Ultimate Choice Movers

Moving & Storage
Toronto ON M1B 2W4
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Ultimate Choice Movers
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Reviews for Ultimate Choice Movers

Average customer rating:
9 10 (140 reviews)

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Joel in Toronto
Joel in Toronto
4 reviews Toronto, ON
10/10

5 Beroom House Move

It's been more than a year since I hired this company, just would like to thank them for helping me out. Lisa, gave me the packaging materials a month before the move and gave me some advice. This was my third move and I would say it was the smoothest. I would definitely recommend this company.

Approximate cost of services:
$0.00
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Laura in Toronto
Laura in Toronto
2 reviews TORONTO, ON
6/10

Residential Move with 2 Pickups

Researched a bunch of different movers and ended up selecting Ultimate Movers. They were decent, no furniture was damaged and they were relatively quick though my dad and my brother helped them out a lot too. They also were able to deal with the fact that it was street parking only and most of the street already had cars parked on it. The one thing is that they made sure to delay leaving so that they could bill for the next half hour. It was still cheaper than a lot of other places that we had asked for quotes from as this was a move from 2 locations in Oakville to a second-floor walk up in midtown Toronto. The next time I move I will likely use them again.

Approximate cost of services:
$450.00
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Mike  in Toronto
Mike in Toronto
1 review Toronto, ON
0/10

1 Bedroom Apt move.

I hired Ultimate Movers for a simple 1 bedroom apt move. Here are a few things that happened because of this:

-as I was asking one of the movers a question in the lobby of my building, he interrupted me to hit on a tenant who emerged from the elevator.

-as they moved an elevator load of items downstairs, they left boxes and my furniture strewn about the apartment hallway – not in the vicinity of the elevator, in the hallway, obstructing my neighbour's doorways.

-as my elevator booking time was running out, I calmly let them know. This did nothing to speed things up, so while they were taking their time downstairs I had to drag many of my items to the elevator just to ensure keeping things on schedule. Keep in mind this was a one-bedroom apartment’s worth of items.

-I was telling the movers that I was going ahead to the destination address while they packed the last of my items on the truck. As I was saying this, one guy casually tossed his wheelie-cart down, and it smacked against my TV, which was resting on a chair. I just stared at him, and he just smiled politely and seemed completely unaware that he did it. No damage was done, and he didn’t mean to do it, but it was a weird, cartoonish moment in this already surreal day.

While not great, these are all kind of minor gripes that I was kind of expecting to face on moving day. However, I was unprepared with the lack of professionalism that was to follow.

After completing the move, and giving the movers a tip which they happily accepted, I noticed they smashed a wheel on my computer desk. Not only had they smashed it, but they lamely stuck some packing tape to hold it in place. Basically, acknowledging that they were aware of this and didn’t tell me.

I didn’t worry since I paid extra to insure said item. When I informed the office there was a little back and forth to work out the details, but I consistently had to prompt to hear a response. At one point I waited a few days to hear back, and when I finally wrote to see what was up, they actually wrote back and said, “I was just about to email you” (not very convincing).

I eventually asked if I could be reimbursed, to which I was informed that I needed to provide a receipt for monetary compensation. I’m sure this is listed in small print on the contract, but my fine-toothed comb was still packed away, so I didn’t see it. So if you’re having something insured, please HAVE A RECEIPT AVAILABLE. Did you get that chair at a garage sale? Get a receipt. Inherited that antique table from your great grandmother? GET A RECEIPT.

I didn’t have a receipt available, so they kindly offered to replace the item with a reasonable facsimile. I accepted the offer and inquired if the replacement item would be in “new” condition, or “used”. I didn’t hear back. I’ve waited almost 3 months and haven’t heard back. Please keep in mind that this is a claim that I filed with the company, numbered and ordered which they neglected to deal with FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS.

Anyway, damaging my property, not ‘fessing up to it, and avoiding honouring insurance is what I’ve dealt with in my dealings with this company. I’m sick of it and I’m putting it behind me with this review. It’s your call, but I’d advise paying a little more and going with more qualified moving professionals.

