Long-time readers of this blog will remember an article titled At Last, My Blog Lands Me in Hot Water!, in which local moving company Quick Boys attempted to threaten me into removing comments about their service. Those comments were in response to a one-line blog entry in which I asked the readers for recommendations about Toronto moving companies. The ensuing commentary across the blogosphere ended up giving the story a high Google ranking on searches for “Quick Boys”; even today, some of the posts about their thuggery are still on the first page of Google results.
(By the way, Quick Boys, I’m still waiting for my apology.)
What’s interesting is that the original blog entry, Anyone Know any Good Toronto Movers?, is still getting comments from readers relating their (mostly bad) experiences with moving companies. The last comment the article got came in yesterday, and it was about a bad experience with Yellow Moving Company. The resulting article about Quick Boys’ vaguely threatening phone call received comments as late as February of this year, the last comment being about how someone had to call the cops on Quick Boys.
It amazes me how moving companies can stay in business even though so many people have such bad experiences with them. Is it because people don’t use them very often? Is it because of the unfortunate collision of relatively unskilled labour meeting your prized possessions? Is it because it’s an attractive business for unscrupulous people? Or are they perceived as being bad simply because moving is a stressful experience for many people?
Let’s keep the conversation going, fellow Torontonians. Feel free to report any experiences and reviews of Toronto moving companies, good or bad, in the comments.
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FAST MOVERS – 416-876-8389
60 North Hills Terrace,
North York, ON M3C 1M7
DO NOT BOOK THESE MOVERS. POOR BUSINESS PRACTICES.
I called to book them a few months ago and thought i would share my bad experience with the rest of you.
They quoted me 60/hour with 1 hour travelling fee. I had a 1 bedroom condo (not much stuff) figured it would not take very long.
They arrived at the wrong time (4 hours before the scheduled time). They called me and i told them they made a mistake. I had the elevator booked for a specific time with the concierge!!!
What they did next is unimaginable.
They show up late – start loading their truck – get to the final destination and BEFORE anything is removed from their truck they hand me a bill………………
580.00 (They charge me for 4 hours where they arrived too early AND for my moving. The calculations do NOT even make any sense and they REFUSE to take out any of my belongings. I had to beg them to lower the price to 380.
THESE 2 BOZOS were not only rude they ruined some of my items.
If you want someone to rip you off they are the perfect candidates!
When you call them the phone person makes it sound like it will be a dream move…when it fact it’s a NIGHTMARE>
Save your money – Save your time and – save your sanity!!!!!!
Bottom line – you get what you pay for…
I have been in this business (as an owner) for a long time. Some small companies can offer excellent service – some of the time. If they are small they likely have 1-2 good drivers and some good loaders. If you get “the good guys”, you will have an excellent experience. If one of the drivers is on vacation, or they take too many orders and sub-contract out the overflow to “another guy”, or they got paid the day before and are hung over for your move… well you are taking your chances no matter what.
Also, there is a lot you can do to minimize your costs – like PACK EVERYTHING, throw out your crap (unbelievable how much crap people have), and move everything close to the door… simple stuff, but it makes a huge difference.
Ultimately your best assurance is to select a company that is a member of the Canadian Association of Movers; that does not ask for any deposit up front; and that operates a fleet of vehicles with their logo on it.
Realistically speaking you will need to pay at least $120/hr (summer rate) for 3 men to get decent service. This may sound worse than paying $80 for 3 men, but I guarantee you that the $120 crew will be more productive and damage less stuff so that in the end you pay less…
Do you want to buy a Toyota or a Kia?
Up to you….
A.
DO NOT USE SKYLINE MOVERS 647-895-6004- I found them on craigslist, they looked reputable.
They claim no hidden costs I was quoted $80 for the first hr then $45 for two guys and truck /hr. No other costs
They were on an 1 1/2 late, then they hand me a contract to sign and tell me it’s $180/for the fitst hr, I said no, they said ok…I never signed the contract.
Next once we got to the new place im told I now have to pay $20/per mover for stairs?
and GST..
