Number 1 Movers

I recently used Number 1 van lines for my local move and I couldn't be happier with their service. Their team was punctual, professional, and took great care with all of my belongings. They made the moving process stress-free and everything arrived at my new home without any issues. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of a reliable moving company.

Our move could not have gone smoother. Both men who handled the move were so respectful, efficient and careful with our belongings. They made sure all the furniture was wrapped well and when we got to the new apartment, they asked how they could stage it for us. It was the best moving experience I have had to date, and the best price we received. Thank you!

I hired these movers for a cross-country move. I have a few complaints:
1) It is always impossible to get through to them - often, even after waiting on hold they don't even pick up and your call gets dropped. There are months that go by and no one answers my emails.
2) They describe the weighing process and then just didn't weigh our truck but still based our cost on their estimate - so why did I go through the trouble or paring down what to include, selling off furniture that I thought would be heavy and therefore expensive. SO frustrating.
3) The movers arrived to our new home at 9:30PM rather than during the afternoon window promised. They then hit the power box for the whole neighbourhood with the moving truck, causing a black out for blocks and resulting in the police and a fire truck showing up. What a way to meet our new neighbours. The movers wanted to unload the truck that night (with no power including street lights) but we insisted they come back the next day. The power surge blew two large appliances for which I imagine I'll be paid out 40 cents per pound. Infuriating.
4) During the move several of our pieces of furniture were missing and they tried to deliver other people's furniture to us. When we noted that items weren't ours they said "just keep them". We refused out of principle.
5) Numours upholstered items and a rug were stained with some kind of grease despite being wrapped in plastic, which speaks to them being dragged across a dirty floor, I imagine. Other items were broken, and numerous boxes were missing.
6) Going through the insurance claim process has taken half a year at this point, and when I can get through on the phone I get promised they'll get back to me in a couple of weeks to a month and it never happens.
In short, I would absolutely NOT go with this company again, and would look into my own separate moving insurance to avoid having to pay out of pocket for their lack of care and service.

5) They damaged

Possibly the worst moving experience I have ever had. The back legs of my 250$ dresser was completely ripped off and the legs were nowhere to be found. Their basic insurance apparently covers 60cents/pound, but because the material was made out of "compressed wood", their insurance doesn't cover it. Furthermore, they lost the screws that connects my couch's sectional to its other half. I guess it's technically my fault for not reading the fine print, but you'd expect more from a company THAT OFFERED TO WRAP YOUR FURNITURE AHEAD OF TIME!! So, make sure to read the fine print of the insurance, pay for extra insurance, DON'T LET THEM WRAP ANYTHING, and more importantly, find a better company as there are much cheaper options out there. I didn't expect to get reimbursed for the whole dressed but anything would have been better than this. So upon paying ~5K for the move, I have likely get a new couch and dresser. Save your money, go elsewhere.

After reading some reviews about Number 1, I was somewhat concerned about using them. However, there were other positive reviews that tipped the scale. I'm am very satisfied on all levels with their service. They moved about 3000 lbs. on my daughter's goods to their new location outside Calgary from Fonthill, Ontaro. The quoting process was very clear, including some additional fees that were understandable and upfront. The price was very competitive with the "higher end" moving companies. The communication at all phases of the move was excellent. They had to time the delivery because my daughter was moving from a VRBO to a newly purchased house and it was there exactly on the time and day indicated. There was no issue with damage and both the pick-up and delivery of goods was done efficiently. Vince, as logistics coordinator, was extremely competent in his frequent and active communication at all phases of the move, thus instilling a sense of confidence in the goods getting there when indicated. Bottom line, good value and excellent service as promised....something critical when your daughter is moving with two young children into a new home across the country.

This company is unfit for business, run by negligent and dishonest people who cannot be trusted with your property. Our move with them was a disaster, and we are terribly sorry we chose Number 1 movers.

Lets start at the beginning, it took them 8 hours to load our stuff into their truck, at some point we started helping to load everything ourselves. Come delivery day, we see the majority of our boxes squished and damaged, some with what seemed to be kickholes in them. Those ones specifically had the word FRAGILE all over them. They contained glasses which were shattered. Many other boxes with damaged belongings. Our new matress had tears in it. Our new couch back damaged. To top it all, 4 pieces of antique furniture, broken, damaged beyond the point we could use them. Dresser legs snapped off. China cabinet broken and bearing signs of glue on it. A night-time table was in so many pieces, it had to be kept in a bag. The movers also dropped off a box of someone else's personal documents, which we discovered after they had left. We informed the company the very same day of all above issues. This company offers weight based insurance only, as they specifically told us many times. This means that if something is damaged during the move, you only get 0.60 cents per pound towards the damages, which in the case of furniture doesn't even cover 10% of the repair cost.

