[Newsbot]

Title: Atlantic Van Lines demands single mom pay 4 times quoted cost
Category: Business
Posted By: Regina
Date: 2015-03-24 09:42:24
Canadian

[DrCaleb]

There needs to be some laws. They can't hold your stuff for ransom if they decide to change the terms of a contract.

[Zipperfish]

There are laws. And I suspect these guys have run afoul of them.

[ShepherdsDog]

$1:

Ontario law, where Atlantic is based, prohibits a moving company from charging a customer more than 10 per cent above the contracted amount unless the customer agrees in writing.

$1:

After the truck pulled away — and after Townsend had signed — Atlantic added more fees that almost tripled the bill again.

The extra charges included actual weight, even though the bill of lading the driver and Townsend signed indicates the estimated weight was within Atlantic's initial estimate.

It also added packing and warehousing fees, which were expressly included in the quote.

$1:

Ontario law also requires that a contract have a start and end date for the service and the mover’s name and address and contact information.

When Go Public called Atlantic Van Lines at the number listed, the person who answered wouldn’t provide an address and hung up.

We visited the addresses Atlantic gives on its website and on Townsend’s bill of lading and estimate.

One is a small auto repair business in east-end Toronto, the other a strip mall in Pickering, Ont.

The owners of both confirmed Atlantic has not been a tenant there. Kleitz did not respond to questions about that.

[BartSimpson]

Sounds like a bunch of people at Atlantic Van Lines could benefit from a right and proper flogging.

[DrCaleb]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

$1:

Ontario law, where Atlantic is based, prohibits a moving company from charging a customer more than 10 per cent above the contracted amount unless the customer agrees in writing.

$1:

After the truck pulled away — and after Townsend had signed — Atlantic added more fees that almost tripled the bill again.

The extra charges included actual weight, even though the bill of lading the driver and Townsend signed indicates the estimated weight was within Atlantic's initial estimate.

It also added packing and warehousing fees, which were expressly included in the quote.

$1:

Ontario law also requires that a contract have a start and end date for the service and the mover’s name and address and contact information.

When Go Public called Atlantic Van Lines at the number listed, the person who answered wouldn’t provide an address and hung up.

We visited the addresses Atlantic gives on its website and on Townsend’s bill of lading and estimate.

One is a small auto repair business in east-end Toronto, the other a strip mall in Pickering, Ont.

The owners of both confirmed Atlantic has not been a tenant there. Kleitz did not respond to questions about that.

Ok, there needs to be some law enforcement.

Or public floggings.

[Thanos]

I'm kind of wondering how a company called Atlantic that's based in Ontario got involved in the first place for a mover from Saskatchewan to Alberta. I'm suspecting that there's some kind of crooked little asshole of a sub-contractor involved in this, i.e. the clowns who did the move, and that they were subbed out by some guy in Toronto who organized these things out of his home and didn't know/didn't care what kind of scam his hirelings might be pulling on people. And that said organizer is doubling-down and making up a bogus legal defence because he doesn't want to be on the hook for what his subbies went and did to this woman.

[Zipperfish]

Either that or Obama.

[DrCaleb]

Thanos Thanos:

And that said organizer is doubling-down and making up a bogus legal defence because he doesn't want to be on the hook for what his subbies went and did to this woman.

I read stories remarkably similar to this lady often, and it's always blamed on the 'subs'. Regardless, it's Atlantic's name on the van, hold the whole food chain responsible.

And why can't they find the van? Do they often misplace assets worth thousands of dollars?

[Thanos]

It might not have been an Atlantic van though. When we left the house in 1999 we used Allied Van Lines but the day of the move these four other guys showed up in a big Ryder rental unit. Clearly for us Allied had subbed out the job because either their own fleet was booked elsewhere or they only use their own big moving units for town-to-town moves. I even worked a couple of days when I was younger for United Van Lines and the hiring was all done by a temp agency I'd gone to. Going by this I'm assuming that subbing out a lot of work is pretty much par for the course for the industry if for no other reason than it takes away the responsibility for vehicle maintenance and hiring of labourers off the shoulders of the primary.

It's an odd industry, full of crooks and other scum. It's surprising that we don't have these stories more often.

[ShepherdsDog]

A simple net search brings up this.
http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/business-r ... on-1279598

[BeaverFever]

This is unfortunately and old problem. I've seen stories like this on local news before and more than 10 years ago my mom was put in a similar position. Not sure if it's weak enforcement or loopholes in weak legislation but its not new.

[ShepherdsDog]

One of the first complaints was someone being overcharged after they added almost 1000 lbs to the actual weight of what was being shipped. Caveat emptor doesn't even really apply here....mind you a search could have possibly avoided this.

[Gunnair]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Either that or Obama.

I immediately assumed it was Harper's fault. You, however, might be correct.

[bootlegga]

Just watched the 11 pm update - Atlantic is planning on delivering the stuff tomorrow for only DOUBLE what they quoted her.