Worst move experience ive ever had.
El Cheapo Movers is the worst moving company in Toronto,
I’ve been using them, and recommending them for a few years. However, the begging of the month I used them and them and they have totally fallen apart. They showed up in a rental truck. One of the guys was actually very personable and seemed to know what he was doing, the other looked like he was on drugs. I watched him let go of my grandmothers’ nightstand while carrying it, totally smashing it. My brand new hardwood floors were gauged beyond belief. And virtually every piece of furniture I had was scratched. At the end of the move, after pointing out the destruction, the ‘good’ mover confided to me that they are no longer the company the once where. The owner has no part in the business. They make it a common practice to screw over all their core reliable movers, and instead hire ANYONE they can get at the end of the month in order to cut costs. Horrible business practice! Now, I would have gone out of my way to rand about them like this if this if it was an one-off event, but in the last few months nearly everyone whom I recommended them to had a similar experience. Very disappointing. And not even close to cheap!
Do not use AIM movers! I asked them if they had any minimum charge and they didn’t tell me that they had a minimum 2 hour. They charged a high price (75$/hr) and added a truck fee (they did tell me about this) but failed to mention that they add on ‘gas’ 10% charge which is a 10% of the entire amount- even though we only traveled about 3km. The movers themselves were nice enough and didn’t break anything, but the company themselves were scammers and added on extra charges without any warning. A total of 6 items to move 3km cost over 250$!
MIRACLE MOVERS ARE THE WORST WORST WORST. Soooo dissapointing, they bailed on us and left us in the dark. They confirmed our move (phone and via email!) for June 28th. On the day of the move, they contantly pushed back our move hour, by hour… We were supposed to have been picked up at 1pm.. at 4:30pm they said that they would be there soon. Then at 5:00pm, we could no longer get in contact with them (office was closed) and they NEVER CALLED AND NEVER SHOWED UP. We had to scramble around at 7pm (when we really realised they werent coming) to find a van, round up buddies to help and try to get out that night. We finally ended up getting everything out at 11pm, and had to pay our new condo extra to keep the elevator open. They still have not responded to my three emails inquiring as to the lack of service on the day… its now a whole week after.
We moved with Albert Moving on June 30th from a 3bdrm townhouse in Milton to a detached house in Milton. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about booking with this company after all the recent moving scams, and also because all of the reviews were so positive! I was very pleasantly surprised by our experience. Albert and team showed up an hour early (which worked out to our advantage) and it took about 7.5 hours to move everything. The crew was great! Very pleasant and careful with our boxes and furniture. Nothing was scratched or broken! They dismantled and wrapped all of our big furniture and didn’t scratch any walls on the way out…or in to our new house. My only criticism is that they have one standard truck size and it wasn’t big enough for everything, so multiple trips were required (which was why it took so long to move everything). For $85 per hour (for three movers and a truck – plus a travel surcharge) it was definitely a great investment (and much cheaper than many other movers I called). HIghly recommend!
(416) 659-7844
After much online searching, we chose Avery Moving for our end of July 2010 move.
It was a close to perfect as possible. The fellows were polite and efficient and I would highly recommend them.
DO NOT USE GOLDEN MOVERS INC. They took over 4 hours to move a 3 bedroom apartment and didn’t bring a big enough truck so made arrangements to do a second run..once 1st load was unloaded THEY TOOK OFF!!! Leaving me with furniture to be moved..DID NOT FINISH JOB and DID NOT GIVE ME BACK MONEY OWED!!!! I was over charged with promise to rectify bill once they returned to do 2nd load and they drove off..stealing my money and not completing a contractual job for moving! – have been calling constantly to try and have this dealt with and they continue to hang up on me and promise to talk to the “manager” n which I have not been contacted!!on my moving day I had a different company (affiliate) contacted me for arranging details … SMS MOVERS …in which the main office person was the one making arrangements for 2nd load.. And all details of my move on my moving day…I will be calling BBB on both companies if I do not hear a response in next 24 hours! And my money returned and an apology for all the aggravation this has cause!!!!!
