Great Canadian Van Lines

Great Canadian Van Lines was recommended to us by friends who had recently made a similar cross-country move. Having had a poor experience with our previous move, we were very focused on responsiveness and quality of service and GCVL came through big time. Sara gave us good advice (and a bit of a discount given competing bids) at the booking stage, and Harry and his team were terrific on both the loading and unloading ends. Our stuff arrived intact and on time, including a canoe, a kayak and 140 other items (mostly Frogboxes - highly recommended). We could perhaps have found a cheaper moving company, but we could not have found a better one.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6600

Based on higher reviews, affiliation with the CAM and above average price (based on 7 quotes) GVCL seemed like a good choice. On loading day (May 31st) the paperwork I signed stated that the delivery window was June 5-13th which was great since we would arrive in Montreal on the 5th and it would give us plenty of time to get settled in ahead of a new job starting. The set up was that the driver would call you 24 hours ahead of delivery. After not hearing from them on the 5th we decided to arrive in Montreal on June 6th with a car full of necessities to get us through for the next week.

After not hearing anything by the 12th, which meant the delivery would not arrive on the 13th I emailed to follow up. Our delivery window on the online portal had changed and now stated that the 27th was the end of the window, which was a full 2 weeks later than our original date and meant living without our belongings for a total of 27, rather than 13 days. The customer service person I connected with never did get back to me to explain this change.

The change was inconvenient but living without our belongings for an additional 2 weeks wasn't the end of the world since the 27th still gave us time to unpack ahead of the new job. On June 21st the driver called me in Winnipeg to let me know he was picking up our shipment. I confirmed that we would need a shuttle truck since our new street was too small for a 53 foot truck. He seemed perplexed and stressed about his ability to find a truck so late in the month, even though this detail had been known and communicated to GCVL from the start. He assured me he would be in Montreal by the 25th, 26th at the latest.

Fast forward to the 26th and still no call. I tried to connect with GCVL and had to call three times over 6 hours before I would finally get a call back. The rep I spoke to let me know that it was not clear where the driver was since there was cell service issues around the city of Winnipeg. Having just made the drive, I knew this was false. The rep stated that the shipment would hopefully arrive in Montreal for July 1st but that he wasn’t sure. He hoped to clarify on the Tuesday the 29th with us after speaking to the driver. This was not acceptable given that it was a) 18 days past the original delivery window that our contract stated, b) the new job started that day. Waiting until the 29th would not allow us enough time to source the specialized equipment needed for the new job on the 1st. Without the shipment, we would need to buy new work equipment and clothing at a cost of $900, on top of some less specialized things that needed to be replaced due to how late it was. After much back and forth, GCVL did agree to compensate us $900 for the replacement equipment. It later came to light that our shipment got bumped off in Toronto for some reason which caused the delay. The delay also meant that there would be much less time available to unpack and get settled given that the new job hours were extremely demanding.

On July 1st I waited around all day and after not hearing anything until 4:00pm I finally called GCVL. I was told the driver would call me shortly and an hour later he did call to say he was on his was and would arrive for 6:30pm. At 6:30pm he called again to say he would arrive the next day instead for 7:30am. This meant taking another day off of work. This was never compensated or acknowledged by GCVL.

On July 2nd, 19 days after our delivery window had closed our driver arrived around 9am. The unloading went smoothly though one piece of furniture (a tall dresser) had not been wrapped in moving blankets like everything else and as a result three of the knobs were broken and there were a series of new deep scratches that would require re-finishing. After another back and forth GCVL offered $100 as compensation for the dresser, which is not sufficient to repair it to the pre-move state. As always, I had to follow up with them and they would not reliably get back to me without prompting.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2800

They didn’t make the delivery date forcing us to sleep on a blow up mattress and eat out every day for a week. Additional costs we did not expect. They provided lousy communication on delivery dates while we waited and broke several items during transportation including an $1,100.00 dyson vacuum that was clearly dented and unusable. Incredibly after paying 12K for this move they offered us $89.00. This poorly run company only wants your money. They do not care about their clients or their reputation as they know you won’t use them again. Do your due diligence and find another company that cares. For those of us who have paid the price of using this company all we can do is warn others.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000

After my dad died (pre-pandemic), I needed to move a piano he left me from cottage country in Ontario to the Lower Mainland in BC. The original plan was for the Fall of 2021 but then the flooding hit the Abbotsford area so I postponed the move until the Spring of 2022.

I originally dealt with Lisa in the office and she was great. Once things were passed off the a dispatch people Emily and Taylor, things went downhill. They couldn't get anything correct wrt names and who was paying (Me!). They kept sending emails to the wrong email address despite me sending them corrections repeatedly. I know I was just one customer, but it worried me if this was how they handled things in the office.

Piano got on its way in May. The driver, RON, was outstanding, and helped out a huge amount. Piano arrived within the window stated, and on the day and time Ron had told me when he called. It appears to be in similar condition to when it left Ontario. I'm letting it settle before getting it tuned.

I did not have problems like others had but I was only moving one item. It did cost a lot as they based it on the minimum weight (1000 pounds).

One thing I did not appreciate was having to pay the full amount before the shipment arrived. Most businesses allow a deposit, a percentage of cost, and a hold back until the shipment arrives. They were VERY adamant I pay in full up front. Luckily, there was no damage.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $3000