| A to Z Guide - Our Process |
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Personal service is a key feature of Strand's service. Strand Freight Systems is dedicated to providing personal service from your first phone contact with us to the successful completion of your move. By choosing to move with Strand, you will have our expert as your guide throughout the process from A to Z. Here's how it works: (Click on a step for more information.) As soon as you've made your decision about what to ship, we can inform you of it's shipping costs. In general, we advise you to have a survey conducted over the phone and/or in your residence about three months prior to your move. A Strand Director will personally come to survey your home and to make sure you understand all costs and logistics involved from start to finish. After a s survey is done, you will receive a written price quote, which summarizes all costs involved. This is the time that you have to make sure you understand it all, especially if you do some comparison-shopping. Different shippers will present things in a different manner and not necessarily the complete picture. If you neglect to address items which are not completely clear, you might find yourself surprised later. Strand's quotes are presented to you in a straightforward manner to avoid any confusion at any step of the way. Once you've signed your Agreement and have sent a deposit, we open a file for you and proceed with steps 1-12 below. Strand will provide you with all the packing supplies needed for your self-packing. Strand recommends that you pack your personal belongings and all other items in your household that are not fragile and that require your decision whether to be packed or not. Packing supplies provided include boxes of different sizes, tape, tape dispenser, a marker, packing lists and a set of guiding instructions. With constant rising costs and following the economic meltdown since 2007, Strand is happy to offer you the option to acquire your own packing materials in exchange for further discount on the shipping costs.  Fragile Packing On the day of the pick-up, Strand's professional and experienced crew will take care of packing all your fragile items (e.g.: dishes, glassware, lamps, pictures, etc.). Furthermore, we will wrap your furniture and other items that you could not handle yourself prior to the moving day. Strand's crew is instructed to go the extra mile in assuring that your goods are packed properly to withstand the harsh voyage. If you have any concern regarding how a certain item is handled, we urge you to raise it on the spot. A Strand's Director is always a phone call away. With constant rising costs and following the economic meltdown since 2007, Strand is happy to offer you the option of further saving by sharing with us the burden of packing. Pack all your goods, including the fragile items, on your own to cut down further the costs of your move. Following the completion of the packing and wrapping of your goods, Strand crew members will carry the goods outside your residence and load them into an exclusive container or Strand truck as per the logistics discussed and agreed upon earlier. The manner in which the goods are positioned can be crucial With constant rising costs and following the economic meltdown since 2007, Strand is happy to offer you the option of further saving by sharing with us the moving load. Carry your own goods outside your residence to the foot of the truck, where Strand's crew will take over the loading process to cut down further the costs of your move. Strand provides each customer with a period of free storage time to accumulate new purchases at our warehouse. At the time of entry, the goods will be inspected, recorded in manual and digital format, and a notice emailed to you according at that time. It is your responsibility to monitor the arrival of your goods prior to the departure of your shipment. Consolidating goods with all other purchases at our warehouse.  Ocean shipping costs are mostly based on volume shipped. Although it may vary according to destination, if you have less than 850 cubic feet, it may be more economical to pack your goods into lify vans, which are later consolidated into steel containers with other freight. The industry's common notion of charging for empty or fluffed space is unacceptable by Strand's standards. With a state-of-the-art crating facility, Strand works hard to tailored-make its crates to fit the size of your shipped goods. Strand's tight, careful and puzzle-like manner of packing Lift Vans often leave our clientle at awe. The method of shipping via ocean is in steel containers. Household goods are normally packed into 20', 40' or 40' high cube containers, which can hold 1050, 2100, or 2500 cubic feet (accordingly). Although it may vary according to destination, if you have more than 850 cubic feet and less than 1050, your goods will be packed in a 20' container. If you have more than the 20' container's capacity, your overflow is packed in lift vans. Once you have more than 1650 cubic feet your goods are packed in an exclusive 40' container. You should note that the container belongs to the vessel company and as such is subjected to storage fees if not returned empty to the vessel company within few days upon arrival at destination (number of days allowed varies per destination).  Vessel companies do not normally accept bookings of private individuals. Strand, which sends hundreds of containers yearly, has a service contract with the vessel company. Strand will book your container, pick up the empty container from the port and will return it loaded with your goods. Containers must be delivered to the vessel company 4 to 5 days prior to the vessel's scheduled departure. Export declaration is a process that, following the 9/11 events, goes under constant update, and government scrutiny. Strand's office is responsible for all the needed filing and record keeping. Export documentation must be transmitted to the US Government 5 to 6 days prior to the scheduled departure of the vessel. Payment of the ocean voyage must be remitted prior to the release of the documents and container at the destination country. It is part of the reason why you as a customer are asked to remit 60% of your payment prior to the departure of the vessel. As noted above, a container is leased on your behalf from the vessel company for the duration of the voyage. If your goods were packed in lift vans, they will be unloaded at the port of destination and be stored at the port's bonded warehouse. If your goods were packed in an exclusive container, it is labor intensive and unsafe to unload the goods at the port as they were packed loose. Therefore, time is of-the-essence and the container must be returned to the vessel company in a timely manner. In Israel. shipments of personal effects and household goods enjoy 30 day free storage if packed in lift vans and only 2 days if packed in an exclusive container. Upon arrival overseas, a member of Strand's network of highly qualified and vetted destination service providers will guide you through the process of seeing your goods through customs and delivering them to you. For Israel-bound customers, we had set up our own hub, 15 years ago, to assure prompt and reliable service there. Following the release of your goods, our representative will coordinate the delivery of your goods to your home. You will need to inform our representative of the access and parking conditions at the point of delivery. Upon delivery, our crew will put the items as per your indication, unwrap the furniture, which were wrapped at the point of origin, and leave you to open your boxes on your own. For 30 years now, we have provided solid service to and from Israel. In 1996, we opened a second hub in Israel to respond to the growing needs of such a center. Since the set up of our Israeli hub, we are able to better control the promptness and quality of the service we offer in the country. |
