Buyer Beware: Choose Your Moving Company Carefully

By Heather Rose

CBC reported on February 3rd that the moving company with the eye-catching name, Two Small Men with Big Hearts is one of the most complained-about movers across Canada.

With Better Business Bureau ratings of “F” for several locations, 150 lawsuits filed in British Columbia alone as well as pending government charges in Ontario, the company is accused of making misleading statements, renegotiating prices while holding customer’s possessions hostage and exceeding original estimates by more than 10 per cent, which is illegal under Ontario law.

Ontario’s Ministry of Consumer Services offers several tips for protecting ones self when choosing a moving company, including:

• The phrase “you get what you pay for” holds true in situations like shopping around for moving companies, and cheaper discount movers, while many are reputable, may not be the best choice based on cost alone.
• Research the company thoroughly, and ask around if any neighbours or friends have used the company before to gauge what their experiences were. The Better Business Bureau and the Ministry of Consumer Services both have online databases and the latter has a “Consumer Beware List”, which will provide a list of the company’s charges, violations, fines, convictions, names of persons charged as well as dates for all of the above.
• Be aware of Ontario’s laws and regulations with regards to estimates. If the total price exceeds 10 per cent more than the original quote, or the company is obviously dragging through their work while you’re paying by the hour, you’ve got a legitimate complaint on your hands.
• Always get the final contract in writing beforehand. You should never be forced to sign a new contract while your belongings are still in the possession of the company, and the threat of belongings not being delivered or being put into storage until you pay up should never be used against you.

Heather Rose is a Toronto based Journalist, who is a regular contributor to the Muddy York Real Estate Blog.  Heather website is located at heatherroseportfolio.squarespace.com.