The Consumer Complaints Blog

I chose North American to handle my move based on a service level that was promoted and promised by one of the contracted agents – Randy who worked with East Coast moving. He conducted an assessment of our needs, sized up the location, he arranged for the driver and crew assembled to handle the move.

Upon arriving, the tractor trailer was too large to properly navigate the driveway. It ended up tearing up a significant portion of my lower driveway as well as denting a significant portion of my front lawn. They did not go for another vehicle because they were in too much of a hurry. No offer of compensation was made. In fact, the driver told us that NorthAmerican would not even cover his costs of a dented fender. There appears to be a trend here with the company not acknowledging responsibility in any manner.

In Northamerican’s response letter to my initial complaint, they asserted the Driver was not instructed to load the treadmill. That is factually incorrect. We walked through the house with the driver and movers, gave specific instructions on which items were to be moved and which ones weren’t. The treadmill was labeled with a tag to be moved and even listed on the move sheet. In spite of this, it was not moved. The driver further admitted to us in Calgary that he recalled the treadmill, that it was supposed to be included with the filing cabinet and that he “…should not have had the 16 year old kid do the final walk through”. The fact was, they delegated and were in too much of a hurry.

In addition to not following proper instructions, the movers were also advised that specific items that were instructed not to be moved (front porch wicker furniture) and yet they were loaded. When we caught the mistake while they were still loading, they advised us that it was too far in the truck and would require a major effort to unload to get to it and that they did not have time. Again – in too much of a hurry.

They then claimed it was a courtesy to return later to attempt to get the treadmill, when in fact it was their responsibility and a major inconvenience for us to have to come back. We were called by the movers on Friday (two days after the load) at my parents – who accepted the call. The moving team advised my parents that they were 30 minutes away (at another location in New River Beach, New Brunswick) and would be down around 3 pm that day. Given that we were handing over possession of the house at 5 pm that day, we waited until the very last minute for the movers to arrive. They showed up around 6 – at which time the house was locked and we no longer had access. The only things that could be recovered were the outdoor lamps (which also then went missing in the transition).

They claimed that all items were delivered to our place of residence. This is also incorrect. The driver advised us on arrival that he had a crew available but only a short window of time to unload and that it would be quicker not to use the check off list on items delivered. Once again we get the “hurried” statement. He advised us that in signing the move sheet, we were not confirming receipt of all items, just acknowledging that they had made delivery of inventory on the truck. He struck out the treadmill off the sheet and indicated that this was to validate that it should have been moved, but did not arrive. He assured us that we could resolve this in filing a claim through Randy (the initial sales Rep we worked with).

When we contacted Randy, he told us he had “sold the contract” – in essence saying “I’ve got paid – no longer my responsibility”. There wa sno offer to follow up on our behalf. It was only at this time that we realized that he was not an employee, but an agent. He advised us that we should call the owner of east Coast Moving (subcontracted by NorthAmerican I assume) and resolve the issue with him. When we called the owner, he said that he would make an attempt to pick up the filing cabinet and treadmill at a time when “it was convenient for them” – saying that it should be picked up and shipped within 2 – 4 weeks. We never received any phone call or update for two months. When I called back after that time I learned that he had the filing cabinet sitting in a warehouse “for a while” and that the treadmill was unaccounted for. I advised him that I would be filing a claim.

I then talked with Sirva (parent company of NorthAmerican), I received an initial customer feedback form. I completed it with similar information, but never received a response.

In my responses with Sirva they said on three different occasions that they would get back to me within a certain time. This never happened and I was the one who had to call back a few weeks later on each event.

The reasons why provided them saying that the claim should be paid as requested
· The driver was specifically instructed to include the treadmill and filing cabinet.
· These items were tagged (verified by myself, my wife and even acknowledged by the driver) to be picked up. This was further validated in the fact that it was initially recorded on the sheet to be picked up and then voided on the other end to indicate it never arrived.
· The driver acknowledged that these items were missed at time of pickup and even admitted he made a mistake in sending a 16 year old back through the final walk through
· We were never advised that it was our responsibility to be present for the final walk through. The driver’s left before the scheduled departure time – another indication of them being in a hurry.
· My driveway and lawn were chewed up in the process of trying to navigate the driveway with too large a vehicle – even though the moving agent (Randy) had assessed the location previously.
· The movers demonstrated a further inability to follow instructions in loading the wicker furniture. They were reluctant to unload when the mistake was found
· Clear lack of and misleading information was provided to us the customer when we were not made aware that we were dealing with an agent and a subcontractor of the moving company and not directly with North American
· We were incorrectly advised by the Driver that it was not a big deal to use the check-off list at the point of delivery and in fact, we would be helping the situation by not using the sheet. We were also improperly advised what a signature on the sheet represented and what crossing off the treadmill represented

There obviously seems to be an approach that says, what can Northamerican do to avoid paying a claim to a customer or resolving this situation. This, even though and the company representatives have admitted mistakes and misled the customer. We were very fair and patient in our claim and response. The service, response and follow-up we have been given is unsatisfactory.

This situation represents an extremely poor service-minded approach. Northamerican made mistakes that were preventable on their part. They caused damage to the property I was selling and various representatives show a high disregard for the customer and made direct misleading statements that must be acknowledged and responsibility taken for the fallout of those issues. I am very upset about this.

When I provided them with a week to resolve in my third follow up, I received absolutely no response – even to this day (5 months later). This in spite of the fact, and I directly quote from their representaitive:
It is our desire to promptly handle all claims in a manner which will be equitable to all concerned. You will always find us with an open mind, and a cooperative attitude toward our mutual efforts to conclude your claim in a proper fashion.

This company takes an approach “not our responsibility” and “what can we do to avoid resolving this with the customer”.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.