Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Not at all — Darling Solutions is pleased to provide our services to anybody who needs them! We specialize in senior moving and downsizing services because we found that typically seniors need more support with these services.
That said, we are happy to help people of all ages, with as much or as little as they need. Many young professionals have enjoyed our turnkey transition services so that their new home is ready to be lived in at the end of their moving day.
Darling Solutions is proud to offer Moving, Downsizing/ Transitioning, Organizing, Declutter & Prepare for Market, and Estate Services. We specialize in moving seniors, and every client service is individually coordinated by our office team with high attention to detail.
In addition to our main services, Darling Solutions is also pleased to provide:
- Delivery of packing materials
- Floor planning
- Packing and unpacking
- Delivery of items to family, friends, shipping, or storage
- Dispersal of items for donation, recycling, electronic and/ or hazardous waste, and disposal
- Shredding removal and delivery to environmentally-friendly shredding services, with a “Proof of Destruction” certificate once shredding is complete
- Referrals to: cleaning services, contractors, appraisers, auctioneers and/or home content sale specialists, and more
Don't see what you need? Please speak with our office team - all our services are customized for the situation, and we would love to help if we can!
Darling Solutions is very proud to say that we have a 100% in-house team of professionals! We own and operate our own fleet of moving trucks, and our office and warehouse are fully stocked with supplies and equipment.
Additionally, each member of our team has provided us with a Police Records Check to offer further peace of mind when inviting us into your home.
We are very conscientious about how our services are performed, because we understand that sensitivity and situational awareness make a big impact on your overall experience (especially if it's an emotional day).
Like many moving companies, our prices change seasonally, and some factors (such as how many movers are required, distance moving services, weekend moving services, etc.) change our pricing structure.
In our experience, providing estimates based on the size of dwelling is not an accurate measurement! Some folks are quite spartan in their home décor, while others have content from floor to ceiling. By offering free consultations, we are proud to provide the most accurate estimate possible for the services you need.
Our pricing is competitive with other Ottawa moving companies, but our services are of a different caliber. We are more detail-oriented and service-focused than our competitors.
Previous clients have described us as a red-carpet moving solution, and we agree! In addition, Darling Solutions has an incredibly low breakage rate – less than 1%, which is exceptional in the moving industry.
We operate differently than many larger moving companies, from management to our ground-level operations. It’s the secret to our success! Well, that and our top-notch team.
- We provide free, on-site consultations when possible, and a combination of photo, email, and phone consultations when it isn’t possible to see the job in advance.
- We offer more than just moving services – just about anything relating to a move is something we can help with. If it isn’t listed, you can always ask us if we can help anyways – we might surprise you!
- We provide our team with their schedules in advance (not day of), and they get detailed descriptions of the intended services so that they have the information they need to ensure that each client service is provided to the best of our ability.
- On top of that, we pay higher than average (read: a living wage) to our employees, because we recognize that they work very hard for a living, and because the moving industry is somewhat seasonal so it’s hard to have consistent hours each week!
- Management works hard to provide a positive and encouraging environment for our team, and seeks out team feedback to improve the client and team experience.
- We do not book beyond our capacity to ensure we deliver consistently excellent service.
- We don’t believe in hidden fees – our hourly rate is our price for the service, with no additional charges for stairs, etc.
We provide mostly Ottawa moving services, but we move clients outside of Ottawa too - we'll do our best to get your things where they need to go!
Kindly call our office to discuss your needs - if we can't help you directly, we may be able to offer a referral.
We always recommend a consultation to estimate your services. This is because an estimate or quote based on the size of your dwelling is never going to be as accurate as one based on the actual realities of your move – people have wildly different amounts of “stuff”!
Darling Solutions offers in-person, phone/ email, and (in special circumstances) video consultations. Which type you have is dependent on your needs and the scope of your services. When you connect with our office team, we will help to determine which consultation is most appropriate for your situation.
All of our services are individually estimated. By that we mean that we don't use formulas or calculators - for every client request, one of our consultants will evaluate the information provided to create a customized estimate for your situation.
Darling Solutions will send you an invoice by email, after your service is complete (unless otherwise discussed with your consultant).
Payment is required upon receipt of invoice, and can be paid by cash, cheque to ‘Darling Solutions Inc.’, or INTERAC e-transfer; we can accept credit cards, but there will be processing fees in addition to the invoice total.
Our moving services are one hourly price, with no hidden fees. Our moving team will pack any large artwork in picture boxes, hanging clothing in wardrobe boxes, and lamps and shades in boxes or bins as appropriate.
The team will use moving blankets and stretch wrap to wrap and protect furniture before loading the truck. If there is furniture to be dissembled or reassembled, they will make every effort to accommodate provided that it is not overly complex or dangerous; please note that we will take wall-mounted televisions off the wall, but we do not remount TVs.
Once the truck is loaded, they will proceed to your new home, unload furniture, and then unwrap and arrange it where you want it.
Our moving trucks come stocked with basic supplies, including: tools, stretch wrap, moving blankets, moving dollies, bungee cords to secure furniture and boxes, and straps for exceptionally heavy items.
We also come equipped with tape gun and packing tape, mattress bags, picture boxes, wardrobe boxes (for hanging clothes!), and an assortment of boxes and packing paper.
Moving services are pretty much what you’d expect them to be – our team comes in to wrap and protect your furniture, safely transports it to your new home, and then places it under your direction.
Downsizing services are more involved – our team can help with a wide variety of services, depending on your needs. Downsizing typically involve packing and sorting before your move, moving services, and then an unpack and set up so that your new home is ready to be lived in!
No, not at all! Darling Solutions often helps people who are clearing out their remaining house contents once they’ve already moved.
