Atlantic Van Lines

We have never moved to another province and we thought we had done an adequate job researching moving companies. The company we chose, Atlanntis Van Lines was one of several we had narrowed down our choice to. They all were quite similar at first glance but I had a long detailed phone conversation with the company's Senior CR Manager Vicky and apparently we were not on the same page because what she told me that day conflicted in many ways to the actual outcome. Because we seemed to have reached a mutual understanding during our phone conversation, when she emailed the contract I did not read all the fine print as I took her at her word. I will never make that mistake again.
I left the conversation assuming: 1) Our stuff would be picked up in the morning
2) Our stuff and my mother's(who was also moving out of her Vancouver apt and moving with us to a shared home in Edmonton) would be on a dedicated truck - I had asked Vicky this specific question.
3) Our truck would arrive on the 1st as I had told Vicky that my fiancee was flying out on the 31st so she could meet the movers.
4) That the cost of our move would not differ greatly from the original quote.
Well reality was far different in every aspect.
1) I was contacted very close to moving time and was shocked to find out the movers would not be picking up in the morning but the afternoon which did not work for us because my Mom had to be out of her place by noon with everything cleaned. I had to get them to pick her stuff up the day before and then they returned to our place on the 31st.
2) So sure our stuff was on a dedicated truck when picked up. What we weren't told is that it would be moved to a larger truck and "consolidated" and would not leave until the truck was full.
3) This led to us not getting our stuff until one week later so we had to find a place to stay for a week while we waited for our stuff
4) Last but definitely not least..we were hit with a final bill of $5150..oh and then hit with an additional 3% for paying by credit card for a total of $5310..our original quote was $1850..so that is 3x the original quote!!
I understood there could be a difference once weighed but 3x the price??
They obviously lowball their quotes to get business and then the actual is more in line where it should be.

**Buyer Beware**

Learn from our experience and do not ever use Atlanntis Van Lines.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5155

I got quote for my move from California, US to Toronto, Canada. The initial quote was provided based on lbs and I had submitted the list of items to ship. Later when I paid the deposit of CAD 200 I was told that quote had increased by 1000 CAD as the space required is more in the truck for items. For the dining + 4 chairs + 1 bench the weight was 325 lbs and after paying the deposit when I filled the exact items in the excel provided the weight was considered 500+ lbs. The trick is to provide lower quote and then increase the quote once you fill excel (which has fixed lb calculations irrespective of the weight if actual products.)

The initial list of items that I had provided had two beds, 2 mattresses and when I filled the excel I reduced the items to 1 bed , 1 mattress and added two small tables (IKEA ones which are very light in weight).

I preferred cancelling the trips. My 200 CAD dollars deposit was not returned. I took hit of CAD 200 and saved 1000+ on my move. Lessons leant here on dealing with agencies.

Avoid the company. Telephonic conversations are not taken inti account and executive decline the terms agreed on phone. Make sure everything is in email else you would pay way above the initial quote.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3538

I had moved my stuff from Edmonton to Brampton in july took them a month from the pick up date to deliver the stuff. I was travelling with a baby so was very inconvenient as they kept changing and delaying the delivery date. The day I received my shipment my glassware was broken, my fans were damaged, the tupperware boxes were broken. No responsibility was taken by the delivery guy said to contact the office. On contacting them the sales agent jen kirsh sent me a claims form and told me it will take 4-6 weeks. Followed up with them 4 weeks later some anita lady sends me settlement offer of $20 for things worth $700 and says that's all I get accept it or leave it. I refuse to take $20.would like to warn everyone never hire this company please they are ripp offs and unprofessional and unapologetic people they have no offices so you don't know who to go to. Please do not waste ur time and money with this company. They are thugs who steal ur stuff and will give you $20 settlement for things that emotional value and monetary value. I lost all my artwork my pictures and coffe table. Go somewhere else to get your precious items moved or you will regret it.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3300

