I don’t like to rant at his blog but Logan Movers of Toronto and their excuse for customer service (and incredibly bad PR) are a definite exception.
As you might know, my wife Jacki and I moved house this weekend. While this can be stressful enough, it becomes even more so when you get a moving firm that seem hell-bent on making it more stressful than dining with Hannibal Lecter.
Step forward Toronto-based Logan Movers.
It’s Rude to Whisper
I guess the first warning sign should have been when I called them up prior to the move to confirm their arrival time on the Saturday morning. A guy called Alex answered and couldn’t find us.
I gave him all contact numbers it may have been booked under as well as our confirmation number. I could hear him whispering to a colleague “Why can’t I find them?”, to which I was tempted to whisper back, “I can still hear you.” Eventually he found our details and confirmed the time. Except he had the wrong pick-up address.
Which I tried to correct. Several times. Only to have Alex continuously talk over me. So, I let him finish and then corrected him. Score one to Logan Movers Toronto for poor customer service.
Lies, Lies, Damn Lies
Come moving day, I went on ahead to the new house with my wife’s mother Traci, to start getting the place ready for my wife and the moving firm. Over at the old house, the fun was beginning.
Jacki was told that the movers wanted half payment before they would put anything on the truck. In cash. And they brought over a contract to sign that had $60 per hour for moving. Okay, fine – upfront cash was never mentioned, but if that’s how you want to play, we’ll do it. Since our quote had been $420 (or seven hours work), Jacki went to the bank, withdrew the money and paid them.
She was then told that the movers hadn’t brought wardrobe boxes. Despite us asking for them. Despite the Logan Movers Toronto website stating that all their trucks are equipped daily with wardrobe boxes and that they are given to every move for free.
The two moving guys then tell Jacki that wardrobe boxes need to be ordered and are extra. This is quite clearly BS – score two to Logan Movers Toronto for poor customer service.
Inflation and Hostage Situations
Now that Logan Movers have received their deposit, they eventually load the truck and make their way over to the new home. Here the fun really begins.
Before they unload, they tell us that the cost is now $847.50. Say what?!? This is double the quote that we received. The movers inform us that it’s nothing to do with them and that the cost is $847.50, broken down as follows:
- Labour – $540
- Travel time – $120
- Stairs – $90
- Tax – $97.50
To compound matters, they won’t open the doors of their truck to start unloading until the balance is paid in full. In cash or certified check. Which basically means cash, since banks are closed on Saturday afternoons.
Traci calls the owner of Logan Movers Toronto to ask him what’s going on and why we’re being charged double our quote. He hangs up on her. The movers refuse to call him back. We’re now at the mercy of two people who couldn’t care less about our stuff on their truck, and a dick in an office who won’t pick up the phone.
We get the police involved, but they can’t really do anything in a civil matter. So, the only thing left to do is pay the movers and get the move over with.
This is when they get abusive toward my wife’s mother Traci, who is understandably upset. She says the whole situation is BS, which the movers take for abusive language so they retort with their own. Except it’s much worse.
So I tell them to quit swearing at Traci, then advise them that they’re representing their company so they should be trying to resolve this situation. They simply say, “Nothing to do with us.” Score three to Logan Movers Toronto for poor customer service.
Epilogue and Where Next
The movers then milk the unloading for what it’s worth. They bring in stupid little bits of furniture at a time. Then have rests and smoke breaks because they obviously deserve it, with the hard work they’ve put in fleecing us of cash.
Eventually, the truck is unloaded and they leave. No doubt laughing at another rip-off. In the meantime, my wife, her mother and I are left with what to do next. My money (if Logan Movers never took it all, that is!) would be on legal action. I think we have a case:
- Their contract said $60 per hour. Their website states there are no hidden costs. Our quote was $420. Their actual day lasted from 9.00am until 5.00pm approximately (it was actually a little less). So, 8 hours x $60 per hour = $480. Not $847.50. Hey, maybe they got the 8 and the 4 mixed up…
- Their website states “free wardrobe boxes on every truck”. Not so. At least, not on ours. We still never got any.
- Their website also states that they will wrap HD-TV’s – they must have forgotten about ours.
Conveniently, Alex (the dick in the office of Logan Movers that doesn’t know proper phone etiquette) took the copy of our contract away when he dropped off some more blankets at our old place, in lieu of the wardrobe boxes they never gave us.
The copy we received from the movers at the new address was simply a generic one. So, we’re also owed our proper contract which will also show that Logan Movers Toronto took us for a ride. If they haven’t already ripped it up.
One of the things I always emphasize to clients is the need to put themselves in the customer’s shoes at all times. Customers are your best (and most inexpensive) form of marketing, advertising, PR and much more. Get it right with your customers and you’ll get a lot of it right with your sales targets.
I’m guessing Logan Movers Toronto must have skipped this part of business school. Why else would they treat customers the way they did my wife, her mother and I?
So congratulations, Logan Movers Toronto – the award for Piss Poor Customer Service and PR is all yours.
