I'd avoid "Yellow Moving and Storage" like the plague. Admittedly, I wasn't the smartest consumer ever, but they certainly took advantage of me:

http://trinja.cryptek.org/robin/archives/001371.php

-RW

Our experience with Yellow was ok, then went sour

We had moved in July '05 using them. Previously we had moved all of our small stuff and were using them only for the big stuff. The movers were dismayed that we'd only be contracting them for the three hour minimum.

Nothing got broken, but a few things did get nicks and scratched. Everyone should be aware that their insurance is $0.60 per lb, so if they break your 2,000 TV that weighs 200 lbs, their liable for $120.

Then last week, approximately 9 months after we moved, and paid for the move (we have a receipt indicating paid in full) they charged $600 to my wife's credit card. We filed a fraud report with the credit card company and Peel Police.

In response to the complaint of July ’05 that we only moving big stuff and had a problem with the insurance, and had extra charges taken 9 months later, I am writing to explain what occurred and make it clear what happened:

1) Our movers will move anything you have regardless of how long it takes.
2) The insurance policy you are talking about is called default per pound insurance and is available at no charge to the customer. But as our invoice states there is extra insurance available at a cost of $20.00 per thousand which is called replacement value protection.
3) As for the charges that were taken 9 months after your move was caused by POS, our merchant services. This occurred to a couple of our customers and those who we were able to contact were returned the money and given extra compensation for the hassle that was caused. If this wasn’t the case for you I apologize it was because we weren’t able to contact you but would like to make your experience with us a good one.

-Complaints Administrator for Yellow Moving and Storage

in respond to your comment

we didn't find any thing about your compliant with our compliant manger. just a note yellow moving and storage do over 600 moves a month we take pride that we deal with every compliant with in 72 hours. please contact me diractly at siloml@aol.com Al Sammin

I had used Adam Van Line to move our 2 bedroom apartment in to a house. They were on top of things and gave me and my belongings the appropriate attention. The employees of Adam Van Line were great. They were honest, hard working, affordable and time efficient. ya, i really would recommend adam van line for moving. i think they do delivery too. i hope i helped you with your question

Weird that i'm following up after J....worked together for a couple years.
I've got a recommendation. Tender Touch. A few friends have moved with them before. Good if you don't want anything broken and they put down sheets & runners to protect everything. Possibly not the speediest, but they do a good work.
Blaine http://www.blainekendall.com

After a few moves where we chose the movers based on price (and were never left feeling excited about the great choice we made), this January we went with Tippet-Richardson ("The Careful Movers") and were very happy with the results. From the moment you first call them, they take care of you. Very thorough and professional about ever step of the process from the estimate to the follow-up.

The first time my husband and I moved we also chose based on price. However, our moving company ended up holding our stuff hostage for more money. It was horrible! We even had to get the cops involved. Anyway, this time around we ended going with a more expensive mover. I found them on some site called www.movingcompanies.tv they seemed to be pretty good. At least they did not hold our stuff hostage! That’s always a good thing. Overall moving companies are a pain to deal with!

Sarah

The first time my husband and I moved we also chose based on price. However, our moving company ended up holding our stuff hostage for more money. It was horrible! We even had to get the cops involved. Anyway, this time around we ended going with a more expensive mover. I found them on some site called www.movingcompanies.tv they seemed to be pretty good. At least they did not hold our stuff hostage! That’s always a good thing. Overall moving companies are a pain to deal with!

Sarah

One thing to be wary of is movers that charge by the square footage. Apparently there's a scam going around where they will quote one price, then when everything is on the truck, charge something much, much higher. With a weight-based quote, they have to supply proof that your goods are X weight, making it harder to swindle you.

That's true in the US, but Canadian laws differ.

I did a bunch of research online, called a dozen firms, looked up companies in the BBB, etc. and ended up selecting Toronto Movers (416) 652-6613. It's a small operation but I was pleased with the move. They gave me a quote based on two movers ($65/hr + 1 hr min travel time). On the morning of the move, they were actually *early* and there were three guys! In the end, it ended up being cheaper this way as they were able to finish faster. EF <a href="http://gnuf.blogsite.org/"></a>

After a few VERY bad moves I decided it was worth the higher price to pay for a national company. They generally have a name and a reputation to protect and so are less of a blind leap of faith, or so says I.
I'd highly recommend any local agent for Allied; I've done two long hard moves with them and both times the men were courteous, efficient, and good-humored throughout (guys who can sing satirical moving songs in the 6th hour of a three-household move get my vote every time). Bonus points: during my last move there was an accident and a new monitor got damaged; though I had only the default per-pound insurance, Alliance decided to recompense me for the full value of the monitor even though they were legally only bound to pay seven cents per pound... they just thought it was the right thing to do. A big thumbs-up for Allied!

Oh, and Tippet-Richardson, named earlier on, are Allied agents as well - at least in Montreal.

If your company regularly uses a moving company for relocating employees find out who it is and use them. They will do a good job and be careful not to jeopardize the corporate business.

Tom Trucker - Excellent service, great prices, highly recommended. You can find them in the phone book.

