John Mason International Movers

When my mother passed away, John Mason was entrusted with shipping a carefully selected group of her belongings from the UK to Australia — the pieces I had chosen to keep, sentimental items that mattered. They knew this from the outset. They failed at almost every level.

The damage was staggering:

- 4 of 7 furniture pieces (nearly 60%) arrived with substantial damage

- 23 of 36 framed pictures (64%) were damaged

- 20 of 25 boxes (80%) arrived with significant damage and multiple broken items inside

This wasn't bad luck. A clothes horse was wrapped with zero structural support — predictably crushed. A butler's tray was physically forced into a box 20cm too small, splitting the wood and breaking the hinges. There is no way the packers could have failed to hear the wood cracking as they forced it into a box that was plainly too small. Framed pictures were packed together with ornaments and no padding between them. Glassware was wrapped inconsistently — wrap one, leave one — even in boxes marked fragile. Even John Mason's own Australian partners were visibly shocked at the state of it.

The complaint handling was worse than the damage.

- The International Sales Consultant, who sold the service with great promises, vanished the moment the contract was signed — not a word.

- The International Move Manager's response to a detailed damage report was to forward an insurance form and — I kid you not — follow up asking me to complete a feedback survey. Operations fobbed me off. When I finally escalated, their "investigation" consisted of asking the packing crew whether they'd packed well. Unsurprisingly, the crew said yes. That was it. That was the investigation.

- I sent a detailed rebuttal with documented evidence, photographs, measurements. The response? Silence for over a month. When the Group Export Manager eventually replied, she simply restated that the crew were "experienced professionals" and they stood by their work. No engagement with the evidence whatsoever.

- The CEO then stepped in to say he was satisfied the complaint had been handled "appropriately and professionally" — and helpfully suggested I contact the British Association of Removers Consumer Affairs team. What didn't he mention? He sits on their board. Draw your own conclusions about the impartiality on offer there.

The unexpected costs were a particular sting.

I understood I'd paid for a door-to-door service. Instead, I received not one but THREE additional invoices from the Australian partner — totalling considerably more than advised, including a charge for a "long tramp" for less than 25 metres from truck to door. They refused to deliver until every invoice was paid and threatened storage charges if I disputed. My late mother's belongings were effectively held to ransom.

A warning on insurance — please read this carefully.

I asked John Mason directly whether I should list every individual item or group them. I was explicitly advised to group them, particularly for categories like kitchenware. With hindsight, this was disastrous advice. The insurer calculates payouts based on the number of items listed against total declared value. If you under-list, you under-recover. List every single item — every bowl, every glass, every utensil — with an individual value. It feels pedantic. Do it anyway. John Mason's guidance cost me significantly in the claims process.

The pattern here isn't a run of bad luck. It's systemic.

- Feedback is collected at the point of uplift — before your goods arrive and before you have any idea what condition they'll be in.

- Complaints are deflected to the packers themselves.

- The CEO rubber-stamps the process.

- And the suggested independent body isn't independent at all.

I paid for expertise, care, and support. I got none of the three.

If you are moving sentimental items, irreplaceable belongings, or anything that matters — please look elsewhere. (I can provide additional photos if wanted - the same I shared with John Mason when making my complaint directly with them, given them the first opportunity to rectify)

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: £2000

I just had the easiest move of my life. And I moved over three times in 6years. Truly, these guys were fantastic! Micheal, Frank, and Jessy were pleasant, gentle with my fragile items, and very efficient. My move this time from Liverpool to Alabama was awesome. We actually had fun and to think I spent all that time worrying about the move day before. If I'd known what I know now, I would have looked forward to it. Truly.

I will be calling them again. Priced right, convenient scheduling, and smiling services was truly a pleasure to get into my new awesome apartment with ease!! Thank you, John Mason!! When I buy my first home, I will be calling you guys.

Service cost: £1500

We booked our move from US to UK through Schumacher Logistics, who subsequently used John Mason for the UK end. What a mistake. Delivery was supposed to be included, but seeing as the parking was 3 doors down, they charged a £200 'long carry' fee. Took months to get an actual delivery booked in and now I'm sitting here, 4.5hrs after they were meant to arrive waiting. Took the morning off work and no sign or communication. Dreading what state the contents will be in when they arrive. Do yourself a favour

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

Our experience with this shipping company was extremely disappointing. Communication from Gill was poor throughout the process. The initial quotes were promising—exactly what you’d expect when they’re trying to win your business. But from that point, everything went downhill.

Gill failed to inform the moving team that we were shipping a mattress and bikes, so they arrived without the necessary packing materials and had to improvise. Several items were also left behind, forcing them to start a new box with just two or three items—at our expense.

We shipped our belongings in early August, with all quotes and worst-case scenarios indicating arrival by early December (accounting for quarantine and delivery). However, by early September, we had received no updates and had to chase for information. We were then assured our shipment would be on a boat the next day.

