Jake landed a new job in Calgary and had three weeks to pack up his life in Winnipeg. He started looking for a moving company, “being a millennial, the first place I looked was online,” says Jake. He hired the company and arranged for his belongings to be delivered to Calgary.
The delivery date arrived and his belongings were nowhere to be seen. Something didn’t feel right.
“I was panicking. I had already called them three or four times that day. Eventually, I got the truth out of them – my stuff was in storage in Saskatoon,” he says. Jake had to hire a different moving company to get his things from Saskatoon to Calgary, all while living out of a suitcase.
That’s when he contacted Consumer Protection BC and an investigation began into the company’s business practices. “I was resigned to the fact that nothing was going to happen,” says Jake, “but as soon as [the inspector] got involved, he was in constant contact with me, letting me know about the next steps.”
The investigation determined the moving company had engaged in deceptive business practices by taking Jake’s money and not providing the contracted moving services or issuing a refund. “I encourage people to know their rights,” says Jake, “I’m one of the lucky ones — a lot of people have been in a situation like this and haven’t gotten a single cent back.”
* Names changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
If you feel like something isn’t right, reach out to us
If you walk away from signing a contract or paying for a product or service and something just doesn’t feel right, contact us. We are responsible for overseeing certain industries in British Columbia. Depending on your concern, another organization may be the ones to speak to; other times, court or legal assistance may be the best solution. Either way, we will do our best to give you the most relevant information.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Choosing a moving company
Jack and Lisa’s story: paving the way to a consumer refund
If he was moving from Winnipeg to Calgary why is Consumer Protection BC involved? Was the moving company a BC based company? I missed that in this story.
Hi George, thanks for your question. The moving company was based in Langley, BC and operated across Canada. We were able to secure refunds for consumers located both in and out of the province. If you want more information about this situation, here is a link to our press release: https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/news/other-businesses/1363-canadian-van-lines.
My sister had the same exact thing happen 2 years ago with this company. Does she have any recourse now?
Hi Irene, thank you for your question. If your sister has suffered a financial loss due to this company’s business practices, she is welcome to fill out a complaint form (link here: https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/consumers-alias/resolving-problems/start-a-complaint). We review all complaints on a case-by-case basis, and one of the criteria in this case is significant financial loss. However, it is important to keep in mind that due to the amount of time that has passed and the track record of the business, it may be difficult to secure a refund. If you have any more questions about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our phone number here is 1-888-564-9963.
My issues are not as bad as some but still an annoyance, I used Two Small Men to move me from Abbotsford B.C. to Langley B.C., not a big move but cost $750.
The movers damaged items, they broke an antique lamp which is not covered and I did understand that. They scratched my bookcase, not just scratches but huge gouges. They also scratched another bookcase. In each case it was admitted by the movers they set the bookcases in the truck and slip them into place. There was grit on the floor of the truck which did the damage. I called the owner several times, leaving a message each time with no reply from him. I sent him emails with again no reply. I then tried phoning and finally he answered. He came out with the movers who again admitted they did the damage. The owner said he would contact his painter who would get back to me with a date he could pick up the bookcases to paint. They left and I never heard from him again.
Hi Sue, thanks for sharing your story with us. That sounds frustrating. Are you looking for advice on how to proceed?
I am living in BC dealing with a company based out of Toronto On, they do cross country moving. Can I contact you for assistance?
Hi Jess, thank you for reaching out to us here. You are more than welcome to give our inquiry centre a call and we will try our best to help you with the tools at our disposal. If your issue is outside of our authority, we will try to offer relevant info or a referral to an organization that may be better suited to help. Our phone number here is 1.888.564.9963. Looking forward to hearing from you! 🙂