Yeah, beware the east European thug types. I don't recall their names but I chose a Toronto mover on price -- they were obviously former Soviet Union emigres -- and they were a disaster. Insisted on me signing a blank credit card chit before the move. I told them to fuck off, at which point they threatened to nuke my credit rating. Eventually I gave them a minimum cash deposit and they grudingly did the move, but they were cunts and in future I'll be using a chain like Tippet Richardson. Nobody moves often enough that it's worth the hassle of trying to get a cut price deal. On the other hand I've had terrific deals from the 'two men with big hearts' kinds of guys, but it's always chancy when you go for the budget option. As soon as you smell gangster, depart.

Check out http://www.movingscam.com/ They have a ton of good information on how NOT to get scammed when moving

Jack

I suggest everyone to use Vanpac International Relocation (esp. when moving to Singapore). They are an international company so they should have an office in your area.

Thanks :)
Wendy Ang
Optimind Web Marketing

Someone's already noted it, but Yellow Movers and Storage is evil. They wrecked some of my furniture and overcharged by about $300. When I asked the head guy about this, he threatened to bill me for more and screw up my credit rating if I didn't pay. It's hard to believe these criminals are allowed to do business in Canada.

Yellow Movers and Storage suck. They show up 3 hours late and over charge me as well.

As for the overcharges as I stated in another reply to a similar complaint, for local moves we charge per hour plus 1 hour travel time. For long distance, we charge per pound. Now depending on how many hours it took to load and unload or how many pounds your items came to determines the cost of your move. It is our company policy that we give our customers a one hour gap which the movers will come. Our policy is also if our movers are past that gap of time for every hour that we are late we give back a half hour. If the person who wrote this did not receive this please contact us so we can talk.

-Complaints Administrator for Yellow Self Storage

i was about to go with them. Thank god i found this site. I'm canceling my deal with them, before i get in a terrible situation.

In reply to the overcharge and wrecked furniture, for local moves we charge per hour plus 1 hour travel time. For long distance, we charge per pound. Now depending on how many hours it took to load and unload or how many pounds your items came to would determine how much you pay. If during a move we damage furniture we have a company that we send to repair those damages. If you have any other complaints please feel free to call our office and ask for the complaints administrator and she’d be more than happy to help you.

-Complaints Administrator of Yellow Moving and Storage

In reply to the overcharge and wrecked furniture, for local moves we charge per hour plus 1 hour travel time. For long distance, we charge per pound. Now depending on how many hours it took to load and unload or how many pounds your items came to would determine how much you pay. If during a move we damage furniture we have a company that we send to repair those damages. If you have any other complaints please feel free to call our office and ask for the complaints administrator and she’d be more than happy to help you.

-Complaints Administrator for Yellow Self Storage

I tried using Moveit.ca to compare prices on pre-screened moving companies.
I received 5 estimates. They actually have quite a few that are mentioned on replies to this question..like Tender Touch, Allied, Toronto Movers. They represent all the major Vanlines like Atlas, North American, United etc... They are hooked up with Canada Post to move your mail and Bell to move your phone..Made finding a mover very easy. Because they provide so much business to the Moving companies, they have a lot of control and can easily assist you if there is a problem...and because they know they are competing, the rates I got from the web site were much better than calling the companies directly....Several of my frinds I told about the site used the service and thought it was a great web site

Avoid D. Armstrong Moving and Storage - particularly if you are doing cross border moves. This company provided us with incomplete critical customs forms which resulted in our goods being turned back at the border. They did not take any accountability for their error - they continued to change the cost of our move - and the costs are still escalating

no

El Cheapo Movers is a local Toronto company on Moveit.ca's pre-screened list. They have no bureau complaints, and they give discounts to seniors, students, and non-profits.

I have used El Cheapo 3 or 4 times and they are consistently professional, reliable, and the best priced around.

110% from my end.

I second the Yellow Movers rant. They are the worst crooks ever. They sat on my porch, on my chairs, refusing to unload the rest of our furniture until we paid them double the estimate, because "we didn't know you had stairs". When we refused they loaded the chairs they were sitting on back on to the truck and took off. After calling the police, filing reports and ongoing disputes, we finally received our things 2 days later. They still didn't move it upstairs but left it on the front porch. I am considering litigation, if anyone would consider going in with us on a civil suit, please contact me.

As it says on our moving invoice which is in the moving conditions: important section it is bolded and states: “I agree that after the truck is loaded I pay a deposit that approximately covers the hours of loading and unloading plus one hour traveling time… the carrier will not relinquish possession of shipment until all charges are paid in cash, money order, or certified cheque.” We require that our customers sign this section as well as two others before we begin a move. The company policy which is common among all moving companies is that the customer pays a deposit at the end of loading up and if there’s any difference at the end of the move the remainder is paid.

-Complaints Administrator for Yellow Self Storage

Anyone that believes that this is standard practice among movers is naive. I have never had to sign such a form.

We are taking Yellow Movers to court this month for overcharging, damaging our belongings and for threatening to sell everything unless we coughed up the extra money. If you would like to be a witness for us, we would do the same for you.

Used El Cheapo once last year and was impressed -- the move was pretty flawless and the price could not be beaten. Second time around this year was ridiculously shoddy. I booked a month in advance, confirmed the booking the day before, but on the day of the move, nobody showed up. I waited around for a good three hours and made several calls to their office which went unreturned. Finally their office phoned a half-hour before the very end of my booked time and announced that much to their regret, they were not going to make it that day. That pretty much destroyed any chance at getting future business from me.

