AMS Transportation Services Inc.

30 Reviews: Add Review

1. Good overall.

   They have delivered all my items from Saskatchewan to Boston in couple of weeks, nothing damaged or stolen, all was carefully wrapped, no problems across the border.
   I did experience problems others had - one day late for pickup (well things happen on the road), poor communication (they do keep in touch though, just relax), charge money right after pickup and before delivery (strange, but again relax).
   We all chose them because the quote was cheap (got mine from Relocation Services Canada), other moving companies were offering 2-3 times more than these guys, so you might as well forget those negative moments.
   Overall, they do what they are supposed - deliver goods from point A to point B cheap. In the end, I was pleased, so to do these guys a justice I am giving them excellent rating.

2. Deception and fraud.

     We contracted with Relocation Services Global (RSG) for our move from the San Diego, CA area to the Toronto, Canada area.  Jim Dixon was our contact at RSG.   RSG has a website that professes that they are the largest international moving service, and among other things says.

3. Stay away from this company.

   I would highly recommend not using this company. Contractual commitments in regards to delivery pick up and receipt were missed on both counts. Communication with sales and dispatch was poor to non-existent. The exception was when the company was looking for payment. AMS did keep telling me they would keep me informed of what was happening in regards to delivery of goods but never did. They missed every callback promised. Payment policy required full payment before receipt of goods which is contrary to all three former companies that I have utilized in the past. Standard practice with these former companies was nominal deposit; 50% of balance paid when goods picked up;and remaining balance paid when good delivered to home. Lastly the goods were delivered by one driver who was not aware that one item was an antique piano. If my landscapers did not arrived during delivery and had not been willing to assist with getting this item in the house, I am wondering how it would have been delivered. The AMS driver would not have been able to deliver this heavy item on his own. Not a company I would recommend or ever utilize again. .

4. Be prepared to wait, and wait and wait..

   I used Reloction Services Global, once the deal was done RSG just dropped off the map, I understand that AMS was doing the move but the person who quoted and was eager to earn my business was RSG, would sort of made sense that they'd be my customer service. The biggest problem I had with this tandum was the fact that RSG did specify on the email I got that the movers could take anywhere from 7 to 17 business days but verbally sold me the "fact" that they normally deliver from 5 to 7 days, 10 tops, after the pickup, with that in mind my family and I drove down with 5 day's worth of clothes. 4 weeks later, yes, 4 weeks! and major frustrations afterwards we finally got our stuff. If you do use this company just be aware of the 7-17 business days.

5. I wouldn't recommend.

   Im not totally sure how to rate this company.  They weren't good overall, but they did have some good points. I had asked for pick up on a date and they arrived on the organised time and they did a fantasic job of wrapping and protecting everything.  The only issue with the pick up was that they have a key on their inventory list for scratches, dents etc.  They marked on all items that could possibly have scratches that they were scratched on every surface.  This was even on very near new items that were in perfect condition.  It didn't matter as nothing was damaged but it is something to watch. Our problems came on delivery.  At the time of pickup we didn't know the possesion date of our new house.  So we asked them to store for a few weeks, when I knew the date I called straight away and I thought I was booking in a delivery.  Turns out it was a waste of a phone call. when I called a few days before the date I required my gear Wayne told me he would look at it tomorrow and see when he would be able to fit it in.  This is where it started.  We got a severe lack of communication, when he did answer his phone it was alway "it will be sometime late next week" or something of that description.  There was even one time he told me it will be next wednesday afternoon, then there was no more communication and we could not get hold of him.  So ever hopeful I waited at the house all day with the hope our gear would show up.  Of course it didnt.  We even offered to come pick our gear up from Calgary(we are in Edmonton) and they wouldn't entertain that idea. Eventually we found numbers for Waynes superior and we did get a date set etc.  4 weeks after we wanted it. When they did finally deliver he contacted a guy with a tractor trailer, which was completely inappropriate for delivery to residential propertys.  So WE had to arrange for a smaller truck to come and tranfers the stuff to, to actually get it to the house. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this company as it was a source of real frustration.  however we did get all gear delivered in good condition eventually.  So the feelings of  anger you get when you are waiting for your things do mainly disappear once you have them. Please note I did not actually choose this company, I booked my move through Global Relocation Services and they farmed my move out to AMS.  This was done without my knowledge. Also at some stage early in the process I asked for a receipt, the response I got was most people just look at their credit card bill, when I mentioned that wasn't really what I was after, they said they were going to get back to me, never did.  I later had bigger worries with this company so didn't bother with this battle.

