An Honest Mover!
March 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving News
You know I love it when I am looking at other movers and I find a completely honest mover. Believe it or not, this is sometimes a rarity. But, today in looking through Craigslist I found a co0mpletely honest mover…
Okay, actually he is not a mover but a moving laborer (he does say he works for a moving company.) Still, it is refreshing to see this on Craigslist. While there are many movers that advertise there that are honest the number that are dishonest far exceeds our small click.
Anyway, here is Bill’s ad that he posted in the Battle Creek Craigslist:
Are you looking to move. Let me Help you with that. Loading / Unloading / Packing I can handle it
PACKING SERVICES…….WHAT A PAIN….. LET ME DO THE PACKING FOR YOU……… I DO NOT UNPACK THOUGH
I currently work for a moving company which I can not disclose on here but I definately [sic] know what im doing
YOU SUPPLY THE U-HAUL AND I WILL TAKE CARE OF THE HARD PART
I am willing to drive the truck for you but i will not be renting them for you
Maybe you only have a couple of items and maybe its a whole house. Either way is fine.My Rates:
$75.00 per hour with a 2 hour minimum
$25.00 traveling and fuel charge
EMAIL TODAY
I am uninsured so i cant offer coverage on the items but i will do everything in my power to keep you and your articles safe and happy.
SEND ME AN EMAIL OF WHAT YOU NEED MOVED AND I WILL EMAIL YOU A QUOTE BACK
TO MUCH TO LIST….. I OFFER FREE ON-SITE SERVICES- JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL — MY NAME IS BILL
I can forgive the grammatical errors for the fact of his complete honesty.
I do think his rates are a bit high for just a laborer, but heck, if he gets the business then more power to him. I love the fact that he comes right out and tells you that he is NOT insured. Some many would have not done this.
Although he refuses to tell what moving company he works with I would hazard a guess to say it is Greater Michigan Movers as they are the only one is Battle Creek. (If I am right Bill I promise I won’t tell Mike.)
Just thought I would write and talk about this.
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Moving With Pets
February 26, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice
Taking Care Of Your Pets When Moving
Here is a great article that I found. I hope it helps when you are moving with pets.
Tips for Dog Show
by DavidRelocating could be really complicated for animals and pets. When you are transferring there are a lot of concerns to take into account, counting the impression that transferring will have on your animals. The plans that you do relating to your reloction will have to consider sorts of pets that you have so that you will be able to ensure that each one of their needs are taken cared of right through every stage of the move. The particular arrangements that you perform will rely on the specific kind of animal that you possess. Nevertheless, there are certain things that could be performed to make any animal comfortable when transferring.
Comfort is a great matter when you are taking into account transferring with your pets. The procedure that you utilize to move will play a great part in how you keep their ease, thus be sure that you prepare ahead. If you need to employ a moving company, you will likely have to hire a distinct company to transfer your pet or you can transfer your pet on your own. There are a lot of cheap moving companies that dedicate themselves to pets, and if your company does not, they will likely have a suggestion to a company that does. Check to ask } about it when you contact the companies for moving company quotes. This will save you time sooner, and an oral referral is always better than selecting a company unsystematically.
Constancy is one of the most important concerns to take into account when you are transferring with your animals. Majority of pets rely on having specific things everyday. For instance, dogs count on walks that happen at a uniform time daily, cats love to be fed at specific times, horses need daily exercise, and different pets require hygienic cages and more. It is essential to keep as many of these customs ready when you are transferring in order to keep the animals from being disturbed too much.
No matter if you are transporting your pet, or if you hire a company to do so, you need to ensure that concerns are established so that your pet can travel at ease. This signifies that you should have food or drugs that they will need during the move handy and not difficult to get to. Consider packing a travel bag or box for your pets. Include items such as favorite toys, special treats, blankets, foods, drugs, additional collars and leashes, and everything else your pet employs or needs on a daily basis. Attempt not to wash their toys or blankets when you move, as the smell will play a great part in keeping them comfortable during the move and when you move into your current home.