I don't mind cancellations, but please -- when you have a month's prior notice, don't let it ride until the last half hour. Ridiculous.

Avoid movers with Eastern European/ Russian accents. Not wanting to be prejudice, in my reasearch i have heard nothing but problems with thes etype of movers.
Names to avoid Magnum Moving who I believe closed up shop and and changed there name to Empire moving.
Unfortunately these types of movers are basically out to rip you off. Like everything in life...YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
It's not worth the extra few dollars , that usually is just a bait and switch for these guys any way. Your lifess possesions are worth more than dealling with these types.

Stay away from ABC Movers. They took a massive chip out of a $$$ cabinet. The movers appeared to be out on a day pass and when they weren't slamming our furniture around, they were squabbling amongst themselves. I booked weeks in advance and they had no record of my booking the day of the move. Scary.

Don't use Empire moving...they charged me triple the price and wouldn't give me my stuff until I filled out a blank visa slip and then charged triple. They are russina or something and scary to deal with!

Does anyone know if $200 is enough for me to move from a North York bachelor apartment to a Downtown single & small room? I got this flyer : bestwaytomove.com - 416-999-6683. Is this company good? any exprience and thought would be greatly appreciated.

IMove is another company that you should avoide. They lie and were late as well. Told me no minimum charge, at the end I got charge with 4 hours minimum charge, actual move job was less then 3 hours. Trying to get some explanation, no one return call or even pickup the call. They also left some garbage and didn't want to clean it up.

hey guys, just came across this post about movers in Toronto and noticed our company name mentioned. Could you please send us more info about the move completed for you in December to feedback@imovecanada.com We've encountered some legal issues with another mover operating under imove solutions and had them forfeit the name as iMove(imove canada) trademark belongs to iMove World Group. That company has switched its name to Century Moving since and has also caused some confusion with BBB. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Imove Canada and Imove Solutions are one and the same company owned by Auburn & Crown Moving. Please check the Better Business Bureau for multiple complaints against this company.

March 23rd, 2006
"iMove Canada", your Burlington movers are running a scam by making one arrangement then increasing the price exponentially. Two movers just intimidated my friend into doing this as she was scared for her 6 year old son and her own safety!! iMove will not get away with this.

The Better Business Bureau has a listing for iMove Solutions, with an unsatisfactory record; they have the same phone number as on the "iMove Canada" website - and you're NOT the same company???

Atlas Moving(www.atlasmoving.ca) moved my household goods into my storage unit in July. They did not unload until they charged me more than the estimate by double, and charged me in full for unloading when it only took 45 minutes to unload into the storage unit. In September, I tried to find some things and discovered that the furniture and boxes had been put into storage in such a way that there was damage to my furniture, broken dishes, and I couldn't find what I was looking for. They refuse to acknowledge the damage, have refused to pay for any damages done to my items. Avoid this company, they also Eastern Europeans/Russians.

i'm surprised that these guys haven't been shut down by atlas van lines, as their dba name is so similar...bad service doesn't help promotion of the name either...just a thought

Looking for a good mover at a good price call the cheaper mover 4162472300 I have overlooked your concerns and assure you we don’t qualify for the bad books.
We are insured and almost solely survive of referrals.
I don’t like to point fingers but the bad movers are making a bad name for all of us.
Cheaper mover bad list
1.yellow movers RE: don’t listen to there crap they are scammers and there storage has mice. We pull stuff out of their storage for customers who have been cheated.
2.Honest boys movers. RE: now out of business. Thank god. (not so honest)
3. Two small men with big harts. RE:I do not down the whole organization but I have herd substantial complaints about pricing, changing of price, and unwilling workers. I am going in order of complaints herd but you got to consider they are the largest local movers in Canada. I have also herd good things. I guess it depends on the guys you get.
4. VJ movers. RE: famous price changers.
5. Reliable mover- in Scarborough . RE: stay away from these losers. I’ll keep it simple, JUST NOT RELIABLE in any way.
CHEAPER MOVER GOOD BOOKS
1. EL CHEAPO. RE: they my be our direct competition in service and price, but what can I say, they have a good rep. their service may be a bit better then ours but we have larger trucks.
2. Tippet and Richardson RE: you want it done right and price is no option call them.
3. HUDSON MOVERS RE: I’ve personally seen seen these guys in action and was very impressed. They are on the upscale of price but you must pay for professionalism.
4. again I must tip my hat to el cheapo. You guys bring excellence to use movers.

Administration THE CHEAPER MOVER

Everybody be careful, Yellow movers has had so much bad publicity they changed their name to CanAmerican, same bunch of scoundrils.

In the past two years I have done two moves and the first one I used Yellow Movers and they were actually really good. This past one I did I used CanAmerican and they were even better. Unlike what is above about them being the same scoundrels it wasn't the same ones i dealt with from Yellow Movers. Both companies were great.

I also used Canamerican for my move. They were really great! I have also had difficult moves before and as a single mother I find it hard to take on such a big job. They were really helpful. I booked them for 10:00am and they showed up at 9:30 but they only charged me from 10:00, they didn't even charge me the extra 1/2 hour. I was under a lot of emotional stress it was nice to move with a company that makes things easier.