-Written at a sad computer desk that’s propped up with a stack of books

*Also, here’s a special note in case a representative wishes to respond: I’ve noticed that while responding to some of the reviews on this site you’ve included the reviewing client’s surname, despite the fact that it’s not listed in their profile. I’m going to respectfully ask that you refrain from such behaviour, should you choose to respond to this review. Thanks.

Approximate cost of services:
$400.00
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Jennifer in St. john's
Jennifer in St. john's
1 review St. John's, NL
10/10

move

I am a consumer who believes in a good quality product or service and will voice my opinion on whether it is good or bad. When a product or service exceeds my expectations or fails them I have to give a review. I hired Ultimate movers last year. This was a first "big" move for me. My husband and I had just recently got married and were moving into our first home, being single professionals for quite awhile,and we had accumilated many things, a lot of which were quite expensive, so needless to say I was apprehensive about this move. I did some research and spoke to many companies but never felt comfortable until I spoke to Michelle. She was a professional from the start but also very personable. I felt comforted by her confidence in her company and employees, however; I still had fears about letting strangers move my precious things..I need not have worried..the men were hardworking, professional, and a bunch of great guys. Keith was wonderful and very curteous to me and my husband. Everything was wrapped and handled with care. I truly had no complaints...they really did provide us with a full service move..I have recently moved back to my home province and used a moving company here.This company did a good job but didn't offer any discounts and I had to do many things myself to prepare for the move.It was just not the same experience. I still have many friends and colleagues in Toronto and the surrounding area and have recommended Ultimate movers to them. I know that two of them have used this company also and thought they were just great. Thanks Michelle, Keith and guys, you are just awesome..the truly Ultimate!

Approximate cost of services:
$1,200.00
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Claudia in Toronto
Claudia in Toronto
1 review North York, ON
1/10

Moving

Not only would I not recommend this company, I would advise avoiding it altogether.
I used Ultimate Choice Movers in July of 2009. The move itself was decent. The movers were there at the tail end of the 30 minute window Michelle had quoted me and they worked efficiently and effectively. However, I have to comment on the fact that all three movers smelled heavily of marijuana both when they first arrived and again when we got to my new place. I did not think it was appropriate for them to be handling large and expensive objects and driving while under the influence.

Also, through no fault of the worker's it was clear that Michelle had told me very different information from what the movers were expecting. For example, she told me to leave everything in my dresser drawers and the workers would remove the drawers and wrap them. The movers, however, were quite dismayed by the fact that my dressers were not unpacked and for them it made things more time consuming and complicated. There were other little similar things to this, like taking my own bed apart, wrapping pictures and painting, etc. Nothing caused a huge delay, but I felt like I failed at preparing for the movers. Nevertheless, like I said, the move itself went pretty well and quickly and the only broken item I noticed right after the move was the glass of a picture frame. No problem, I didn't even claim it to the company even though I had bought insurance.

The problem began, however, when after a few weeks of living in my new place and settling in, I finally sat down to play my piano and noticed a problem with it. I noticed both internal and external damage to the piano. The external damage consisted of a dent and a few scratches on the finishing and the internal damage consisted of a damaged silencer. If you don't what that is, it's this big piece of felt that moves up and down inside the piano with the push of a pedal and it makes the keys play more silently. I noticed that the silencer system was not responding to the pedal when I played. When I took a look inside, it appeared that a spring and some other part had come lose from the area that connects the pedal to the silencer and it no longer worked. I also knew that this was a direct result from the move because it just so happened that the morning of the move, while I waited for the movers, I played my piano, on silent, so as not to wake the neighbours. All in all, with the external damage and the silencer pedal repair, it worked out to about $500 dollars worth of repairs.

Upon my discovery, I didn't think it was a big deal because I had insured my piano with Ultimate movers for up to $9000. What I quickly came to learn, however, is that insuring your items with ultimate movers doesn't mean anything except more money out of your pocket and into theirs.