Worst company evere. Complete liars and scammers. moved from Ontario to Nova Scotia. Not only did they charge us $3000 more than our quote, it took them a month and a half to deliver. Everything was damaged, all our babies brand new furniture was damaged and her toy box was clearly used as a step stool because of all of the boot prints all over it and the entire side of it is kicked in. They broke our coffee table and end tables. Every single box marked Fragile was crushed and broken along with everything inside. Including a one of a kind mug from my dead grandmother, every last one of our dishes and glasses and more. Photos broken, torn, scratches on everything. Told us theybwere wrapping up some of our furnature free of charge then charged us $800 for it. Claims offered $30 bucks for everything which is [EDIT]. We are going to be pressing charges for the frauds they are.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4300

Stay away from these scammers. They gave me a quote to move my stuff. Then jaked it up another 1200$ after pick up and told me they would be 18 to 22 days delivering. They call and bring me home a day early cause they showed up 3 to 6 days earlier then tell me they would be here in 30 minutes and I had to pay them before arrival. Then once payment is confirmed they call back and tell me they'll be another 24 hours showing up. Most disorganized scammers I've ever dealt with.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2700

After reading reviews of basically all moving companies I was concerned about choosing any one of them. However I did need to send some things which included a dirt bike, a bicycle and a family heirloom rocking chair, from Ottawa out to my son who lives in Edmonton. After using a broker who sent out information to moving companies to make a bid, I ended up choosing Atlantic Van Lines. The main reason was the price that they gave me but also the fact that they had looked up the size of motorcycle that I was sending. Noting that it was not particularly large, they quoted me $100 handling fee to move it whereas other companies were charging between $200-$400. The contact at Atlantic was called Jen. She provided fantastic service, responding immediately by email whenever I contacted her with a question. I was given a choice of 3 dates for pick up, they called the day prior to confirm date and time. They arrived on time, moved all the items that included several boxes that I had packed into the truck and they had wrapped up the chair well to protect it. I was notified of the final weight and cost but already had an accurate estimate. The company also sends out an Excel sheet that calculates weight of items so that customers can keep track of what their shipment is likely to weigh, so there were no surprises. A truck was being deployed to their warehouse in Calgary the following week and did leave within the estimated time frame. We were notified of the anticipated delivery period, sometime between October 31 and November 5; then we were called November 2 to arrange the e-transfer payment and the delivery for November 3. The truck arrived with the given time period given and unloaded. Other than a couple of small scratches on the bicycle, everything arrived in perfect shape. We were so pleased with the whole experience. Having read so many terrible reviews I felt it was only right to post a positive review because they really did a great job.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $845

Please don't use that company !! my furniture came broken even if they did the packaging and the wrapping !! worst worst customer service I have had in my life !! they are very rude from the driver to their manager !! they are big big liars !! and finally their manager instead of apologizing at least she is telling me she can't do anything because she knows where I come from !!

Hi Anita,

I believe that insurance issue is in case the driver did an accident or sth unexpected happened.

But in my case, it was the unprofessional work from your compagny( employees) that damage and broke my furnitures.

I have paid 2000$ for a service that I didn’t receive it. You didn’t wrap well the furniture as it should be done and your driver said that, you driver didn’t enter the stuffs inside house. He pushed us to pay before getting our stuffs, otherwise not loading , refused to give a packing list. He was very agressive with abnormal attitude and insulting us. He was even about touching me and push me away. I had to deal with that, live this frustration and call the police. But, your driver ran away.

I think it is unacceptable to deal with customers in that way.

Since, I have paid for service that I didn’t receive it. I am asking for at least to be refunded or send somebody to fix the furnitures. That s not an insurance issue. That is mostly a compagny liability. I feel myself dealing with professional frauder and I hope it is not the case.

Hi Therese,

Thank you for your response to the claim and your feedback.
I understand where you are coming from and I understand your response. However, the coverage that you had with the move, we confirm with you in 3 ways:

1. Email quote which confirms coverage
2. Email confirmation which confirms coverage and offers the option to purchase extra
3. Moving contract where the coverage is offered

All of these options were declined unfortunately. (which is not true )

Without proper coverage there is only so much that we can do.
All moving companies in North America offer the same coverage to all long distance moving companies, and we are no different. Unless the customer declares a value or purchases coverage through a third party, our coverage is very limited.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

I actually had a really good experience with this company, a lot of the reviews here are negative but I'm assuming it's because bad experiences are more impactful to people than good ones. Anyway, I was contacted by Alex who is a broker that works with Atlantic Van Line. He was well-spoken and very transparent about what costs I could expect. Something I read a lot in the reviews was a difference between the initial quote and the final price. In my case, the initial quote that Alex sent was amended about 4 times as he and I worked together to get a good idea of my move weight. He sent me an inventory list form that auto-updates the estimated weight which I thought was pretty helpful/smart.