I suspect the previous post is by Yellow movers themselves. Don't be fooled by the change of name! Yellow movers and Can-American van lines are MOST CERTAINLY the same group of people. I suspect they made the name change to escape bad publicity... But they'll soon get more under the new name.

I agree. The above posts have to be from Canamerican!

I used Canamerican to move some stuff into storage to sell my home. They didn't wear foot protection and tramped dirt on my brand new carpet. They took less than 2 hours to load my stuff up but charged me 5 hours for the move (the girl at the storage said they showed up 1.5 hrs after they left me home which is 5 minutes away!). Once they had all my stuff in the truck they pointed out the 'tip' area and told me they wanted me to write a reference for them (which is blackmail!). They made me sign to say everything had arrived in storage undamaged before they had even left my house. What was I supposed to do say 'no put it all back'.

The worst was that when I arrived to sign for the storage unit they had bumped me up 2 sizes because 'the fridge wouldn't fit through the door'. This is a load of crap because it went out my front door and my front door isn't THAT big!

I also put a $100 deposit on the move and then couldn't provide the card to take an imprint on moving day (I had lost it and was awaiting a replacement). They said I would have to pay in full on another card and then get a refund of the $100. I have called about ever other day since. I have been told the refund will be 'processed immediately'. This was over a month ago.

I was also told I would get 30 days free storage but I have a feeling I will not see that either. As a result I have cancelled the rest of the move with them and am in the process of rebooking with someone else.

I estimate the entire thing cost me about $400 more than was agreed on and I could have hired a much better company for that money.

Don't believe a word when they say 'oh we'll fix it just contact us'. They will tell you they will fix it (every single time you call) but they won't do a thing!

Exactly! My friend was scared for the safety of herself and her 6 year old son by large russian men who spoke almost no English. They told her to "PAY OR ELSE"! It is disgusting and this sort of behavior will not be tolerated in Burlington.

I strongly advise not using "Adrian The Mover". I hired them to load a rental truck. They were nearly two hours late, creating serious problems for me; they scratched and damaged several pieces of good furniture; a new coil of rope provided to secure the load was taken but I discovered later it was not used and nowhere to be found; and they insisted on being paid in cash, which I was not told of ahead of time nor was I prepared to do so (that created further delays for me). All in all, my opinion is that they are unreliable, dishonest and totally uncaring.

I had Atlas move me at the end of November. I had used moveit.ca and got a bunch of quotes from different companies prior to making the decision. After talking to Linda at Atlas, she told me that the cost would be $59 per hour (with a travel time of 1 hour added on top) plus a 5% fuel surcharge for 2 movers and a truck. Since my budget for this move was just $250 and the move wasn't that huge I figured that this could work. I specifically mentioned to her that both my old and new places were on the 2nd floor and I asked her if there were any additional charges and she said no.

On moving day the movers arrived on time and refused to work until I signed a blank credit card receipt and sign a contract. Since at that point I didn't really have any other moving options I did it. The movers worked at reasonable pace, didn't break anything and didn't overcharge me for the 3.5 hours it took them to finish. 4.5 hours total times $59 plus a 5% fuel surcharge and tax should be about $315 then, right? Well, my bill was $500. There was a $80 stairs charge, $15 materials (all they used was some shrink wrap for couches) charge and a $39 DDF charge on my bill. I asked the driver what DDF was and all he said was "it's a tax, like GST". I told them that these extra charges were unfair and they told me to call the office if I wanted to dispute it.

When calling the office I had to deal with this guy named Alex. This guy was brutal. The first time I called him I explained my situation but he had to leave and insisted he'd call me back and we'd resolve it. He never called. So I called him back (it took more than a couple trys to get him to answer) and argued with him for about an hour. I told him how I'd specifically asked about additional charges and was told there were none. I told him there was no mention of the additional charges in the email quote or on their website. He would hear none of it. It was very frustrating. In the end, he said that I agreed to all of those charges by signing the contract that morning. He also said that he'd send me an electronic contract and call me and we'd discuss the situation later. He never did and I just cut my losses. But I'll never use them again and I highly recommend against anyone else using them either.

Wish I had seen this blog before I moved... Phase 1 of my move I used Adrian the Mover and it was a disaster. Two inexperienced movers, the truck broke down after it was loaded, and I ended up paying too much just to get rid of them. Phase 2 I used Canamerican Van Lines. I did check with BBB and there was only one old complaint (so was ok with odds). They actually arrived early with 3 big guys (as promised) and were really great to shrink wrap all my antique furniture, pack with care, etc. The only problem was they make you pay as they are unloading and they "estimate" the time on the second half based on the first half -- and I didn't know better to say that "unloading is ALWAYS faster" so I probably paid for at least 1 hour too much. However, everthing was moved unbroken, the guys were really nice, and overall it was a lot better than the day before. So, if you agree that paying a little more is better, it wasn't such a bad move. However, for the final Phase 3 I'm going to see if El Cheapo can help me out -- then I'll see if you can get good service at a fair price!

