height, but furniture and art were treated in a slapdash fashion, resulting in gouges, scratches, multiple damaged frames - and smashed glass.

Although the repair work was eventually addressed, a request for compensation to address the time & energy required were met with a virtual middle finger. And never an apology in sight.

What a shame. When I used them 5 years ago (in partnership with JK Moving), they were brilliant. But now? More of a crap shoot.

Service cost: £3269

We took this company to move from paris to LA this summer! A disaster! I'm still waiting for my belongings, after 4 months when I've signed for 10 to 12 weeks!! Nobody keep us in the loop, answer us and is able to give us a date to deliver our moving ( although we schedule with our business to be deliver on a certain date!). I have two kids aged 1 and 3 years old, have no more clothes for the right age because MY LIFE is in this moving, but they doesn't seem to care about their clients. They doesn't care about anything to be honest! I live with plastic plates, the very few necessity while I'm waiting for all my stuffs, and I'm beginning to think that I will never receive them. T Take an other company even if it's more expensive, sometimes that's not a good idea to make cheaper choices.

Service cost: €2600

True feedback for any company is when things go wrong, and you see how they are willing to deal with the issue.

Unfortunately for me, I had to choose Clark and Rose for my international move ( full container) at the last minute due to some unforeseen circumstances and changes.

DO NOT fall for their initial impression and nice words! a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client

They packed the household items unprofessionally, chaotically, incompetently with cutting the corners as much they could, resulting in significant damages to items.

They handed over my household like a war zone with many damages. I have done a couple of international moves due to my work, and the level of care and packings were significantly better than what C&R did. For example, C&R just wrapped all dining chairs back seats with a piece of paper!! and left unsupported in the container. The chairs must have been grouped instead with extra cushioning around and put in a box. Two of them came completely snapped.

Beware of their mandatory insurance policy, which is severely skewed toward themselves to avoid paying any compensations, and they shamelessly do hold zero responsibility for how they pack items. In simple terms, they dump items in the container and blame the shipping company for all damages.

Other international movers have a minimum compensation per item regardless of the insurance level. They do not.

For even an insured item (the china cabinet ), they brought up many excuses and refused to pay the compensation. Their local partner could not fix the backboard of the china cabinet, and C&R ruled it is "only loosed and can be fixed".

Their local partner was even worse than them, they brought items chaotically and damaged the property and ignored all communication to get it repaired.

When I raised the issue with C&R, as the signee of the shipment contract, they shamelessly refused to accept the responsibility and told me it was my own problem to deal with them!!

An Absolut poor behaviour and practices, avoid this miserable company at all cost!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: £4000

I am writing this review because of a bad experience with a remover in the Aberdeen area and it may help others to avoid the distress and the damage as well as the time wasted sorting it all out. Initially everything looked very promising. The advisor who assessed the job and provided the estimate was very professional and gave various undertakings about the quality of the removal service. The team that moved us out of our home in Aberdeenshire were also professional and easy to work with. As is often the case, the problems were at the other end when our belongings were delivered to our new home. The assurances we had been given then mattered for nothing. The removal van was parked about 20 metres from the door of our cottage but the two removal men struggled to carry some of the items and a lack of fitness gave us real concern about the health of one of them. Without consulting us, they involved a local remover with a smaller van so that the distance from van to our home was reduced to about 10 metres. Transfer from the large van to the small one took place a few miles away in a lay-by. It soon became clear that treasured possessions had been thrown into the smaller van in a higglety pigglety way and many items were damaged in the process. At one point clothing items fell from a damaged box in the van onto the ground outside our home causing much amusement amongst the removers. The concerns we expressed went largely unheeded. As the unpacking started, the extent of the damage became more apparent. Items that had been cared for over the years were smashed, marked or broken. We saw one item when it was partially unpacked but it then disappeared altogether. Clark and Rose were later asked to investigate but that amounted to little more then asking the men if they had seen it which they denied. When the foreman wrote up his paper work, he placed his papers on a piece of antique furniture with no protection of its surface. His writing indented the surface and was easily seen and photographed (even along with his signature). Such behaviour reflected poorly on the training and attitudes within this company. When the company were contacted it became clear they had no proper complaints procedure and each person we spoke to tried to pass the buck to someone else. Only after much effort were we able to contact a senior manager but he, too, showed little concern. It was seen as simply an insurance matter. Insurance helped to put right some of the problems but many of our possessions will never be restored to their condition before the move. We felt that the breaking of trust, the evident poor training, the apparent removal of one of our possessions and the shoddy treatment of goods when we moved in were very clear violations of the BAR Code of Conduct. BAR, however, is adept at protecting its members at any cost with an amazing collection of ruses - demanding voluminous documentation including photographs, then losing the documention, forgetting to respond, and when eventually it was persuaded to conduct an enquiry, denying the customer access to the findings.  Our greatest regret is that we had not given our business to another remover in Aberdeen which has a long and illustrious history. We did this on grounds of cost but that was a big mistake.

