EXAMPLES OF AVAILABLE ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Below please find the most common additional services. You may have already applied for one or more of the below services. In that case, the rates mentioned in the proposal or other written arrangements are applicable.
(Short-term) storage
Is the new residence not available yet? Are you planning construction work in your residence? Is the customs paperwork not complete yet? All reasons to store household goods. Read here how we can help you with storage.
Long-term storage
Leaving for some time abroad? And there are goods you do not want to move but want to keep? We can offer you storage at often the same or better rates than so-called ‘self storage’. Everything under one roof, very handy!
Unpacking removal boxes
During the quotation process you will be asked if you require unpacked of boxes at destination*. We can arrange this for you. Should you choose not to have the boxes unpacked but would like to make use of this service at a later stage, we can offer you this at a surcharge.
*Unpacking boxes means the boxes are opened and the content is placed on the nearest flat surface. Placing of goods in cabinets or on shelves is considered an additional service (decoration service) and so different rates are applicable.
Handy-man service
Often items attached to walls and ceilings are taken down at origin and must be hung back at destination!
You can think of mirrors, picture frames, paintings, curtain rods, lamps, shelves, TV’s and wall units (cabinets).
Within the moving industry a handy-man is normally used for of services like drilling, hanging mirrors and (painting (lists) (electric) connecting lamps and the assembly of new and/or complex furniture (that cannot or won’t be assembled by the move crew*). We can offer this service on request at an hourly rate.
*In some countries, due to reasons of liability or lack of knowledge about certain type of furniture (KIT type or IKEA) the movers will not assemble furniture themselves but hire a handy-man or carpenter. Unless stated clearly in the removal offer, this service is not standard included.
Cleaning and filling holes or painting walls
In the ‘old’ residence but also in your new home we can arrange this for you. Leaving your residence in a broom clean state or entering a fresh smelling new home? No problem! Also consider filling screw holes or even painting walls.
Relocation service
Who will help arrange a school for your children, arranging a house, all utilities, a debit card and a language course? We can help!
Deliver empty boxes in advance or picking them up afterwards
It is understandable that you may wish to pack some private possessions in boxes yourself. We can provide pre-delivery of some empty boxes at limited cost. Of course you are also welcome to pick some up at our warehouse in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands. If you do pack some boxes yourself, please leave the top of the box open, so that our movers can check the packing quality and do a safety check before closing them. This way we do not have to mention the boxes on the inventory as packed by owner, thereby reducing the risk of a customs inspection. Also, this way, should the contents of a box get damaged, and you’ve undertaken transport insurance through AGS KHZ, this can be claimed.
Crates / wooden frames
Sometimes just carton and bubble wrap is not sufficient enough protection. A sharp object may, for example stab through the packaging and puncture your flat screen TV. Also (fragile/expensive) paintings and framed photos are simply better protected by a wooden frame or a crate. In proportion the costs are relatively low, certainly when you consider that a new TV easily costs EUR 500.00 or more. Did you know that when strongly recommend crating and you kindly decline this service, the insurer will take this into account when settling any claim?
Transportation of animals
In cooperation with several specialist partners, we can help you move your pets.
Ask your Move Manager about the possibilities! You can choose to make arrangements with our partners or you can leave it all in our hands to organize.
Disposal of items
Do you have superfluous furniture? But you do not have time to bring it to the dump? Or you wish to donate furniture to a recycling organization. Let us know and we will arrange it for you!
Air freight
Do you need your personal computer, your costumes/dresses or perhaps some small baby furniture at destination ASAP? You may want to consider an air cargo shipment by AGS KHZ. It is a small effort to quote you for example, 1 cbm or 2 cbm goods moved by air.
