Patricia in Vancouver

I hired this company to do a long distance move from Fort St John BC to Vancouver, which qualifies as a long distance move. I was only moving boxes and sports equipment, a few coffee tables, basically no furniture. I chose this company because unlike the others, there was no minimum weight charge so I thought it would be more economical despite having read horrible reviews regarding the service. My timelines were flexible so I hired them despite the horrible reviews regarding picking up and delivering on time. In a nutshell (incase you don't want to read the whole review) the significant issues here are extreme lack of communication, and a lack of any type of customer service. I had someone else at the pickup location, and I was at the receiving location (a storage unit), so I gave the company clear instructions and two different contact numbers. I was extremely clear that it was my move, and I was the primary on the account. I was given a timespan of 4 days in which the pickup would happen, and told that they would be in touch close to the move date for firm up a date/time. They didn't get in touch at all until the day they wanted to pickup, they didn't return my calls or emails trying to figure out when the pickup would happen. When they came for pickup, only one person showed up, so it was difficult for him and took far longer than it should have. Some of the items were large and heavy. What kind of moving company sends a single person for a move? Anyway, this part didn't bother me so much. I was told that my delivery would arrive in Vancouver sometime a few weeks later, and that they would be in touch to schedule a delivery. I heard NOTHING from the company for two weeks despite my emails and phone messages left every few days trying to figure out where my stuff was. I made it clear I didn't want my stuff immediately, I just wanted a general idea of when it might arrive. It turns out, they were calling the contact I provided for the pickup instead of me - that person does not answer unknown numbers and they never left messages. Remember - I made it clear that I was the drop off contact and the one paying for the move. When I was finally contacted, I was informed that my delivery was on a truck and would be delivered that day. I said fine, rearranged my schedule and waited for them to deliver. I received a phone call later on that day saying that their job earlier in the day had run long and they were unable to make it that day. Fine I said, I will check with my storage unit and see if they are available to take shipments tomorrow and if they are, we can do it tomorrow. When I checked with the storage unit, they were not open, so I texted the driver and made arrangements for the day after that. That's when I was informed I would be charged an additional $400 transfer fee because I was unable to receive my shipment when they wanted to deliver it - the day my storage unit was closed. So because their delivery schedule ran long and they were unable to deliver on that first day, I had to pay an extra $400. I had accommodated very short notice, rearranged my schedule, been incredibly flexible and understanding, and their scheduling issues caused me to pay an extra $400. And yes I paid it.... you have to! They wont unload the truck until you pay (which is completely understandable), but I figured I could speak with them afterwards and get a refund for that $400 since it wasn't due to a scheduling issue on my end. They were not at all understanding, they have no intention of refunding me despite numerous emails back and forth. Their email declining the refund were not rude, but were certainly direct and lacking in any type of nicety. Just to top it off, when the truck unloaded, there were about 5 items in there that didn't belong to me. The movers in the truck had no idea who they belonged to. By their attitude and response it was clear that this is not at all unusual. Because my stuff is in storage and I haven't been able to go through it yet, I'm left wondering if all my stuff actually made it.