Multicity Moving No Longer In Business

I moved all the contents of my 2 bdrm condo from Toronto to Vancouver in December 2010, which included packing.

The actual move in Toronto & Vancouver went fine - the movers did their job. Several items were broken but aren't worth it to me to trigger the $300 deductible to claim. Some things annoyed me, like how they packed my pots & pans within my linens. None of the boxes were marked, although there was a sticker system that could be cross-referenced against paper slips.

My dissatisfaction arises from two issues:

1. Actual charge being 45% higher than quotation.
I understand that quotations are for reference only, but that's why I requested an in-home review/estimate. My husband, who was there at the time, told me that the estimator (Mr Bonder) spent all of two minutes in our suite and declined looking at our storage locker. Then to our surprise, the actual weight came in 45% over quotation. And the local agent wouldn't open the door to the truck unless I paid in full on the spot (of course I had tried calling head office but could not get through to anyone). I think that a +/ of 25% is reasonable and is what I'd expect from someone who has 10+ years of experience. But my final bill came in at $5200 compared to a quote of $3500.

2. Lack of communication
After pick-up in mid-December, I virutally had no information on where my load was. Understandably, the holidays were in the midst of this period but I never got any updates - all communication was initiated by me. So as one week would pass, I'd call in and get an indication that it "may" come the next week - but not to make plans around it.

In fact, I received a call from the local agent on a holiday Monday asking if they could move the next day. Head office had advised that I would be given "lots" of advance warning. I then had to scramble to get ahold of my property manager to secure the elevator and have family members on-hand to oversee the move.

This seems really unresonable and it was only on account of luck & the kindness of my family that we made it work. But it shouldn't have been this way.

Also, the lack of communication continues on. I had left multiple messages with their Sales Manager Mr Bonder to call me regarding my concerns with the quotation. It's been two weeks and I still haven't heard back other than when he called me after a week to say that he was on vacation & would have to look at my file first before commenting. Usually, if you're out of the office you say so on your voicemail. I have tried speaking with other people in their office but everyone is deferring to the elusive Mr Bonder so I'm stuck.

Therefore, I can't in good conscience recommend MultiCity. The scary part is the final bill - I don't think the average person could deal with a price jump like that. And to have to deal with a lack of information about the move itself is unsettling.