Top tips for hiring a moving company

CALGARY- It’s no secret that spring sees an influx of activity in the housing market, and if you’re one of the people moving it’s important to do your homework.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says it’s been inundated with complaints about moving companies, due to damage or overcharging.

Calgary’s Mark McNevin hired a company to move items out of his home, and was shocked to find a huge scratch in the hardwood floor after workers moved a washing machine.

“They came out, put it down, dragged it 10 feet, moved it over four inches, and dragged it another eight feet over to the stairs,” McNevin remembers. “As I went up the stairs, I noticed a twenty foot gouge in the hallway leading from the laundry room to the stairs going down. So I’m guessing they had dragged it the whole way.”

He adds that he was forced to spend $2,000 to fix the floor, but City Wide Movers refuses to reimburse him.

“They said ‘you paid too much,’ so I offered ‘let’s go get three quotes, we’ll take the average of the three quotes.’ They basically said ‘your file’s closed.’”

The BBB says such incidents highlight the importance of checking out the company before hiring them, and asking questions.

“Are you insured, are they insured? Make sure that you check into those kinds of issues,” suggests Sandra Crozier-McKee. “Take pictures of those items that are significant to you, that you’re concerned are more fragile.”

She adds it’s important to understand the contract before signing.

“That’s what we often find with moving, that the business thinks the contract means one thing and it’s fairly explicit, and the consumer doesn’t totally understand it.”

City Wide Movers did not respond to several requests for comment. They also have an F rating with the BBB, due to receiving 25 complaints over the past three years, including 13 which were not resolved.

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