About Harradines

History

Martin is at the helm of Harradines today but it was his father, Bernard, who started the company some 40 years ago - with his wife Audrey behind him and beside him in the office. It was a modest start to the business, conceived one evening in the Yorkshire Grey Public House in Bermondsey Street. Bernard's father, a greengrocer in Gypsy Hill, gave him £200 to buy a van (in return for doing the early morning market run) and soon Bernard was delivering twine, furniture for local storage depositories and doing removals for Whitbread landlords.

The business grew and evolved into domestic and office removals and before long Bernard had nine people on the books and another four vehicles. Meanwhile son Martin was making his own start in the family firm. He served his time as a porter; passed his driving test a week after his 17th birthday and was awarded the CPC Operator's licence at 18. He learned surveying and paperwork on the job and got his HGV licence a week after his 21st birthday. What Martin also learned from his father was a tremendous work ethic, respect for his staff and, the mantra of Harradines today – 'it's all about the client'. Nothing was too much trouble for Bernard and the same stands for Martin and his teams today.

Having run the business for some time, Martin officially took over in 2004. Since then Harradines has gone from strength to strength and is now regarded as one of south London's leading home and office removals companies. Audrey is proud of Martin's achievements and is sure Bernard would be delighted to see the direction Martin has taken Harradines in.

People

Harradines has been moving people (in south London, south east London and beyond) for 40 years. We know that the key to a successful move is not boxes or bubble wrap, but people. That's why our highly trained and hand picked staff are at the heart of our business and why we invest so heavily in them.

Most of our 30 plus staff have been with Harradines for eight years or more. What we value in them is their experience, attitude, reliability, punctuality, professionalism and flexibility. Harradines' staff are also respectful of clients' homes and belongings and sensitive to the emotions and stresses of moving.

Martin Harradine is at the helm – he joined the family business over 20 years ago. In 2004, having run the business for some time, Martin bought the company from his father. He is supported in the office by three key members of the client liaison team – Rob, George and Christine. They will be your main point of contact for all administrative matters throughout the job. Rob and George lead the surveying and quotations teams. They will be the ones to tailor build your move, price your job and help you solve any particularly tricky issues. Harradines has a small army of highly experienced removal staff and porters who will ensure that everything goes according to plan on the day.

Vehicles

We have a large fleet of purpose built removals vehicles ranging from 3.5 ton Luton Transits to 7.5 and 18 ton pantechnicons. All our vehicles are less than five years old and exceed the Low Emission Zone requirements, making them more efficient than petrol LPG vehicles. All our vehicles are regularly inspected, cleaned and maintained.

Insurance

Every load we move is insured - up to the value of £50,000 for domestic moves and £100,000 for office relocations. This amount can be, and regularly is, raised by request, for a small charge. Cover is for any loss, damage or negligence on our part. We have an excellent claims history and pride ourselves on dealing with any problem/issue as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Guild and Ombudsman Scheme membership

Harradines is a highly respected and proud member of the National Guild of Removers and Storers, the Road Haulage Association and the government-run Removals Industry Ombudsman Scheme.

The NGRS trade association regulates and inspects its members to ensure that they meet the highest standards and to ensure peace of mind for their clients. We far exceed the criteria required and since becoming a member we have consistently received the Guild's coveted Gold and Excellence Awards for the services we provide.

The Ombudsman scheme is available to clients free of charge to help resolve disputes in an unbiased and independent manner. Harradines is a full member of the scheme which means agreeing to abide by its code of practice and meeting its strict quality control criteria.

For further information about what it means to be a Guild member, visit www.ngrs.co.uk