You have to try out Moving Titan .They have a female that answers named Primrose.Great customer service.We had a wonderful experience when they moved us in June
The worst movers in Toronto is North York Moving and Storage company. Here is my experience with that company.
The agreement was hourly base to move our items from our old house to our storage. They made a very slow job to get more hourly money. Even people at storage place told them and us that they are the slowest movers they have ever seen. basically they abused the agreement and us. I am very much dissapointed with them and do not advise anybody to go with them. They abuse their clients.
ENERGY CREW WARNING!!!ENERGY CREW SUCKS!! THEY ‘LOST’ MY BRAND NEW (in the box)$150.00 BREVILLE TOASTER…THEY WERE LATE, DISRESPECTFUL, BROKE MY DESK AND ONLY GAVE ME $20 BUCKS TO FIX IT MYSELF…I HAD TO WAIT 2 HOURS FOR THE GUY TO COME ABOUT THE DESK AND THEY HAVE NEVER RETURNED MY REPEATED CALLS ABOUT THE TOASTER…THEY ALSO DID NOT ATTACH MY CONTENT LIST TO THE WORK ORDER, MAKING THEM LEGALLY NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING…ENERGY CREW WILL RIP YOU OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Family and I moved from North York to Brampton just in September and we were looking for movers online! Im telling you, its was pretty scary especially with all the bad reviews, Yikes! Anyway to make a really long story short, I received this flyer in the mail from this moving company in Toronto called RoadRunners Moving and Storage, and let me tell you, I was amazed! They erre so professional, which was shocking because I kinda of have an idea of what movers are like and I have heard some moving “horror stories”. Well, they were quick and surprisingly friendly. I had a Huge grand piano and I didnt think they’d be able to get that thing out the door! Thank goodness thought hey did, without any damage. they were pretty reasonable too.
by tthe way, these guys even took care of one of my plants for me for a week so that I didnt have to put in storeage, it obviously would’ve died! He brought it back to my house.
They were great. They really helped me out
If you guys a looking for a good moving company call RoadRunners Moving and Storage.
its 416 900 6061
0ctober 27 2010
what ever people do … I beg you not to ever get CITY HAWKS MOVERS they are the worst movers ever ….they like to extortion people BIG TIME…. and treat people like dirt they throw your furniture and belonging around like no care at all …. today I had a tenant moving it my building a women and her daughter who are very poor…. and this company extortion her so badly I watched from my balcony how they through her stuff on the lawn and where going to leave it there…. then they moved it to the lobby of the building and damaned more money …. they broke her stuff and laugh about it this is very sad and sicking…. never use CITY HAWK MOVERS AT THIS NUMBER 416-887-6688 they are Indian decent not sure east or west but be careful never use this company ever
We just moved with Agility Moving yesterday and it was by far the best moving experience I have ever had. The crew arrived on time, they were fast and efficient and took really good care of all our belongings. I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a move.
Dont use sms movers they also go by big boys and gta movers they will rip you off charge you more and steal stuff make you wait for hours charge you more than waht they say or quate
Though they are not a local moving company, I’ve had a good experience with US-1 Van Lines (http://www.us-1vanlines.com/). They give on-site estimates and their workers are friendly and reliable.
I was definitely worried about getting movers, especially after some of the horror stories out there. I’m a student so I’m also on a budget, but getting Roadrunners movers (http://runtheroad.ca/) was the best money I have spent lately. It saved me a lot of time, grief and stress, not to mention sweat and tears! I moved from a one bedroom condo to a house both in the GTA and it was a great experience from the time I requested a quote from these guys until the left my house. They were polite, prompt, thorough and included furniture and mattress wrapping, as well as the use of wardrobe boxes that other companies always charge extra for. I am moving again and will definitely call Brendon and Paul again.
