Finding a good mover takes legwork
April 17, 2008
Jennifer Brown
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Ray Allen can't wait to move into his new Pickering home on May 1, but he is dreading the day at the same time.
With a storage unit full of contents from his two-bedroom bungalow in England and his apartment in Toronto, it's not exactly a do-it-yourself move.
But he has had no other choice than to go the pizza-and-beer route with a rented truck, and a few good friends helping out.
Allen and his wife Claire bought their new home in March. He moved to Toronto in December from Bedford, England to settle down with his Canadian-born wife.
His possessions went into a 10-by-15-foot storage unit near the apartment the couple share in East York. With the closing date drawing near, Allen started thinking about lining up a mover.
When he couldn't get anyone to recommend a mover in Toronto, he went online and found some sites with reviews of movers. "Not many had good reviews," he says.
He emailed and phoned several movers and left messages, but received no replies. So he has now rented a truck for the main move and a small cargo van for a few days to move the storage unit stuff. The cost is $500.
Whether it's across town or across the country, moving is typically one of life's most stressful moments. While the most reliable movers might be your family and friends, it can be a lot less stressful to hire professionals. It might cost you a bit more, but it can save you physical and emotional strain.
"There are three kinds of moves," says John Levi, president of the Canadian Association of Movers, the trade association for movers. "The reputable mover, the pizza-and-beer move – and those first two are perfectly reasonable ways to move.
"The third way is the dumb way, in which you haven't done any checking and you just pick a mover out of the phonebook or a flyer. We have people on the books here that have over 100 consumer complaints. If you look on the Better Business Bureau site (ccbbb.ca) you will see complaint after complaint."
When you get a quote from a mover, Levi says consider that part of the costs cover their business costs. If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Levi advises getting three quotes before choosing a mover. Some will ask for a deposit but not the whole amount.
"They will also ask for payment before they deliver. Once the goods are in the house, there's almost no way to collect," he says.
It's typically best for the mover to pay you a visit, rather than give you a quote over the phone, since most people underestimate the contents of their homes.
Toronto Star