Movers: Ottawa-Montreal

July 21, 2009 5:30 PM

Moving from Ottawa to Montreal - looking for a recommendation for a good mover (or movers I should not use).

I will be moving to Montreal at the end of the summer. I do not have a lot of stuff; the move is from a bachelor to a 1 bedroom. Does anyone know of any good movers who service these two locations? Alternatively, are there any movers I should NOT use?

posted by Lemurrhea to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

No specific recommendation, but if using a company get one that guarantees the pick-up date, and if it happens to be a long-hauler call-up the city of Ottawa, they can send someone out to put up signs and cones to make sure there's nobody parked on the street.

There's a site, moveit.ca where you can enter your info, and multiple moving companies will get back to you by e-mail with estimates. Be careful though, don't choose the low bidder if you go that route, and make sure you're dealing with the actual company the driver works for.

Personally for the 2 hour'ish drive and that amount of stuff, I'd just rent a U-Haul or other one-way truck, get a couple of guys off Craigslist to help load/unload it at each end, and drive there.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 5:47 PM on July 21

Pay the extra for a good, name brand company. They have more to lose.

After a few REALLY bad experiences, I now only use Allied. They outsource, but take responsibility for the quality thereof, and I've had GREAT moves with their Montreal team on many occasions. And the one time an item got broken, though they said the insurance only covered 16 cents/pound, they cut a check to replace it it because they said it was the right thing to do. THAT NEVER HAPPENS!

They're good people and the movers are cheerful and reliable. Yeah they cost more but worth every penny.
posted by Billegible at 6:42 PM on July 21

Oh, and Allied is national, so yes they should cover that route.
posted by Billegible at 6:58 PM on July 21

Last time I did this (in Ottawa), I used King's Transfer. They gave me one of the best prices and great service. I packed, they moved, single household, about 50 boxes + stuff (no appliances) for about $425, crosstown. King's provided some boxes. They met their estimate.

At the time, I was strongly cautioned to avoid the Two Small Men with Big Hearts franchise. Never used them, but others I know have not been happy.

Also, UHaul will sell you used boxes for a fraction of the new price.
posted by bonehead at 8:06 AM on July 22

Allied moved me Montreal-Ottawa on a company's dime and were awesome. Tippet-Richardson moved us from Ottawa to Toronto and were also very good. Both cases were 1 or 2 bedroom apartments.
posted by mendel at 7:13 PM on July 22