We tracked this vessel throughout September and October, only to realize it never left China for Australia. When we followed up, we were shocked to learn that our belongings were still sitting in a warehouse in Liverpool—two months after we were told they had shipped! There had been no communication to inform us of this massive delay.

While we eventually received some compensation, every response to our complaints made it seem like we were being unreasonable for expecting timely updates. If delays are so “normal,” why weren’t we informed? And why were sales representatives so confident that December was the worst-case scenario?

To cap things off Gill did not pass on our updated address to the Australia removal company or the fact we had already paid the AQIS fee. DO NOT prepay the AQIS fee with John Mason, they charged us 305 pounds ($603 AUD), when the true charge was $385.

Our shipment finally arrived at the end of January 2025—nearly six months after we last saw our belongings. This level of service is unacceptable, and I would absolutely not recommend this company to anyone.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: £4000

OK, so all was ok until we recently got our property delivered from Cornwall (uk), to Adelaide, South Australia.

This just gets worse and worse as we unpack, so here goes:

1) Danish, 50s dining table, smashed to pieces.

2) All My partners cutlery, inherited from her grandmother.. GONE.

3) My John Severson watercolour, bought for me as a gift and now approximately with £1500.. GONE

3) A stamp album given to me by my father and collected by his father, worth maybe £2000.. GONE.

Surprising that these were our most valuable things we owned.

So this got me thinking as all the boxes listed in the UK, arrived this end. How did this happen? When the guys come to pack your stuff, out is IMPOSSIBLE to stand over them for hours, checking a) that pack the stuff, b) load the packed box and finally, c) it goes on the trick and/or remains on the truck.

All I know is they had our stuff. And now we don't. I'm currently putting together a report for the UK police and will be ensuring these guys are thoroughly investigated. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE BEWARE. WE ARE DISTRAUGHT AT THIS LOSS. Of course John Mason might not be responsible for the actions of these guys, and I'll update IF they either return or recover our goods, or compensate us completely. UNTIL THEN, DO NOT USE IF YOU HAVE VALUABLES.

Service cost: £3000

JM Movers "handled" a move from Preston to Abu Dhabi for us - we used another company as an intermediary. Our stuff arrived in AD airport on Sunday - we expected it to arrive at our house sometime on Monday or at least to get a phone call giving us an update - no - I contacted our own agent who contacted them. No progress on Tuesday morning either, eventually received an email from the agent here who informed us we had to submit a passport (we had already supplied JM Movers with a scan of the passport) and were required to pay an additional charge of £107, we had not been informed of this by JM Movers. I have attempted to make a complaint but they have pushed it back to the agent we originally used - a company who have completed three excellent moves to France for us and with whom I have no complaint. They have threatened to take down any bad reviews I post on social media - I guess they have something to hide. Avoid them, there are far better companies out there (this website does not allow me to post the correct delivery location).

Service cost: £1675

I will not recommend John Mason International movers. My experience with them was they estimated a larger volume (approx. 189 cu. Ft and an amount of £ 2,371) for collection after the survey of the house and moveable items that they performed and quoted an amount based on the volume that they estimated.

However, I did inform them that we are planning to discard certain items and would expect a volume lesser than what they have estimated in their quote and hence, I do not budget to pay the amount that they have quoted (£ 2,371).

There are certain things about which you won’t be informed in advance and most likely you won’t be until the day of collection of your goods. One of them is that they do not have a flat rate of per cubic feet for the volume of goods that you will be shipping. They mentioned to us that our price will move commensurate with the volume, but not at a set amount (in theory this gives them the flexibility to charge whichever is the higher i.e., the amount that they quoted or the volume as per their quotation). They will then give you some examples of what the price per cu.ft is going to be and you will keep wondering what is quote meant for and you will be confused as to what should you budget for as they will try to keep things uncertain. To us they gave an estimate of what the price per cu.ft is going to be if they collect 100 cu.ft and what is the price going to be if they collect 150 cu.ft. We estimated that for us the price would be somewhat £ 12.54 cu ft based on what they mentioned for 100 cu.ft in their email. However, for us later it would turn out to be something different than we estimated or budgeted for.

If you are not sure about the volume that you would be shipping, then be prepared to get charged as per the volume or amount that they have quoted even though on the day of collection your volume turns out to be less than the volume that they had estimated.

Right before the collection of goods they send a revised quote citing increase in shipping cost which they say is not under their control. What can a customer do when the vendor at last minute sends a revised quote? We had very few days left before our move, and it wasn’t feasible for us to find another vendor. Hence, we continued with the collection of our items by John Mason.

