Kelowna woman calling for regulation of moving companies
A Kelowna woman is calling for regulation of the moving industry after she lost possession of everything she owns to a moving company.
Bonnie Krisher says her stuff has been in storage for a year while she has battled 2 Burley Men Moving in court.
She has started a petition on Change.org and got more than 6,000 signatures in less than two weeks.
“This petition is primarily to encourage our members of parliament to lobby for regulation of these companies federally,” Krisher says.
Krisher lost to the company in court, and now 2 Burley Men are legally holding Krisher’s property until she pays them the $13,000 the company charged her for a move from Courtenay, BC.
But many accusations about moving company tactics have been revealed through court records from the Civil Resolution Tribunal, BC’s small claims court.
The Canadian Association of Movers says there are not many laws that specifically apply to movers. They say in the mid 1980s, Canada largely deregulated the industry, “eliminating much of the protection of consumers against scam operators.”
“Movers are not licensed in Canada, which means, by and large, the moving industry does not have a lot of rules and regulations to abide by,” says the Association on their website.
Reports of moving companies ripping off customers are common across Canada, and responses from the courts vary provincially.
“In Toronto, the RCMP was raiding storage units full of peoples property and arresting, and prosecuting these companies,” says Krisher.
She says B.C. courts and politicians should take action and create policies against ‘moving company scams’.
The Association says it is important for consumers to know their rights and how to file a complaint because it changes based on the type of complaint province to province.
Krisher is also raising money, hoping to continue her legal fight. Find out what the Association says about consumer protections from movers here.
You can find Krisher’s petition here.
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