6. Do not go with AMS or Relocation Services Canada.

   In dealing with the broker Relocation Services Canada I got the impression they had the best deal with all transporters and we ended up giving these guys the ok to pick our stuff up in Trois-Rivières, QC and deliver to Kelowna, BC. We paid the broker the upfront down payment and then we were told, pretty much, now deal with the dispatcher, Tina, here's her number. The loading went really well, the guys were fast, professional and courteous. We were told that they would load another shipment on in Ottawa (to Saskatchewan) so we were first on and last off. The broker told and wrote 5 to 15 business days for delivery. AMS told us they would weigh and we needed to pay full amount up front with credit card. We thought it would be a day or two before being weighed but it took over a week to find out what the weigh was. Of course the account receivable lady wanted to be paid but didn't know when the shipment would arrive So she transferred me to the dispatcher Tina who told me 'I'll know next week when it'll arrive'.  After a few messages and 2 WEEKS LATER, I finally got a hold of Tina who admitted my shipment was still in Toronto, on standby, waiting for another shipment to be combined with mine before getting it to me. Of course, the credit card payment had gone through and there is no way they will get this stuff out to me before AN ENTIRE MONTH! When I called the broker to complain, he referred me to the dispatcher, I sent an email and simply got a reply with a link to make a claim. No apology, not a single follow up to let me know the status.. I now have to run after these guys to get my stuff.. A car and almost 10,000 lbs of merchandise. We've been in the Okanagan now for two weeks with a 4 year old daughter who has no bed, not a fork to eat with.. And let's not forget the interview I had with no business suit on hand. I don't know when it'll arrive but do not use these guys, don't even bother to deal with Relocations Services Canada or Global.  A bad. EXPERIENCE from the time they got our money, almost $ 9000..

7. Find Another Company!!

   DO NOT USE THESE GUYS!! They will rip you off and not even blink an eye while they are doing it. Not being experienced with using a moving company. Did not know that they are suppose to provide you the proof of weight of your stuff before you sign off on the delivery. I ended up paying $600 more than what I was quoted. I have asked for the waybill and have not received it. STAY AWAY!!

8. AMS movers - unreliable, untrustworthy, unethical.

   This company dropped my large, oak table while unloading - a mover had to go to the hospital because the ramp had not been properly attached and the table landed partly on him. The man in charge made note on our furniture release forms that the table had been dropped, he then told me that I had to sign each page or they couldn't leave, and that the claims department would accept his note.  I just received a snarky letter with the furniture release forms highlighted where I had signed (and in other spots) informing me that because I had signed for the furniture, I had taken responsibility for the damage. Never use this company or its associated moving service provider - Relocation Services Canada.

9. Ohio to BC move.

   Do not use this moving company.  We hired relocation services Canada for a move from Ohio, USA to BC, Canada and AMS handled the move.  The dispatch and driver who did the pickup were great and if they had done the entire thing, we would have been happy.  However, Wayne, the dispatch in Calgary who handled our delivery was terrible.  He showed up 1 hour late at the Canada customs clearinghouse after he'd confirmed 10 minutes before our appointment that he would be on time.  On multiple occasions, he told us he would call us to tell us when our delivery time would be.  He did not call us a single time, and when we called him, he denied saying he would call us.  He refused to give us a specific delivery time (he wouldn't even confirm a delivery day until the day before), but instead said the delivery would be late afternoon the day before the delivery ended up coming, so we wasted an afternoon waiting.  He also refused to give us the driver's phone number so we had no way of checking on our delivery time.  Whenever we spoke to him, Wayne was rude and unprofessional. There was damage to a few pieces of furniture, but that was minimal.  If there is any chance that Wayne is handling your move, I would avoid this company.

10. DONT USE AMS Transportation for Moving.

    I hired Relocation Services Canada to move me from  Ontario to Alberta. Relocation Canada contracted my move out to AMS transportation. My contract stated my belongings would arrive in 7-10 business day. My belongings arrived after 15 business days  following several attempts to get them to honor the time spread on the contract. Wayne their rep in Calgary was very rude and in-sensitive to my plight.  When the items arrived several items of furniture and electronics  were damaged, and duly noted by the delivery driver. When I submitted my damaged claim having paid almost $500 for extra insurance coverage, I was offered partial compensation for  some of the damaged items. I have to take them to court to get full compensation. Pay attention to the inventory sheet at pick up  and look for the codes Sc, ch, etc meaning chipped scratched, they assigned these codes to my brand new furniture, luckily they were not damaged during transit. If they were I would not have any claim because by signing the sheet you are agreeing that the items were damaged before pickup. DON'T USE THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR RELOCATION, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