On the day of collection the volume that they collected was 112 cu.Ft - the actual volume. However, John Masson in one their email confirmed that if the volume decreased, they would decrease the price commensurately. However, when they send the final invoice there wasn’t any major reduction and then started a lengthy back and forth emails with them. At this time there is hardly any options left with the customer as you would be abroad and then you would be reminded in a negative way that if you don’t pay up, you would be charged for storage of goods due to non-payment, or your goods would be discarded. John Mason in their email cited that they arranged for labor and material for collection of 189 Cu.Ft even though they were informed in advance that we were anticipating a lesser volume. Because there weren’t any options other than paying, we ended up paying them £ 17.94 Cu ft (£ 1,908) which was much higher than the price that they had mentioned in the email for 100 CuFt of freight. So, our recommendation is that be very firm and sure with the volume that you are shipping and make the vendor stick to their quote as they would try to wiggle around the volume and the quoted amount.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1908

This moving company is an expert in customer service. Every aspect of the move, starting from the customer service to the actual move, there was no problem at all. If you are looking for a moving company for an excellent move, this is the right company to go for. I recommend them highly and will use them again. We had an excellent experience as this moving company moved our stuff. I must say that we had luck this time and that is why we located such an excellent moving company. I am happy with they way you guys rendered your service and ensured a perfect move. I have already begun to recommend you to other people who want to make a move and will continue recommending you guys. My move was a fast one, beyond my anticipation.

Service cost: £2200

Before I start it was from the UK to Brisbane, Australia but that is not an option in the dropdown menu above!!

"OK" describes my experience with John Mason. We moved from the UK to Australia this year. My main issues with the whole move were the removal men (one of them in inparticular) in the UK. They were very unfriendly and not very helpful. When you move house to the other side of the world - its not something you do regularly and therefore have very little experience. These guys pack things up all the time to be moved abroad so will have more experience than I do. They made me feel like I was in the way in my own home and often tutted or laughed at my questions. I felt very uneasy. However all of our items were packed well and delivered safely. The removal guys in Australia were way more friendly and helpful.

Service cost: £3500

This was a move from the UK to NY, USA.
John Mason was very good on the packing up end, timely, staff were efficient and courteous and did a good job of packing. Only a few ceramic bowls were broken upon arrival.

On the other end however, the partner company in the US was less than satisfactory - they delivered the shipment and put the boxes in the rooms we designated but did not unpack most of the items. The two pieces of furniture they did unpack they put together incorrectly and we had to re-do. Because they did not unpack we were left with a huge task and mountains of paper and cardboard to dispose of ourselves which was very time consuming and tiring.

So be advised, that in the US at least, the sister company is not as reliable and do not deliver anywhere near as good a service.

Service cost: £5500

My suggestion to anyone intending to move abroad.
Don't use John Mason International.
The estimator can't estimate cost us another £1800 for spilt load which has still not been sent 25th will be a month.
This I am told is a common occurrence with them.

Their partners in Cyprus Columbia Worldwide movers are probably the biggest bullshitters I have come across they just make it up to suite, change the boat docking days, the delivery days and the customs clearance all because they can't be bothered to deliver as agreed.

And all you get from both not my problem, you sleep on the floor merry Christmas.
Keep in mind if we couldn't take delivery we would be paying storage fees.
Absolutely abysmal bunch of useless arrogant never use them again.

Service cost: £8000

At first I was so reluctant to work with them, but after several persuasion from my friend, I decided to give them a try, Johnmason moved me from London to Sidney, and I never regret the service they gave me.

Honestly it was worth my money, a gentle man, Jackson by name who came to check my properties was very professional, I really love every minute I spent with him, he was so funny too.

Thanks JOHNMASON for the great service, I will always use your service again.
Hihly recommended.

Service cost: £9000

Move from London, UK to New Jersey, USA.

First of all, on unpacking the dinning room table, we noticed that all four corners had been badly scrapped bare and that there was a 2cm by 1cm dent in the centre of the table top. This piece is one of a kind and made in Italy so it is hard to see how we might repair it.

Secondly, one of our Poltrona Frau dining room table chairs with arm rests had also lost one of the arms which was detached once unwrapped and also had a 4cm hole in the chair’s leather-upholstered back.

Third, when unwrapping the china and glass-ware, we also noticed that one pasta bowl and two juice glasses were shattered.

Finally, while three crystal wine glasses were also shattered by one of the movers while being unwrapped from the box.
As these damages were completely and wholly caused by the delivery and of no fault of our own, asked for fair reimbursement to replace the items destroyed but never received it.

Service cost: £9000

I used John Mason to move from London to Hanoi, Vietnam in June. The company was assigned to me by my employer, so I did not have any choice in the matter.

My only good experience with the company was with the gentleman who came to assess my goods before I moved. He arrived on time, was courteous and seemed to actually care about his work. None of that was the case with the rest of my dealings with this company.