Some other additional services, available at surcharge
Take down and hanging of lamps
Remove / mounting of items with nails, screws or glue
Disconnect / connect electrical equipment
Removal of carpets or other flooring / upholstery of any kind
UNEXPECTED/ COSTS UNKNOWN PRIOR TO QUOTATION
There are 3 types of port related (storage) costs that may occur. Unusually at the start of the move process it is not possible to determine whether these costs will occur or not. Nor is it possible to give an exact amount of costs, should they occur, simply because it depends on how many days these port charges appear to be required. For some countries these costs will 100% occur (E.g. Nigeria and China) and an estimated can be given already in the quotation stage. Your Move Manager will advise you!
Demurrage
Within the sea freight contract that has been negotiated for your move, the shipping company has agreed to a certain number of days (exact number of days depending on the country of destination) within which the container must be reasonably collected from the port. If this can not be complied with, the shipping company will calculate an amount for demurrage per day, which will be charged to you, where not within the power of the moving company and where not caused by the removal company. When the shipment arrives in the country of destination, it usually has to be cleared through Customs. It is not possible in advance to determine an exact time period for this. The duration of the customs clearance is entirely dependent on customs (depending how busy they are versus capacity) and when you can provide the necessary documentation.
Of course we will always do everything possible to deliver the goods as soon as possible (and preferably within the free period that the shipping company offers) and we take your preferences into account. However, the final delivery date can only be confirmed after the goods have been cleared through customs. We can reserve a delivery date for you on request. If this reservation can not be achieved because customs clearance takes longer than estimated, then the delivery date must be changed last minute, which can mean that the goods, depending on the available capacity, cannot be delivered within the free period the shipping line offers. If a date is not yet reserved, it can also occur that the goods can not be delivered within the free period. These delays are out of the power of the moving company.
Detention (port related costs)
After a container is taken from the port to make delivery or to load a shipment, it should be delivered back in the port within a reasonable number of days. If this can not be met, then the shipping line charges detention. Unless clearly caused by the removal company, these costs will be invoiced back to the owner or principal.
Port storage (port related costs) / bonded warehouse fees
In certain countries (e.g. Brazil, Nigeria and South Korea) during the customs clearance process, temporary storage cannot be avoided (often due to a longer clearance time). The goods or container will then be placed in a storage warehouse in the port. The final costs for this port storage depend on the duration of customs clearance. Unless clearly caused by the removal company, these costs will be invoiced back to the owner or principal. Please note that in some countries the goods are not allowed to be taken out of the container prior to clearance so both demurrage and port storage will apply.
We see it as our task to avoid storage at all time or keep costs a low as possible.
Please ask your Move Manager whether above port costs might apply to your move.
Unforeseen destination airport charges
In the airport of destination there are certain unforeseen costs that can occur. Unfortunately upfront it is not possible to determine or instruct in which airport forwarder’s warehouse the goods will/ should arrive. This sometimes means that a shipment needs to be handed over to the destination move partner, which can result in airport handling costs and hand-over costs (actual costs vary per forwarder and available warehouse space). Besides this, an arrival in the weekend or after working hours can result in airport storage costs. Either way we will of course do all we can to avoid these costs or keep them as low as possible.
Import duties (duties) and taxes imposed by Customs
Import duties are indirect taxes levied on (often newly purchased) goods imported into a country. Import duties may be seen as a form of protectionism: protecting the domestic market against competitive imports from other countries. Import duties are always charged back to the client or principal. In some countries (E.g. China, Vietnam and Turkey) these costs are mandatory over part or the entire shipment, even when importing just used household goods.
Ask your Move Manager whether above costs apply to your move.
Unforeseen customs examination and/or container scanning
Goods transported from an EU (European Union) nation to another EU nation are almost always free of customs examination, but when you move from one EU nation to a non-EU nation or visa versa, after arrival of the goods in the country of destination, goods need to clear through customs. Customs (randomly) decide to inspect the goods during customs clearance or not.
Different types of customs inspections
- Container (X-ray) scan (defined as VACIS Exam in the USA); Here, the container is driven though an X-ray device in order to detect ‘abnormal’ contents.
