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BAR Consumer Affairs

In dispute with a Remover?

The Association provides advice and support should you experience a problem that you have been unable to resolve with your BAR remover. In the first instance, you may call upon our free conciliation service which in most cases achieves a mutually acceptable settlement. All our members based in the UK comply with the BAR Code of Practice and our assessment of any problem will reflect the Code's principles.

Conciliation Service

For immediate urgent advice call our Consumer Affairs department on 01923 699 486 For any other problem email write or fax to us a summary of the problem, including copies of your quotation documents and any relevant correspondence between you and the remover. We will then endeavour to resolve the matter to the reasonable satisfaction of you and your remover. In the event that the problem remains unresolved after BAR's intervention, our independent arbitration scheme may be the way to resolve it formally.

Independent Arbitration scheme

The BAR arbitration scheme is administered entirely independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is generally available when a dispute cannot be resolved informally through conciliation. Arbitration results in a legally binding Award determined by a qualified arbitrator and avoids the need for either party to resort to the county court service. Full details will be provided to you by BAR if conciliation is unsuccessful.

International Associates

It should be noted that BAR members based outside the UK have a lower level of membership and may also be trading under local contract terms. Therefore such companies may not be bound by BAR’s full conciliation and arbitration service.

Removal Brokers

There is an increasing trend for independent firms, often web-based, acting as removal consultants or facilitators, to offer removal services to the public whereby subcontractors are used to carry out the actual removal service.

Whilst many of these subcontractors are reputable removal companies belonging to regulatory bodies such as ours, you should be aware that the contract you will enter into is likely to be a contract between you and the removal broker, not the subcontracted removal company. In these circumstances, even where the remover is a member of BAR, there may be limited redress available through our conciliation service should any difficulties arise.

It is recommended that you make direct contact with one of our members if you wish to ensure that you benefit from the full range of services available from BAR. For this purpose you are invited to locate a current member through the Find a BAR Member option.