Was all pretty standard stuff to be honest, not my first time moving long-distance but was definitely the cheapest.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2680

We recently moved from Winnipeg to Barrie. From the start to end we had very bad experience with this company. We needed to move on particular date range and we confirmed with them before we booked but finally they forced us to move our things a week earlier. Also, did not deliver the items on time. Whenever we called them to inquire we had very bad experience. NOT FRIENDLY AT ALL. VERY RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE. We lost few things and every item has a damage or scratch. Still waiting for the missing items (> 4 weeks).

BY ANY MEANS AVOID THIS COMPANY!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2600

Very first quota was $875, and finally paid $2000. Delivery guy English is awful. Come in and said everything need extra charge. Call the office asked cancel the appointment and they said cannot be canceled since the driver already here! No actual weight. The weight depends on estimate, disassembly everything and not installing when they doing the delivery. Said 30 days free storage in the email. And when you ask for that service, they said not available at this region! Super ridiculous company! Not even want give one star for them. Never ever will use this mover again and will tell everybody that I know don’t use them also.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

My quote was $770. After paying my deposit (non refundable), they tell me my items will weigh probably way more than my quote. New quote is $1200. If the items weigh more than the new quote, they will add that amount on. If it weighs less than the new quote of $1200, they will still charge that.

I only packed what I needed to weigh the minimum to fall under $770..

How do you charge for EXTRA weight without even SEEING or WEIGHING my stuff.

I cancelled my move and will be going to small claims court even if it takes forever because people should not be scammed for this type of stuff.

Also very unprofesesional. Dispatch calls 3 hours prior to the window of time stated to me and asks "Hey, can we come by in 20 mins." Why would I ask for a time frame that works with me if I can literally be on site at your disposal.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $770

Not only were my items delivered 42 days LATE, and $500 more expensive than they had quoted me (they also whited out the freight weight on my form so that's a bit sketchy) there were items damaged and missing that valued almost $7,000. They offered me $30 as a settlement! Can you believe that? $30! A joke. Further, they left me with three boxes that were not mine, as well as a piece of a bed frame, that was not mine. So there's someone out there missing that stuff as well. Finally, when I advised them that I could no longer hold onto this person's belongings (I was waiting for their movers to come retrieve these things as they obviously belonged to someone) and let them know I would be donating them if they didn't come within 48 hours (I had been holding them for a week already), they told me I would be responsible for the lost items if I chose to donate them, and they would provide my private contact information to the owner of those items to set up a time to get the items or for me to PAY THEM BACK! Just absolute ludicrous and a massive eye-opening experience. If you have to pay double the price, it's WORTH IT to not ever have to deal with these crooks.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1900

This company is an absolute disgrace.
The movers asked my wife to pay them under the table while they were packing our stuff. She said no and they destroyed all our furniture. Thousands of dollars worth of damage including our baby crib. Our exercise bike didn't even show up!! They also made my 9 month pregnant wife move ladders and yard equipment from the backyard to the front because they apparently don't do that. The claims manager did our claim and we are awarded $50!! yes $50 for thousands of dollars worth of damage. This company is a joke and I would use anyone else before these people. It is disgusting how we were treated by the movers, the GM and the claims GM. You people should be ashamed of yourselves. If I could give a negative rating I would.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4600