Regardless of how distant you are transferring, it is essential to maintain your pets pleased during the move. There are specific concerns that you need to do for specific animals, but overall it is more or less keeping them at ease. The finest methods to do this is to maintain a habit and keep known items around them. Be sure to learn their vet records too before you move, as you will need them when you get to your current home. Eventually, if you have planned the move and integrated your pets in your transferring plans, you will simply succeed to your current home without any difficulty or strain for either you or your pet.
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Small Business Help By TheSuccessfulBiz.Com
February 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving News
Home town business success with TheSuccessfulBiz.Com
I have said once; I’ve said it a thousand times. Any professional moving company worth their weight in gold will have a website and some sort of web presence, whether it be on YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter, FLickr or the other hundreds of social media sites. There is just no excuse except laziness and unprofessionalism for any moving company (or any company for that matter) not to have a website and web presence.
That is why I am writing about TheSuccessfulBiz.Com. They can help any small business to have a professional business website and social media presence that will attract customers and increase brand awareness and trust.
I have worked out a deal for any moving company that needs a website TheSuccessfulBiz.Com will make them their own website for FREE as long as they host that site with them.
The website will be able to host all your pictures, videos, have an easy contact form, maps to your office; and be set up to attract as many customers to your moving business as you want. IT will be optimized so that search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask will see and give you high rankings in the search engines.
Check out their Stuff just below:
Learn How A 40/yr Old Out-Of-Work Man Created A Successful Moving Business Starting With No Cash, No Equipement, No Trucks And No Luck And Turned It Into The Fastest Growing Moving Business In Michigan Using Only His Skills With Internet Marketing In Only 8 Months!
I know it sounds like one of those cliche internet marketing get-rich-quick schemes…But, truth of the matter, it is all true! Every last word.
Just want to thank Jae Burnham for his help. He shared some great insight and gave outstanding advice and direction for my website. Look for some changes to it soon. Jim Mahan
I guess I should introduce myself: I am Jae Burnham, and yes I created the fastest growing moving business in Michigan starting from scratch…I did it only in 8 months.
When I say I had nothing; I mean it…I had nothing. I am a 40yr old man that had been recently unemployed ( and I was living with my 70yr old father…yikes!). I had no phone, no computer…nothing. Yet I created a highly successful moving business
So, how did I do that? Great question. I used online marketing to accomplish it.
You see the internet is a powerful tool if you know how to use it. There are so many tools and do-dads that you can create tons of traffic to your business if you just knew how to utilize it. And I did. Of course I learned even more as time went on and I got better and better at driving in traffic to me; traffic that hired me to do their moving for them.
Because I knew this information I created my successful moving business. And I can do the same for your small business!
I have the tools, I have the knowledge and, most of all, I have the EXPERIENCE to make your small business a roaring success. And I know how to make your business so successful that you can delegate much of this work to others giving you time to build your business.
When you sign on with me and TheSuccessfulBiz.Com team we will spend time with you learning what you need and want and learning about your business so that we can put together a detailed plan that will skyrocket your profits and growth making your business what you have always envisioned it to be.
Just some of the things we can do to help blast your business to huge expansion:
- Email capture and promotion
- Website design and development
- Newsletter and Blogging
- SEO
- Social Networking
- Video and article marketing
- And so much more…
You can see my full list of my services and products just by clicking the “service” tab at the top.
Your small business success is my success.
Just because you have a website does not mean traffic will find you or come to on the internet. You have to get your name out there, and my company and I stand ready to help you develop that perfect campaign to do just that…
Would you like a free one-time consultation? Then email me at jae@thesuccessfulbiz.com and ask me all the questions you would like to know in expanding your business.
Thank you.
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Are You Designed To Move? A Moving Company Review
February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Can you trust Design To Move?
Company: Designed To Move
Grade: A+
City: St Clair Shores/Detroit/Port Huron
I first learned of Design To Move from James Height when he wrote to me on FaceBook. Apparently he liked my website and the fact that I exposed the moving scammers that prey on unsuspecting customers. he wrote:
James Height hey just wanted to say I love your web site! calling out the scammers on craigslist is what needs to happen. Its hard for legal movers like us to get ahead with people like that out there. Check out my page its Designed To Move MI and become a fan if you want. if I get any moves in your area I cant fit in I will send them your way.
