One of my most painful growing-up experiences happened 18 years ago. I was pretty young and about to move into my second apartment in Caledon, ON. I had moved once a year prior, with a trailer and the help of a few close friends; I knew I didn’t want to suffer through that again. You see, I lived on the fourth floor and neither the elevator nor the stairwell was helpful when my best friend and I struggled with my furniture.

I decided I was grown enough to hire professional movers. I picked the first option at the top of my Google search and submitted a deposit after a short conversation with the guy on the other end of the phone line. He seemed pretty cool and agreed to the rate I said I could pay.

That should’ve been a red flag.

Over the next few weeks, I packed my bags and played phone-tag with the movers. They gave me a big window timeframe for their arrival: sometime between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on a given Saturday.

That should’ve been another red flag.

They arrived on the correct day but showed up close to 7 p.m. The two guys were pretty disinterested in me and took a lot of smoke breaks. They were also rather rough with my boxes and left a few marks on my walls near the doorway. The front door kept slamming shut and they tracked mud everywhere throughout my apartment. I distinctly remember thinking, shouldn’t they protect my flooring? But, I was too timid to say anything about it.

Red flags everywhere.

As it turned out—most of my belongings made it to the new apartment unscathed. Most. I had some broken dishware and picture frames, but the company refused to reimburse me for this. I was upset, but felt helpless and didn’t feel I had much standing to fight—after all, I did pack my apartment myself.

But, that’s not the life-lesson part. The life-lesson came when my old apartment came after me financially for the damages incurred by the movers. My bill included more than I could afford:

–  Damaged flooring—spot repairs, charged to me.
–  Damaged carpet—they were charging me to replace it, entirely.
–  Damaged walls—they were charging me to fix and re-paint every wall.
–  Damaged walls in the stairwell between the floors—charging me for six

My red flags had turned into a very expensive, very serious expense. But, I had zero recourse with the company I’d chosen to move me from one apartment to another. Why? I had failed to sign a good contract, opt for insurance, or do any real vetting process for good movers. I’ve learned the following: insurance is important. I nearly sank under financial ruin in the year following this experience.

Since then, I have moved many more times, following a meticulous vetting process. Now, I recommend only the best to everyone I know: ABS Movers & Storage. Your belongings could not be handled by a more trustworthy moving company in Caledon, ON. Believe me—I have learned!

ABS Movers & Storage | 17 Dora Ave Toronto, ON M6H 1J5 | (416) 588-1499