Whats Needed? Demand For?

[bcdel]

I am doing a survey to find out what kind of services would benefit Kelowna and surrounding areas.

This is not an advertising, merely a question and NO I don't want pm's or offers of work at all so don't do it please.

I am a former owner of several companies, all sold off in another Province and member of the BBB of all and for all.

My greatest interest and satisfaction comes only from providing an upbeat and honest service to people and by achieving that each and every time in the past it has come by way of dealing with people like they were family. (ok so maybe some families don't get along ha!)

So I would like to ask you to share this post and comment as much as possible :)

I am in a certain field of professional work that I have over 30 years experience in and they are:

1. Moving

2. Delivery

3. Tax1

4. Tow truck

...Please tell me (comment only, no PM) after you have seriously thought about it WHAT service from the 4 mentioned above is missing?

Let me give you the areas i am interested in:

All the Okanogan area...sheesh that was hard! But seriously lets say, Penticton to Vernon.

I want to open a Moving and Hotshot delivery service...and now you see why I need some input.

[Myrn10]

It looks like from your experience and aims you’re on the right track.



For instance what makes customers here unhappy about moving and how would you make them happier than other movers or DIYs, say, if you moved an average two bedroom apartment full of stuff from Penticton to Vernon or vice versa?

[bcdel]

Thanks for the reply. This is the reason for the survey, when I started a moving company in Calgary years ago i specialized in 'emergency moves'.

I have knowledge from several years of it that pretty much ALL of the large companies (and some smaller) will 'overbook' moves on purpose to make sure their crews are busy at the month ends. There have been countless horror stories of people getting stuck at the end of a day waiting for a truck to arrive that never would. Hence also a notorious monster was (rental company), overbooking truck rentals or renting out a truck that was booked already. The worse day I have seen went like this:

I had my main swamper, a solid man that could actually work hard with me and we had just finished off three moves I had booked for that day and it was going on seven thirty that evening. (started 8-am)

As we were folding the moving pads in the truck preparing to end our day a lady came running up to us, she lived in another apartment on the same block and had spotted the truck...

'Sir! Are you able to move me? I had a truck booked and they just called and told me a hose was broke on the engine and won't be able to make it'

I asked what company and then I replied 'trust me, their hose is always broken when they had enough for the day'

She was so peed off she phoned them from her cell in front of me an asked the idiot on the other end 'how many times' has the hose broken on the truck. He hung up on her. Say no more.

So, me and my swamper looked at each other and said OK...lets help her.

We got her moved all said and done by 11pm that night, she was so happy she tipped us 200 bucks.

11;45 ish as we are making our way home and i get a cell call.

Another lady tells me she is so desperate as the house is sold and she is moving into a three story condo walk up (omg i cringe at those) and possession time for her 'sold house' is 10 am.

I asked what happened, why so late and she told me the other company kept on stalling her all evening as she was booked for around five-ish and now they just phoned her and said sorry the 'truck broke down'. I jokingly asked her if it was a 'hose' problem.

She said the caller said something about the engine...she got insulted when i cracked up...i had to apologize and explained.

So..I also told her her move would take about five hours and it was 'after hours' and two of us dead already.

She said 'i don't care what you charge me please help me' I didnt gouge her but I gave her a 150 dollar an hour rate which she wanted to hug me over the phone for.

I made a deal to split this whole move with my swamper.

When we were done around 6-ish in the morning, she give us the pay and a 500 dollar tip to split.

My swamper was overjoyed...overtired...and we went home and slept two hours and did another days work.

Just a share of nigtmares, but that was a loooong dedicated day.

Another thing some goofballs do is book a flat rate move and then double or add lots to the bill at the end. I have NEVER done this and abhor it. If a dedicated mover actually cares about people they should know when they get to a job whether they have way undercut their pricing.

Theres many tricks these scab movers do. Sickening and thats why i was a dedicated member of the BBB.

Then theres careless ones, throw and break stuff.

Not ALL companies are bad, so take it with a grain of salt.

If we could get some shares from people who've had bad experiences with moving and delivery (please no names or bashing) just what happened. Keep the company name out of this thread please, I am not here to bash but to correct and supply if needed.

It looks like from your experience and aims you’re on the right track.



For instance what makes customers here unhappy about moving and how would you make them happier than other movers or DIYs, say, if you moved an average two bedroom apartment full of stuff from Penticton to Vernon or vice versa?

[Myrn10]

These are end of the month moves that were booked well in advance:
On one move when I was still living at home they showed up really late and the floor of the truck had a big hole bashed in it. Yikes! But like you say, we needed to let them go ahead, and everything worked out fine.
On another move when I was still at home I watched a quy 'control' roll our unboxed 32" TV down the carpeted stairs rather than carry it. It worked okay afterwards.
Another move, a few things went to the wrong place, but we got them back.
The move after I'd moved out from home, the two of us booked and rented a truck and did it ourselves from our third floor apartment with no elevator to a third floor apartment with an elevator. It went great. No appliances and lack of money can motivate.
My last move didn't happen at the end of the month, and I did it with the essentials in my car and a friend brought what was left in a pickup.
I saved and flattened all my boxes on that one, and I would do it the same way the next time because I still don't have a lot of stuff and money. But if I did, I think I would look you up.

[Myrn10]

Afterthought:
I wonder if there would be a market here for specializing in moving seniors into seniors’ homes.
With my grandmother, there was stuff to split up from a big house and deliver to three places in one go.
An empathetic person like you might do well at that.