So I thought that I would review his company. Seems fair doesn’t it?
So let me say this. I LOVE THIS COMPANY!
What a professional moving company. I know that Designed TO Move and James have more than just a Craigslist presence as James, as I said, found me via FaceBook. As a matter of fact I have never seen Designed To Move even advertise on Craigslist. So that is a step up from the rabble and the moving scams. I don’t know if they are also on Twitter but they may be. It would seem logical.
This company is licensed and insured. I have verified this with the government website. So you can rest easy in knowing that would be taken care of in that regard. They are also part of the Michigan Movers Association which has stringent requirements to be a member. So this is another plus-point.
For the full review plus click this link: http://movingcompanyreview.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/designed-to-move-moving-company-review/
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Bekins Van Lines: Bekins Moving Company Review
February 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Company: Bekins Van Lines
Grade: F
City: Nationwide
More often than not the perpetrators of moving scams are licensed and insured moving companies, and the majority of those come from the national vanliners. It is unfortunate but true.
I did an informal study a while back where I investigated the complaints of moving scams that were on the internet. I took these reports and looked into the moving companies that were said to have committed these scams, what I found shocked me! I found that almost 80% of the moving scam complaints were not committed by unlicensed and uninsured moving companies but licensed and insured ones…scary huh? Of those, I found that 75% were committed by nationwide vanliners…And Bekins Van Lines was at the top of the list.
Bekins Van Lines or Bekins Moving Company is a national van liners with offices (or hubs) in every state. What these specialize in is moving people across the country. They have set up their operations similar to a franchise. A local moving company becomes and authorized agent for Bekins and they sell Bekins moving services in their state and/or region. Bekins can factually go all over the world to move you. This not a bad business model.
However, Bekins is the worst company out there and should be avoided.
IN going online and googling Bekins I found that not one of the consumer rating websites rate Bekins very high. While Bekins do have their fans and fair share of positive ratings they have far more negative ratings.
J.D. Powers and Associates, a leading consumer rating agency, rated Bekins as one of the worst companies several years in a row.
Many of Bekin’s authorized moving company agents have horrible ratings themselves, including bad BBB reports. The authorized agent for my state of Michigan that operates out of Fraser is a prime example. I personally know that they are being sued by one company for name infringement and yet sued another company for the very same thing. Talk about “talking out of both sides of your mouth.” And I personally know that they spend THOUSANDS to make sure that they have a good BBB report. Yet the BBB freely admits that they have the highest amount of complaints of any moving company in Michigan and far above the normal for a company of their volume…so what does that say?
So in my opinion I would never use Bekins Moving Company…instead I would maybe Mayflower or Movex.
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Reviewing Your Moving Company
February 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews, Moving Tips and Advice
How to review your moving company
Have you ever wanted to comment on the service you had with your movers, good or bad?
Unfortunately most moving companies do not have a website where you can leave comments about your service. And in fact I advise you not to use any mover that doesn’t have a website. (websites can be made for free these days so there is no excuse not to have one.) But even the moving companies that do have a website, most often than not, there is no place to leave comments about your service. And this is unfortunate.
Testimonials are powerful. Many of you will decide to use a moving company just because of the good reviews that you find of them online. Testimonials and reviews help build trust for moving companies; and any moving company not actively campaigning to get as many as they can and publish them far and wide are shooting themselves in the foot.
After every move that I do I ask if the customer was happy, and if they were (which is usually the case 98% of the time) I have them write a few words about there experience. Lately I have been getting videos of them saying on camera what they experienced. You can see all my testimonials on this website. Just go to the “testimonials” category and you can see hundreds of them. Or just click the videos off to the right and see and hear what a few of my recent customers have to say.
But in lieu of mover not asking for the testimonial or review where can you go to leave a review? Where will it make the most impact? This is the question.
Yelp
Yelp is a website designed just to leave reviews of businesses. All you have to is sign up and start reviewing.
There are people on Yelp that have made careers going into businesses and using their services just so they can review the business. It sounds like a horrible career choice but it does happen. Thing about Yelp is that it ranks very high on the search engines. So if you write a review of XYZ MOVERS that review will show up very early in the search engines for others to see.
