Moving Back to Canada

Canadian Expats and travelers in the USA can communicate with each other here!

Moderator: visaplace.com

ScottyMetJunior Member
Topic author
Posts: 18
Topics: 2
Joined: 5 Mar 2009
Location: Atlanta

Moving Back to Canada

Post Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:55 am

Apologies if there are other threads about this, but the search function is being entirely unhelpful, because my search terms are far too common, and it doesn't except quoted text to make things more specific (at least not that I've found).

Anyway, my wife and I have both been working in Atlanta with TN-1 permits, but have decided it's time to move back home to Ontario.

Does anyone have any recommendations for moving or shipping companies? We're in a 1-bedroom apartment, but we'll be donating most of our big items (bed, couch/chair, tables, bookshelves) to GoodWill so that we can start fresh. We considered just going with U-Haul, but after considering all the factors, having someone else move our stuff for us is just a much more attractive prospect. Plus, my wife would prefer it if she and I are in the same vehicle, and we don't want to leave our car behind (and I'm not really fond of the idea of towing it behind a U-Haul truck when I'm only used to driving a compact car).

Does anyone have any stories from their move? I realize that most of the people here will only have stories about moving from Canada to the US, but I figure it's worth asking. :)
Top
ScottyMetJunior Member
Topic author
Posts: 18
Topics: 2
Joined: 5 Mar 2009
Location: Atlanta

Re: Moving Back to Canada

Post Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:43 am

Just in case anyone is interested, my wife and I decided to go with PODS.

I highly recommend this company for cross-border moves. The customer service staff were knowledgeable. The organizational staff were really on the ball. Their instructions were very detailed, and having the ability to email them pdfs of my documents, or fax to a phone number that automatically converts the document into an email and sends it to the correct person was awesome.

The delivery/pick-up drivers were great. Friendly, courteous, and in the Atlanta area they are all fire-fighters doing some part-time work for extra money. (so please tip your drivers!) :)

Our pod arrived a few days late, but I allowed for the fact that there might be a delay before they had enough pods to put on the truck going in this direction. It crossed the border without being inspected, and arrived safely at the bonded warehouse (D. Armstrong Moving in Mississauga, ON, another great company!). PODS immediately contacted us with all the detailed instructions of how to go and get our pod cleared with customs, and although the drive to Mississauga took a couple of hours from where we're staying right now, the D. Armstrong PODS rep and the Canada Customs Officer at Pearson were really fast and efficient, so we were done with that whole process in under 30 minutes (including the 10 minute travel time between D. Armstrong and the Pearson Customs office).

Our pod was delivered from Mississauga to Oshawa the next day, and when we went to the warehouse last week to get some items out of it, the staff there were great.

I will add that, although it might have more to do with how well we packed the pod, but nothing had moved in the pod and nothing was damaged.

So, PODS does cost a bit more than other options, but I think it has been worth the extra dollars.
Top

Did you enjoy this post? Share it!

 
  • Related topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post