Alliance Van Lines inc.

After several days of emails, replies that took hours, having to negotiate a lower weight estimate (they wanted me to pay for 2500 pounds when I knew I had more likely 2100 pounds which would cost significantly less and they finally said I could pay for 2300 pounds. The whole system makes no sense since if it weighed more than I would be obligated to pay more, but they want you to pay a minimum of the highest weight *scammers!*) I finally got a moving date.

I had taken the day off work to let the movers in. I had also made sure to put pylons up and to block the street so that they had direct access. They never showed up. I called when they were 2 hours late to find out that they were delayed and couldn't come until about 730pm to do just the packing and then come the next day for the move. No one had bothered to let me know that they were not planning on coming and were only offering the 730 packing since I called and asked what happened.. I had an important day at work so I couldn't sit and wait for them to come at 730 to only do half the job. Then they came the next day (half hour late) and did the packing and the moving. I just received my stuff and still can't find certain items so we will see how that goes. Once my items were shipped I tried several times to track the shipment on the online "tracker" which never updated and said someone would contact me in 24 hours. No one did. I had to again email several times to find out where my stuff was..

On the day of delivery, I had a cleaning woman who just finished cleaning the floors..she ended up arguing with the movers because they were damaging the floors with their trolly and snow/salt boots all over the newly done floors. When asked if they had booties to put over their boots or if they could take off their boots once in the house, the answer was no. They finally went and got a runner (just one) which did nothing. My floors are disgusting after they delivered. I have also had movers who at least put together the bed frame or take off the plastic to the sofas, they literally dumped the boxes everywhere, dirtied up everything and left.

Horrible service and horrible customer service. Save yourself the pain and go with someone else! I know I will!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2300

I posted another review on another site, but was happy to write a few good words here too. Had a long distance move with this company and packing service. Everything went pretty good aside for a 2-3 day delay. I did not understand that departure date meant that's when the truck only leaves so there was some miscommunication. I was otherwise happy with the service and Michael who was very accommodating and expedited an exclusive truck for my delivery. Kudos for him.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $3891

We used this company to move from Manitoba to British Columbia in October/November 2017 and it was the worst experience of our lives. They wouldn’t commit to a pick up day until right before. They took almost 4 weeks to move our things and never could tell me where our belongings were. We tried several times and got nothing. When our things finally arrived the amount of damage was rediculous. They damaged our bed frame, a table, dresser
, broke a dining room chair, our exercise bike, crystal figures were broken. They put our electric reclining sofa on end in the truck and now one side doesn’t recline at all and the other side is damaged as well. They lost stuff. It was extensive. Our claim was $4000.00. They also upped the weight a lot from the original estimate. All they offered was $55.00. Where’s the justice in that. That is a complete insult.
I will never recommend these people and if you value your things do not use them. They are so unprofessional and uncaring they should not be in business.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

I would like to say thanks to the entire staff and team at Alliance from the first day I called to the day of delivery had great customer service the movers were nice they were very professional they loaded everything up safely protected everything it arrived when they said and was all still safe and nothing broken when they arrived and unloaded the staff at customer service at Alliance especially Nelly was very helpful and kind and we were always given an update whether it by be by a phone call or email from the drivers or the company we appreciate everything you did to help my mom's move goes smoothly from levack Ontario to Dartmouth thanks so much to the entire team.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3800

I had contracted with and paid my non-refundable deposit on a partial move from Winnipeg to Parkland County Alberta. When the contract came back I noticed an extra $75.00 charge on it which I enquirer about. I was told that because I was not moving to the exact city I had submitted the request for a quote with there was an extra charge. I had once I had received the original quote sent back to them a list of the goods being picked up and a more exact address, and asked that they update their quote. It came came back a little more money which is what I expected. So in the ensuing discussion by email I pointed out I had given them an more exact address along with the list of goods and requested (since I'm paying for it anyway) the before load and after load scale tickets (I do have the right to see them), I was told that their truck had all of a sudden developed mechanical problems ( they were supposed to be picking up some time between Aug 25 and the 31st) and did not know when the truck would be repaired and did not feel "comfortable" booking me a pick-up date. They did however refund my non-refundable deposit on the move. So I am lead to believe that they did not like the fact that I asked about the extra charges, pointed out that I did supply them, and asked for scale tickets.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $765