Communication leading up to my packing date was inconsistent and involved me chasing them down to get information. The the worst part of my experience occurred on the day when my belongings were packed for the move. The crew arrived ahead of schedule and were clearly unhappy from the time they arrived. They were belligerent and extremely unprofessional in both their interactions with me and in the way they handled my belongings. I was told that I didn't need to do anything to prepare for the move ahead of time and that the crew would take care of everything. I did not receive any information on goods that were/were not permitted in my shipment, so I organized my items based on the information I received from the agents in Hanoi. The John Mason crew tried to remove many items from my shipment, telling me that they were not allowed to be shipped out of the UK. This turned out to be completely false information. Attempts to communicate with the office personnel during these interactions were futile. The office staff was dismissive of my concerns and clearly uninterested in ensuring that my experience went smoothly.

After my belongings were taken away, I received no information on the status of the shipment and the resolution of the claim that some of my goods were not allowed to be shipped. I had to contact the company multiple times in an effort to find out when my shipment was en route and when it would be delivered. Thankfully, the company in Vietnam (Asian Tigers) was MUCH more competent and took over communication as soon as possible.

My goods arrived eventually with some damage as expected based on the way John Mason's crew packed things (and by that, I mean the way they crammed things into boxes without any regard for the fragility of items). All of the items they tried to make me remove from my shipment did arrive, which serves to prove that the crew had absolutely no idea what they were talking about when they tried to tell me I couldn't send certain things.

All in all, this was the worst moving experience I've had in my numerous years of moving internationally. If you have any choice in the matter, do not use this company. And, if you're unlucky enough to have them assigned to you, make sure to do your research ahead of time and do not take their word for anything. I would also highly recommend using insurance when dealing with this company if you're shipping anything of value, as you're likely to experience damages to your goods.

Service cost: £5000

Awful. Since taking our stuff and getting our money they no longer care. We are due to arrive in Australia in a week and even at the longest quoted time provided our stuff should arrive now. We arranged for my dad to receive our stuff on our behalf which contains my husbands toolbox he needs for work and today have been told its going to be another 3-5 weeks. John mason have referred us to their Australian counterpart and when I said I've tried to contact them and can't talk to them they seem like they couldn't care less. At this stage I'll be surprised if our stuff will even turn up. Avoid this company if you don't want stress and rude behaviour.

Service cost: £1500

Moved from Sydney to Glasgow. Just unpacked 2 boxes of smashed crockery that’s been in my family for years. Because I didn’t unpack everything on day of delivery (impossible task, took 2 whole days) I’m now left with a room full of boxes and packaging which the company don’t care to remove. Certainly no accomodating customer service now that it’s delivered, just a ‘don’t care’ No. Really irresponsible policy of recycling. Find another company, there are better out there.

Service cost: £2590

We moved from Los Washington DC to London, and John Mason was wonderful to work with. Pick up was unbelievably fast, professional and on time, and delivery was just as good.
This was our first time working with a long distance movers and we would wholeheartedly recommend John Mason International Movers. The men that came helped organize our move and they were the best!
I will always be using John Mason whenever am moving out from my new destination. They are indeed great to work with.

Service cost: £6500

Please note Belgium and Antwerp were randomly selected above as it wasn't possible to select New Zealand. I would not recommend John Mason U.K. for any kind of move, due to the poor packing and damage to our household items, as well as the uncooperative and rude behaviour of the two J.M. staff who did the packing. It was an unpleasant experience and we had to claim hundreds of pounds in insurance for the damaged items, some of which we can't now replace. We didn't choose John Mason (J.M.) we chose to move with Crown from the U.K. to New Zealand, however the U.K. part of the move was given to J.M. without us being informed. So two representatives from J.M. came to pack our things and we became concerned about the way they were packing, e.g. not using packing or padding material around items such as chairs and just loading heavy books loosely on top of the chairs, and not putting any wrapping or packing around fragile items such as glasses and artwork. We also found an object that we've had for over 20 years broken during the packing and left out of sight in a discarded box next to our rubbish bins outside our house. But probably the worst thing was that the J.M. packers left items we had stored in banana boxes in the move and only wrapped the banana boxes in J.M. paper. We had arranged with Crown to have all items in banana boxes repacked into moving boxes because boxes which have once contained food are not allowed into New Zealand, and we discussed this with the two J.M. packers at the beginning of the packing and again during the packing when we saw that they were just wrapping the banana boxes in J.M. paper. The answer we got from them was "if NZ customs don't see the boxes it doesn't matter". So we asked them again to repack the banana boxes that had been wrapped and they said that they had, but on arrival in NZ there were 9 banana boxes wrapped in J.M. paper. The contact we had with management at J.M. in the U.K. after the packing experience was also very disappointing, including dismissive and patronising comments. In comparison the person we were dealing with at Crown was helpful and made a great effort to organise the insurance claim for us.

Service cost: £2500