Abbeywood was dissatisfactory on every level, from rude staff to overcharging and breaking the Consumer Protection Act. As a result of our complaints the Canadian Association of Movers have forced them to apologize and pay back some of the money they overcharged. This can be checked with CAM.
We hired them to move half the furniture of a two story house in Roncesvalles and take it to their storage facility. AbbeyWood estimated the job would take 6.5 hours with 3 storage pallets. They charged us for eight and a quarter hours and four pallets, though the Consumer Protection Act allows only 10% onto an estimate. In our original estimate each pallet cost $49, the price both sides agreed to. They moved the rates up to $55 a pallet and without telling us of this retroactive change. On the day of moving one of their staff was surly, to put it mildly.
When we asked for a quote for the return leg the general manager, Randy, quoted 10 hours and over $1,000 for three men to do a job that they had once estimated for six and a half hours. I believe they thought we would accept because they had our goods. We went with Your Action Movers, who took four and a half hours with two guys at a cost of less than $500. That included the hour and a half it took to check off our gear at AbbeyWood’s warehouse. Your Action Movers were professional and courteous throughout.
AbbeyWood charged us $500 to retrieve our gear. They broke this down as a $200 ‘access fee’ and $300 ‘foreign dockers’ fee.’ They say it took four hours to clear our goods from their warehouse, hence the $200 charge. It did take almost two hours for us to check the goods off, I was present. But did it would take an hour to bring four crates out and unload the goods? An hour to put away empty crates and fold up their padding, as they claimed? CAM concluded not.
While the access fee was in the original contract, the foreign docker’s fee was not. According to the Consumer Protection Agency the foreign dockers' fee should have been in the original contract. Had it been in the original contract we wouldn’t have hired AbbeyWood, as any consumer wants the option of choice for the second leg. When I mentioned that this fee was illegal, I was shouted at by the dispatcher at AbbeyWood and he threatened to not release our goods. When I told him I would bring in a lawyer he shouted and threatened again.
CAM concluded that they had overcharged us and told them to pay back a large sum of money. The moral is: go with a CAM mover and if that mover turns out to be poor, like Abbeywood, follow up with CAM.
Everything I say above can be backed up by email correspondence, contracts and through my dealings with CAM.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,500.00