In early August, I contacted Michelle to let her know what happened and what I discovered. Initially, Michelle was out of the office until August 12 and so no one dealt with my claim for a few weeks. I still wasn't worried because, like I said, I had 9000 worth of insurance on my piano alone. When Michelle did get back to me right on August 12, she denied "my claim" via email without even speaking to me. She stated that because they "did not verify whether or not your silencer worked before the move" they could not say it was their fault. Also, Michelle essentially stated that because she had never heard of a "silencer system" before, she was going to call it "an electronic system" and therefore I was not eligible for coverage...electronics in a traditional piano??? I was pretty dismayed by that response because, not only had I paid the extra money for the insurance, I had asked a number of questions about piano moving PRIOR to choosing this company to ensure that they knew what they were doing and to ensure that my piano would NOT be damaged. Still, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and thought she was confused about the piano and responded via email on August 14. I clarified that a silencer was not an electronic item. I also told her that I knew it was working the morning prior to the move and not when I played it afterwards in my new home. I also referred to the Terms & Conditions that she had pointed out in her previous email and cited to Michelle that "Any damages prior to move will be noted for further reference," and that if Ultimate Choice Movers had failed to note any previous damage (i.e., they failed to note that my piano was in good working condition), this was their own omission to provide freedom from negligence for the damage to my piano. I concluded my response by clarifying that I had insured my piano for up to $9000, and simply wanted this insurance honoured to pay for a $500 repair.

This is where it really got sad on the part of any organization.

Throughout August, I did not hear anything back from Michelle. I called and emailed several times and was essentially "blown off" by her. At one point I even emailed her to let her know I was beginning consultation with a lawyer for possible bad faith, for delay and denial of a claim without proper, prompt, and thorough investigation, just to have her respond...nothing. Into September, I continued to make numerous phone calls to the office and Michelle's cell phone to attempt to resolve this issue, but I was continually ignored and told she was "not there". On one day in particular, I finally got a hold of Michelle on her cell phone, but she told me she had to go, and asked me to call back in 20 minutes, which I agreed to. Twenty minutes later, my call was ignored and then her phone was shut off. All attempts to resolve the issue proactively were avoided for over a month.

Finally, in mid September, I received a letter from Michelle letting me know that my "conclusion of being ignored is incorrect." Good to know she got all of my messages, but too bad she was unwilling to actually talk to me. Michelle also made four points in her letter to deny my claim. Three points ignored any accountability on Ultimate mover's part and placed the blame on me. She again stated: 1. "We didn't verify whether or not your silencer worked before the move" and so concluded that it didn't. 2. Because she had never heard of a silencer before, damage didn't happen to it. 3. Blatantly: the damage was my "problem". The fourth point stated something like: if we were going to pay for this, which we're not, we would have to pay a $500 deductible and since it's about $500 to fix, it makes no sense for us to do this and therefore your claim is denied.

I was pretty upset with the whole ordeal by this point and pretty put off by the lack of accountability, lack of upfrontness, and general bad faith for services rendered. I.e., I clearly paid for a service and insurance to ensure that service does not damage my property. Not only did that service damage my property and the company take no ownership for it, Michelle blatantly dodged me and acted like a child who had taken a piece of candy and refused to give it back.

ALSO, I waited SIXTEEN (16) months to finally submit a review. You know why? Because after reading Michelle's responses to other people's concerns, it seems that the theme is that Michelle tells them she's "working on it" and their "assumption" that she is not is erroneous. I assure you, after trying to get a hold of her for over 8 weeks and waiting over a year for ANYTHING is a pretty good indication that Ultimate Movers isn't going to pay the money they owe me to fix my INSURED piano and they are therefore a BAD COMPANY to deal with.

Do NOT USE ULTIMATE MOVERS. If everything goes well, you're golden, but any issues and you're on your own, with a bigger bill than you expected and the company will not take responsibility; they won't even talk to you!

This moving company is a scam, a sham, dishonest, and not trustworthy. And they likely don't even have insurance, which is why they avoid any "insurance claims". Take your business ELSEWHERE!

Approximate cost of services:
$600.00
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Simon in North york
Simon in North york
2 reviews North York, ON
2/10

Move on Nov 30th

I've hired moving services before and although this experience was positive overall there is a good reason I only gave a 2 out of 10.

