UPDATE APRIL 9, 2013 - We have come to a mutually agreeable settlement amount for the damage and lost item.
We had the assumption that the outmost care and responsibility was with Across Canada Van Lines to ensure our things, that we entrusted them with, would arrive in the same condition as they left and that they would all be delivered with no loss and there would be no damage to the residences moving out of or into.
We were not offered any extra insurance, nor were we told about the insurance on our items. If we had the option, we would have put extra insurance as most our furniture is less then 2 years old. We also did not have the opportunity to not ANYTHING on their paperwork as the men at the location in Red Deer left with the truck and the paperwork. They did not consult with us before leaving, just telling us, call Monday and they will take care of everything.
As the movers were unloading the items, we noticed many items damaged. NOt slightly damaged, but destroyed beyond repair. We took pictures of the items and asked for a contact right away to the moving personnel on site. They said they could not help us in any way and that it was no problem, call the company on Monday and they would re-imburse for the damaged goods. We also noticed that our boxspring for our queen size bed was missing. IWE HAVE had no bed for over one month!! They lost a boxspring! Ruined the house door, 2 brand new dressers for my kids! and want to give us $600! We promptly called the company on Monday, Feb 25, 2013 to tell them what happened. They refused to discuss anything with me and said I had to correspond by email only with their customer service department. We followed up as they asked, with quotes and pictures of all the damages. They offered to pay us a portion of the damage, not even enough to replace the lost BOXSPRING!!
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! AFTER USING THEM AND PAYING A LARGE AMOUNT, I HAVE MISSING FURNITURE AND EVERYTHING THAT MADE IT IS DAMAGED, AS WELL AS THE HOUSE WE MOVED INTO! They don't care at all to replace or compensate their own mistakes. ALSO CHECK THEM ON BBB, if you think I am one of a kind experience. This is what small claims court is for and I urge everyone on here to consider BBB complaint or small claims court to stop them.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Pay for what they damage! Take responsibility for your mistakes
- Company Response
After reviewing the circumstances of your move, I apologize for the miscommunication between the moving staff and the main office. Normally, if it is a weekend delivery, the movers are instructed to inform clients that they will need to take up issues of damage/missing items with the booking agents directly. In most cases the delivery moving staff are simply the last supply chain of service, having reloaded the goods from the nearest terminal, so they are not directly involved with the damaged or missing items that normally occur in transit.
In this case, the claim filing with our Freight Claims Dept. is the next course of action, but as a household goods mover we do not directly provide or sell cargo insurance policies. As per our contract, the transit coverage is based on the weight of the damaged items and is offered at $.60 cents per pound, We Do Not offer value based cargo insurance, and this move, as booked with ACVL, included the standard coverage of $.60 cents per pound with a $350.00 deductible. These terms are outlined in the contract, as signed by the customer at the point of pick-up.
Again, I apologize for the poor experience during delivery, and though the movers could have explained the protocol are bit more carefully, it is harder for customers to receive timely service information regarding a delivery issue, whether it's damage/missing item/late arrival on a day when our office is closed.
For missing/lost items, we do have a lost & found section for household items that are mistakenly separated from their shipments, and often it requires some time for the freight terminals to fully search for the items that may be left behind. Once again, missing items along with any damaged items can be submitted as part of the claim filing.
Sincerely,
Jacob
ACVL