- Physical inspection; this requires physical access to the container/goods. Part (and sometimes all) of the items will literally be offloaded, opened, checked and re-loaded.
Since the decision by customs to check a shipment is random and thus unforeseen, these costs can not be included in the standard price move. These costs are always charged back to the client.
The costs for customs inspections vary per country and type of control and duration. As an indication, you can consider/budget an amount of EUR 100.00 to 500.00.
In addition, there is also a chance that customs will check the outgoing shipment in the port of departure. Although the frequency is low, the costs can reach up to EUR 1000.00 for a full inspection, hence this explicit mentioning.
Gas measurement / degassing import shipments
Container fumigation is used in the shipping industry to prevent cargo infected by insects or other pests. The type of cargo that is being fumigated varies: from tobacco and other commercial cargo to household goods. The gases used are, by definition, toxic. Therefore, fumigation may pose a threat to the health and safety of people and pose a risk to the environment.
In Europe, millions of shipping containers arrive. 17 to 33 percent of these containers contain a high concentration of hazardous fumes.
AGS KHZ never fumigates containers!
We have made clear agreements with our moving partners worldwide about this issue. It was agreed that under no circumstances a container with contents of our customers will be fumigated. This requirement is 100% met by our relocation partners. Unfortunately, it occasionally happens that local port authorities in the country of origin decide to fumigate containers.
In the port of Rotterdam port workers have become ill after opening containers, which ‘on paper’ seemed to contain no fumes. For this reason AGS KHZ has decided to protect our movers and customers and frequently inspect and measure incoming containers for (toxic) gas. These costs will be billed back to the client or principal.
For these inspections we have purchased equipment and had our staff professionally trained. When customs selects the container/goods for a physical inspection, a fumigation inspection report is required (mandatory). This report cannot be ‘older’ than 2 hours prior to the inspection, it is sometimes impossible for AGS KHZ to do the gas inspection. In this case a third party will handle the gas inspection.
A gas inspection in the port of Rotterdam costs about EUR 125.00. If the gas inspection and customs inspection is transferred to the delivery address, the costs (depending on the distance from Rotterdam) could run up to EUR 500,00 (for example Groningen, Enschede, Maastricht).
Material shortage
Especially during the high season (the months May to September) it can occur unexpectedly that in certain countries (e.g. the USA) the shipping company or local transporter does not have enough containers or container chassis available. Unfortunately, this information sometimes comes at the last moment and this may mean that, a local transporter finds out when he is in the port, that there are insufficient containers available that day or that there is no container chassis available, on which the container can be transported. In order to allow the move to proceed, the household goods (provided there is a moving truck available) are usually loaded into a truck and the contents are temporarily placed in the mover’s warehouse. These additional actions and the additional transport result in additional costs for the client.
Loading and unloading circumstances, not known a time of quotation
When during the proposal process the loading / delivery address is unknown or if the remote (digital) not to assess or address conforms to a standard delivery “additional costs can arise. Unforeseen circumstances are, for example but not limited to:
- Moving above 2nd (ground floor = 1st floor)
- Stair carry of items (for apartments)
- Parking at >20 meters away from the house (walking a gallery is added up to the walking distance)
- Parking permit / reservation (mandatory in some cities)
- Rent and usage of an external elevator
- Shuttle service (when a moving truck/container is not allowed to or can’t come to your address, then the contents are loaded into a smaller van, and transferred from truck/container to residence
- Special provisions for moving heavy objects (such as a safe or piano or other heavy items that require additional manpower)
Weekend work/transport
Transport or moving on Saturday or Sunday could cause a surcharge. This due to the supplement movers receive for working on weekends. When calculating a European trip our objective is to avoid weekend work/transport (not in the least because of weekend driving bans in some countries). Under certain circumstances it is however possible to drive in the weekend in order to make a delivery for instance on a Monday.
Ask your Move Manager about the possibilities and conditions.