All FAQs

Believe it or not, in many cases it is almost similar in price to rent totes, as it is to buy new cardboard boxes. However, there are a million positives to renting totes, and a million negatives to buying cardboard. Ok, maybe not a million – but we feel so strongly about it that we need to show you what we mean! Below is an example with Home Depot’s Medium Cardboard Boxes vs our totes.

Cardboard Expense

At Home Depot, you can buy medium boxes that are 18″x18″x16″ which is 5184 cubic inches if you really want to get technical. They have a Package where you can get 15 of these boxes for $35 (the last time we checked anyways). If you bought 6 of these packages, you would have 90 boxes to tape and assemble, which would give you enough packing for 466,560 cubic inches. This would cost you $210 plus you have to buy at a roll of tape and a dispenser plus 1 extra roll. In total, this will cost you about $230 when you buy 90 boxes, a dispenser, and 2 rolls of tape.

So go ahead… borrow or rent a large vehicle and drive to Home Depot to buy them all and then try to fit them all in your vehicle. Take them home, and now assemble them all with tape and this should take you a couple of hours and a few bottles of wine. Find some room to store 90 assembled boxes – we dare you! Stacking them inside the moving truck will be hard as you will have to put the heaviest stuff on the bottom and be careful not to pile too many on top of each other. Probably 3 boxes max. Then when you are done unpacking, you will need to unassemble them and discard of all that tape (which is terrible for the environment). Then either take the cardboard to a landfill, or recycle them. That is… IF the garbage collectors accept them. If there is tape on them, they will reject it.

Tote Expense

We rent totes that are 27″x17″x13″ which is 5967 cubic inches per tote. This is the most comparable size for this experiment. If you rented any Package with 80 Totes let say, they would come pre-assembled and ready to go. The cost of a 2 week Package for 80 totes is $257 and you would have 477,360 cubic inches to pack with. This is pretty much the same amount of space that 90 of those cardboard boxes would give you.

Our Totes will be delivered to your front door, ready to go. No assembly required! You can stack them as high as the truck ceiling is, and nothing will be damaged below. Put the heaviest ones on top if you want, it doesn’t matter. Then we will return to your new house and pick them up when you are done unpacking. With cardboard, you have to assemble and disassemble and hassle with that tape.  So why go through the hassle of driving to a store to get sub par boxes with weight limits and that need taping to assemble, when you can get super durable pre-assembled totes that hold more stuff and more weight, for exactly the same price?

No, we prefer you don’t use tape on totes because of a few reasons:  If any totes come back with tape marks, you will be charged a cleaning fee of $2 per tote to the credit card on file. Now we will be forced to get out our trusty Goo Gone to get the marks off, which takes time and effort.  We want our products to look like they are in top shape at all times when we give them to our customers, so every piece of tape will be removed and sanitized for the next customer.  There is no need to use tape anyhow.  Our lids interlock with each other and close super tightly.  You can use some zipties if you really want things to be secure, but there really is no need.

We strongly advise you to NOT leave the totes outdoors at any time. Instead we advise you to keep them indoors or at least in your garage.  Outside they are exposed to the elements of the sun or rain or snow, which wear down our totes and get them extra and unnecessarily dirty and dusty.  There is a deep cleaning fee of $2 per tote charged to your credit card on file if they come back excessively dirty. They are also susceptible to theft this way.  There is a $75 fee for each missing/damaged tote, so you do the math if you consider how much you would be charged if a bunch went missing!  Keep them indoors in your care at all times, and do not leave the totes outdoors.

An alternative for you if you have completely run out of room inside your home, is to ask us to do a Partial Pick up. There will be an additional Pick up fee, but it might be worth it to you. After paying for the extra Pick up fee, you can go ahead and schedule a time for us to come back.

We recommend that if you know you are going to need more time to unpack, that you Request an Extension right away! We will charge you a daily rate, so whatever you paid last time for your Package, divide that by how many days you originally rented it for, and that is how much you can expect to pay per day for your extension.

