16 Jun 2023 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
I contacted North American Van Lines (NAVL) for a move quote from Calgary to Qualicum Beach and was contacted by a salesman who worked for Alero, Canadian agent for NAVL He visited me in Calgary in May, provided information and a quote and I accepted the quote and booked the move for July 15, 2022.
There were a number of parties involved. The Alero salesman is in Calgary, Alero’s moving coordinator is in Winnipeg, NAVL apparently has a dispatch office in Edmonton and the company that eventually moved my belongings from Calgary to Qualicum Beach are based in Nanaimo.
On July 15, I was ready and waiting for the movers but they didn’t show up. I started making calls and discovered that the truck had been in an accident and nobody had been contacted so nobody advised me that the move was cancelled. Nobody could tell me what happened and I eventually learned that either the movers forgot to tell dispatch or they did tell dispatch but dispatch didn’t let me know. Remember there is also a “moving coordinator” involved here who never knew anything.
Alero scrambled and were able to pick up my belongings from all 3 locations over the next 2 days and put them in the warehouse. I kept advising people that they needed to keep the 3 pickups separate as they were being delivered to 2 separate locations and was assured they would. I wanted to talk directly to the driver to ensure he received the message and was told he would call me. He never did. Luckily, I called the warehouse the morning he was picking everything up and talked to him and he told me I just called in time as nobody had told him.
My belongings arrived in Qualicum Beach a week late. We had to rent a place to stay for that week.
My bedframe was missing the corner brackets so I had to buy a new bed frame. My desk, which is not that big, was taken apart for the move and was put back together in a shoddy manner and is missing screws and is ready to fall apart. My stationary bike is missing.
I filed a claim for compensation for accommodation and expenses within a couple weeks. I also filed a claim for missing and damaged items. It is more than 2 months since I moved in and over 45 days since I filed those claims and nobody has contacted me.
I contacted the driver when I realized my stationary bike was missing. He told me he had found it in his truck but didn’t let me know. I have asked him 3 or 4 times if he will have it delivered to me and I still don’t have it.
Throughout this experience, various people constantly told me they didn’t know what happened or that someone else was responsible. I have never experienced such poor communication or incompetence as what I experienced during this process.
I am guessing that the claims and missing items are not your responsibility but frankly I have no idea who is in charge here.
I would not recommend Alero Moving or North American Van Lines to anyone.
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