I don’t usually write reviews, but I feel it a public service to let everyone know to AVOID Atlantic Van lines. This company was brutal from signing. Firstly, they get you to add more weight than you need, but the price will only change if you go over the weight (where they add MORE cost). If you come under the weight, they simply say “We don’t record the weight if it’s under” so you get charged whatever they talk you into. They were not helpful at all. We had to pay more and more money for different things. We had to pay $450 extra because they loaded the truck without us telling them we could take the rough the offered. It’s a rough date because they won’t actually set a date. So, if you have to book in the move with your building, they won’t give you a confirmed date. Then they held our stuff ransom until we paid the extra amounts. Refused to move anything until they receive all your money. Our building needed a copy of their insurance, charged us $100 just to send it over email.
Then to top it all off broke most of our stuff through the lack of care in moving. I had only 10 days to submit a claim for all the broken stuff valued around $700. They then took 10 WEEKS to respond (after I chased them up)…. Oh, and get this. They offered me $30!! You read that correctly, $30. No zeros missing. They changed the weights of the items I submitted in the claim and when I questioned it, they said “that the part that broke”. So if they break something that weights 60 lbs and its destroyed, they will find the lightest part that came off and weight that for the claim, despite the fact the whole thing is destroyed!
I’ll leave this with you to decide if you want to go through this. I have never received service like this and I’m an easy going guy.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

Do not use this company for long distance moving. The unload team were terrible, everything was brought onto one floor, items broken, boxes marked as fragile were handled upside down and sideways. I had four 16" winter tires but received worn out 15" tires in my delivery. I believe my tires were exchanged dishonestly and on purpos. Company claims a mistake but so far nobody else has made a claim of missing tires and it's the end of November. This company does not do proper verification to whom they outsource.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2295

Move from Fort McMurray AB to Toronto
Please do not use this company if you value your items. First, upon the initial quote, they do not tell you the actual pick up dates until you pay the $800(non refundable deposit). Picked our stuff later than the estimated dates. Then when we called to get the delivery date we were told it would take up to 3 weeks to get our stuff. On the fourth week we called and was when we told them that they broke their end of contract. We were told our stuff will then be delivered in 2days. Indeed they showed up, get this: with only a quarter of our stuff. The truck was empty yet we were the last stop. We were told to write a list of missing items, the following week they delivered more stuff, more than half of it was badly damaged. upon their first delivery, they demanded a FULL PAYMENT which we gave. Then we got frustrated and kept calling to demand the rest of our stuff, we were told to file a claim which would be responded to in 8weeks. When that time came, we were offered $30 for our stuff, I repeat $30!! To think that we spoke to the drivers asking where the rest of our stuff is and they told us some of the items we mentioned were seen in the warehouse but the lady in the office refuses to send someone to pick it up instead they insist on us filing the stupid claim to pay us $30 when we beg for them to just find our stuff and bring it back to us instead. Im beyond disappointed in this company!!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Moved Vancouver to Calgary. Worst service ever, picked up furniture and right off the bat shattered a display cabinet glass. Delivery was suppose to be 5 days landed up 2 weeks later and nearly every piece of furniture damaged. legs broken off things, side rails to bed disappeared, boxes crushed. Funny thing is I did not contract with these people, I went with Triple A Movers in Vancouver, who disclosed well into move that they are a agent. Was never offered extra insurance and neither Atlantic or Triple A delivered furniture, it was with someone else. Filed claim and many weeks later was offered the standard $30.00. AVOID, DO NOT USE AND STAY AWAY FROM BOTH ATLANTIC AND TRIPLE A IN VANCOUVER (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE ONE IN CHATHAM.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

Really 0/5. Quotes low to get business then raises the cost by more than 50% and won't release your items until you pay. Lost items, damaged our large screen plasma TV which was not even being moved.. Waited 3 months for a response regarding damages only to be accused of lying by the General Manager. If you have to use them, photograph every item in your house before they arrive and before they leave. Yes even those that they are not supposed to be handled. Horrible customer service. I cannot believe they haven't been sued or shut down yet. Overall using their service cost us an additional $3000 just to replace the items they lost and damaged, which they take no responsibility for. They weren't even apologetic. By far the worst experience with a service provider I've ever encountered.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1300

Every email from the company seemed to go up in price once they received their deposit. Overall move was nearly $6000 for a 6 hr move and 2 bedroom house. Once they unloaded, we found numerous damaged pieces of furniture, broken coffee table, water damaged on 2 dressers and our big bedroom dresser was wrapped in a gasoline soaked cloth, that left our bedroom reeking of gas for weeks. Damaged and broken decor, and missing items. I put in a complaint, called back after 8 wks and told they would refund me a whole $40! Absolutely disgusted with this company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

