Riverbend Moving & Storage
Reviews and Complaints

Do not hire this company, they will overcharge you and then not accept responsibility for the damage to your property!

This is my complaint to the Better Business Bureau:

I hired Riverbend Movers for my move & was given a quote but told if I moved some stuff on my own it would be less. They also damaged property.
I had a horrendous experience with Riverbend Movers. As I had to work, I had my mom there during the move. Issues started first thing when their truck broke and the team lead spent his time worrying about the truck as opposed to organizing the move. The estimate I was given was for approximately 9 1/2 hours & $1600.00, that was if I did not move anything before they got there. I moved 3 pickup trucks and 3 SUV loads full before the movers came and expected the bill to be significantly less. I expected the move to take no more then 5 hours with what I had previously moved, and an absolute maximum of 6 hours. The way they moved it was if they were dragging it out to meet the original 9 1/2hr estimate. They also damaged my table and bed frame in the move.

1) When the truck was broken, it seemed the lead was more concerned with the truck issue than organizing the move. This issue was not my fault and I shouldn't have to pay for time that he was sorting this problem out.

2) They were not organized and it took over 45 min or so to bring supplies up to my condo for packing.

3) I am told they took their sweet time on the packing, especially the wardrobe which was only 3 boxes with clothes on hangers.

4) There was not much left to pack as it was mainly the walk in closet, 2 cupboards of dishes and a drawer of cutlery and a few odds and ends. My mom said it was painful at times to watch how slow things went. They would also bring 1 tiny item on the dolly at a time instead of a full load which wastes time.

5) My table was damaged with a few chips on it and a few scratches on the top. It was moved without being wrapped and only wrapped once in the truck, so that is likely how this happened. My bed frame also has a large scratch in it.

6) The replacement truck was too small for my stuff so they had to waste time constantly reorganizing to fit it all. Again, this is time that I should not be responsible for.

7) It felt like they dragged the day out to get a full day and come close to the original quoted amount. I had taken 3 pickup truck loads and 3 SUV loads to the apartment myself previously. My mom also moved a bunch of small stuff aside for me to move afterwards as well as took some things down from my condo for them because of the rate they were moving.

With what I had left in the condo, I really feel it should have taken no more than 5 hours to do with 3 people and the proper equipment. The owner Wayne also needs to be more professional and understanding in dealing with customers instead of yelling and swearing at them. When I disputed the bill he was yelling and swearing at me. I think I have good reason to feel like I was being taken advantage of when they tried to bill for 9 1/2 hours. After arguing with Wayne I agreed to pay for 6 hours. However, at the rate they worked and screwed around for the day I feel like my bill should be no more then 5 hours and I would like a refund for the 6th hour that I paid for. I also want a refund for the moving boxes as they promised in the original quote which they are now refusing to provide and the damages on my dining room and bedroom furniture covered. They are refusing to refund the boxes as promised or repair damages caused by them. This is a very unprofessional and unreliable company who doesn't take responsibility for their mistakes and tries to take advantage of customers. The owner Wayne is very rude and unprofessional as well.

Time Frame:
9:10am - Arrived at 280 Fairhaven Rd.
10:00am - Finally set up to begin packing & moving.

They took all the time in between to pack the few remaining items and move them out.

2:00pm - Left Fairhaven Rd for downtown
3:10-3:15pm - Arrived at 120 Donald St.
5:00pm - Finished assembly of bed and unloading all items into my new place.
With travel time included and minus the hour+ they disappeared for between 2 & 3 that's 8 1/2hrs. Minus the other issues through the day & I feel 5 hrs is the max I should be paying for.

