Terrible Experience moving 2+ Condo to House
Let talk about ‘Total Care Moving’…on July 2nd we completed a move from a 2 bed/bath condo to a detached home 15 minutes away. We selected this company due to its 4+ star rating, so I urge you to not fall into the same trap as us and am trying to help you by providing this review. I am going to try and summarize the issues we faced:
1. They broke dozens of items and are not responsible for these items because it ‘wasn’t packed by them’ and their ‘insurance won’t cover it’
2. They offer to disassemble furniture to move it – but then ask to borrow OUR tools to disassemble them as they don’t have tools themselves – you also pay by the hour for this service or risk your furniture getting damaged ‘in transit’…
3. While assisting them in loading the truck, I witnessed the driver smoking in the back of the truck filled with all our stuff while we paid them by the hour
4. Mid-move - their truck broke down and wouldn’t start due to ‘known issues’ – extending our move by ~2 hours which we had to escalate to get the time removed from the invoice as the team told their management the wrong time that the truck broke down
5. When they arrive, they will then extract full payment from you BEFORE they even open the truck doors – in a moment where there was a two-hour, company delay – they want payment upfront, extorting you before unloading…of course its in the ‘fine print’…
6. They unloaded in a thunderstorm – and of course had no boot slips to protect our floors and carpets from all the mud and dirt they trudged through every inch of our new home. When I escalated to their management I was told “its unsafe to have boot slips due to the grip”, yes, I am sure that their worn-out RUNNING shoes provided a safe environment for them instead of work boots…#WSIB…
7. I assisted in loading and unloading all of our stuff to try and reduce the move time, however, this still prevented them from completing their job in the quoted timelines by ~2 hours
8. Upon unloading, they offered to ‘assemble’ all of our furniture again, using my tools of course, and charging us for the additional time to assemble the furniture, I politely declined their ‘gracious’ offer
A 4-5 hour quote turned into a 10 hour stress-inducing journey. I am a pragmatic individual so I sent multiple emails to our move coordinator, Jenna, to solicit her assistance in dealing with this negative experience and she indicated that she would ‘escalate to her management’ but they ‘are very busy and may not respond right away’. Unfortunately, we are ALL busy and as customers we are taking time out of our own hectic lives to deal with the negative repercussions of your company’s service. Its been two weeks and I have received no reply, no compensation and no peace of mind for this negative experience.
Do not use this moving company – find a company who actually ‘Cares’…
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,300.00
- Company Response
Dear Alex,
Yes let’s talk about writing a negative review for no reason AFTER not having any issues on the day of your move, and being so understanding but conveniently after your move you bash our company… We will respond to each of your points below, honestly, unlike your statements.
First let us comment on your trap comment. You needed local movers and hired us. No one forced you to do so, it’s your own choice. We picked up, loaded and delivered within the same day despite our truck dying (your weren’t billed for it). We provided the service promised. This review is not deserved but unfortunately we cannot expect to deal with reasonable people all the time.
Not a single piece of your furniture or item as were damaged. Apparently, you say that your dishes were broken but when asked for pictures to proceed with your claim you say that you already threw everything out and didn’t take any… very convenient . I’m sorry are we just supposed to trust that you actually have broken dishes yet you cannot send any proof?! So how do you expect us to open a claim for you, discuss this with management and movers and send it to insurance for review with nothing to provide them? Obviously, this is not the case. You say we broke dozens of times as if your furniture was damaged. It was not. You are referring to dishes, again without actually providing any proof of damages. This should already be enough to show that your review is complete nonsense but let’s keep going. You also mentioned a dirty carpet… again no pictures to show for it. Makes no sense.
1. Already went over this above. We were waiting on pictures that you can’t provide. We never even got as far as discussing the insurance so where you came up with this information, we have no idea. If we broke something we would take responsibility for it WITH THE PROOF (PICTURES) provided and can look into it.