I recently had a HORRIBLE experience with CanAmerican.
Actually the experience is still going on. We hired them to move my grandparents furniture from Ottawa to Toronto. We hired them to pack up about 10 boxes with of items, put everything in the truck and move it same day to Toronto. We also went into detail with them outlining what time the truck would arrive in Toronto and they were to call me when they left Ottawa to let me know what time to meet them at the storage locker I had rented to accept the items. They showed up over an hour late in Ottawa and with no packer. They called in a packer and it took him an hour and a half to get there. They then loaded up our good and left. I called in for a time estimate and was told 2-3 weeks. How did a one day move turn into 2-3 weeks? They were rude and unhelpful and claimed that they tell all of their customers it will take 2-3 weeks (no, we booked a one day move thank you. When we asked to speak to a manager, they would not give us last names or phone numbers and refused to help us. We finally spoke to a manager who was also rude and unhelpful and promised to look into where our stuff was and call us back. He never called back. Not only and I worried about my items (which are ireeplacable), but both my father and I took off an afternoon of work to accept the delivery at the storage locker. Plus, I am now paying a fortune for an empty storage locker. NEVER HIRE CANAMERICAN VAN LINES!!!

I am also having a very similar experience with CanAmerican. I was moving from Toronto to Washington DC. They came to pick up on time, which was a contract mover(Multicites). When I initially called them to sign the contract, they were supposed to provide me with 6 boxes and the customs form - but the movers had none of them. After two weeks, I called them to see what the status of my good was, and she told me she will call the dispatch and call me back. But she never did. I called in total of 5 times in a row in one day, but she never called me back saying the same thing that the dispatch hasn't gotten back. Finally, after three weeks since the moving(and after many calls from me) she told me that it will arrive some time next week with a time frame of 3 days. It has been almost 4 weeks since they took my goods now, but no sign of arrival. I have to say CanAmerican Vanline has poor customer service, poor communication, and is unreliable.

Avoid "Desi Movers" as well. They cost me about $200 more than what I was originally quoted because of all the extras that got added to the bill. Then, to top it off one of the movers accidentally picked up my jacket on his way out. After stringing me along all day saying they would return it as soon as they finished their next job, they eventually refused to bring it back... they forced me to borrow a car and drive all the way out to scarborough to get it.

I agree with you 100%. They tried ripping me off during my move. I ended up calling the police on them, since they refused to open the truck and return my stuff back to me unless we pay them approx $300 more than what they originally had quoted us.
The worst moving experience of my life.

Avoid avoid avoid Desi movers - they showed up 2 hours late, and handed me a contract to sign that would have charged 5 hours min, plus 1 hour for "driving" (10 blocks), and $80 for stairs. The employee I had spoken to on the phone to book the move said it was 2 hours min, no extras. I called their boss, who repeated 5 hours min etc. I told them to go away, and they haggled, finally agreeing to 3 hours min, plus truck fees and other add-ons. One guy was hung over, the other overweight and useless. They dawdled through the loading, "estimated" the second half, and the unloading sped up when dumped my stuff in the front room. I did most of the work, while they complained. The most stressful move ever, and I ended up paying about twice what I was quoted.

Avoid:
iMove Canada. While they say they rebranded, they sat outside the self storage waiting for me, with the clock running. Took 4 hours with 3 guys to move my possessions from my condo into storage (and I was helping at the self storage unit). Beware of that time


Use:
Tom Trucker: The team showed up 5 hours late (but that's because the move before actually required two loads, and they were going Markham-Vaughan). 2 people then moved me from condo-to-condo in 2.5 hours, breaking a serious, SERIOUS sweat.

El Cheapo: Honest, affordable and good people.

I think its clear whose good...

I have used El Cheapo many times when I was single and thought they were grand...they show up, get on with it, don't break things...I do remember hearing that they once went out of business and then made a comeback, and that the prior incarnation may have been less reliable than the current one. I don't know how they are for big moves, but for 1 bedroom moves I would not hesitate to use them again.

Take this tip -- avoid, at all cost, a company called 'Best Price Movers'. They were absolutely heinous. The showed up for my move 6.5 hours late. They kept me on a string, jerking me around all day. Their customer service was horrible. They promised to have a 'manager' call me to discuss what happened but they never did. I called them again and got more runaround.

Honestly, the moving business seems to be an ungoverned 'Wild West' of really disparate companies, some legit, some less so. It seems like many of them get away with murder, holding your possessions as temporary ransom.

If you look on the web you will find complaints about 'Best Price Mvers'. (They are also known as the 'Russion-guy-in-your-voicemail spammers)

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

I called El Cheapo Movers upon a recommendation from a friend -- NEVER again. They not only showed up late, but the driver STANK of alcohol. They managed to damage three pieces of brand new furniture, (they dragged my dining room table face down along a concrete sidewalk). I submitted my claim a month ago and to this day they have not responded! They keep promising that the owner will call me, but that's just a "false" promise. Don't use this mover!

El Cheapo are the best in town. Sounds like the lady above may have been confused with another company or maybe just happened to be the ONE where it's gone wrong. I used them last week they were marvelous. The british guy in the office was very easy to talk to and made the whole thing very clear from start to finish. On time,swift,competitive,and made the move as seemless as possible. ***** 5 STARS

You respond to the message above your's. What concludes that the message was written by a woman? I suspect that you probably work for the company and are only trying to save face for them. If I am the ONLY case in which the move did go wrong, you'd think that they would take the opportunity to make the wrong a right! I'm sure once Silverman Helps obtains my documentation, they will agree that El Cheapo is the worst mover in town!

