How to find and pick an ethical moving company in Canada

Tips on Finding an Ethical Moving Company in Canada

There are both good moving companies in Vancouver, and some moving companies that you probably want to avoid. Here are some tips to make sure you end up with one of the better movers.

1. Don’t book a mover over the telephone

A lot of people call around to different moving companies trying to find out hourly prices. But you need to keep in mind these ‘phone quotes’ are not necessarily exact prices. There is no way to know during a phone call what the actual price will be for your particular move.

Movers should come to your house to give you a free estimate of how much it will cost to move out of your home,  and then also into your new home. You should insist on having that free estimate done otherwise you’re giving a ‘loaded gun’ to the moving company; they can end up blaming you for the overages and the extras, even if you forgot to ask about them. Some companies won’t even unload the truck until you pay the final bill, and that’s not a place you want to end up in on moving day.

2. Choose about 3 companies to do a home visit with a quote

To avoid getting charged more than you expect, pick about three different companies and make sure they all come over and visit you in person at your home. If they are not willing to invest that time, or if they say it’s not necessary to come over because it “sounds like you have a small move” (or some other excuse), then that’s not a company you want to do business with (remember the ‘loaded gun’ analogy above).

3. Find a moving company in Vancouver that will give you a binding quote

One of the things Ferguson Moving offers that differentiates us from other competitors is that we don’t give estimates; we give binding quotes.

If you are looking at different moving companies, whether you are moving in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond or the other suburbs, you should not only demand a home visit, but also ask the salesperson if they can make their estimate a binding quote. Our company and franchisees do this automatically.

If you ask the person who comes over to make the quote a binding one, they typically won’t want to. But it’s better to push for it anyway, so you have security knowing the price they’re actually giving you on the home visit is the one it’s going to be when they do the job. No one wants surprises on moving day! If they are not willing to make the price binding, you can then really question the accuracy of the person giving the estimate.

How do you pick moving companies to do a home visit estimate? What’s the best resource aside from your friends and family?

1. Facebook

With things like Facebook it’s really good to just post on your profile that you are moving, and ask people who they’ve used. Most of your friends have probably moved before and they will have decent testimonials of companies that they’ve worked with.

2. Homestars.com

Another online resource that’s really good is Homestars.com, which is an  independent online review site. You can enter your city and province of choice, and then look for online reviews. You can see quite a few testimonials from people, whether good or bad, about their experiences with companies in the moving industry.

3. The Canadian Association of Movers

You can also contact the Canadian Association of Movers. You can contact them online or by phone. You can tell them where you live and what type of move you are doing, and they will help point you in the right direction. There are a lot of different kinds of moves and not all companies do all types of moving. For example, there is local moving and there is long distance moving or international moving and storage. Some movers also specialize in certain types of furniture like grand piano movers. The Canadian association of movers can help point you in the right direction regardless of where you live and where you are moving.

Hopefully these tips and advice will be helpful to you as you prepare for your next move.  Remember to pass on this advice to friends and family who are moving as well. If you have a negative experience with a moving company, don’t be afraid to write a truthful review on a website like Homestars.com or Yelp.ca. This will help warn others to beware of moving companies who might take advantage of desperate movers.

If you are making a long distance move in Canada or a local move in the Vancouver area, we hope you choose to request a free moving estimate from us. Please call or email us directly to discuss your long distance move with one of our consultants.