Sms Movers No Longer In Business

This company was found on kijiji, and their advert seemed legit and very professional. I called the number that was provided on the advert and the man seemed very nice and his name was Shane (probably a fake name). We talked over the details of what would be involved with the move, all my items, pick up and drop off point and COST and everything seemed kosher, although he seemed very aloof when we talked!!! I touched base with Shane (or whatever his real name is) a few times to make sure everything would go accordingly. Shane on more then one phone call hung up on me before I was done talking to him, which was unprofessional! But I wanted to make sure that the cost he quoted me on three occasions was for real and the $255 seemed quite low and as a single mother I need to make sure that was going to be the price set in stone, as I had to burrow $80.00 dollars to make up the difference of the $255.00 I was quoted! So in good faith, I set out to Toronto to meet the movers at the pick up storage point where my things were being stored at. When I got there, they pulled out a contract which again looked legit and they said they wanted a $200.00 deposit from me, so I gave it to them, and then we proceeded to go over the details of the contract and all kinds of hidden costs started to emerge! My total cost ended up coming to $384.20. The man on the phone "Shane" had quoted me $255.00 on three occasions and never told me there would be all theses hidden charges for going up stairs, $20.00 for each heavy piece of furniture, fuel charges ect!!! I told the moving men what was the quote was and that I wanted to talk to the man who gave me the quote! We got into a yelling match, him starting the yelling and said if i didn't pay that the men would leave, keeping my $200.00 deposit. So I had two choice, go along with the additional cost or be out the $200.00 deposit and not have my things moved! The men also said I had to pay the rest of the money upfront before they we left for our destination. I said I didnt have it cause I had only planned on paying the original quote of $255.00. So they had me, if I didnt pay then and there after all my things were loaded on the truck they would take my $200.00 deposit and take all my things out of the truck and leave! I told them I couldn't get it in Toronto, but when we reach the new town I was going to I could borrow it off my elderly Grandmother. I called her and she got the remainder of the monies owing together for me and they agreed to wait to get the money when we reached the destination. They wanted to take my drivers license with them as collateral and I said no way I needed it to drive to my new house! I was smart enough to ask for ID from them and got the drivers, name, address, license number and their plate number of the vehicle. I wanted some reassurance that my stuff was not going to be taken by them when we parted ways to drive to my new house....cause I had an uneasy feeling after the whole experience of what had gone on with them!

I reached my new house with the money for them, and they started unloading my things. I told them I wanted a copy of the contract and they could not give me a copy. I asked a few of the neighbors if they had a printer and to no avail I couldn't find one. I asked a neighbors son to sit at my house while they finished unloading my things so i could go to Staples to make a copy. They had a section on the contract that claimed they had up to $50,000.00 cargo insurance and when the drivers where loading my things, I witnessed them drag my brand new cherry wood table across the storage room floor and scratched up the whole side of it. Now I am a petite woman and I can pick the table top up alone as it is only a four seater and not heavy....the driver blamed it on me for the storage room floor being dirty...I said no you drug it and should have picked it up! The man said dont worry we have insurance so if any thing gets broken you can claim it and we will replace it!

So I came back with my copy of the contract, and the driver had the nerve to ask me before I left, to make an extra copy of a blank contract for him which I kindly did, and never offered me any change for it, but no big deal. When I got there they had finished. I said my thank you to them, cause I didnt believe it was there fault for the original problem with the quote...they said they were just drivers and had nothing to do with it! They told me before I left that it I noticed any damages to call monday morning and deal with it! As I had a copy of the contact! I started unpacking and setting things up and noticed the headboard of $1000.00 cherry wood sleigh bed from Sears was all smashed in and wasn't in an area where it could be hidden, it was right in the front. They had hid it at the very back of my bedroom with all the matresses and box springs and the foot board of my bed all stacked in front of it so I couldn't see it! I was livid at this point! Also I realized my four year old washing machine had been all smashed in on the top of it, although it still works, cosmetically it looks terrible! I also had some very sentimental items given to me by grandmother that are could never have a value put on them broken by these men!

I was confident that when I called on Monday we would be able to sort out the issue with their insurance and I could get my stuff replaced or fixed and be compensated! I called early Monday morning and "Shane" said call back on Wednesday to talk to the insurer. I felt some what at ease at this point thinking my issue would then get resolved.

So early Wednesday I called and got "Shane" not the insurance man and he asked what was broken, he told me the "policy" was only in the case of the vehicle getting into an accident with my goods! "Shane" also told me that if I wanted to claim my thing I would have to pay a $1000.00 deductable to cover my things and then we would go from there, but he also said I would have to dispute it with the movers that my things were not damaged before they moved them! Which they weren't because most of the items were almost brand new, if not new! I said the drivers would not give me their numbers on the moving day as they said it was their own personal line. "Shane said that was my problem, that I needed to get their numbers my self, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!! I said no you need to get me their numbers because they work for you and they are your companies responsibility, and liability , Shane started laughing! I was told I was getting nothing from them.

I told him I would call the better business bureau on him and make write ups about his company for doing this and he just kept laughing and laughing at me....like I was screwed and he didn't care!

I immediately went on to the better business bureau website to put in the companies details and file a complaint and they are not even a registered business. So my next thought was to do write ups where ever I can to WARN PEOPLE OF THIS "COMPANY"

WARNING....THEY ARE SCAM ARTISTS AND THEY DONT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE OR THEIR THINGS, THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT MONEY AND THEY HAVE DEVISED SUCH A GREAT WAY OF COMMITTING FRAUD!!! YOU WILL BE TAKEN FOR A JOKE AND BE TREATED WITH NO RESPECT AND YOU WILL BE LAUGHED AT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!!! DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THE WRITE UPS CLAIMING THIS IS A GOOD COMPANY, THEY WERE PROBABLY WRITTEN BY THE COMPANY THEMSELVES!

PLEASE HEED THIS WARNING!!! WARN EVERYONE YOU KNOW MOVING TO STAY AWAY FROM SMS MOVERS

THEIR APPARENT WEBSITE IS WWW.GREATERTORONTOMOVERS.COM WHICH IS NOT A REAL WEBSITE. DO NOT BE FOOLED! I AM GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY POIWER TO BRING THIS COMPANY DOWN!!!! DO NOT TRUST SMS MOVERS...YOU WILL BE RIPPED OFF!