Cactus Moving

Martin L on Cactus Moving

Rough start, strong finish

I hired Cactus Moving twice: first to move my belongings into storage, and later to move everything into my new home once construction was finished. The first move was very disappointing.

The day started with a truck breakdown on the way to my house. While that wasn’t anyone’s fault, the lead mover Anthony—who ended up doing most of the work—had to leave to find a replacement truck. The remaining two movers were unsure how to proceed and progress slowed significantly.

Since the truck was gone, they couldn’t load anything. The only option was lightly organizing items inside the house, but without boxes or packing supplies even that was limited, so very little progress was made while waiting.

When the office was notified, I spoke with a manager about adjusting the rate while we were down a mover. The advertised rate was $199 for three movers. I suggested a prorated adjustment since only two movers were working, but they proposed charging the two-mover rate of $159. Their explanation was insurance and other fixed costs, but from my perspective if I was receiving two-thirds of the service the price should reflect that. I had no issue paying the full rate once the third mover returned. It took quite a bit of back-and-forth before this was resolved.

The move also took far longer than expected. Anthony carried most of the workload and the second mover supported him well, but the third mover was very inefficient. He moved items out of sequence and left furniture sets scattered. For example, pieces from a disassembled clothing rack and bed frame were moved randomly instead of as complete sets. This later caused confusion during the unload and added extra time.

Preparation was also lacking. The team arrived without proper packing materials—only cellophane wrap—so many items had to be carried individually. This slowed the move and contributed to several items being damaged while going into storage. Screws and bolts were also left loose instead of bagged and attached to the furniture.

The move ultimately took over 10 hours and cost well over $2,000 for a 1,500 sq ft home (2 bedrooms plus finished basement), even after the discount offered for the inconvenience.

Although runners were initially placed on the floors, movers frequently stepped off them as the day went on. My carpets were left extremely dirty and I had to hire carpet cleaners and spend significant time deep cleaning the house right before closing.

Because my moving blankets were stored with my belongings, I ended up using the company again 10 months later for the unload.

That second move was a completely different experience.

When I called to book it, the representative immediately acknowledged my previous experience and offered a reduced rate without me asking, which I appreciated.

The unload team—Ivan, Gift, and Jon—were excellent. Ivan, the young and talented lead, handled the reassembly of furniture that had been loaded disorganized into storage and managed to put everything back together. Gift brought great energy and a positive attitude, and Jon was polite, hardworking, and attentive. All three movers carried their weight and quickly offered help whenever they saw me moving boxes or adjusting furniture.

I also explained my previous concerns about floor runners since this was a brand new house. This team handled it perfectly. They stayed within the runners and left the house spotless.

During the unload we did find several items damaged during the original move into storage. Ivan immediately notified management and I received a call from Owen explaining the claims process. He was professional and understanding, and I’ll update this review once the process is completed.

Despite the rough start, the unload experience completely changed my impression of the company. Ivan, Gift, and Jon were professional, efficient, and respectful of my home. Based on that second experience, I would recommend Cactus Moving in its current form—especially if you get a team like theirs.

Jenna on Cactus Moving

Had a fantastic move with Cactus Moving! Ivan and George were incredibly kind, friendly, and efficient with my move. They also assembled my bed frame for me which was a huge help! Definitely would recommend!

Christina H on Cactus Moving

Big shout out to George and Lovish who moved 4400 sq ft worth of furniture , in under 6 hours, during a snow storm. They arrived on time, with an extremely positive attitude despite knowing that they had to work in -25 degree weather.

This is my second time using Cactus Moving and once again I am throughly impressed. Highly recommend! THANK YOU, CACTUS MOVING!

Mary Simon on Cactus Moving

Thank you Cactus Moving! This is a second time we use Cactus! Another great job! Highly Recommend to connect with Hodi! Helped me big time with booking. Crew was also very polite and professional.

Meghan Rannells on Cactus Moving

We used Cactus Moving for our recent move and they were great! The office staff (Faye) helped us out immensely when we were in a pickle due to a scheduling mishap with another Edmonton moving company, and got us booked in as quickly as possible. The three men who moved our furniture were friendly, efficient and careful. Would absolutely move with these guys again!