We used Alliance's services to move household items from Toronto to Florida. I will first start with the positives - the shipment arrived on schedule, no contents were damaged, the movers were polite and efficient. Now the negatives:
1. Lack of transparency. The quote is based on weight which is hard to estimate. The quoted price per pound is higher than the industry average. Our quote increased from $4.8K to $8K as the moving day approached. No scale ticket was provided.
2. Impression of price gouging. Movers used bubble wrap for a few items at their discretion without informing us. Once Alliance had our items in possession, they charged us $800 (!!) for bubble wrap. We had no choice. Also, they charged us a high credit card fee, although we had no other ways to pay.
3. Movers dropped the barbeque on our living room floor and damaged it. The company refused to reimburse our claim - after sitting on it for 6 weeks.

We will not use Alliance Van Lines (not sure about "Allied" Van Lines, which seems to be a different company).

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

We have moved a lot and this was by far the worst experience we have ever had.
Alliance drastically underquoted us for the move. We paid up front for the whole move, and our stuff went to the storage unit. They would not tell us where the storage unit was and would not give us an address when asked. They claimed they had "several sites" and weren't sure which one they were using. They would not allow us to visit the facility. TOTAL red flag but it was too late.
We ended up not moving our stuff as far as we had initially paid for, and we NOT reimbursed for a much shorter move distance, despite asking several times.
We were not given proper invoices for costs incurred, and additional charges appeared out of nowhere when the final storage bill was paid. They had no explanation for this when we asked about it.
It took between 7-10 calls/emails to get any sort of receipt of payment. Finally we were told it was "fist come, first served to get a receipt".
What does that even mean?? It took over 6 weeks to finally get any sort of receipt.
We dealt with "Jane" most of the time (who claimed to be a manager when I asked to speak with someone in charge) and she was unprofessional, rude, defensive and was of no help whatsoever. Then all of a sudden, someone else started replying from her email address. No one knew what was going on.
Most of our stuff had minor damage and some had to be thrown out. We basically just wanted to get our stuff and be done with this company as fast as we could.
DO NOT use this company. Nothing seemed legit and we are actually surprised they are still in business.
Go with the bigger more well known companies who are well known for a reason. NEVER AGAIN.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