Yellowpages
The Yellowpages as we know it: the big, bulky book is outmoded and going the way of the Dodo bird. Everyone is using the search engines to find businesses. Yahoo is partnered with Yellowpages so you can find those companies with internet listings ranking quite high with Yahoo. The thing about the internet listing for Yellowpages (and Yellowbook, Superpages, etc.) is that they have a place where you can leave reviews the moving company that you used. You can leave up to 5 stars for the movers that you chose.
I love Google. As a business person Google makes it so easy for me to have everything I need to create, run and manage a business. They provide all the tools I will ever need. One feature which I am sure that you are familiar with is Google Maps.
Type in the keyword you are looking for like: “professional movers” or “reliable moving” or “movers in (your city)” and a bunch of listing s come up right next to a map. By clicking on those listings you will find a profile page provided by that business of choice. What you may have not known is that that listing page gives you the option to not only read reviews but to leave them as well.
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to leave a review of the moving company that you used.
Yahoo and Bing
Yahoo and Bing also have map listings of businesses. However it is not as easy for business to get a listing on these sites as it is for Google. But like Google; Yahoo and Bing offer a place where you can leave reviews of your chosen moving company.
Ripoff Report
If you go to ripoffreport.com you will find hundreds of reviews left by people like yourself that have used various businesses. However, unlike all of the places mentioned above, you will only find bad reports here. So if you have had a bad review then this may be the place to leave your review; and trust me you will get action if you leave a review here. These show up very high on the search engines and make quite an impact.
But be warned, these reports NEVER disappear. They will always be available to everyone later on down the road.
Of course there are dozens of other consumer review sites out there but none as accessible as ripoffreport.com.
BBB
The Better Business Bureau or more commonly known as the BBB is also another place where you can leave a review. However more often than not and reviews of businesses that are left are usually negative. But you can leave positive reviews for business there as well.
I personally don’t like the BBB because they can be so easily bribed and manipulated by businesses. I know because I have done it.
Despite popular belief the BBB is NOT government operated. Its a ruse. It is a franchise like McDonald’s or Burger King. It is owned by someone to make money, and they make their money by charging businesses that are signed up with them fees for their “services”. If you have a bad BBB report all you have to do to fix it is pay out money to have it fixed. Its really that simple. So I can’t trust the BBB reports at all.
Does your mover have a FaceBook page? It does!? Cool. Do they have a tab where you can leave reviews? If so then leave a review.
You can leave a review of up to 5 stars. What I love and hate about this is: as a consumer I can leave a review knowing that it can never be deleted. So if I leave a bad review then it will be seen forever. As a business person, I hate this. I like to control what is being said about me. Personally I am not afraid of bad reviews and I welcome them as it helps me improve for the next time, but I also know my competitors can leave fake reviews for which I cannot delete. So it is a double edge sword for the business person.
Your moving company doesn’t have a FaceBook page? Doesn’t matter because you can still leave a review on your own Facebook page.
Angie’s List
Many people use Angie’s List to review moving companies and other businesses. The problem with Angie’s List as compared to Yelp is that you have to pay a monthly membership fee for it.
I know that I am not going to dole out hundreds of dollars a year just so I can read a review of a company or two, especially when I can do that for free with Yelp, Google or the other places mentioned here.
The plus point however, is that it is far more reliable than the free places. So if you find a good review of your chosen moving company then it is probably a good chance that it is a good company.
So there you go. Several places that you can go to leave comments and reviews of your experience with your moving company. So whether you are leaving a good comment or a bad one you have choices to be heard and have your count (unlike the presidential elections.)
But I caution you: If you leave a bad comment for any moving business make sure you do it when you have cooled down, and only report the facts. If you leave and angered filled terse review it will be looked upon as if you are the crazy person. Angry people never tell the truth.
Reviewing your moving company and the experience is easy. It only takes a little of your effort and time to do it. If you have something nice to say then please say it. It means so much to the people that work so hard. Of course if you have had a bad experience then you also are obligated to make sure that is know as well.
So no matter what your experience is or was it is always best to leave a few words for the next down the pike to hear what you have to say.