11. Terrible Customer Service, Confusion and Lack of Original Info.

    We originally went with moving.ca Two Small Men with Big Hearts because they were great to deal with and customer service along with quote was fantastic. I was then told my file was being passed on to Wayne the dispatch at AMS Transportation. They based our weight on the amount of bedrooms being moved, were going to ship our vehicle and the quote was around $4100 from BC to Alberta. The men arrived very nice and eager to help and then the day got longer and longer and they were telling us we had to much stuff and no one told them to bring 3 guys instead of 2. They couldn't bring the vehicle in the same load as promised and sent it days later. Once delivered to the storage locker items had to be taken off the truck and sorted a bit due to being in storage a while. The driver Dan was completely abusive and neurotic, was yelling and swearing at us in front of my daughter about how his job was to empty the trailer and get the F out of there. He was un-willing to help us load the locker like we needed it done. He began belittling us, mocking us and throwing fits about how we were doing things. A video was taken of the driver/mover Dan and forwarded to their head office. We had damaged items and his response was "not my problem!"DO NOT HIRE these people or if your move gets sold to them then cancel it!

12. Horrible!!

    Deliberately smashed my things. Delivered my stuff very late. Only sent ONE MAN to move my stuff. I had to hire 3 day workers out of my own pocket to help him. Wayne the dispatcher is abusive and completely unprofessional. Relocation Services Canada sold them my move when I hired them. They are also hugely unprofessional!

13. Do Not Use Ams Ever!!

    Pick-up was a day late- no communication regarding this- I had to call and ask. At time of booking was told delivery would be on aug 24th, at time of pick-up I was told 28-30th. Today is the 28th, NO response to a half-dozen emails I have sent over the last few days. Called Marta at the Calgary office (the only person I had contact info for) was given contact info for Ontario and was subsequently told by them that there is NO DRIVER to deliver my things. and there won't be a driver until later next week, and delivery will probably not be until the following week.Since this move was booked almost 4 months ago, one would think they could have arranged a driver in that timespan. I was told they do not arrange anything from the Ontario office until the truck arrives- which seems both strange and incredibly ineffective. My entire household is somewhere north of Toronto, about 9 hours away from me and it will still apparently take 2 weeks to get here. The person I spoke with in the Ontario office, never apologized even once for the delay, was abrasive and short on the phone. Finally spoke with the supervisor and am waiting to hear back..and waiting..and waiting..  .

14. Do Not Use AMS Transportation.

    We hired this company to move my family from Ontario to BC in June 2011. When our stuff had finally arrived we had to pay for them to finish the delivery. The delivery guy complained that he was unaware that there was a single flight of stairs. He did not give me any time to mark off the incoming boxes to make sure that everything was all there, and nothing was damaged. My husband signed the paper only to find out that we were missing several boxes of stuff. Some was my son's books and toys. I also had broken angel collectibles. When I contacted the company the next day, they said that it was too late as my husband signed that all was there. I contacted the BBB, but they were of no help at all. We did not recover our missing items, nor were we reimbursed for our lost or stolen items.

15. Stay away from this companies.

    We chose a Moving Company (Good ol' Boys), got a quote and we agreed. A moving company came and loaded our belongings. What we didn't know was, that Good ol' Boys- the company we chose, gave the contract to another company - AMS. there was no communication about it - it was always the statemant: We will do this and that and you can call us. Not AMS. Also, we never get the full names and where the head office is. Not even when we asked for it.   On the way to our new destination, we got a phone call that we have to pay our bill before delivery. We asked serveral times for an invoice because we didn't agree with the final amount. We knew we had about 600lbs less what they charged us, plus they charged us 2% more for fuel surcharge. After we asked, they say:" It is what it is. You have to pay or we will keep your stuff." After several phone calls and involving BBB (no help by the way), we found out that AMS didn't weigh our stuff (dispatcher told us) and they just charged what’s on the quote. Seriously?? After another week, they weigh our stuff, not sure that was our stuff because it was not a professional weight ticket.   The owner called first my husband, yelling and my husband hung up. A few days later, he called me and yelling, streaming and while yelling, he told me:" I don't care what you are saying. You can not pay your bill that’s why you don't pay. I have that every day." Excuse me?? I just don't want to get raped. This behaviour is very unprofessional, rude and not acceptable.   We gave up and we paid because we had fear that they would charge us a fortune for storage.   When we paid, they didn't know where to deliver - well, no communication in the company as well!   Please make sure you get the company you choose, make sure they weigh the truck before and after loading (you have the right to be with them. Maybe they are filling up the tank after loading??). And read reviews! I will do that in future.  .