My wife and I used Alliance Van Lines (Scarborough, Ont.) to move from Ontario to British Columbia in the fall of 2018.
On the morning before the arranged pick up day, Alliance decided to increase the cost of the move by almost 50%.
They had never visited our house, and as such, had never seen what needed to be moved. They said that they were working on “their estimation” of what a typical four bedroom house would consist of (not very professional by any standard). At this point, they tried to negotiate the moving costs however we decided to cancel their service and started looking for an alternate moving company (which needed to happen in the next 2-3 days based on our schedule). Needless-to-say, we were unable to locate another moving company on such short notice, so we decided to give Alliance another chance.
Upon contacting Nelly, she went back to the original price and we decided to proceed with Alliance (bad move on our part, no pun). My wife and I had carefully packed up most of our personal belongings, furnishings, etc., so all Alliance had to do was load their truck and we were on our way.
The day of loading the truck went well, however we later learned that all of our belongings would be unloaded in Scarborough and then transferred to another truck for the trip to BC. Note: after our belongings were picked up they were weighed, however Alliance would NOT disclose what our contents actually weighed. (Alliance had a set rate which they based on a minimum load of 15,000 lbs. I.e. if the load was more than 15,000 lbs. you were charged extra, however if the load was less than 15,000 lbs. there was no reduction with their fee) .
Our belongings arrived in BC and again were unloaded and reloaded into another truck for final delivery to our new home. Seems to me like too many opportunities for stuff to get broken with triple handling, and guess what I WAS RIGHT !!
On the day of the off load (I was not able to be there due to work commitments), my wife was left to direct the movers as to where everything should be placed (pretty easy job because we had clearly labeled each box as to where it should go), but this didn’t happen. There were over a dozen heavy boxes that were just dumped in our garage for us to move. In total, they took less than 3 hours to off load the truck . . . kind of alike a dine and dash, which all happened AFTER they had been paid for the move.
As we unpacked boxes and positioned our furniture, we found that numerous items had been damaged, and that some boxes/items had never been delivered.
This is the point where everything went down hill with Alliance. When we questioned about the damaged / lost (stolen ??) items we were advised that we should have taken out the “extra insurance” to cover these losses as the standard moving coverage only requires Alliance to pay $0.60 per pound.
By our estimation, the damages / losses were in excess of $3000.00 (this included a damaged $2000 paddle board that weighs only 18 lbs. and would have netted a claim settlement for $10.80). After nearly 3 months they offered a mere $95 as our TOTAL compensation. Hardly acceptable, but we were stuck.
The real irony of this is that we had to unpack, document and photograph all damages / losses within 10 days of the off load, yet Alliance took almost 3 months to process our $95 refund.
Word of advice, DON’T USE ALLIANCE VAN LINES, but rather look for a more reputable, professional moving company.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $8600

Moving from a house to condo we were initially given a quote of $800.00. We packed everything outselves. We were told we would get labels and the truck would be weighed. At first movers said they would load our things 1 day and deliver in 3 days. Then day before move said all on same day. Day of move 2 guys arrive at 1:30pm. No labels, no straps, no blankets to protect our furniture no weighing of truck. Our belongings were then unloaded atcondo. More like dumped. The cost $2 200. They did not live up to contract never asked how move went. Check your contract.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2200

We have move many times thru out the years, so to send four pieces of furniture to our son in Ontario seemed like a great idea.
The furniture was one year old and in excellent shape, when sent.
We have no pets and are seniors, therefore furniture was in excellent condition. Items were picked up on time. Transported from BC thru to ON Canada. Arrived in ON on time, but when our son spoke of damage and sent photos to us we were shocked.
The furniture looked bad, rub marks, small tears and the wood was marked deep and ugly. Moving companies do not do any thing about these problems. On a final note we will never use this company again and of course do not recommend Alliance Van Lines Inc..

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $932

Alliance Van Lines were fantastic from start to finish. The move was very short notice and needed to have my belongings picked up within two weeks. I phone many other moving companies though, Alliance Van Lines was not the cheapest option they were the only ones willing to make a truck available for pickup. The gentlemen who came to pick up belongings were friendly, fast, and wrapped my all my furniture with blankets. We moved to Halifax, and where my belongings arrived a few weeks later, this was understandable as it was the month of September their busiest time of year. The gentlemen who dropped off my belongings were also fantastic and assisted with setting up furniture and putting things into place. I would defiantly recommend Alliance Van Lines for your moving needs.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3129

I first contacted Alliance Van Lines at the beginning of May 2019 to book my move from Manitoba to Ontario. Initial quote (for min 1000lbs) listed a fixed $450 charge for the 1st 500lbs, “Chargeable Weight” fee $275 ($0.55/pound for 500lbs), "Scale Fee" $50 and "Destination Fee" of $75. Total (pre-tax) = $850.

I asked detailed questions when I initially spoke with Nelly (General Manager) over the phone. I specifically asked how charges were calculated. It was explained that if my shipment was over on quoted weight I would pay extra/pound, which makes sense. However, I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT CHARGES WERE BASED ON ACTUAL WEIGHT. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. I specifically asked about extra fees and was NOT told that they add extra weight onto true weight of items to “account for space and movers”. There also turned out to be many other extra charges, for example paying with credit card or having more than 5 steps leading to your door.

