Empire Moving

They showed up 2 hours late. They had NONE of the supplies that had been discussed (wardrobe boxes, mattress bags, etc), which they were supposed to bring. Of the 3 men, 2 spoke only Russian, and the one who spoke English, it was his first day on the job with them so he knew nothing and couldn't understand them any better than I could. Before they started loading, they demanded a deposit and made me sign an agreement that was $90 more than what had been quoted to me via email weeks before. They knew I would have no choice because it was too late to find another mover. I was nearly in tears before they even started loading.
They handled my belongings like junk. I saw one of them literally throw my small rattan shelf unit into the truck.
Because they were so late, I lost elevator access at destination, so they had to keep my stuff on the truck overnight (gross, my unwrapped mattresses). and I had to sleep on the floor. I called the manager and insisted he send me someone experienced, who spoke english. he showed up himself and demanded I pay the balance of his inflated bill before they would unload. I showed him my email with the original estimate, and he basically said tough. At that point, my new super, who had been privy to my ordeal, declared that he would call the cops if they didn't give me my stuff. So they unloaded with a vengeance, damaging most of my solid wood pieces. To top it off, they drove away with my ladder and never returned it, or any of my dozens of phone calls. NOT professional movers. People, don't do it. Their website looks legit, and their emails sound good, but it's all a mirage. It was an ugly experience.

I hired these movers to move a 2 BR condo to a 1BR basement. They brought a larger truck than was needed and wanted to charge $65 per hour instead of $60. I managed to get $60 negotiated. They also charged an extra 10% fuel surcharge, which I was not told about and explicitly asked about when obtaining my quote. They would not budge on this. they were unable to get my sofa into the unit and their suggestion was to tear it apart and see if someone could put it back together inside. They scratched the walls in the condo building which cost me my damage deposit. They also put a tear on the corner of the couch and made considerable scratches on one of my bookshelves. One of the movers was often on the phone, and myself and my partner ended up slogging a lot of gear to make up for time wasted by this crew. They wanted up front payment before unloading the truck which they only mentioned upon leaving the old residence, and overestimated by 1.5 hours the cost, and didn't refund the over fee.

Basically they were not at all careful with our items, wasted time, and the company was NOT transparent with their fees when I booked the movers. Absolutely would never use them again and would never recommend them.

Hi, I just want to share this with you. Empire Moving moved me from Montreal. QC to Florida, I was so stress about going to another country and crossing the border, but they made it so easy and stress free. The agent on the phone was so professional and caring. I think I got 1st class service, the movers showed up on time and they handle my goods with care. I will always refer them for their excellent work. The price was reasonable with NO hidden fees.

Thank you Marie and Hakan and the movers.

DO NOT HIRE THIS MOVING COMPANY!!! I have been reading all the similar reviews and I MUST agree with everyone who rated this company AWFUL. I was quoted a price and on moving day I was told there would be extra charges for my larger items, when specifically I a asked about certain items and was told everything was included in the cost.
The movers were very unprofessional, arrived late, and took there sweet time moving my belongings when everything was packed and ready to go.

The most stressful day ever for me... I WILL NEVER refer this company.
Carina
Woodbridge, Ontario

AWFUL experience. Broke furniture, took private property, demanded more money after an agreement had already been made, came unprepared and even assaulted a homeowner family member. Do NOT hire them. They are untrustworthy, rude and unprofessional.

I wish I would have read the reviews on Homestars before using this company. Our move was from a storage unit to a house 5 kms away so the move should have been straight forward. A quote was provided which included an itemized list of contents however not only did the movers arrive late and in an unmarked van, once at the storage site they refused to load our appliances saying that there was a cash surcharge for them, demanded a $1200 cash "deposit" once everything was loaded on the truck, drinking vodka while on the job, damaged walls and muddy floors...In the end we were overcharged for unprofessionalism and left with both garbage and damages to a brand hew home. What should have been a 4 hour move ended up taking 10+ hours. The only reason we're rating them a 1 is because they did eventually unload our belongings, eventhough most of the boxes and furniture were damaged.
Not surprisingly the office did not return any message or answer calls during the move or anytime afterwards, even after filing a complaint with the BBB.

My movers showed up in a UHaul. Three Russians. They asked me for Gas money and tried to hold my belongings hostage when they quoted me a price that was much higher than the quote I got from Empire. We blocked them in our driveway so they couldn't leave and pulled the stuff off the truck ourselves. Complaint calls were never answered.

Avoid these criminals. There needs to be serious regulation of the moving industry.

Avoid this company at all costs. I was mis-quoted, strong armed and they left most of my outdoor equipment that I now have to move myself. They will not return my calls. AVOID AVOID AVOID
Don't say you weren't warned.

We were scammed as well last year (Mar 07) I wished that I had done more research as well but did not know that they operated under a different name. Here is how it all began…and worked out.

First getting a quote - dated January 23, 2007. It wasn’t badly priced and was quite comparable to other movers, however they boasted their experience, the care they take with your items, the courtiness of their staff, etc.

March 6, 2007 - movers arrive 2 hrs. late. No calls, only after I try to reach them numerous times. Moving from an apartment building where I’ve booked the elevator. They come in, first thing get me to sign a form (which I note has some additional info. that I don’t agree to so they tell me to scratch it out and initial). I feel funny about this so I try calling the office and leave a few messages. Also call my financial instution re: upcoming charges for move & they say I can only dispute - cannot limit - the transaction when it’s completed.

They move my stuff (which I’ve packed, stacked, and disassembled). The move takes no longer than an hour to load up. In the meantime they do not use a single blanket to protect my furniture. I help them load items into my own vehicle as I wanted to protect some (good thing!), I have to request and put together wardrobe boxes. Arrive at new house - they unload everything into garage, including a few broken items (lamp, table, etc) with no comments. Total time = 2.5 hrs.

They hand me a mastercard slip to sign & go to their truck. One guy returns and asks how I will pay their tip. HA!! You’ve broken my stuff, not called me to tell me you’re late and then this. So I tell him cash…but I have none. He hands me my mastercard slip which has a total of more than $100 more than originally agreed upon. I freak. Guys are gone.

March 9 - I send an e-mail as I’ve called a few more times and no returned calls. I try calling again…this is fraud. I finally speak with someone and they tell me to e-mail as it’ll be received faster.

March 14 - e-mail again. Call financial institution - file a dispute.

March 21 - e-mail again after more phone calls. Each time I actually speak with someone they tell me the person incharge is not available and to e-mail. Contact my financial institution again.

April 3 - no contact from them

May - September - no contact. I am advised by my financial instution that there is nothing I can do.

That was crap. Stressful…and not needed. DO NOT USE THEM…they are a fraudulent!!!!!

I could go on and on about how unprofessional, unaccountable and just plain shady this company is, but if you have read all the other negative reviews above, you have a pretty good idea already.
I wish I could take out a full page ad in the paper to warn people about how terrible they are.