Lastly, you are always free to leave any reviews of your experiences with your moving company with me on this website. I welcome them all. the bad, the ugly and the Great. I will published them unedited for the world to see if that is what you want. Of course you can tell that you don’t want it published and I will honor that as well.
Thank you and good luck with your move.
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Should You Use Tetris Moving Systems: Moving Company Review
February 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
This is the question isn’t it: Should you use Tetris Moving Systems?
Well I just did a review of this company. Please check it out:
Company: Tetris Moving Services
City: Ann Arbor
Tetris Moving Services have just sprung up recently; I would say in the last six months or so. But I have been impressed with their professionalism thus far, but (and there is always a “but”) should you use Tetris Moving Systems?
As I said, they just sprang up out of nowhere about six months ago…really just a baby in the moving business. Their moving ads on Craigslist have been okay, but nothing to write home about, as the saying goes. There ads are typical of most ads on Craigslist. Does this make them less professional…No, not really.
In their ads they have claimed that they have sixteen years of experience, this may be true of the owner but not of this business. I did see a Craigslist posting a few months back from what appeared to be a disgruntled ex-employee claiming that their 16 years of experience was a hoax. Is this true? I don’t know, and Tetris did refute that claim. As the posting came from what appears to be a pissed off ex-employee I am going to side with Tetris on this one. Angry people never tell the truth!
For full review please follow this link: http://movingcompanyreview.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/tetris-moving-company-review/
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Tips For Getting Accurate Moving Quotes From Reliable Movers
February 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Estimate Advice, Moving Tips and Advice
Here is another great article I came across about getting accurate quotes from reliable movers. It is good read. I hope you like it.
4 Tips For Getting Accurate Quotes From Reliable Movers
By Maureen RomensyaWhen looking for reliable movers to hire it can be hard to decide which ones would be the best choice. That is why getting quotes from reliable movers is so essential. Before getting the quotes there are some important tips that will help you get the most accurate quote possible.
Here are the tips that you want to remember and use so that you end up with as accurate of a quote as you can.
1. Plan – When you are going to be making a move it is important that you take time to plan ahead. Planning ahead will help you get a more accurate quote.
You want to know exactly what items will be going with you and what won’t. Along with what services will be needed from the company such as packing.
By knowing ahead of time what you want and planning things then you will definitely have a much higher chance of getting the most accurate quote from reliable movers.
2. Compare – There are so many different moving companies available these days and trying to find the best one to hire can be hard to do. By taking time to get a free quote from each moving company that you are interested in you will be able to make a more informed decision.
Comparing quotes from moving companies is important because the companies are similar but not the same exactly. This means that their estimates will be just a little bit different in different ways.
By comparing the quotes you can see what they are offering you and for what price. This will help you choose the company that is within your budget so you don’t spend more money than you can afford to.
3. Ask questions – Don’t be afraid to ask questions of any moving company about the quotes. If you have questions you have to get them answered before making your final decision. This will help to ensure you are choosing the best company for your move and for the price you can afford.
4. Take your time – Always give yourself plenty of time to do your research on the companies and to get quotes. The more time you can give yourself the more informed decision you can make because you will be able to gather important information that will make it much easier.
These tips will definitely help anyone get the best price on your quote if you remember them and use them. If you don’t use them then be prepared when you end up paying more money later because you didn’t take time to ensure accurate quotes from reliable movers.
Maureen Romensya invites you to visit her moving website to receive moving quotes and moving estimates on your next move. Compare quotes from reliable movers and pick the best moving company based on services & price. When moving companies compete you save up to 35%.
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U-Save Moving’s Photo Slideshow
February 11, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice, Moving scams
Unlike some of my competitors, I actually do moving for people….I don’t just say I do.
I have put a lot of time and effort into this website to help you and to ensure that you know we are a legitimate moving company. It is hard to prove that to someone from a Yellowpages ad or Craigslist post…
So I thought that I would share with you a photo slide show of our moving customers and places we have been. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you.
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Two Small Men With Big Hearts Moving Review
February 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Company: Two Small Men With Big Hearts
Grade: F
City: Across Canada
I can’t tell you how many times that it is the large well known moving companies that actually committ the majority of the moving scams: Starving Students, Bekins, Americarrier and the lit goes on. And this is the case with Two Small Men With Big Hearts. The fortunate part is that I don’t hve to do the review; I only have to cut and paste from a news article.