However, if the totes are not available and are already spoken for by another customer, unfortunately we do not have any choice but to cancel that request, and stick with the prearranged date. We know this will be upsetting and disruptive to you as you are probably overwhelmed with all of the unpacking, but someone else has previously ordered those very totes. We based our availability for other customers off of your original Rental Period. We will work with you as much as we can, but we must manage all orders accordingly. We encourage you to get in touch with us the moment you realize you are behind schedule to avoid disappointment. Or just book an extra week more than you think you might need, to give yourself some wiggle room.

In the extreme, and we mean extremely rare event, that you right out refuse for us to return to pick up the totes after we told you that we cannot allow an extension, we will have no choice but to start charging you double the daily rate until you allow us to come grab them. Please refer to our Rental Agreement that describes this in better detail. This has not happened yet, but we know at one point in our career it will, so we are just being prepared. Most people are quite reasonable, but there is always that one person that we need rules like this for!

You are responsible for keeping the totes in the same condition in which you received them in, but no you are not required to clean the totes before returning them. No animals are allowed in the totes, or there will be a charge of $2 per tote to your credit card on file if we find a lot of animal fur.  Also, do not leave these totes outdoors as this will create lots of dirt.  Excessive amounts of dirt, mean extra cleaning for us.  There will be an extra $2 charge per tote to your credit card on file should we come across an excessive amount of dirt to clean.  As far as cleaning the totes out, we use our eco friendly cleaner to get them ready for the next customer.  They will be sanitized and as good as new. Just as long as you return them to us free of items and without dirt or pet dander, you are golden!

You placed an order online for what you thought would be a sufficient amount of totes. You received your order and got to work on packing up your house. But you soon realized that you might have misjudged just how much stuff you have! You just have to Add to your Order and we will deliver your additional items. We can arrange to get them to you within the next 48 hours. There will be a Delivery charge for this, which is $1 per km (even if you qualified for free Delivery before). You of course will not incur a second pick up charge, as we can obviously pick up everything at once. Once that is paid, you can schedule a time and get you back on track for packing! We always encourage people to get a few extra bins more than what they think that they will need, prior to placing their order. It is a very common practice to underestimate how much stuff you have. We have way more items to pack up than we think!

These are 2 separate charges, as they are 2 separate address with different set ups. If your address is within 25 kms of our shop in Windsor, then you can expect to pay zero! This includes the following areas:

• Windsor
• LaSalle
• Tecumseh
• Amherstburg (some of it)
• Essex (some of it)

So if your current home is in Windsor, and your new home in LaSalle, you pay nothing!

Sorry, our shop is not set up to accept customers, plus we are on the road for most of the day! Our delivery rates are very reasonable and in some cases FREE if you are local to us. So we apologize that you are not able to pick up order instead of getting Delivery, but you will thank us later when you see how convenient our Delivery Service is!

If you would like to plan how much floor space your Totes will take up, here is a visual for you. You can stack up as many as 10 empty bins into each other, which is about 4-5 feet tall.  You actually can stack up to 25 bins without causing any damage to the bins but this is close to ceiling height! Let’s stick with 10 as being the average number – if you ordered 50 totes, you will have 5 stacks of totes on your floor. Each stack will take up about 4 feet x 3 feet of space. So again for 50 totes, plan to clear a space for 12 feet long by 3 feet wide. Or you can put more into each stack by using a step ladder if you are short for space.

All we ask is that someone over the age of 18 is there to be present for the Delivery. We are not able to deliver to your garage or back door without an adult there to greet us and to sign our invoice. The person that booked with us does NOT need to be present for the delivery, but somebody over 18 must be there to sign on your behalf. Whoever does sign, must understand what they are signing off on however. They are signing that they have received your full order, and that you have read and understood the terms and conditions of our Rental Agreement, and that you have read through our FAQs and understand the process fully. Make sure the person signing knows exactly what was ordered so they can sign in confidence saying that everything received in perfect condition.