SKYLINE MOVERS ARE A BUNCH OF PIGS
DO NOT HIRE “www.completemovers.ca” or “smj movers” 416-994-4694/905-672-0952. They are the worst movers in the city. I got their name from the top of list on google, holiday special $50/hr. I called and “Mark” confirmed $50/hr. That’s it. Nothing else. No other costs or taxes, so I booked for Jan 1/11. Pouring rain, 2 idiots show up Tariq and Kirby, K is still drunk and admits it. They pull out a piece of paper calling it a “contract” but it wasn’t, and started writing things about 4 hour minimum (?) and extra $20 for heavy objects (?), initial here, etc. They wanted a deposit and since I had no alternatives, I gave over $240 cash. During this move, they broke my dishes, the glass on a couple of pictures, and my mattress has a rip in it and these are just the thinks I’ve discovered so far. The took at least 2 15 minute breaks, and K was a billigerant ass. K told stories of how they harrassed and threatened other customers by leaving washer/dryers downstairs and charging extra for stairs. K was rude, hostile and racists and kept yelling at T. I was scared that’s how bad it was because I knew they would keep trying to jerk me around. When we got to the new place, they decided to tell me what I would be paying in fees and wanted me to pay upfront – before unloading. I said no and I’d pay at the end. Luckily the cable guy came and I asked him to stay because I knew the movers would harrass me for money. And they did. I paid them $340 for 5hrs/travel TOTAL which was too much. They wanted $360 plus tax. They did not work 6 hours @$50 plus taxes. I paid more than they deserved but not what they wanted. They argued and I stood firm. But I was upset for days after. DO NOT HIRE THEM!!!
MULTICITY MOVING is the worst moving company on Toronto. They break things in your house before they get it on the truck, and even worse they hide things they have broken in transit at the new place by stacking boxes around it, they con you about insurance, they won’t honor their estimates, and they won’t sign the receipt at the end of the move. When you complain, the owner gets extremely abusive. STAY AWAY FROM THEM. They are are appalling.
a straight up good moving company Towncity Moving, 416-236-1700 TRUST ME these guys are terrific, have watched them moved myself and other friends i have referred them to had NO PROBLEMS, they are careful, experienced and such polite guys. these guys are pro at what they do. the best movers without a doubt and i had used few other moving companies in the past and yeah had problems.
Towncity Movers you guys Rock! all the way
DID ANY ONE USE NORTH STAR MOVERS IN TORONTO! PLEASE HELP..
Using free classified ad websites is a great resource when researching different moving companies in yourcommunity.
Never, ever just pick a moving company randomly off of an internet search. Always go with a recommendation or your stuff can really end up in trouble. If no one you know has used a moving company before or you’re new to the city, you could always ask a real estate agent, who’s the kind of person having to recommend movers all the time.
I hear bad stories of moving companies all the time, i have used the same moving company my friends and in-laws used for over ten years, Tony is a true professional at what he does. Towncity Moving extremely careful with furniture and my home, very efficient the best in the moving business.
SHELLEY AND I WANT TO EXPRESS OUR COMPLETE SATISFACTION WITH THE PROMPTNESS
FROM THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR VAN , THE CAREFUL LOADING , THE COURTESY OF YOUR TWO MEN
MIKE AND PAVEL. THEY WERE SO COURTEOUS AND HELPFUL IN SUCH A PLEASANT MANNER.
THEY MADE A VERY STRESSFUL AND LENGTHY DAY OF THE MOVE A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE
IN SUCH GOOD STATE OF MIND CONTRIBUTED BY MIKE AND PAVEL . THEIR MANNERS AND HELP
IN THIS MOVE WAS A PLEASURE TO WITNESS.
AGAIN SHELLEY AND I BOTH THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE………….
Used Hudson movers…very professional…would use them again…only negative is that they don’t work on Saturdays.
You get what you’re willing to pay for. Anything under $50-60/hour is unreasonable, considering gas and employees cost quite a bit. That being said, do a little research, search for the company on Google and see what others say. Personally I’ve recently used A&M Moving at the recommendation of a friend and they were good. Either give them a try or ask someone who has used movers before for recommendations.