Service cost: £2544

Don't think about using C&R.
Moved from Aberdeenshire to NE England
Lorry arrived late, was obvious to me not big enough.
All items crammed in with last few items placed in our vehicle!
Our furniture cane off the lorry wet, obviously raining in.
As a result items stained and damaged.
Several items broken in transit.
BAR were not much help when claiming compensation.
Best advice don't go near Clark and Rose.

Service cost: £2800

From start to finish the move ran like clockwork. The arrangements made by the administration staff were clear and any questions were answered quickly, also the cost was very competitive, cheaper than some companies nearer to my location. The two boys who moved me were great, polite, pleasant and very helpful. The removal experience was far better than I could have hoped for, having heard some horrendous stories from friends who have used other movers. I would definitely recommend this company.

Service cost: £2195

Contacted three companies but Clark and Rose spent most time doing survey and explained everything I needed to know about charges and timing of the move it was very reassuring. Having lived in our cottage for 37years this removal was really daunting. They arrive on time and were very professional and hard working. Our move was over a weekend, so they came back on the Monday morning to finish up and ensure our key exchange was on schedule. Due to a legal hitch beyond our control the move had to stop there and then. Cannot explain how distressing this situation was but the guys on the wagon could not have been kinder or more patient. We contacted the office and Wendy explained our options and the cost involved and everything was re-arranged for the following Friday. Meanwhile they arranged to put our furniture into storage thereby limiting the additional charges. On the Friday as promise everything was delivered to our new address without fuss. Not a single thing was damaged or lost. I could not thank them enough for their care and attention in a very difficult and worrying situation.
Would have no hesitation in recommending this company in the future.

Service cost: £2500

From the moment that I contacted Clarke and Rose I sensed that they might just be the right choice for helping us make a difficult move from the mainland to one of the islands in Scotland. I was not wrong in that assumption. Clarke and Rose staff proved highly professional in EVERY aspect, whether that be administration and organisation or the very important, and sometimes delicate tasks of packing, loading and unloading. ALL the staff we worked with made light of any issues that arose and there wasn't a 'jobsworth' to be seen. I would highly recommend them to others.

Service cost: £6000

We moved only 4 miles down the road, but we have 7 in our family and have far too much stuff! We decided to pack ourselves and let C&R move our belongings. No problems at all with their professional approach. There was a slight issue with their quotation system, but once we ask their Rep, it was resolved immediately. The move itself was smooth - the guys were professional and most importantly, friendly. Nothing was to be viewed as a "problem" but their supervisor was quite innovative with his approach to bringing our sofa onto the 1st floor.. not going to say what he did - let's just say, he did it in an "innovative" way. AND IT WAS SNOWING THAT DAY TOO!!

There were a couple of minor breakages, but to be honest, we have moved 6 times in 15 years, and each move would always incur some damage. I have read the reviews from some disappointed customers - thankfully, our experience has been rather positive and we would recommend them.

