Throughout nearly 20 years of operations, Easy Choice Removals has certainly run the road transport gauntlet.
Its co-founder and Managing Director, Rhys Pursell, has personally steered the business through a variety of challenges which have struck during both its infancy and older age.
The first of these came in 2008, just two years after Easy Choice Removals’ establishment, when Rhys’ business partner called it quits.
“I worked alongside my brother-in-law for two years,” Rhys explains. “We founded the business together, and he handled the bookings and finances while I was in charge of physical labour. But then he and my sister split up.
“At that point, we basically had no money in the bank, and my brother-in-law decided that he didn’t want to run the company with me anymore. And he really left me in the deep end with it.”
Left with no other choice, Rhys pushed through, determined to make something out of the company with a mix of resourcefulness, perseverance, and help.
“In those early days, figuring out how to run the business was a very hard process,” Rhys admits.
“Learning how to manage it all was tough, but I just learned as I went and made it work.”
He also came to realise that he needed more staff for help. So over time, he accrued a team, and several trucks.
As he got his operations back on track, Rhys aggressively expanded Easy Choice Removals into Sydney, which proved to be a large and loyal market for the company.
While Rhys’ mission to broaden his company’s horizons has been faced with more challenges – a truck accident, lawsuit and resulting name change – the operation proved resilient, and ultimately, even more successful.
“We’ve been through a lot and have taken some big hits,” Rhys says.
“The last couple of years have been a struggle, but we’ve worked hard and fought back from that, and things are going really well. Now, everything is growing, really.”
Today, Easy Choice Removals is enjoying momentum as a 16-staff interstate operation, moving items like spas, pool tables, household belongings and white goods to Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
The operation is underpinned by a fierce commitment to customer service which, according to Rhys, directly impacts every other facet of the business.
“To us, customer service is imperative,” he says. “And it particularly comes in the form of treating our staff well. We treat them well, and in turn, they treat our customers well. This makes customers happy with our service, so we’re recommended more, and can help people more as a result.
“That’s our primary value, because after that is assured, everything else falls into place,” says Rhys.
“If you don’t have the right staff, you won’t have a business.”
Part of treating staff right is providing them with the right equipment to do their jobs. This is where Isuzu comes in.
Following a series of disappointments with another truck brand — which made up his entire fleet at the start of this year — Rhys approached Isuzu for higher quality and reliability.
Or, rather, he returned.
“I actually bought an Isuzu FRR model in 2015 to shake up my fleet at that time,” he says.
“It was the first Isuzu I had ever bought and the whole purchasing process of the truck was so great. We then got the truck, and it was perfect, but was then involved in a highway incident,” Rhys recalls.
“After that, I just went to the old brand I had been using for my other trucks, as it was what I knew better. But I then started having a lot of maintenance and performance issues with that brand. This year, I bought my second Isuzu, another FRR model, to finally change things up again.”
This new Isuzu FRR 110-240 Automatic, supplied by Patterson Cheney Trucks Isuzu, meets Rhys’ transport needs perfectly.
Equipped with a 5.2-litre turbo diesel engine, a six-speed transmission and an extra-long wheelbase, the new unit provides a whole new level of power and fuel efficiency to Rhys’ business.
“Power and payload capacity are such important factors for us considering the heavy furniture that we move, as well as other products,” Rhys says.
“The tare weight for this unit is 5,780kg when fitted with the body, which is a great number for us. When driving it, you can tell that it doesn’t struggle with the weight it’s carting at all.
“The truck exhibits great fuel economy too, which is also important for the business, since we’re deploying it across our interstate network.”
In addition to these advantages, the Isuzu FRR 110-240 Automatic also provides a certain operational flexibility to its drivers, which has greatly contributed to their comfort on the road as part of Easy Choice Removals.
“Our drivers are trained and accredited by the Australian Furniture Removal Association (AFRO), so they know what they’re doing and they know if a truck doesn’t drive right,” Rhys says.
“They’re really happy with the truck, which is a true testament to its engineering. The drivers, particularly, are big fans of the automatic transmission, which can be changed back to a sequential setting if needed. That flexibility is big for them, as it gives them more control over the truck itself, and makes them feel more secure on the road.”
Furthermore, Easy Choice Removals’ new Isuzu FRR 110-240 Automatic is covered by a six-year, 300,000-kilometre warranty, as well as six years of Isuzu’s Roadside Assistance care — both services which Rhys was missing when buying from another truck brand.
“I had a lot of dramas with the warranties of the last truck brand I used,” he says.
“The Isuzu warranties, on the other hand, are very encompassing, and have a strong reputation in the market. It’s like night and day.”
Following his immense satisfaction with his new Isuzu truck, Rhys is wasting no time in setting a new standard of quality amongst the rest of his fleet.
“We’re going to start upgrading the rest of our fleet to Isuzus over the next few years,” he says.
“We’ll begin with our oldest truck, then continue down the line, and should have seven Isuzus within the next five years.
“Making the switch to Isuzu has just been so easy and reliable. I think that, when appplied with the service we provide at Easy Choice Removals, it is making our customers a whole lot happier.”
