Kudos to the investigating team that instigated the downfall of crooks who prey on the vulnerability of the general public. Moving is such a stressful time as it is and to have unscrupulous operators adding to anxiety is just unacceptable. It makes me wonder though why it has taken Toronto so long to bring forth this rampant problem. Desi Movers and their aliases have been operating for the past eight years, but what about their predecessors? This is no new problem and one not limited to ethnic operators.

I was a victim when I was extremely new to the city some 30 years ago, moving from a downtown apartment to North York. Money was tight and obviously one shops around for the best deal. When I landed this moving company, they sounded very professional so I booked them. On moving day, they arrived almost half a day late and behaved with rudeness upon arrival. They had a laid-back attitude and did not care that I only had a few more hours of light left. They showed their true colours when I arrived at my new apartment. They casually leaned back on their moving van, lighting up cigarettes. When I asked them if they could possibly hurry up, I was informed it would cost another $800 and they wanted all of it upfront. Obviously I was shocked at the callous behaviour and refused; they said they would take the furniture back downtown and leave it by the roadside. Obviously these people were veterans at their game who had the art of conning and defrauding innocents down pat, and they did not have glamorous ethnic backgrounds. They were a couple of Caucasian crooks, plain and simple.

This taught me one big lesson in acquiring services: do your research, and then some. Talk to previous clients, check with the Better Business Bureau and do not discount the power of networking within your circle of friends, family and colleagues.

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