I thought I would take a second to tell you about my experience with a Toronto moving company called Meadow Movers.

I contracted them to do a move from Toronto to Sarnia, Three weeks in advance of my moving day.

The day before our moving day they contacted us to ask us if we could move our moving day to the next day or later because their "Help" was injured in an accident..(they only have two guys working for the company?) I said I could not move the date be I have made all the plans and cable, telephone, installation and booked the time off work and so on. they said ok and that everything is fine and they will be there on time, Ready to work. Well, the next day they were not there at the agreed upon time in fact I had to call the office 30 minutes after and ask when or if they were going to show up...

These two guys get lost and then call me for directions??

They showed up 1 hour late and in a "Rental Van" can you believe that a "Rental Van".

Anyway,

These two guys look to be about 55-60 years of age and they don't have any wardrobes or moving blankets as agreed upon before hand and all they have to assit in the move of my 1 Bedroom apartment is a 2ft by 2ft "Portable Hand Dolly"

Now first understand I had 50 2ft by 2ft cardboard boxes and a entertainment center that was able to fit a 32" Television and a 6 component stereo system complete with 3 Stereo sized Speakers on top of the unit.

A Queen size bed and 5 6 shelf bookcases and a full size computer and computer desk.

All of which I told them in the first phone when we booked the move and they asked for a 400.00 dollar deposit on credit card, which I gave them.(I have since learned that this is not an industry wide policy).

It took these gentlemen 45 minutes to load 1 wardrobe and 1 queen box spring and mattress on to the trunk. and at that point I realized that this was going to talk a alot longer the the "estimate" of 9 hours and at $80 an hour I wasn't going to get fleeced for any more.

I called the office and canceled the move and then fun started, The driver had neglected to get me to sign the contract on arrival and I was aware of this, (not I would have it signed it away) I was told that I had to pay another $200 as a "cancellation fee" (remember they already had $400.00 of my money. They said that I had to pay cash because I could cancel the CC payment with Visa and they wouldn't get their money.(I was told by Visa because they showed up I couldn't cancel!)

I said I wasn't going to pay any more and they should refund the 200.00 difference to my Visa.

They said no I had to pay in cash..

I followed the guys out to the truck (because I knew what was going to happen) and put myself on the truck so they couldn't drive away (the driver already had the lock in his hand when realized I was on the truck) then I said I want you to take my belongings back to the apartment.

The driver called the office on his cell phone and then handed the phone to me and they told me to get of the truck and they would "talk" about this.

It went back and forth for about 20 minutes and then I had enough( I was cold without my coat) I told them if they didn't take my belongings back to the apartment I was calling the police.

The called the office again and this guy on the phone said that I couldn't call the police because they wouldn't do anything because it was not a police matter.

I waited 5 more minutes of back and forth, then I called the police and about 15 minutes later two officers showed up and I explained the situation and the officer told the driver in noway was the company allowed to hold my stuff if I canceled the move without a written con tract and they were to return my things to my apartment right away. If he had to come out again the they would be arrested for theft.

The police left and they stalled again and the drivers helper was getting angry he said to the driver "You better not get me arrested" and about 15 minutes later I called the police again and just as the police arrived the guys the the stuff back into my apartment and they drove off and a couple hours later I called and asked the office for a return to my Visa of 200.00 and they returned the money and my business was done with that company was done.

In the end we called D. Armstrong Moving & Storage Ltd. http://www.armmove.com and paid $135.00 an hour and everything went perfectly they did twice the work in the same time as the other guys.

I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND D. Armstrong Moving & Storage TO ANYONE WHO ASKED!..

Thanks for this blog....

Anyone know anything about "Gentle Touch" or "Philip Movers"?

That's funny - I had a terrible experience with D. Armstrong and would warn others -- DO NOT USE D. ARMSTRONG MOVING !!! In short, their sales persons lied to us, gave us a really low estimate (our final shipment was 50% higher than expected), and then overcharged us for what was shipped. We were charged $4775, when we should have gone with reputable competitors for $1000-$1500 less than that. They were very nice until they picked up our goods, after which the sales persons would be rude to us -- swearing and yelling over the phone. What a nightmare it was! Sounds like you were very lucky in your experience with them.

Here's the full story:
In February 2007, my wife and I scheduled a move from Toronto to Calgary with D. Armstrong Movers. We scheduled our move at the last minute, and thus were only dealing over the phone with Armstrong’s sales people. I had described all of our items to be moved in detail and was given an estimate of 2000 lbs and $3100 for ALL packing to be done by Armstrong. Although we had asked for the estimate in writing by email, it was never sent to us.

When we received our bill, it was for a move of 3200 lbs and $5006. Not only was the estimated weight very far off, but we were also charged a “small shipment” (less than 2500 lbs) fee of $350 and we were charged at the same rate for 3200 lbs as for 2000 lbs, contrary to the sales person’s description of a “sliding scale” and our higher weight shipped. As well, we expected to save some money as we had packed most of our items ourselves. After a lot of arguing, the movers reduced the small shipment fee by $230.

