I have recently hired BrisbaneSydney Removals to move my goods from Sydney to Cairns. Having had problems with a previous removalist, I carefully chose this company through ServiceSeeking website that offered $1000 refund if anything went wrong. Since this company was also recommended to me by the storage company holding my goods, I was confident of a smooth move.

I listed my goods on this company’s items sheet and received a quote that I accepted. When we were loading their truck, the principal was complaining that I had more items that I listed. There were 3 small trunks and a small cabinet that I didn’t remember because I hadn’t seen the goods for 6 months. Amounting to no more that 3 cubic meters. Even though the cubic meters I stated for the quote were correct, we agreed that I’d pay for the extra 3 cubic meters. I expected this to be a couple of hundred dollars.

The principal delivered my goods to my new home in Cairns on time. He insisted on my paying him upfront, before offloading my goods from his truck. Since this was a considerable amount, I paid him through my Visa card via his friend’s credit card facility. I also agreed to pay the Visa card fees. The principal refused to tell me the final amount. Imagine my surprise when I received my Visa statement and found being charged an extra $1150 for the move! Inspite of numerous emails, sms and phone calls, the principal refused to provide me with an itemised invoice and to communicate further with me. I see from other reviews on other sites that overcharging is something he does frequently. As is not answering his phone and pretending to be sick. I got these stories too!

When he was contacted by Service Seeking about my complaint and informed that he violated their terms and conditions, he advised he no longer wanted to work with them! He also insisted that he charged me correctly after he was contacted by the Department of Fair Trading about my complaint. Visa took it more seriously and recently reversed the $1150 from his friend’s credit card.

Having had this unpleasant experience with this company, not a member of AFRA, during a time of long unemployment that the principal was informed about, I DO NOT recommend this company to anyone. Apart from these problems that took up 3 months of my valuable time, some of my artwork arrived broken. A Nick Scali table chipped on the sides, after specific requests to have it wrapped and be careful with. An important screw for the leg attachments was lost, it took me weeks to replace it with something suitable. All in all, a very unpleasant and negative experience.

As this is unfortunately a frequent occurrence among removalists, here are some tips for a better moving experience:

• Single ladies, ask a man to organise your move so as not set yourself up as a favourite prey to unscrupulous people
• Choose a removalist registered with AFRA (Australian Furniture Removers Association). They will protect you every step of the way
• Ask them to come to your place to get an exact quote and to see who you'll be dealing with
• Keep everything in writing
• Don’t leave the move till the last minute and be backed into a corner that could cost you considerably more
• Have a plan B ready if the removalist tries to con you into something not agreed to before the job
• Pay with a credit card. It normally comes with a 90 day purchase protection
• Do register a complaint with the Department of Fair Trading. They won’t be able to do much about your individual complaint but will act if there are more
• Do give feedback on social media about the service you received to help other customers