Jim from Gibsons

We arranged this move as a client drop off of goods at our Vancouver warehouse, since we have to apply a BC Ferry charge to service Gibsons, BC on the Sunshine Coast, and Jim indicated that he would not mind driving to our location to drop off his goods. He did so on two different occasions the same week the goods shipped long distance to our terminal in Montreal that services Charleston, SC. As we are based in Vancouver the client was informed upfront that we do not go to South Carolina that often, though we do service the region, and that the total transit time would be somewhere between 3 to 5 weeks from drop off:. Furthermore, even though all of our shipments are priced by the pound, Jim gave us his budget of $2000.00 that he was willing to spend to get these goods the 4948 KM distance. After the two drop offs, we had our staff tag and wrap the personal belongings & camping gear with our color-coded, numbered tagging system, and based on the piece count and estimated weight we offered a Flat Rate of $1600.00 Canadian Funds / NO TAX applicable (for US deliveries we are not obligated to collect US State sales tax). Jim accepted the Flat Rate price, and even though our policy is to collect half of the total balance due for a long distance, cross border shipment, we only requested a $200.00 deposit. The methods of payment we accept upon delivery are Visa, MasterCard or cash, which was made clear while the client was physically in our office paying the $200.00 deposit. His shipment departed the day after his 2nd drop of goods, which was July 30th. When it came time for our staff to deliver, Jim informed the delivery driver that the shipment was late, that the balance of $1400.00 was not what he agreed to & also that he wanted to pay by a personal check. Jim signed a contract in July before the goods left Vancouver featuring our Flat Rate price at $1600.00 minus the $200.00 deposit with a $1400.00 balance due upon delivery.The driver had this signed paperwork with him at delivery and began calling us stating there was a problem with the delivery. It turns out, this customer had a strong preference to pay with a personal check, and began to tell both the driver & the office staff at our Montreal terminal that all we had to do was contact his bank, ask them to verbally verify that funds were available in the amount of $1400.00 in his account, and accept the check as final payment. The office staff explained that, regardless of what a bank teller says to us by phone, the personal check - which we cannot deposit in South Carolina, anyway - has to brought back to Canada for proper deposit and then subject to the customary hold any bank will place on funds; a hold of up to 5 days or more. We would have no recourse to receive payment post-delivery in the event the check later did not clear for the $1400.00 balance. We insisted that a credit card be used for the remaining balance, and after some delays, the client was able to furnish a payment by this method. As a result of this move, especially for cross border relocations, where the transit time is often longer than domestic Canada shipments, we now have an addendum form for the client to initial & sign at pick-up clearly stating what the payment terms are for both booking deposits & final payments so there is no confusion. ~ Trans Canada Movers