The movers refused to release our items to us unless we paid them the amount in full. Not believing the movers’ weighing, I watched them re-weigh our items and they ended up being 220 lbs less than the original weighing – we are still waiting for this amount to be refunded.

Competitive estimates that we have since received (from reputable companies), based on what we actually shipped, are about $1000 to $1500 less than what we paid. Thus, not only were we induced by the low estimate, but we were also overcharged significantly on our final bill. We tried several times to come to an agreement with the movers, but they have taken a hard-line stance of not caring about us, the customer – they have their money earned through lying and deceit, and that is all they seem to care about. In addition, D. Armstrong’s sales people were very rude to me and my wife, often yelling over the phone and swearing at us.

I hope that others will hear our story and avoid using D Armstrong Movers for their moving needs, as it truly was a nightmare of an experience for us.

Anyone use Emerald Movers? Moving lcally and of course finding a good mover is always a huge pain. Tippet Richardson was so rude on the phone and had a $75 fuel charge for 1okm. Emerald forwarded me a website with what looks like a bunch of fake reviews talking them up.

Did you end up using emerald?

The Emerald Moving & Storage Inc. reviews on homestars.ca are completely legitimate and submitted by customers who have used our services. It would be difficult to get 1 fake review by homestars.ca Never mind 20+ and rising. Once we complete a move we send our customers an email asking them to review our services on homestars. Many of them do! We get a high get a high rating because the service we provide is exceptional.

www.emeraldmovers.ca

http://www.homestars.ca/Emerald_Moving_and_Storage-C4132-listing_reviews.aspx

Tom Trucker in Toronto VG, also G&S Moving and Storage in Toronto excellent, family firm, used them twice.

XPress Movers Toronto (http://www.xpress-movers.com)

If you are considering using XPress Movers of Toronto, I offer this description of my move with them for your consideration.

About six months ago I had had a bad experience with a moving company that was pretty cheap, being 6 hours late.

Now that I was moving apartments I decided that I was going to do my research on companies before using them.

I have heard a lot of good word of mouth about Tom Trucker, and had used them in the past, so they were my first choice. I booked with them for the 1st.

My landlord surprised me saying I needed to move on the 31st. I found this out about 2 weeks prior to the move.

Tom Trucker was booked up for that date, so I had to scramble to find another mover.

I called and spoke with a few, but I ended up deciding to go with XPress Movers, mainly because I liked what the website had to say about their service and philosophy. The founder of the company, Linda Mizrahi, relays on the website her own past frustration with the service of cheap moving companies, and states: “It’s when the whole company works as a team that it all comes together. At the end of the day, everyone has to be proud of what they’re doing. I think ultimately that’s the strength of our company.” Seemed reputable to me.

They claimed to be a word-of-mouth based business, priced a tier above the cheap (and questionable) moving companies. They promised an in-home inspection prior to the move. To top it all off, they promise a gift valued at $200 for anyone who moves with them. The positioning on the website seemed legit so I decided to give them a try.

When I spoke with them, I was told they cost $75/hr which I was fine with, as that’s what Tom Trucker costs and they provide a legitimate, fast service. I asked specifically if there were any extra or hidden charges that I should know about, as I wanted no surprises. I was reassured that they have a completely above-board approach and that the only requirement/stipulation that I needed to know about was the 4/hr minimum charge. This sounded ok with me.

I mentioned to them that I was moving a small 1 bedroom + den about a 5-minute drive away. A very small, local move. I guessed it would take maybe 3 to 3.5 hours total.

I asked them to be there at 10:45 as I had the elevator booked for 11 am in my building.

They called the day before, which reassured me, and said they would be there at 10:30. I was ok with this as I figured we could get things moving a bit earlier.

They were on time at 10:30. We did have a 15 minute delay involving where to park the truck in relation to the building.

I had 3 people including myself, plus the 2 movers. I had bought a dolly, and had packed everything into easily moveable and stackable plastic bins.

My brother and I had already worked up a sweat moving 15 large bins down to the lobby before before the movers had lifted a finger. At that point, my apartment was almost half empty.

When the 2 movers came up to my apartment and saw what little there was to move they were visibly happy. Then it became apparent that they were planning to move me an hour away. I told them they had incorrect info and that we were going just a few minutes down the street. I guess this meant they had quite a bit more time then they thought before their next appointment.

I was then presented with a liability contract. It stated a rate of $85/hr, not the $75/hr that I had been verbally quoted. With little choice, and knowing that it was a tiny local move that would take around 3 hours, I decided to look past it and keep going.

I had a gung-ho attitude as I wanted to move things along as quickly as possible. Over the course of the next hour, my 2 friends and I slogged our guts out moving everything else into the hall, then down the elevator, then to the truck.

The 2 movers spent 80% of their time on the truck together, packing and arranging, while we slogged out guts out doing the actual moving, using their dollies, and mine.

As the move went on we were all looking at each other wondering how it was that I was spending all this money, and we were doing all the heavy work. As they saw we were willing to bear the brunt of it, they seemed happy to sit back. This concerned me, but I was more concerned that the move would crawl to a snail’s pace if we slowed down, so we kept going.