Once I submitted an inventory list (beginning of May), my quote changed to 3665lbs for a total of $2315.75. Upon receiving this quote, I expressed concern with it being hugely overestimated and provided weights for as many items as I could. I was given an updated quote only slightly lower. I estimated I had between 1500lbs and 2000lbs. I even went as far as bringing home an industrial scale. After weighing approximately 90% of my items, my total weight came to 1081.65lbs. I had to request an inventory list several times before the weights allotted per item were finally given to me. They added weight to each item, for example, my shelving units from IKEA totalled 107lbs and were listed as 200lbs. The reason given for this was “When we move any shipment, we need to make sure that we accommodate the appropriate amount of space, labour, time and materials to perform the move properly.” When I initially called (and before they had my $200 deposit), it was NOT explained that they arbitrarily add more weight per item and that cost is NOT based on true weight. Quoted rates become the MINIMUM you pay. No scale ticket provided if it is under the quote, which very convenient for Alliance Van Lines so that the customer does not see how much they have been over charged.

Initially my customer service experience was pleasant and positive. Once they had my $200 deposit, it changed to rude, condescending and unprofessional. When I was phoning to request a detailed list of how they calculated my quoted weight, the tone was one of annoyance and the person kept talking over me and repeating “read your contract”. At one point I had called and someone answered the phone by saying “Alliance Van Lines”, followed by about 15 seconds of unexplained laughter. I requested to speak to someone above a GM and was told that there is nobody above a GM, that I could only speak to another GM. When I asked to speak to whoever hires the GMs/ does their performance reviews, I was told this would be the owners. I requested their contact information and was given a flat-out “no”.

Overall, I find this company deceitful and customer service is horrendous. To make things more transparent to clients, they need to make it clear that prices are not based on ACTUAL weight of items. PRICES ARE SUBJECTIVE AND BASED ON WHATEVER WEIGHT AMOUNT THE GM WOULD LIKE TO APPLY TO EACH ITEM BEING MOVED. In the end, I chose to move with a Ubox through UHaul. At least here I had the peace of mind knowing that my items were only being handled by ME. I have read multiple reviews of Alliance Van Lines damaging/ dirtying property or losing items altogether.

One of the worst experiences I have had in my life. Moving is stressful enough, Alliance Van Lines makes it a true nightmare.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2300

Moved from BC to Ontario.

Our dealings were with Nelly (apparently the GM, but can't quite wrap my head around how they let her run the show). She was extremely accommodating and kind until we shipped our items. We expressed repeatedly that we needed the delivery on a specific Monday. Over the phone she continuously expressed that we would sort out the delivery of stuff closer to the date, leading us to believe that we'd arrange a time a few days before. Once we had already left BC and were driving across the country, we were told by another representative that they only delivered to my area on Thursdays & Fridays. At NO point did Nelly share this information with us. If she had, we would've booked with another company or adjusted our travel dates to line up with the delivery. I whole heartedly believe that she did this on purpose to secure our business. We were also travelling across the country with limited access to email at certain stops, and when we requested a phone call to discuss the matter she refused and continuously emailed knowing that we may not receive the information until days later.

Once we finally received the delivery, they lost a book shelf. They require a $425 deposit to make a claim on lost items, as well pictures. The book shelf wasn't worth that much money and we were told by one representative on the phone that "the company likes to work with clients, so let us try and find it first and we'll go from there". We were told Nelly would follow up with us, again she lacked the backbone to make a phone call (we never made verbal contact with her again after my stuff was delivered, probably so she could have email records of her now saying things that were never expressed over the phone). They never provided us with a claims form and Nelly didn't even make it sound like they tried to find my lost furniture. She never provided any follow-up.