5 months after, these issues remained unresolved. We have had to pay ourselves for restoring our antique furniture and repaired what we could from what wasn't smashed to bits. We have seen no insurance money from Number 1 movers. It has been very painful trying to communicate with this company, and our efforts have been for nothing. We have had to pay ourselves to repair everything that could be repaired. Make no mistake, everything was wrapped and packaged carefully, which is why I believe at least somethings came in one piece. These movers are useless. Oh. We still have the box with someone else's documents here.

Picked up our items on time but only 40% arrived very damaged. the others were never found. We tried to claim the insurance and now a year on and we are still waiting for settlement. They took no inventory of the items, no tracking of any kind! I am now considering legal recourse.

My house was filled with someone else's stuff and mine was MIA! Almost 2 yrs of calling /emailing with their #/contact worker changing several times/empty promises. Much of my belongings are damaged / STILL missing with no full refund or word from them. They must block customers #''s because nobody answers phone?? I WANT MY SENTIMENTAL IRREPLACEABLE BELONGINGS AND A FULL REFUND FOR THIS HELLISH NIGHTMARE!!!

This company is a sham, similar to those companies that have been recently charged in Ontario. This was a dreadful experience. I urge you to find a reputable company, I wish I had more tips on how to do this. Helpful tips available through the Gov't of Canada Office of Consumer Affairs, or consumer protection Ontario.

DO NOT just google best moving companies, this will lead to false articles/lists of good moving companies. DO NOT just read their reviews, and they bury the real (1-star) reviews in fake 5-star empty reviews. DO NOT read the hundreds of false testimonials on their website, these are posted by them.

Number 1 Movers are littered with red flags when it comes to moving shams:
- they provide a quote online, on a form which can be modified by them and is NOT a pdf (you dont notice this as the consumer)
- great customer service when you are looking to book, and then impossible to contact once you book
- you agree to an estimate, and only THEN do they send you a full contract with lots of small print including a cubic foot policy detailing that they can charge you for the cubic feet of your items at an outrageous rate (without weighing your stuff at all, which is what the estimate is based on)
- an initial low quote, which increases after your belongings are picked up
- they are a BROKER, they dont actually do moves; they hired a third party (who I was able to find separately as a guy who advertises on Kijiji that he has a truck for moving; not a registered company, not insured)
- delays, delays, delays when it comes to actually getting your move booked, with things ready to go as close to the move date as they can push it (making it harder to cancel and find a new company)
- they dont have real email addresses; they are all these long post-marked addresses so that your emails dont save as a chain

I booked a move in March 2022 from Calgary to Victoria, for a 1 bed apartment which was to be stored for 4 months, and then an additional pick-up in Vancouver and move to Victoria. My quote was for $6,800. They assign a moving coordinator who is supposed to be in charge of my move.

The first pick-up was to be in May 2022. I hassled No 1 Movers for weeks to try to get an appointment with my moving coordinator, she cancelled three times for various excuses which didnt make any sense. About three weeks out from my move, we finally had a phone meeting where she provided no additional info. On my move day, the movers showed up who are entirely unrelated to number 1 movers. These guys were actually really nice and took good care of my stuff (which was lucky, these movers could have been anyone) and moved it into a storage locker managed by them (the third party).

The second pick-up and move were supposed to be in September. I reached out in July to request a date for this move. I got delay after delay as they had to coordinate with the logistics team into August; and then early August my quote increased from $6,800 to $11,500. They reported that this was because I was being charged by the cubic foot policy as noted above, in which they charged for the volume of my belongings rather than the weight (as a much higher price). They never did weigh my stuff. They repeatedly delayed in replying to me and I could not get through on their phones, I suspect so that it would be harder for me to find a replacement at the last minute. This led to over 100 threatening emails back and forth, and ultimately, I cancelled the move while my first load remained in storage not knowing if Id ever get my stuff back.

In the end, I agreed to pay for the portion of the move they completed (moving it into storage) based on the initial quote, which they still disagreed with and overcharged me (I paid $2,500 for this move from a 1-bed apartment in Calgary into a storage locker in Calgary), but feel lucky that I escaped mid-way through as I can only imagine there was more shamming to come. I had to book another company about 1 week out from the move, and fly into Calgary from Ontario where I was visiting family, in order to be there when they picked up my stuff to ensure there were no issues. We were haggling over price and I wasnt sure I would get my stuff until the morning I picked up my stuff, after already flying into town. It was awful and stressful.

DO NOT BOOK WITH NUMBER 1 MOVERS, they are a moving sham.
If you are caught in a sham, contact your local consumer protection (they are slow to get back to you, but worth reporting). Document everything. If you have to pay them to get your stuff, document that you paid in protest. Do not be afraid to take them to small claims court. Pay with credit card and consider disputing based on the initial estimate. Of note, they make you sign a payment form that says I agree not to dispute this with my credit card company but that doesnt mean anything, you can still dispute.

Number 1 movers van lines were the best moving company I have ever worked with. They are fast, courteous, and incredibly fair priced. I highly recommend them to anyone moving in Hamilton!