They did wrap my couch and some two special pieces of furniture in cellophane, and moved those items.

I was informed by the main mover that normally because of insurance, they don’t let clients on the actual truck, but that since we seemed like nice people, he would allow it. I thought it was funny that he was trying to convince me that he was doing us a favour by letting us do more of their work for them.

Once we finally had everything on the truck it had taken almost 2 hours. It would have been less if they expended half the energy we were expending. But, I figured that unloading would take less time and that my estimate of about 3.5 hours was about right.

At this point, the Xpress mover informed me that he could not proceed without a ‘deposit’ of $300 cash only. I informed him that no one had told me about the cash deposit requirement, and that he had all my earthy possessions on his truck as collateral. He said it was company policy. That was news to me. I needed to keep the move going, so I gave him $300 cash with no receipt.

Off we went.

About 10 minutes later we arrived at my new apartment.

We started working. I noticed that both movers were a little ‘slow’ in their efforts. My friends and I immediately started sweating again, stacking and moving heavy items. I would describe their pace as languid. The slower they were, the harder we worked as we didn’t want the move to drag on.

We had been there for about 40 minutes working up a huge sweat while they moped around, letting us bear the brunt of it. (At one point we were on the truck, my two friends and I, picking up heavy bins while the second mover looked around and then bent down and picked up 2 table legs. My 100lb girlfriend was picking up a heavy box while he did this).

We were exhausted.

The main mover approached me in the house. He said it was time to settle up the move before it was over. He told me I owed an additional $285 bring it to a grand total of $585 for a tiny local move for which we did most of the work.

I felt the colour drain out of my face.

He still had my couch and some other pieces of furniture on the truck.

He took me out to the truck and got a calculator. He was charging me from 9am, and not the 11:45am, that I requested, or the 10:30am that I got. He said it took them an hour and a half to get to me from where they were and that I had to pay for it. This came as a complete shock.

If I did not pay, they would not continue. This felt like blackmail. I felt sick and just wanted my move to be over. I was not happy about it but went off to find a bank machine. I felt sick as I drove around looking for one. I was in shock that I was being forced to pay almost $600 for a small local move, in which myself and my friends had done most of the work.

10 minutes later, on my way back. My cellphone rang. It was my brother, who said that while I was gone, as they continued to work, the movers stood on the truck folding blankets.

When I came back and confronted them about this, they were indignant. I asked why, when I was being forced to pay such a ridiculous sum, they would have the audacity to fold blankets in preparation for their next job, while my friends continued working. He said I had to pay for it, and that was it.

As they slid my couch in through the back, a moment occurred that will stay forever burned in my mind as a classic moving fiasco scene --

When the couch was halfway in, they stopped and demanded the extra $285 cash.

Absolutely shameless.

My grand total for a small 1 bedroom, 5-minute local move, now stood at $585, with no receipt.

I gave them the money. They got the couch in. Then they asked if I need anything else. I pointed out that many of my things were still outside the apartment and needed to be inside. Grudgingly they did that.

When they left, the mover told me I was lucky. He said that many movers break and steal things and that I was lucky.

And that was my experience with XPress Movers.

They have since refused to return phone calls.

All you savvy internet researchers, who Google companies to find out about them as I did, now have a first person account of a moving with XPress Movers.

You can make up your own mind about it.

This posting is what they call KARMA. Good old business karma. This is what goes around, coming right back around.

Oh, and in case you were wondering -- there was -- of course -- no $200 gift as they promise on their website.

Beware.

Saw XPress Movers of Toronto on SCAMCLUB.COM. Worth a read:

http://www.scamclub.com/reports/Xpres-Movers-3197.html

I heard the same kind of stuff about them.

I booked a move with El Cheapo movers on recommendation from a friend who used them a few years ago. BIG MISTAKE.

They advised me that they would show up in a two hour window. One hour after they were supposed to show up I got a call from them - they told me they were running late but not to worry, they would get to me.

THEY NEVER DID! I kept calling their number every half hour to get an update. Nobody answered the phone so I simply kept leaving messages.

The hours kept passing by and I didn't receive a call and the movers never showed up. In fact, I never heard from them again. At about 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night I gave up on them.

They really screwed up my move.

To add insult to injury, I phoned the company on Monday to complain. A nice sounding woman answered the phone and assured me that someone would return my call shortly. This never happened, despite several callbacks on my part.

Obviously El Cheapo's business model is to schedule as many moves as possible and only get to a few of the jobs.

I'm looking for a Toronto mover and want to hear something good about someone.

So far front runners are Toronto Movers, Emerald Movers and Tom Trucker. Anyone have some personal expereince with these guys, especially Emerald or Toronto movers?

Please feel free to email me at g_kirwan@rogers.com or post on this page.

Thanks again. -Geoff.

The Emerald Moving & Storage Inc. reviews on homestars.ca are completely legitimate and submitted by customers who have used our services. It would be difficult to get 1 fake review by homestars.ca Never mind 20+ and rising. Once we complete a move we send our customers an email asking them to review our services on homestars. Many of them do! We get a high get a high rating because the service we provide is exceptional.

www.emeraldmovers.ca

http://www.homestars.ca/Emerald_Moving_and_Storage-C4132-listing_reviews.aspx