Here’s their contact info: http://www.ammoving.ca or 1-888-668-3161
My co-worker referred First Choice Mover to move our 4 bedroom house. We were very happy with their service and professionalism. This was my second move and to be honest you get what you pay for. These guys might not be the cheapest but you’ll have peace of mind. We highly recommend them, call them you won’t regret. Their number is 416-876-9400 http://firstchoicemover.ca
These companies have provided quite good services for carrying good s away
Toronto Movers
I used Jia Jia Moving this weekend.
Paid $624 for 2 bd condo (even without bedroom set).
My husband did more moving than of the movers.
Took more than 6 hours – they estimated another 1-2 hours.
Not a single item including furnitures went upstairs. – IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?
After 6 hours they left remaining thing on my front lawn.
USE JIA JIA MOVING AT YOUR OWN RISK!
If you have any problem, you won’t get beyond their customer service who can’t do a thing for you.
DO Not Use Economy Movers / Affordable Movers / Voyage Moving Company. This truck is driven by Scott. Cell # 647-894-4849. Believe nothing this man says or does. I hired him for a job that he advertised for $60 per hour. He turned up 1 1/2″ hour late, and begin to ask for $80 per hour. The man refused to move unless I agreed to his suddenly increased price. The previous day I had asked if there were any additional charges in addition to the $60 per hour, and he said no, there were no additional charges except for $60 in traveling time. I said OK, not realizing that after the move, he now brought up a bill of additional money for his men having to use stairs. he now begin to lie to me, saying he asked me where the move was coming from and going to if there were stairs. This is a bare face lie, he never asked anything. He depended on the mover having made arrangements to get out of one apartment and the time factor will convince customers to give in to his timely demands for more money and additional charges. To add insult to injury, one of his workmen tripped with a desk in his hands and left a hole in the wall. When questioned, it was found out that he was not insured. He advertises Economy Movers, his business card says Affordable Movers, and his contract says “Voyage Moving Company”. This man is a scam. Stay away from him.
I am glad i used Moving Titan after reading all these scams. I paid $74/hr for 2 men which is high but the service is worth it and they are not scammers. People need to realize that you get what you pay for. Don’t expect great service when you are paying $40/hr. Good luck to you all.
Towncity Moving company, Tony is awesome great guys worth every penny, i moved from a two bedroom apartment from toronto to my new home in Maple and these guys came highly recommended, so i called them and Tony was polite from the start, took great care of all my belongings everything was wrapped and moved so so stressed free, i salute you guys!!
Thank you very much for saving us – we had arranged a company called Husky Movers.
When we read your reviews, we chin-checked these guys, finally getting them to admit that there would be extra charges for stairs, extra charges for heavy items, an hour EACH WAY for travel time…
We’ve cancelled them, and we called Roadrunner, as per the recommendations above.
These guys are tremendous, full quote immediately, and he even told us we sounded more like a studio apartment rather than a 2-bedroom.
So. Husky Movers should be added to the list, and, thanks to you guys, we’ve been saved from a crap experience – keep on truckin’, Joey, it WORKS.
Husky Movers is actually the same company as City Hawks (that Agnes described above). I hired them two months ago and got royally screwed. The guys (East Indian) were slow and one of them spit on my floor – right in front of me. They tried to extort a ridiculous amount of money out of me and only unloaded my things after I called the cops. I guess to spite me they decided to “keep” one of my boxes which was full of about $1100 worth of stuff. Didn’t notice it wasn’t there until they left. They go by many names and many phone numbers but the one I called was 416-887-6688
BEWARE
After reading full blog i have realized that the need of moving companies is become greater. don’t you see that 42 people have share their different opinion about moving, it is just fantastic thing and your posted information about Toronto Moving Companies is just amazing. keep it up
That is because your blog is just so awesome. It deserves to be commented. Really informative.
Agility movers these guyz just doing there advertisement here fkin making ppl fool these comments are not posted by any costumer ,they just writing these comments by themself for advertisement . Dont get fooled , we careful before u move .
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