A common question is wanting to know when are totes delivered. When you place your order online, you select your Delivery Date. Within 7 days of your Delivery Date, you can Schedule your Delivery all on your own! We typically deliver every day of the week from morning till night. You will just select a one hour window of time that works the best for you. After receiving your request, we will double check our calendar and confirm. You will receive an email confirmation. If you click on the attachment in the email, it will even put the time in your online calendar! Then the system automatically sends you an automated reminder via email AND text 24 hours in advance, and then we typically text you when we are on our way too. So you be involved during the whole process!

There is no way you should miss a Delivery Appointment as we have taken many steps to avoid this:

• You chose the Delivery day that worked for you
• You scheduled a Delivery Time that worked for you
• The system sent you a confirmed time email and gave you the option to put this into your online calendar
• The system sent you an automated reminder email 24 hours in advance
• Typically we even sent you a text when we were on our way

We did everything we could to remind you of your time! If for any reason you need to change your time, because we understand that life can get in the way, please reschedule by clicking on this link. When it asks you if this is your first time booking a Delivery appointment, say “No”. Then you can choose in the dropdown menu “I need to Reschedule my Delivery” for you to choose another time. Simple! Once we approve that, we go into the system and manually cancel your initial appointment.

So with all of those reminders in mind, if you still forget about your Delivery time or nobody over the age of 18 is able to greet us and sign the invoice, we will try to call you at the number you provided.  If we reach you on the phone, we will see how far away you are.  If we are able to wait, we will. 

But if we have to leave for our next appointment, or if we never even reach you by phone, we will have to do a second delivery and therefore you be charged an extra Delivery Charge. Once you pay for that second delivery, you can Reschedule your Delivery. When it asks you if this is your first time booking a Delivery appointment, say “No”. Then you can choose in the dropdown menu “I need to Reschedule my Delivery” for you to choose another time. Simple!

You placed an order online for what you thought would be a sufficient amount of totes. You received your order and got to work on packing up your house. But you soon realized that you might have misjudged just how much stuff you have! You just have to Add to your Order and we will deliver your additional items. We can arrange to get them to you within the next 48 hours. There will be a Delivery charge for this, which is $1 per km (even if you qualified for free Delivery before). You of course will not incur a second pick up charge, as we can obviously pick up everything at once. Once that is paid, you can schedule a time and get you back on track for packing! We always encourage people to get a few extra bins more than what they think that they will need, prior to placing their order. It is a very common practice to underestimate how much stuff you have. We have way more items to pack up than we think!

Within 7 days of your Delivery, you are free to Schedule your Delivery Time and an email confirmation will be sent to you.  In that email there is a reschedule button, because life can happen!  So click on that to reschedule if you need to.

These are 2 separate charges, as they are 2 separate address with different set ups. If your address is within 25 kms of our shop in Windsor, then you can expect to pay zero! This includes the following areas:

• Windsor
• LaSalle
• Tecumseh
• Amherstburg (some of it)
• Essex (some of it)

So if your current home is in Windsor, and your new home in LaSalle, you pay nothing!

Sorry, our shop is not set up to accept customers, plus we are on the road for most of the day! Our pick up rates are very reasonable and in some cases FREE if you are local to us.. So we apologize that you are not able to drop off my order instead of getting Pick up, but you will thank us later when you see how convenient our Pick up Service is!

A common question is wanting to know when are totes picked up. When you place your order online, you select your Pick up Date. Within 7 days of your Pick up Date, you can Schedule your Pick up all on your own! We typically deliver every day of the week from morning till night. You will select a one hour window of time that works the best for you. After receiving your request, we will double check our calendar and confirm. You will receive an email confirmation. If you click on the attachment in the email, it will even put the time in your online calendar! Then the system automatically sends you an automated reminder via email AND text 24 hours in advance, and then we typically text you when we are on our way too. So you be involved during the whole process!

