Mover’s Edge, February, 2011

United Van Lines/Mayflower Canada

Members of the Mover One Group (United Van Lines and Mayflower Canada) have just joined CAM increasing CAM membership by over 100 members to 375 members. CAM welcomes the members of the Mover One Group and appreciates their support.

Hoyt’s / Campbell Bros. Announcement

Two of Canada’s leading moving families have joined forces as one as a result of succession planning at the Hoyt Group of Companies. Hoyt’s has been sold to a new group of partners including Campbell Bros. Movers, Randy Hoyt and Barry Hoyt.

There will be a tremendous opportunity ahead for all of the staff at Hoyt’s and Campbell’s through the synergies created between the two companies by the new ownership.

The head office will be Campbell’s in London, Ontario. Barry Hoyt, Vice-President will continue to manage operations in Fredericton and Randy Hoyt, Vice-President, will continue to manage sales in Halifax. They will both report to Don Campbell, President of Campbell Bros.

Together these companies book over $12 million in total registered linehaul revenue per year with United Van Lines. The staff and management are very excited about the future potential of their two moving companies working as one with coverage in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

Conditions of Carriage

The content of the Conditions of Carriage on the back of your bill of lading is one of the most difficult items to explain in full to a prospective customer and to justify to a customer with a complaint. Disclosure is the first principle in the sales manual for sales people.

We have just had a couple of complaints come through the office in which a proper explanation of the conditions of carriage would have helped the situation. In one case, the consumer was claiming for damage to an item that had been previously damaged and to a piece of furniture made from compressed paper (even weaker than particle board). Had the mover told the consumer that he would accept no responsibility for either item in transit, most of the problem would have disappeared.

You should be aware that the term “inherent vice” has been taken out of some provinces’ conditions of carriage. (Inherent vice is the term used in Conditions-of-Carriage regulations to describe goods that by their construction are subject to damage in transit – particle-board furniture, electronics, appliances, etc.) This makes you responsible for damage of this sort unless you have the consumer sign a waiver or protect the goods in some fashion. And, of course, in the interest of customer relations, it’s better to tell the customer in advance rather than surprising him or her after the fact. A sample waiver form is available on CAM’s website.

In the other case, the damage claim exceeded the mover’s deductible. Had the mover explained to the customer that the claim would be handled by its insurer, a lot of back and forth communications would have been saved.

New Job Postings

There are several new job opportunities posted. Check them out. This webpage is becoming increasingly popular with advertisers and job seekers.

Scam

CAM has just been informed of a scam relating to credit-card charges for a move with an overpayment and a cash payment in return. The credit card owner then denies the charge to the credit card company. The mover has difficulty in proving the difference between the estimated value, the price on the bill and the amount charged. We thought you might want to hear about this.

Canadian Professional Movers Course

In 2010, 39 moving professional graduated from CAM’s Canadian Professional Movers course. Congratulations to them all.

The course focuses on basic sales training for customer service and sales staff. Elements of the course include:

• Estimating procedures: one module
• Long Distance Moving – Canada: two modules
• Long Distance Moving – Canada/USA/Mexico: one module
• Local Moving: one module
• The Household Goods Warehouse: one module
• Permanent Storage: two modules
• Office Moving: one module

Access to the course costs $300 (plus GST/HST) per year and allows all your staff to take the course and take part in our video training.

CAM Committees

The committees that were established at the Annual General Meetings in 2009 and 2010 are moving ahead with their efforts:

• Membership – revising the membership fees and recruiting a new class of supplier members
• Marketing and internet – updating CAM’s website and press release system
• International – looking at methods to recruit new international members from Canada and worldwide; working with the education committee to acquire international packing videos; and establishing a networking group among CAM’s international members
• Conference – developing a theme for the 2011 annual conference as well as acquiring speakers
• The Government and Consumer Relations committee and the Education committee will be meeting in the next few weeks.

A Little News from the Internet

Sometimes CAM receives a piece of news from the internet that relates directly to movers’ practices on both professional and personal levels. Click this link and then decide how it relates to the photos you and your employees take of customers’ goods and locations, and also how it relates to the photos you and your family post to social media websites.