I am writing for a close friend of mine whom I assisted with dealing with Riverbend. Her furniture was picked up in Winnipeg on January 11th. She was told by the crew picking up on that day, that her furniture would be delivered to her destination in Cambridge Ontario by that Friday, 4 days later. When it did not arrive on the Friday or the Saturday, she asked me to call Riverbend on her behalf. I got hold of a member of their senior staff who informed me that their delivery window was until the 24th and the picking up crew should not have advised of any delivery date. The delivery window came and went, still no furniture. When I contacted Riverbend again, they said it was out of their hands because Great Canadian Van Lines was handling the move beyond Winnipeg. When I contacted GCVL, the said they were having problems with their truck which broke down in Saskatoon. When their truck was repaired and they got to Winnipeg, their said there was no room for the load. After another missed delivery window, the truck from GCVL picked up part of the load and delivered it. Riverbend, through this, could not give any info. They basically passed the buck to GCVL even though the contract was with them. Now with an additional 3 delivery windows missed, the balance of the load is supposed to be delivered tomorrow, 5 1/2 weeks after the pick up date. Dealing with Riverbend has been an extreme disappointment in their service and their less than professional attitude. When you hire a mover for short or long distance, you hope to hire a professional company with staff who are genuinely concerned with the care of your prized possessions through one of the most trying times you will go through. Riverbend is definitely not that company. My friend now must deal with claims that the head of Riverbend said she could submit for reasonable hotel and meal expenses although he said that would have to be submitted to Great Canadian as it is not their responsibility. Obviously for starters, if you are moving long distance, do not hire the local movers who do not have the resources to go that distance.

Let me start of by saying this isn't a complaint but just my view and opinion on this perticular company. Every moving company charges travel time on moves. You are charged from the time the truck leaves the shop until it gets back. For on the way back in most cases is averaged out to half An hour. If you live 5 mins away then obviously you will not be 40 mins but that would be something to discuss with the owner before moving. As for the 4 hour minimum complaint, I'm not to sure about that one. I would check the province and labour laws and see if that is right or not.
When I used this company it was good service. They came in laid down floor runners got the job done quick. I had a 2 bedroom apartment. It got done in 4 hours with 3 guys came out to a bit over 400. To me $400 for a 2 bedroom across the city was pretty damn good. Hope Anyone who uses this company gets the same service I did. Cheers - Val

I had the single most horrible moving experience with this company; the workers were slow, inefficient and rude. I had to help them move my items. They damaged several beautiful pieces of furniture and ruined the freshly painted walls in my new place. When I called to speak with the manager, I very calmly and respectfully addressed the issues - I am aware that being rude does not accomplish anything. He was so incredibly disrespectful to me that I asked to speak with the owner. As it turns out, it WAS the owner I was speaking with! They overcharged and have not responded to further emails or calls - except for one in which I was practically threatened. I am so exhausted by the whole experience that I'm giving up - I just want it to be over. Do not use this company if you think it will save you any money - it will cost much more both monetarily and emotionally.

Firstly, I booked a move and the date had to be changed because they overbooked themselves. Secondly, very rude and not friendly at ALL. They booked three men and there was always one standing around not doing anything. They put a HUGE scratch in a bedroom dresser that has been passed down from my grandmother. They dropped a box of my dishes (they were covered in mud and dirty water) not only did they NOT APOLOGIZE but blamed it on me that they dropped the box! Final straw, after moving my TV (which is a few years old but in perfect working condition) they ripped out the cable/antenna slot from the back of my TV and never said a word! It has been two weeks since my move ... not only do they take their sweet time returning phone calls, but it always seems like an inconvenience to have to deal with me. Still fighting ... I will update this once they actually speak to me about damages caused. I would NOT RECOMMEND them as movers! I will attach photos if they do not give me some sort of refund.

I should have read these complaints before calling these people!
After giving me an invoice for $157.50 (which I totally agreed with) for helping me load a U-haul truck, one of the guys said with a cocky attitude that I needed to pay for their travel time. In awe I replied that they NEVER mentioned this fee to me, not when I made the reservation on the phone, not when the guys arrived 1/2 earlier, just never until the job was done! So much for transparency!
Then, when I got my credit card statement, the transaction was for $236.25 instead of $157.50. Thank God I paid using a credit card. I plan to dispute this charge through my bank. I have the invoice that clearly says 157.50 and on the back, under "Terms and Conditions" there's absolutely no mention of travel time. Their website doesn't mention that either, it's just their address and phone number. No links whatsoever to "terms and conditions." After the facts I did some google search and found they have a page on U-haul where it says: "Outside the Winnipeg perimeter, travel time is charged." Well, I lived right downtown Winnipeg. That doesn't apply to me either!
What a shame because they did such a great job! But I don't think I have to pay for their lack of communication.

I was originally quoted $85/hr for 2 movers with no travel charges. The move was scheduled for Saturday at 9am. They arrived 1/2 hour early with 3 guys, not 2. They loaded very quickly, 30mins, but with very little regard for the things they were moving. I witnessed one of my stools bashing into the top of the door frame. I was extremely glad I had wrapped most of the furniture and extra wrapped my dishes.

