Planning on moving this Spring? Stay away from these guys!
When we moved from Vancouver to Duncan we thought it was important to support a local business. After a bit of research we chose Minute Men Moving and Storage Ltd (2-2913 Allenby Road, Duncan, BC). Our final estimate was done over the phone. We were asked a handful of questions, then they put together an estimate. No one came to see our condo, and there were no follow up questions.
The estimate was for $2,981.07. The final bill came in at $6186.32, and some of our belongings were left in Vancouver. Read the whole story below:
Our printed estimate clearly stated that a five ton truck would be used. We were also told that the truck would come with slots to protect our artwork, and wardrobe containers (so we would not need to pack any clothing we had on hangers). What arrived was a twenty foot container with nothing but straps and moving blankets, with one driver and one Vancouver local hired to help with the move. We had to do an unexpected last minute scramble to pack all of our shirts, suits, dresses etc.
Both the driver of the truck and the mover hired locally said the container was not a five ton container, but a 20 ft (three ton) container. The driver stated that the dispatchers of Minute Men Moving had done this to clients before.
After five hours, the three of us (I helped load the truck all day) could not fit all of our possessions on the container. The driver told us that this had happened with Minute Men in the past, and that the company had sent a truck to collect the remaining items at their own cost. We elected to leave our patio plants and furniture behind, as the condo had to be cleaned for the new owners within a couple of days.
The next day when the container arrived at our new home we were presented with a bill for more than twice the estimate (From $2981.07 to $6186.32). We could not have our possessions unloaded until payment had cleared. The driver of the truck and the two workers once again were clear that this was not a five ton container. We were told that the excessive price increase was due to the weight of the container. Once again, I pitched in and helped unload the container.
When we brought the size of the truck up with the office, Minute Men Moving dispatcher, Bobby Tremblay, replied that five ton trucks come in many configurations, and that as far as his company was concerned a five ton truck was sent. (My thought regarding this statement is that a five ton moving truck can come in many shapes and sizes, but the container that was sent was clearly smaller than a standard five ton moving truck. It was a 20 foot container, and a standard 5 ton truck is 35 feet long.) No compensation was offered for the lack of wardrobe containers or protection for our art. As for our belongings on the patio, we were told no trucks would be in the area, and that we would have to deal with the logistics and costs of moving these items from Vancouver to Duncan ourselves.
We tried to resolve these issues with Minute Men Moving and Storage several times over several days, but the company refuses to take responsibility for not using the truck and wardrobe boxes promised in the estimate, and accuses us of not providing enough information when the estimate was being done over the phone. To quote Bobby the dispatcher, "Why didn't you tell us you had patio furniture and bicycles?" To which we replied "Why didn't you ask?" The company is a professional moving and storage operation, we have moved once in 20 years. Who would be more qualified to determine what questions should be asked when an estimate is done by phone?
As far as Minute Men Moving and Storage is concerned, 100% of the fault is ours. In fact they claim that they feel they have provided service 'above and beyond the call'.
To be clear, we do not blame the movers that did the loading and unloading in any way, they were all outstanding. They were polite, professional and the Vancouver team did nothing short of miraculous with how much they fit onto the 20 ft container for us. The office staff at Minute Men were also polite with the exception of the dispatcher, but no one would take any ownership of their mistakes, and nothing has been offered as compensation.
Moving homes is stressful enough without being treated so poorly. After our experience with Minute Men Moving and Storage, we question how they could have ever received an A++ rating on the Better Business Bureau. We would also like to help people avoid having a horrible experience like we did. read more