Large moving company faces charges, upset customers
Two Small Men with Big Hearts apologizes for failure to address complaintsLast Updated: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 | 6:30 AM PT By Kathy Tomlinson CBC News
Shelagh Bruhn shows the wardrobe unit she says was dropped and broken by movers. (CBC)
Canada’s largest network of independent moving companies is coming under fire from some customers for its business practices.“I’ve moved a number of times and it was probably the worst move in 20 years,” said customer Shelagh Bruhn. “They have no hearts, as far as I’m concerned.”
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Two Small Men with Big Hearts receives more complaints than any other moving company in B.C. — 50 in the last three years. The BBB has given “F” ratings to the company’s B.C. locations in Surrey, Richmond and Kamloops.
Bruhn complained to the management in Surrey after her move in June of 2009. Bruhn said the movers, who are paid by the hour, took several hours more than they estimated.
“I was quoted a certain amount every hour and we figured about six to eight hours. Instead it took 11 hours,” said Bruhn. “They deliberately dragged it out. They were ill-equipped. They were inept.”
Bruhn said the movers lost her ladder, broke a large piece of furniture that they dropped and chipped and scratched several other items.
“I picked this company based on its name — Two Small Men with Big Hearts,” she said. “It was just one disaster on top of the other.”
Toronto operators facing charges
TSM Canada started as a Vancouver company with one owner in 1981. It now has more than 30 franchise offices across Canada, “working as one, a collective organization,” according to the company’s national website.
Operators based in Toronto are facing charges after consumer complaints were filed about overcharging and broken promises.
In March 2009 the Ontario government filed several charges under the Consumer Protection Act against a North York, Ont., location of Two Small Men with Big Hearts. Company representatives Jeff Green and Brent Witte are also named in several counts.
The allegations include making false and misleading statements, renegotiating prices while in possession of customers’ goods and exceeding estimates by more than the 10 per cent of the maximum increase allowed under provincial rules.
“There are probably reasonable grounds for not moving with a company like that,” said John Levi of the Canadian Association of Movers. Levi represents several Canadian moving companies, but TSM Canada is not a member of his group.
“By the time you add up your time, your losses, your damage and the estimated cost plus the overcharges — you are at a significantly higher cost than you would have been with a reputable mover,” said Levi.
Bruhn was charged $1,500 for her move. In September, she said she reluctantly agreed to settle for $186 in damages, which she said is far less than her real losses. Despite that written agreement, Bruhn said the company has not paid her a cent.
Operators in Toronto are facing charges of unfair practices. (CBC)
“They suck you in — and they have you believing they are going to do the best job they can for you. Then, once they have your money — $1,500 later — they drop you like a hot potato,” said Bruhn.
“Almost every day I can find something else that was wrecked.”
Resolution promised
Stu Starkey, who took over the Surrey, B.C., franchise after Bruhn’s move, said he will now do whatever he can to resolve her complaint.“I can only handle problems case-by-case and make sure our customers are now satisfied at the end of their move,” said Starkey, who said he is also moving out of the rundown location.
“We want to clean up the appearance a little bit. We’re going to paint our trucks and put new ones in and get a brand new yard.”
Representatives from TSM Canada, the franchiser, refused a request for an interview with CBC News. Ben Hanuka, a Toronto lawyer who represents the company, sent a statement.
“TSM Canada takes its customers and reputation very seriously and regrets the inconvenience that was caused to them,” Hanuka wrote.
“The root cause of these problems is in large part inadequate customer communication and insufficient administrative oversight on the part of TSM Canada’s local offices and movers.”
The London location also has an “F” rating with the BBB.
Bradley Lang won his court claim against Two Small Men, but still hasn’t been paid. (CBC)
“I lost almost half of my things — gone, broken or smashed. There were boxes that had been opened and things pulled out of them,” said Lang. “I literally was picking up boxes that rattled — and all there was were large chunks, broken.”Lang said his shipment arrived almost a month late, after he was told it was left sitting for several days on a loading dock in Toronto.