We chose Atlantic van lines because it was a bit less expensive compared to other quotes we have received but oh boy at the time we had no idea about their hidden charges and work ethics. During the COVID 19 craziness, we had to change our son's apartment at a university town. We were told they were going to give us a call for dispatch to confirm it one day before . On the day I talked to a guy who said we need to be there at 7 am.I told him that it was impossible since we lived in a nearby town 2,5 hours away and there was no way we could be there that early. I told him I would try to talk to the landlady to see if she could provide the key for them to get in and get back to him if it was possible. In 3 hours' time I wrote them straight back letting them know the lady didn't accept it, however, the manager told me my 5 pieces of furniture were already loaded and I had to pay $450 if I want it to be offloaded again. I tried to tell her even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to be there at that time and there was no way I gave them the green light to load the van , I even sent the email I sent to the landlady but she was so eager to get the extra $450 that she didn't even listen to me. I am not even going to mention the extra $722 which suddenly appeared on our balance check . I wish I had read the reviews beforehand it would save me a lot of headache .

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $900

I cannot even begin to explain this incredibly traumatizing experience. One star is one too many for this company.RI have moved many times and never experienced anything like this. Rude and unprofessional. I had no furniture for two days after said delivery date. Over charged by a third of original quote even though I had less things than originally quoted. All China and glasses smashed. On top of this no covid protocol in place at all Don't use this company. They are scam artists and have no regard for your belongings. I am still traumatized from the experience. This is honestly only the tip of the ice burg. Personal in office beyond rude.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2041

I hired Atlantic Van Lines for my move from Toronto to Vancouver. They did the pick-up and drop-off on time, and everything arrived okay except for my bike and I think that one of the people who picked it up stole it.

When they dropped off my things in Vancouver, instead of my 3-month old Specialized (brand of bike) road bike, they delivered an old, flat tired, probably hasn’t been ridden in years, cruiser.

I was obviously upset and called right away. They said to check the sticker that was on the bike to see if it matched the rest of the stickers on my things, which it did. Then they sent me a claim form to fill out.

I of course filled out the form and sent it promptly, but the “process” that they have is for me to wait 8-10 weeks without any details on what they are doing to find my bike. I am currently still within those 8-10 weeks.

There have been no attempts to pick up the bike that was delivered “by mistake”, which gives me very little hope in the process that they have to recover my bike.

What I think happened is that during the pick-up or transit of my things, someone saw that there was a nice, new, brand-name bike that they could sell for a good profit, so they took it, replaced it with a bike they found on the side of the road or in a dumpster, and put the matching sticker on that bike so that there wouldn’t be any red flags during the transit of the bike.

You see, they ask for an inventory of what is being shipped before they come to pick it up and of course, I included my bike among every other item, so instead of flat out just stealing the bike, they knew they would have to replace it with another.

My constant calls have gotten me nowhere. The only person who can apparently help with a claim at Atlantic Van Lines will not speak over the phone and when I email her, I just get a standard response that does not answer any of my questions.

I will update this thread when the 8-10 weeks are up to let everyone know what has been done to rectify the situation, but based on the fact that there has not been an attempt to pick up the bike that was delivered to me by mistake, the lack of response to my questions, and that no updates have been shared with me in the meantime, my faith in a reasonable outcome is very low.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1400

This was the worst moving experience I have ever had. If I could put 0 stars I would. Long distance move from Toronto to Vancouver. Unprofessional movers on both ends with no regard for wrapping fragile belongings. We had to intervene to have things re-done and items that we did not insist on were heavily damaged en route including a new custom-made wooden bed frame (leg broken completely off). No disclosure of damage and over $1000 in cost to us after the move for repairs. Had asked about additional insurance coverage and was not offered the option of submitting costing of our belonging to purchase extra insurance. Terrible customer service throughout. 8 - 10 weeks later they under-estimated the weight of damaged items to argue that they didn't owe us any compensation but would give us a $30 customer appreciation refund.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000