There is no way you should miss a Pick up Appointment as we have taken many steps to avoid this:

• You chose the Pick up day that worked for you
• You scheduled a Pick up Time that worked for you
• The system sent you a confirmed time email and gave you the option to put this into your online calendar
• The system sent you an automated reminder email 24 hours in advance
• Typically we even sent you a text when we were on our way

We did everything we could to remind you of your time! If for any reason you need to change your time, because we understand that life can get in the way, just revisit this link. When it asks you what type of Pick up is this, say “I need to Reschedule my Appointment time”, and then choose another time. Simple!

With all of those reminders in mind, if you still forget about your Pick up time or nobody over the age of 18 is able to greet us and sign the invoice, we will try to call you at the number you provided.  If we reach you on the phone, we will see how far away you are.  If we are able to wait, we will. 

But if we have to leave for our next appointment, or if we never even reach you by phone, we will have to do a second pick up and therefore you be charged an extra Pick up Charge. Once you pay for that second Pick up, you can reschedule your Pick up.

If you would like to make some space in your home after noticing that you have lots of empty totes while you are still unpacking other totes, you are welcome to request a partial pick up. Just Click Here to go to that page now, and get your rate. We charge $1 per km (with a minimum charge of $20). After paying for that second Pick up Charge, you will receive an email confirmation along with a link to schedule your pick up. Easy peasy!

With that said, these totes do nestle within each other when empty. You can stack 10 in each pile, so they really do not take up too much room. But we get it… Packing and unpacking is stressful and sometimes you just want the clutter gone!

Within 7 days of your Delivery, you are free to Schedule your Pickup Time and an email confirmation will be sent to you.  In that email there is a reschedule button, because life can happen!  So click on that to reschedule if you need to.

That is a great question! It is super common for people to ask how soon or how much notice they need to give us, in order to book their rentals. You don’t want to wait too long as we might run out, so knowing when to place an order is vital. Booking far in advance, is actually a good thing! You can always change the date if there are delays with your closing date. We only have a limited amount in inventory that we can rent out so waiting too long is not a good option.

So as soon as you know your moving date, book your totes with us! Here is a good tip to knowing how long to book your totes for. You should book as soon as possible so that you don’t miss out!  If you need to change your date at some point, that is no problem at all, as long as we are able to accommodate the change.  If you are a last minute type of person, we ask for at least 24 hours notice to try to squeeze in a delivery, however you might want to call us first to see if we can do the delivery before booking online. 

It is a very common question to wonder how long the average Rental with us is. Here is what we suggest: once you know your moving date, count backwards on how many weeks you might need to use the totes for packing.  Most people tend to need our totes 1-2 weeks to pack prior to their moving date.  Now count how many weeks after your moving date that you think it will take to unpack.  Most people also take 1-2 weeks to unpack.  We suggest that you book a Package now based on what you think will happen, and then you can always add on some extra days if required. We have a ton in stock so should be fine!

When you are booking a Package, we will help guide you to choose the appropriate amount of totes.

Some people are pack rats and have lots of “stuff” and knick-knacks around the house.  Or some of you might have babies and toddlers or children in general, and with children comes a lot of stuff.  Our Packages page asks you all of these questions so that you do not have to guess!

We offer up to 100 Totes in our Packages. However, if this is not enough for you, then we encourage you head on over to this link and add it to the cart as well. It will allow you to add up to an additional 50 Totes.  We recommend that you overestimate the number of totes that you think you will need, as you have a lot more stuff than you think!

In order to book your items, we require full payment upfront upon booking, so your Rental Charges are due right away.  We accept MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, Discover, and E-Transfer. When you place your order and have chosen Credit as your method of payment, it puts a hold on your credit card while we are double checking your order. We just want to make sure that we can accommodate your request before charging your card. Once we confirm the order, the credit card charge will go through. With E-Transfer, the charge automatically goes through right away as there is no password for you to enter, and we have auto-deposit.

Yes our minimum package to be ordered is 15 totes, and you can do so by visiting our Package page. We do not rent out items separately.