Service cost: £1750

I was asked recently if I would recommend Clark and Rose for an international move. Mine had been from Paris, France to Boston, USA (but there is no USA choice here as a country of arrival).  The request for recommendation brought back such bad memories that I feel compelled to share my experience with others who might be considering using this company. Briefly, I was quoted a certain amount for moving my furniture and personal objects and once they had arrived in the Clark and Rose warehouse, the amount was increased (with my having no choice but to accept) by 1,000 euros. The pick-up, although very late and lengthy, was average.  The delivery was a total disaster.  I had pointed out to the estimating agent at our first visit, the fragile objects I cared about, and given him photographs.  One box of precious family china arrived with the sides totally broken, ALL the china broken to pieces with no paper or bubble in the box.  An many other fragile momentos about which I cared were totally broken or chipped, such as crystal and porcelain and irreplaceable.  My favorite parchment eiffel tower lamp was totally smashed and a box of clothing, including all my hats, was missing.  Unfortunately, I had been advised by the agent that I didn't need much insurance, so my claim hardly covered a small percentage of my losses. The delivery team arrived 5 hours late, left the boxes in my hall (28 large boxes), and did not unpack, nor put together the furniture I had paid to be put back together for me. My house was a shambles for 2 months whilst I tried to unpack and deal with the mess they left me.  The entire experience was very distressing, costly and unprofessional.  Needless to say I would not recommend them to anyone. I tried reporting them to BAR, but was fluffed off and told that Clark and Rose were denying everything.  Just thought I would let you know if you are considering hiring them..DON'T.

Service cost: €6000

Requested a quote for a home move, initially all very professional and prompt in responding. My partner was informed that they’d be willing to negotiate on price. I found a competitor locally offering the same service but significantly cheaper (insured and regulated to the same standard). I asked Clark and Rose if they could match the price. I sent multiple emails and still waiting for a response.

Poor customer service, and very disappointing at such an important time.Not sure I can trust a company with my personal belongings who don’t reply to any emails. Thankfully plenty of similar companies locally who want the work.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: £675

Clark and Rose (Removals) Ltd company cannot be trusted. We booked our moving date with the rep and once quoted, we returned the Acceptance document with our moving date, which was confirmed.

Then 11 days before we were due to move (to another part of the country), we enquired about additional boxes and received an email response declaring that our date requested was now fully booked!

We did not receive a telephone call, just a curt email with no explanation or alternative options.

We were left high and dry with no removals and due to our moving date being over a Bank Holiday weekend, we had no chance of gaining another booking and instead we had to resort to driving our boxes 90 odd miles, back and forth, using several vehicles/vans, which caused additional stress and hard labour.

Clark and Rose (Removals) Ltd offered us no explanation as to why our booking was double-booked and did not offer any help or compensation. Having spoken to another company, we now assume they underquoted our move costs to win the quote and then decided they had other bookings that were more local.

Clark and Rose (Removals) Ltd did not care about the situation that they put us in and caused us emotional stress and we were disgusted by their conduct.

If you are thinking of using this company - think again. They are not to be trusted.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: £2100

If I could turn back time and choose a different company I’d be much better off. The guys that packed my belongings over my 4 day move where amazing, lovely men. They couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. The rest of our communication with Clark and Rose is another matter!! Unfortunately Covid hit and being an international move , we could not travel under travel bans being in place for several months so therefore had to leave our belonging in storage for months costing us thousands of pounds. No discount was offered at a time when most companies where helping each other out in such difficult unforeseen times. We tried to come to a reduced fee or negotiated a deal but the company refused to be of any assistance. I have since been provided with a false shipment date after receiving emails stating my goods have been shipped with an arrival date to a port in America. I have been asking for proof of shipment only to receive this over 2 weeks later with a completely different arrival date , different travel route and 3 weeks later than what was originally stated. I also was told that they had under priced for the job and during several backwards and forwards emails, I feel they have tried to explore different avenues on how they can recuperate more money. Not something we should be liable for if you can’t correctly price a removal. We have our flights booked and ready to travel, all coordinated with the arrival of our furniture due to arrive at our American home. This now means my family including dogs will arrive at our house ready to start a new job/schools with nothing for several weeks because Clark and Rose provided shipment arrival dates and updates stating the goods had left , none of which were true. When the goods are due to arrive in 10 days time, I received and email saying they had just been sent yesterday! Once again, the men that packed up my home where great, not one complaint but this is nowhere near enough for me to recommend this company to anyone.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: £10000

Drove into our fence while trying to turn from neighbour's driveway, and when I confronted the driver he immediately denied it. He drove into it head on - got so close, paused and then lunged forward like he had selected a forward gear instead of reverse. No way he didn't see it or feel the impact. A colleague was very quick to arrive and contribute to the denial, and while I was walking away the driver shouted something about the "F'ing fence". Their vehicles look good and I thought Clark and Rose was a reputable company but they are clearly unprofessional, careless and untrustworthy.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: £999