We arrived at the house before they did and proceeded to wait over 30mins for the truck to arrive. When they did arrive they said "We stopped for a break, hope you don't mind, it's 4 hours minimum on Saturdays anyway". I was not aware of the 4 hour minimum and in fact, had been told the more organized I was the faster the move would go and the less it would cost.

They moved everything into the house nearly as fast as they had unloaded it from our apartment. They did move most of the boxes to the rooms they were labeled to go into and moved all the furniture to the correct rooms. Then they cracked open some beers.

We were then presented with a bill for $457.80, they had worked for 2 hours, not including their 30-45min break. The cost per hour had risen to $109 for the 3rd man, plus an hour of travel time. We should have paid $178.5 (2 hours @ $85 + 5% GST), instead we paid $279.30 more.

I would not recommend this company to anyone I know. When I spoke with Wayne he seemed honest and sincere. It was a great disappointment to find out how his business was actually run.

I received exceptional service from Riverbend Movers on June 16, 2010. They arrived on time, were very friendly and co-operative, worked very quickly in hot weather and did not stop for a break for the 4 hours they loaded, drove and unloaded. They were very careful and there was no damage to my possessions or homes. They charged what they quoted and there were no additional costs. I would recommend them highly. Dan

I had arranged for a piano to be picked up and delivered about half an hour out of town as well as a dining room suite which RB Movers had in storage. This was for my daughter. I told Wayne that I needed to know what time so that people could be home.
He agreed to call me thew day before the pickup. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.

I called the office # at 10:00PM to leave a voice mail that as I had not heard from him I had planned to run an errand next morning and that we would talk. at ten in the morning. When I arrived home at 9:30 his moving van was there. I said that nothing had been arranged yet and we would need to rebook. Then I was advised that I would have to pay for 3 people for 4 hours because they had messed up. The owner screamed at me, said he couldn't talk, claimed everything was my fault and then agreed to pay for the actual time required for the delivery. He had my Visa # and I did not trust him because I had the feeling he would put through whatever amount he felt like. After that he demanded cash in advance before the piano and dining room suite could be delivered. He said he was giving me a bargain at & hours. He said he was losing money on this (even though it was hid disorganization) and he would not give me any more breaks. He claimed he "was doing it my way, but wouldn't kiss my ###". I have never heard such rude comments from a supposed business operator.

I was shaking after this and had my son pay by cash. This man claimed it would take an hour and 45 minutes to unload the 2 items and that the piano took 45 minutes to load. I was there and it took 15 minutes. I frankly was afraid of this jerk. Please also note that he charges a minimum of 4 hours because he does not have regular staff but hires piecemeal and must pay temporary employees 4 hours minimum so even if he had a reasonable rate per hour you MUST pay for 4 because he does not know how to run a business.

This man and his business are incompetent, rude and abusive. If you hire them this is what you'll get.

Horrible company they don't do what they promise the owner (wayne) is very inpolite in the phone to his customers and they will charge you o try to charge you i should say a travel fee when they don't have one in they proffile, please check you options before you hire them because if you do maybe too late to have a pleasant move experience.thanks.

This is a horrible horrible company that completely and totally ruined what should have been a happy day of moving into my new home. first they do most communication on email, they said they would call me with their time of arrival a few days prior which they didnt and I was panicking as to when my movers were coming. When they did arrive my husband had to help them move the items and they refused to take others-they refused to take my baby's exersaucer for christ's sake but had no problem taking a very large box full of baby bedding which weighed a little more than a pillow. they also didnt take any of the tv's including one that was still in the box-did I mention it was a walt disney princess tv set that weighs less than my baby! To boot it took them over an hour to get to my house which is only 20mins away max if you hit all the lights and have crazy traffic. however my husband packed a load in our suv and was at our house and unpacked the load before they even showed up which ended up being over an hour and half later. they unloaded in less than 20 mins after finishing their coffees and cigarettes of course then demanded payment before leaving for a half a day's work-300+ dollars. when I phoned the contact guy wayne twice-HE NEVER CALLED BACK OR RETURNED ANY EMAILS. I have reported them-IF YOU ARE MOVING DO NOT USE THEM, THEY EVEN OFFER A DISCOUNT THROUGH A CENTURY 21 BROKER-THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH CROOKS. GET SOMEONE ELSE! AND ENJOY YOUR NEW HOME WITH PEACE OF MIND!