I'm writing this review in hopes of saving at least one person from the stress it caused me to use this company (And frankly, to cost them as much as they cost me) Nelly provided the WORST customer service I've experienced in a long time.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1100

Upon booking our move through Nelly we were informed that 30-day storage was available and included in the price. Nelly did not inform us about the type of storage being used so we assumed that our possessions would be stored in a pod until delivery 2 weeks later. We only learned from the movers that our belongings had been kept in a warehouse and that is was handled 4 times, namely: upon pick up, unloaded for storage, reloaded and unloaded for delivery. We believe that the goods were being thrown about instead of carried; otherwise the amount of damage would not have been possible, given that all items were very carefully packed with appropriate packing materials.
The damage included several furniture items that were scratched and gouged; a damaged sofa bed; a filing cabinet was so badly bent that it could not be opened; cracked lampshades; several boxes of broken dishes, glassware and art work; boxes that were missing - and we also received some items that are not ours. Obviously, Alliance warehousing plan is not working and there must be other unsatisfied customers.

We were charged $4,012.91 for this local move. Nelly did not provide a formal invoice in spite of our request for one. Failure to do so is a suspicious business practice, given that it may allow the company to avoid declaring income for tax purposes. Additionally, we were provided no proof that the weight on which the charges were based is the correct. We believe that the amount charged was excessive considering that, due to downsizing, we had only a few pieces of furniture and no appliances were included in the move.

In addition to the exorbitant price for incompetent service, we had to deal with movers who extorted from us another $120.00 in cash - supposedly payment for 'walking' from the truck to the condo. The 'spokesperson' of the trio threatened us with having to pay $300.00 if we chose to make the 'walking' payment directly to the company. In other words, these crooks extorted some easy cash form two senior citizens.

We have submitted our claim plus photos to Nelly to forward to the company 'Claims Adjuster'. We have not heard from the claims adjuster - and wonder if one exists given that Nelly seems to be the only individual representing the company.

Based on our dismal moving experience, we cannot recommend this moving company to anyone.
L. Jones, Ottawa.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4012

We hired Alliance Van lines out of Ottawa Ontario to move us across country.

Having moved 4 times in the last 20 years we were quite adept at packing and moving a household, and thought we were well prepared for this move. Early alarm bells went off however when they showed up to pack the moving truck. There was quite a bit of damage done to our home as they carelessly bashed furniture off of walls, door frames and trim-work, all of which required repair and or replacement.

When the moving van showed up to our new home it was a much smaller truck than what they used to pack the house, and as a result they must have used considerable force to squeeze everything in. It’s not clear if this was the cause of some or most of the damage done to our property, but in the end we incurred close to $20,000 dollars in damages, some of which was tragically irreplaceable family heirlooms. There was so much force, disregard and disrespect used during transport that they even crushed in the top of my stainless steel gas barbeque. Many of the moving boxes were crushed or folded in so badly that carefully packed and even double packed items (boxes inside of boxes) were crushed, broken and shattered.

We were completely mortified at the degree and volume of damage that was done to our property, like nothing I’ve ever experienced or heard of before.

These people ought to be ashamed to call themselves professional movers.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $9960

We were initially quoted at about $4500-$5000 for the move, which kept changing.

Though our items arrived in NB within a timely manner, when it came to unloading our items, the moves were brusque, somewhat rude and would talk over you when you tried to explain where you wanted your items.

It was very expensive for us, at over $7500, and we found that they wanted to charge us extra fees for moving our items from the loading dock to our storage locker because it was over 100 steps: an extra charge of about $200-300. My wife and I ended up moving our items ourselves into storage.

Upon unpacking, we found many of our items broken beyond repair, including family heirlooms, and art object collected on travels, despite these same items being packed well in storage in London for over 2 years without being broken. Our Christmas tree was also lost in the move.
When we called to complain, with pictures of said items provided, no compensation was provided or offered.

A very expensive move, considering what we lost and what was broken AND all the seemingly constant, changing costs.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7600

If you want predictability and peace of mind with your moving needs, please DO NOT USE this business. 80% of my items of my cross country move were either smashed or materially damaged. I used to be a mover and am really sad about how my items were treated. One item was an antique teak credenza that was put on it end on the bed of the truck with not blanket or cardboard protecting it which resulted is in the item being scratched up the door and drawer braking and the frame falling apart. This item was the reason for the shipment and it great shape beforehand.