First off I thought the gentlemen performing the move were courteous and friendly and I appreciate the hard work involved in moving. However there was an 8 foot tall standing lamp they forgot that I had to pick up after the new people moved in. There was also a lot of sweat on my side helping them out.

At the new house I would tell the movers were to put items as they unloaded the truck, however if everything is dropped in a disorderly fashion you run out of space very quickly, thus a lot of heavy stuff was left in the garage because there was no space left in the rooms they belonged in. My wife and I were moving furniture for days on end because a lot of it was left in the garage.

Of course I don’t expect a perfect move and all the above is understandable, but the thing that I cannot condone is misrepresentation by the company. I was quoted for 8 hours moving plus 1 hour travel for a total of 9 hours. Michelle’s email said 9 hours was the MAX to be billed, NO OVERTIME to be charged (view copy of email below). With tax the total should have been $864.45, however I was billed $1179.21, over $300 difference. Also 1 less wardrobe box was given than quoted, yet I was charged for extra regular sized boxes I needed to make up for the omission. If a company cannot stand by it’s word then you as a consumer should avoid it, there is no excuse.

Plus, for that final cost the move should not have involved any work on my part, especially to make up for the unfinished moving.

Email from Michelle
**********************************
Thank you for allowing Ultimate Movers to quote you on your upcoming moving requirements. Your quotation is as follows:

* 3/Men
* Rate per hour is $85.00/hr
* 24 ft truck is recommended for your move
* 4 Wardrobe Cartons loaners for day of move only
* 20 Free boxes for your move
* Full disassembly and reassembly where & when required
* All upholstered items to be covered in plastic
* All furniture to be covered in quilted blankets
* Fuel Surcharge may be applicable
* Floor runners to protect your floors
* We are fully insured & bonded
* No overtime hours charged for over 8 hours
* No extra charges for heavy pieces
* Minimum 3/hrs work time + 1/hr travel time
* Based on statistics of a 3-bedroom move

Estimated time for this move: 7-8/hrs
Estimated cost for this move: $680.00 - $765.00 + taxes

Ultimate Choice Movers is known as one of Toronto’s finest full service moving companies. The day of your move, we want you to sit back, relax and let us do your move stress free/ trouble free.

I hope the above is to your satisfaction. If you have any further questions or concerns or would like to continue with your booking, please feel free to contact our office, (416) 724-9910.

Regards,

Michelle
**********************************

UPDATE -> this was response from moving company...

“Yes Simon: that was an over the phone estimation. Please read it properly and you will see that it states: BASED ON STATISTICS OF A 3-BEDROOM MOVE. That was sent to you prior to Keith coming in to give you the proper estimation of what you were actually moving. After the in home estimation, read the emails from your wife, Mary and see the correct information. I do appreciate your concerns but none are valid. I am not going to work on invalid information..... The date requested for moving is December 14th."

First off my move was on November 30th and not in December, my wife's name is not Mary, I am the only one that dealt with the moving company, no one came to my house to do an estimate, and who is Keith? The only estimate was the email I included above. Let me highlight the line 'No overtime hours charged for over 8 hours'

Approximate cost of services:
$1,180.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Jo-Ann in North york
Jo-Ann in North york
1 review North York, ON
9/10

Small move

Was moving from one floor to a higher one in the same building at the end of September 2010. Quote was provided, and the move went well. Movers (2) were friendly, and they assembled an Ikea table for me. Final cost was exactly according the quote and I was satisfied. Thank you Michelle for organizing everything to my satisfaction!

Approximate cost of services:
$320.00
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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The reviews on this page are the subjective opinion of the Author and not of HomeStars Inc.

More about Ultimate Choice Movers

OUT OF BUSINESS Duties and responsibilities for your furniture movers: 1. The movers will greet our customers 2. Cover floors and woodwork in the home to protect them from damage. 3. Determine special packing and wrapping requirements for items such as electronic, antiques, beds and appliances 4. Wrap all wooden ...
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