His box spring and mattress has to be thrown out because of severe water damage, he said, while several items were missing, including a leather jacket and irreplaceable pieces of art and pottery.
“It breaks your heart — when you’ve got all those things and you’ve spent so much time collecting,” said Lang.
“I also lost coats. I lost pants. I lost boxes of clothes — so I hope they enjoyed them.”
The company admits it has customer-service problems that need to be addressed.
“Avoiding such customer complaints requires better training and supervision of TSM Canada’s local office representatives. This is not an easy task for us. There are over 30 Two Small Men With Big Hearts Moving offices in Canada, which together handle between 25,000 and 30,000 local and long-distance moves every year,” read the statement from the lawyer.
Court-ordered damages not paid
Lang’s move happened in 2003. He then spent four years trying to get the company to cover the damages. In 2005, after failing in several attempts to get a settlement, he filed a suit in small-claims court.“When I took it to the lawyers they said, ‘Oh this will be no problem. We’ve seen these people before,’” said Lang.
B.C. court records show 150 lawsuits have been filed involving Two Small Men with Big Hearts since the early 1990s. The majority are small claims against the company by customers.
Two Small Men with Big Hearts has three dozen franchise offices in Canada. (CBC)
In 2007, the court issued a default order directing TSM to pay Lang $8,582.65.By then, longtime company owner Glen Buckler had sold his interest in the company to six other operators. Buckler appeared in court to argue that because of the 2004 sale, he was no longer responsible. In addition, Buckler said the company’s legal name had been filed incorrectly.
“The court said I needed to re-file more papers — that my lawyers needed to file the last set of papers with an amendment to this name,” said Lang.
Faced with more legal hassles, Lang decided to give up.
“For the years that I’ve been going after this — that I have made myself sick over this — it was easier just to let it go.”
Kate Wittaker and James Carter moved from Port Elgin, Ont., to Sooke, B.C., in November 2009 and have filed a complaint with the BBB.
They claim TSM Canada arbitrarily inflated the price of their move by more than $700, including a surprise “fuel surcharge” of $283.80, after their belongings were picked up.
“What your company has done is unconscionable,” Wittaker wrote in a complaint to representatives in the B.C. booking office. “You cannot quote a customer one rate then once you pick up their stuff, inflate the rates and add additional charges.”
Tips on hiring a mover from Ontario’s Ministry of Consumer Services:
•Get the contract in writing.
•If an estimate is provided, the final cost cannot exceed the original estimated price by more than 10 per cent.
•Check the ministry’s Consumer Beware List: complaints received and charges laid are disclosed.
•Remember that the lowest price may not be the best choice — you get what you pay for.
TSM responded by telling Wittaker her belongings would not be delivered until the higher price was paid in full.“If you don’t pay your bill, it will go into storage and you will have to pay that before we deliver your goods,” a company representative wrote in an email. “If you are reporting to the BBB and government agencies, it seems you don’t want to pay your bill.”
Wittaker said she was more than willing to pay the amount originally quoted. However, she said, after the threat of having her belongings put in storage, she eventually relented and paid the charges.
Stu Starkey is taking over the Surrey franchise and says he will resolve any complaints. (CBC)
“We were on the phone every day for a month trying to find out where our stuff was, before it finally showed up,” said her husband.Apology from head office
“TSM Canada will be certainly reviewing these issues in an effort to learn from the past and avoid such customer complaints in the future,” wrote Hanuka. “TSM Canada apologizes for these delays and overall failure to address these three particular customer complaints in a timely manner. ”“As a result, TSM Canada is prepared to offer full compensation to Shelagh Bruhn [her claimed amount is $160] and Kate Wittaker [her claimed amount is $300]. TSM Canada will mail out the cheques to these customers this week.”
As for Lang’s longstanding claim for more than $8,500, the TSM statement indicated the company wants to settle with him, too.
“TSM Canada would like to have an opportunity to investigate this matter and attempt to resolve it with Mr. Lang with a suitable settlement offer over the coming several days.”
Hanuka also told CBC News he is also currently handling the allegations of unfair practices by TSM in Toronto, which are before the courts.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services said it could not comment on the details of the complaints. Company representatives could be fined up to $50,000 and the corporation up to $250,000.