2. This is just beyond ridiculous and does not make sense. Yes, your move is by the hour, as you know and if you need more services like disassembly and reassembly then this takes more time…this is obvious. If you prepare or disassemble your furniture and reassemble yourself then it takes less time. Not sure what point you were trying to make here.
3. You did not help load the truck. The guys take 2-5 minute water breaks and do not smoke in our trucks. Funny how you never mentioned anything of this sort until you wrote a review. You were asked specifically after loading how your crew was doing, your response was that they were doing a great job and were nice… why not bring this up to us then or the many other times you were contacted throughout your move?
4. Yes, our truck battery died. The truck otherwise along with your belongings, was perfectly safe and okay. We kept you in the loop and communicated what was going on the entire time. You were more than understanding at the time. Because your move was by the hour we stopped the time and you did not pay a single penny for the time it took for roadside to come with a new battery/boost. We kept your informed the whole time. We called you and told you before even doing the invoice that you wouldn’t be billed for this…. Why would the movers lie? They call when they finished loading, when the truck wouldn’t start right after and when the truck started. We have time stamps of everything. You are the liar here. We are the ones that told you, you won’t be billed for the 2 hours. We dealt with this BEFORE you even had a chance to bring this up with us. We aren’t after trying to get $75.50 from you, it’s minuscule and ridiculous. You are the liar and we have the invoice to prove it. You also never spoke with management, your agent spoke with you the whole time.
5. Yes, your final balance is due prior to the offloading. This mentioned in your confirmation receipt, via email before your move, invoice and over the phone to you. So you shouldn’t act shocked when you were aware. It’s your responsibility to read the information sent to you, but just in case we also tell you verbally. It’s simple we bill you until what time we think the move will be done. If it takes less time you are refunded immediately if it takes more time we add it on. And we were dead on by the way and finished in the exact time that you were billed for.
6. What was the alternative? Bill you for more time and sit there? Not offload? Wait for the rain to stop? You were already very concerned apparently over how long your move will take. We keep going rain or shine. And clearly price and the length of time you were paying for was a concern to you, we just got it done. Again, you claim that we dirtied your carpets yet you have no pictures of this or proof. They wear comfortable running shoes with grip as they lift, walk and load your furniture. For their safely they stay on. They can’t work in socks or with boot slips as they can slip and get hurt. They don’t work in a warehouse and don’t wear heavy duty work boots… I don’t think we need to explain why, it’s pretty simple to figure out.
7. If you did in fact do this, that’s on you. No one tells you or asks you to help at any point. If you want to save time and help out by all means. If you are trying to save some money then go for it but this is your own choice… Your final invoice is based on the actual time it takes to complete your move not the quote. And for the record you were quoted for 6 hours and your move took 6.5 hours. Are you serious?
8. Yes, if you want them to assemble anything it takes time….And you are being billed by the hour, so if yes, you pay for this. That’s why they ask because it takes a while to put things back together. It’s a simple yes or no and if you don’t then we don’t do it. It’s not an offer it’s a question, we can do it and you pay if it adds time to the move or if you don’t have the money or do not want to pay for the extra half hour or so, you can do it yourself. Still failed to make a bad point here.Again, all you are trying to do is make your move seem bad when it was not. You were billed for 6.5 hours and that is how long your move took. What 10 hours? If we can attach your quote and invoice here we will to PROVE that you are being totally dishonest. Unlike you we have the proof to provide. The only stressful part was dealing with you after the move and this fake bad review. You were told by Jenna that unless you have pictures or proof she has nothing to even send to management for review…. The guys did a great job, provided the links services that you agreed to and wanted and dealt with an unfortunate situation without causing you any headaches. We are more then okay if you do not use us again. Thank you for your dishonest review and taking away from how hard the guys worked. It’s very sad that you went as far as writing a bad review for no reason. It just goes to show that even when dealing with a bad situation honestly and properly, proving great services and ensuring that we get the move done no matter what, people of your nature are just impossible to please. -Total Care Moving