Here are a few tips to look out for when using a Man and Van service:

1. Don't use them if there are no pictures of the removal vans with signs or logos on them, the chances are that the lovely gleaming vans on their websites have been copied from another company webpage.

2. There are lots of chancers with no experience of removals out there, they are either signing on or moonlighting with company vans.

3. Never make full payment before the move, a deposit is fine, but give the removals company some incentive to turn up and complete the job, once you have paid it will be very difficult to get you money back.

4. Do not use an hourly rate, get a fixed quote, they won't be in any rush and they will put in extra costs.

5. If your not to sure of the man and van you've hired, don't let him travel alone with your belongings, we've heard to many stories of the vans not arriving at the destination, people have lost everything they own.

6. If you have to let the man and van travel alone with your goods, take the registration number, this will help the police.

7. Ladies on their own should take care, you've seen the warnings about getting into unlicensed cabs, this is the same, make sure that you have spoken to them on a land line telephone number, then they can be traced, never use a company with just a mobile phone.

8. Ask about insurance, removal insurance is not quite what it seems, when a man and van says he is fully insured he means his van is insured. We give £10,000 transit insurance, my tip for you is check out your home contents insurance, this usually covers you as long as you use a professional removals company such as ourselves.

9. Make sure you see some references.

10. We get calls from people saying the van they have hired is to small, thinking all man and vans use Luton vans, well they don't, the majority use Transits, which are useless for furniture moves, ask the what type of vans they use.

11. "Don't say you haven't been warned"