In addition to the careless handing of my items, they also quoted me the shipping cost and then when the COD delivery came, it was 50% more at my door step. The also charged me for services that were not provided: long stair carry when I have 4 stairs at the receiving location.

Their claims department continues to not take responsibility or even acknowledge any mistake made. Please do not use this business, there are many other company that will treat your items with care for a reasonable price.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1700

There is a 5 minute scene at the beginning of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, where Jim Carrey does as much intentional damage to a package he's delivering under the guise of recovering a stolen dog.

I have to wonder if the apes hired to move our belongings were channeling this movie as they trucked our things across the mountains. We made the mistake of packing our things ourselves, meaning they weren't responsible for damages. What joy they must have taken hearing things shatter as they lobbed boxes labeled 'fragile' into the back of their truck.

Ours was a small move. The initial quote seemed reasonable. The final price was well over twice their initial assessment. And that was after reducing it by two hundred dollars when questioned storage fees that they insisted would be covered in the initial contract.

As we unpack our belongings in our new home, what was eager anticipation of starting a new life has turned into a drawn out horror movie as we unwrap the literal shattered remains of what were once important memories.

Congratulations, Alliance Van Lines, you have utterly redefined poor customer service. The bar for disappointment has been set to an unbelievably new low.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1534

This was my response to the final phase of my ridiculous experience with this company. I kept my composure the whole time in the hopes I would leave a happier customer. Most of my move was damaged, totally around $800 for new things - that I no longer have.

All good.

This is absolutely appalling and shocking lol. I'm just grateful I don't run a business with customer service being the last priority on my list, or work for anyone that has absolutely no cooth or conscience. Blessed.

Clearly this company is so hard up that you have to offer ridiculous settlements for damaging most of my belongings and are incapable of doing the right thing. At the end of the day, I understand this is how you've been trained and are just doing your "job".

No insurance was once offered to me.

And I even asked when I spoke on the phone with the agent, and there was no follow up. I see how things operate. And that's fine. I'm not the one ripping people off, so I'm good.

I hope that your leadership team recognizes the unethical, disgusting circus they're running and hopefully has something plotted on the road map to be better in general to the humans investing their money and trust in you. And that their belongings will be delivered the way they were shipped. And if they're not, a better and clearer understanding from the beginning with the risks of using your services, and that being a priority conversation to be had. Or the fact that mainly you will do nothing when it comes to giving a good experience and will take no responsibility. Or that your saved replies and macros are how you "support" your "valued" clients.

My experience from the beginning of this has been awful. Very poor customer support with passive aggressive statements and treatment when someone was actually typing a response themselves - and not leaving it to the generic copy and paste scripts used. I chose to just leave it alone in the hopes that Alliance would come to a reasonable resolution considering half of my life was damaged in Alliance's hands. 

I think my expectations were too high, and shame on me for thinking this would be rectified.

In my last stitch effort for your establishment to turn my experience around, I am left feeling embarrassed that I trusted in you to have the same level of care in my life as I do. And that you're offering and opinion of my personal belongings I worked so hard for, and my worthiness as a human/customer is a measly $45 dollars.

Just a garbage experience from the beginning. Way to go Alliance!

Maybe mine and other customers situations alike can be shared for feedback to your leadership and management team to induce change for any of the poor souls that will come to you and offer you their business in the future.

You guys keep the $45. Seems you need it more than I do. 

Best,

Nadia

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1800

We chose Alliance for our move, because the Nelly was prompt to respond to our request for a quote and was extremely helpful with managing expectations. We ended up moving more items than we put on the list for the quote, but the end cost was still reasonable. A few items arrived with small dings but that was because we didn't wrap them property on our end. Overall, we were very satisfied with the service from the office and pleased with the attitude and efficiency of the movers at both ends.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1696