No, and we understand that it isn’t always possible to be on location with our team. If you are able to label items or provide a list for items that are meant to go to a specific place, that’s definitely very helpful!
Our team is very experienced in sorting through Estates, and we can make decisions on your behalf for what to do with the remaining house contents. If something looks important, we can set it aside to ask you before it is removed from the house.
Darling Solutions can, in select cases (based upon availability at our warehouse), provide storage on a short-term basis for our clients. We are not able to offer access to content stored at our warehouse; should you require access at-will, we would be pleased to refer you to another storage solution.
Should our storage not be available, or if you prefer an option that allows access to your stored items at-will, we can provide a referral to another storage company; this referral will give you a discount on your first month’s rent with them!
No, Darling Solutions does our best to stage homes with existing furniture. We do not stock staging materials or furniture.
Our expert team can make suggestions on purchases, or look into rental furniture for staging if absolutely required.
Some realtors have staging materials for their clients to use during photography and showings – it may be worth asking them, just in case!
Good question - yes, you can leave packed boxes in your home, but we don't usually recommend it. Our team will make reasonable suggestions based on your situation.
Consider it from your buyer's perspective - this is their first time seeing the house. Our goal is for them to imagine what it would be like to live there; if they can't see half the room because it's full of boxes, they'll probably have trouble picturing their furniture placements.
That said, it's not always possible (or practical) to remove packed boxes, especially before a move! In a pinch, the most important things to remember are to make the boxes look organized, and to block as little visual space as possible in each room. Try to use uniform size and colour boxes and stack them neatly against the wall, labels facing out, no more than 3-4 boxes high.
(Bonus - using similar sizes and shapes of boxes is actually faster, as they stack neatly - not just in your house, but also in the moving truck and on our moving dollies! Non-standardized boxes can take longer to load and transport, as each one needs a bit more TLC to ensure they travel safely)
We are proud to share that Darling Solutions has been serving the Ottawa area since 2009. Our experience means that we've seen and assisted with a wide variety of situations, and we truly are specialized in moving seniors.
Darling Solutions is fully insured, and we are registered in all the proper ways - moving companies are not licensed by the Ontario government.
That said, we strongly recommend that you contact your current insurance provider to confirm what coverage you may have in the event of a move, and whether additional protection is required. Darling Solutions cannot legally offer nor provide insurance coverage.
At Darling Solutions, we pride ourselves on a less than 1% damage rate, which is exceptionally low in the moving industry. Should damages occur while your items are in transit or during the course of your move, your insurance is your best option for replacing the items at their full replacement cost.
Absolutely! You are welcome to reach out to our office if you would like to personally connect with some of our references, but in the meantime we can offer testimonials from other happy clients here.
Darling Solutions has implemented a number of procedures with the intention of keeping our clients and team safe.
Our management team monitors COVID-19 updates, and we adjust our procedures as a result to ensure we are providing our team with the most up-to-date information and safety measures to keep everyone as safe as possible.
The entire Darling Solutions team complies with building, client and/or retirement home policies on arrival. Our safety procedures include:
- No team member comes to work if they feel unwell! We will make other arrangements to staff the service, or postpone.
- Our team has hand sanitizer and/or hand soap, disposable gloves, disposable face masks, cloth face masks and filters, and sanitizing wipes available for their use.
- Our warehouse notice board includes an infographic from the Government of Canada on proper hand washing technique, as well as a summary of information on COVID-19 transmission and symptoms.
- We provide rapid COVID-19 tests for all team members.
Please reach out to our office if you have any questions or concerns.
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What your friends Say
Testimonials
The team knew where to park and the layout of both buildings – again good research. And although I was not present for the off loading it went smoothly as well. All of the team showed expertise and an understanding of the complexities of dealing with elderly people and their families.
We would definitely recommend them!
This in my opinion is service the way it’s supposed to be. I love you all thank you so so much
I would definitely recommend Darling Solutions for your moving needs.
Kelly's team displayed the same mindfulness, caring and compassion on the job as she did during the initial consult. We are grateful to your company for helping us through this. Thank you
I highly recommend Darling Solutions to anyone.
Again, we could not have done it without them! From decluttering and packing our condo to moving and setting us up in our new home, every member of the team was hardworking, helpful, warm and extremely competent. Their attention to detail in setting up our new place was remarkable. Honourable mention to the whole team: Kelly, Shawn, Ian, Phyllis, Barb M., Barb Y. Jack, Susan, Glen and Paul. Barb M., our team leader, and Ruth, in the office, were particularly good at calming a nervous client.
We recommend Darling Solutions without reservation. We can’t thank them enough.
Marj and Weldon
Adding COVID into the mix it was almost paralysing to think about. After a recommendation to Contact Darling most of that fear went away.
Professional, competent and most importantly Caring.
They made this move so smooth for my wife and her parents.
On moving day they left their old home and at the end of the day arrived in a new home with all their belongings unpacked and arranged. Completely stress and back pain free. The next day Darling took care of removing items targeted for donation and all remaining items for waste.
I cannot recommend this service enough.
Thank you so much.
Frankly thank-you does not even cover it. Your team, led by Julie, was absolutely incredible from the first moment we met down to the beautiful new plant for my mom and our goodbyes at the door.
They were so organized, thoughtful, friendly and polite. It was a sincere pleasure to work with all of them. I enjoyed the experience so much I am almost sad that the move is finished but happy that we will meet again when my parents are ready to hang their many pictures.
Again, I am in awe and am telling anyone with ears about Darling Solutions so they will hopefully in turn tell their friends and family.
Very best regards and please send our thanks once again to your team.