Brisbane removalists started throwing furniture from the back of a truck in a bid to force one customer to pay more, an investigation by Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading has revealed.
The Brisbane-based removalist firm Agill Transport and transport and storage company Buraq Transport and Logistics have been ordered to pay $147,000 in fines and compensation following the investigation.
Managing director Ayesha Siddiqa, as well as staff member Muhammad Zulnorain, were taken to court for breaching consumer laws.
In one instance, a customer was coerced into paying for extra truck space they argued was not needed.
“The consumer said staff began throwing their furniture off the truck under instruction from Mr Zulnorain in order to harass and coerce them into signing paperwork stating their belongings took up extra space,” the statement said.
“The consumer reluctantly ended up paying for the extra space.”
In other instances, goods were damaged beyond repair, delivery times exceeded, and an insurance claim withheld from a customer.