Ethical Movers Fight Back with Rights Bill

By Kim Hughes

Few things in life are more stressful than moving.

Whether it’s the chore of packing everything from garden hoses to heirloom china, the challenge of completing change-of-address forms or bittersweet goodbyes to old neighbours, moving tends to bring out the worst in everyone.

And when you consider that 4.4 million Canadians moved last year alone—with 50 percent of residential moves happening in a three-month window between June and August—it’s no surprise that some frazzled folks in the GTA found themselves targeted by fraudulent movers keen to capitalize on all that frenzy.

Last May, Toronto cops arrested and charged nine people with operating a fraudulent moving company. According to the CBC, victims made arrangements with one of several moving companies to shift their furniture. They allege the suspects held their goods hostage or threatened to throw them onto the road unless they were paid extra.

Police seized 13 moving trucks, $20,000 in cash and two vehicles in connection with their investigation, stating that various moving companies operated by the fraudulent group took in as much as $1 million per year.

The only people more angry than the victims were legitimate movers who feared being tarred by the scammer’s actions. And so the Customer Bill of Rights was born.

Drafted by Two Men and a Truck Canada—the nation’s leading franchised moving firm—the Bill of Rights aims to educate Canadian consumers about best-practice moving policies while clearly articulating the kind of conduct professional movers hold dear.

Among the items listed in the Bill of Rights guarantee: Movers adhere to the pre-move estimate and the terms provided, while also supplying an itemized invoice upon completion of the move when requested; accurate pricing information will be used in advertisements and marketing materials; and customers will be provided with advance notice of any unreasonable delays in pick-up or arrival of goods.

“Moving is an incredibly stressful time,” confirms Dan Hopkins, Two Men and a Truck Canada’s COO and Vice President of Development and Operations. “And moving usually means something traumatic has happened; people have been promoted and have to relocate or they’re going through a marital breakup or whatever.

“So the customers are frantically trying to hold all the pieces together and they have no idea that not all moving companies are the same. Some offer exceptional customer service and some are trying to defraud them.

“The reason we did the Bill of Rights is the Canadian consumer needs to be protected when they move their family and possessions into a new home. But these fraudulent guys book the customers' move over a cell phone which makes it hard to track them down once something goes wrong.

“They show up on moving day and have the customer sign a contract under duress, then they load the family's worldly possessions on the back of their moving truck, close and lock it and then demand the customer pay them three to four times more than the original cost of the move.”

As Hopkins explains, Two Men and a Truck Canada (www.twomenandatruck.ca) is uniquely qualified to spearhead consumer protection action, which he says has the support of the Canadian Association of Movers. With 11 franchises serving southern Ontario (and plans afoot to expand fourfold nationwide in 2011), Two Men and a Truck builds on the reputation established by the American firm of the same name launched in Lansing, Michigan in 1985.

“So that’s 25 years of experience with 200 franchises in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. which last year did a combined 358,000 moves. Plus we all follow the Grandma Rule: you treat each customer the way you'd treat your grandma. It sums up the core values—you treat your customers with dignity, respect and fairness. It’s a strong image to paint both for our franchisees and our customers and our franchisees generate a 94 percent customer referral rating.”

Hopkins adds that most legit moving companies have policies in place similar to his Bill of Rights; semantics aside, what's important is that customers are educated about best practices and understand what constitutes good service and what reeks of con.

“During this peak summer moving season, everybody is busy trying to satisfy their customer needs and requirements so not everybody can step to the podium at the same time,” Hopkins says. “Our hope is that this message will get out in a timely fashion at precisely the time customers need to hear it and can take action to protect themselves.

“So it’s not just a message for us but for all ethical movers.”