By Ken Y-N ( May 23, 2009 at 23:49)
· Filed under Business, Polls
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Recently, DIMSDRIVE Research took a look at the matter of moving house.
Demographics
Between the 25th of February and the 12th of March 2009 10,789 members of the DIMSDRIVE Monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 50.5% of the sample were female, 0.8% in their teens, 13.3% in their twenties, 33.6% in their thirties, 30.7% in their forties, 15.2% in their fifties, and 6.4% aged sixty or older.
I’ve got a lot of tales about removals in Japan! The last time I was involved in one was when my parents-in-law moved; my wife organised lots of quotes through the internet, but her father accepted the first one he got, as they gave him a free kilo of rice, even though the company has a less than stellar reputation.
On the day of the removals they brought only two, not three staff to do the packing, the pick-up was delayed, so instead of arriving at the new place at 4pm as promised, it was 10pm, so tradesmen we’d asked to come in to fit the air conditioners, etc, had to go home and come back the next day. To cap it all off, there was some sort of get-out clause in the contract so we couldn’t claim any compensation off them.
Research results
Q1: When did you last move house? (Sample size=10,987)
| Within the last year |
9.8% |
| Within three years |
17.5% |
| Within five years |
14.2% |
| Within ten years |
21.2% |
| More than ten years |
29.3% |
| Can’t remember, but have moved |
2.1% |
| Never moved (to end of survey) |
5.9% |
Q2: Why did you move house? (Sample size=10,149, multiple answer)
| Built, bought a house |
34.8% |
| Changed jobs (self or family) |
14.3% |
| Got married |
13.6% |
| House got too small |
7.5% |
| Moved in with parents |
6.4% |
| Started work, moved school |
5.9% |
| Lived alone, became independent |
5.3% |
| Surrounding environment changed |
4.9% |
| Had a child, family size increased |
3.8% |
| To cheer up |
3.2% |
| Moved in with friend, lover |
1.9% |
| Rent increased |
1.8% |
| Problem with neighbours |
1.3% |
| Other |
7.7% |
| Don’t remember |
2.1% |
Q3: Did you use a removals firm when you last moved house? (Sample size=10,149)
| Yes (to Q5) |
60.5% |
| No (to Q4) |
36.4% |
| Don’t remember |
3.1% |
Q4: Why did you not use a removals firm? (Sample size=3,692, multiple answer)
| Could do everything myself, with family |
48.5% |
| Friends, family helped out |
46.8% |
| New place was close by |
37.6% |
| Wasn’t too much stuff |
37.5% |
| Cost was high |
26.7% |
| Didn’t want to get stuff damaged |
1.1% |
| Other |
3.0% |
The questions for those now using a removals firm finished here.
Q5: How did you search for a removals firm? (Sample size=6,139, multiple answer)
| Town Page (Yellow Pages) |
18.0% |
| Removals company web site |
17.4% |
| Removals compay comparison web site |
15.6% |
| Friends’ family recommendation, discussion |
14.3% |
| Company I had used before |
13.0% |
| Television advertisement |
12.7% |
| Leaflet |
11.3% |
| Company-recommended |
4.9% |
| Apartment management company-recommended |
4.9% |
| Newspaper |
2.6% |
| Other internet site |
2.1% |
| Magazine |
1.1% |
| City hall, community centre, etc recommendation |
0.2% |
| Other |
4.0% |
| Don’t know |
5.9% |
Q6: How did you select the removals firm to use? (Sample size=6,139, multiple answer)
| Cheap, had discount |
60.4% |
| Staff response |
34.6% |
| Well-known company |
20.8% |
| Friends’ family recommendation |
10.3% |
| Packing skill, politeness |
9.3% |
| Could come at a specified time |
8.0% |
| Service area |
6.3% |
| Accessories (hanger, box, tape, etc) |
6.2% |
| Richness of plans (self-packing, etc) |
5.5% |
| Packing plan (eco pack, etc) |
3.5% |
| Can deal with piano, other large items |
3.5% |
| Other |
6.9% |
| No particular reason |
13.9% |
Q7: How satisfied were you with the removals firm you used? (Sample size=6,139)
| Rather satisfied |
16.7% |
| A little satisfied |
55.6% |
| Can’t say either way |
17.2% |
| A little dissatisfied (to Q8) |
6.4% |
| Rather dissatisfied (to Q8) |
4.1% |
Q8: Why were you dissatisfied with the removals firm you used? (Sample size=644, multiple answer)
| Furniture was scratched, broken |
47.0% |
| Staff responsiveness was poor |
43.2% |
| Packing was haphazard |
32.0% |
| Service quality, system was poor |
30.7% |
| Didn’t complete the move within the alloted time |
18.8% |
| Difference from contract details (trucks, personnel, etc) |
15.1% |
| Didn’t come at the agreed time |
11.6% |
| Half-hearted placement of furniture |
10.9% |
| Extra fees for insurance, etc |
8.7% |
| Lost furniture |
8.4% |
| Other |
15.2% |
Read more on: dimsdrive research,
removals
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