MOVERS holding our furniture hostage ! pls advice.

panorama · 06-08-2014, 07:40 AM

I should add that this bad moving company was recommended by my friend and I did use his service for a one-day move about 3 years ago from DB to apleichau. He did well for my friends' and also for our move, that's why I gave him a repeat business. Even if, it is by referral and your own previous experience, this horrible scam could still happen.. Over 3 yrs, he changed for the worse..
And I opt to do this move with 1-wk storage because I believed a dishonest realtor, Mr. SS, from South bay road red office that the condo repair would take 3wks (1 wk beyond my moveout date in of July31). But now the truth unfolds that the repair actually only requires 1 week and only started this past Monday July28.. Sad isn't it?!? All this trouble and money wasted on storage, for what?? Why would he do that? My take is that he had vacation plan and doesn't want to handle my deal till after he returns from vacation. After the offer was signed July14, there was a week delay in sending Tenancy agreement so I followed up on it. No sms reply from agent. So I called and he was out of Hk!! After his return and negotiations started on TA, only then I learned of his true flip-flop, lies with no shame nature. Now that i know his character, I have no doubt that he made up the 3-week repair period for his own benefit. Definitely not for "it's best for your family's benefit" as he claimed. I regretted very much that I trust this senior realtor's expertise on condo repair time. And i have to pay a half-month for his commission. What a big bitter pill to swallow. So, Don't let my bad experience go to waste, Pls avoid this particular realtor for yr own protection. I'm sure there are good agents in that company, but my luck's been obviously low recently. Running into 2 dishonest dudes one after the other really ruined my faith in man.. Big thanks to geoexpat community for the support & keeping my hopes up. Later after moving, I plan to write to his big real estate company, so that it keeps an eye out for their worker's ethics. I don't know if it will have any good impact.. but better than doing nothing about it, right?

panorama · 06-08-2014, 07:54 AM

The condo handover is today 6pm. It should be a happy occasion.. But i have to be on full-guard mode and am nervous knowing that i'm dealing with a liar as middleman. Landlord is a big company. Any precautions that i should know during the handover, pls advice.

dumbdonkey · 06-08-2014, 07:54 AM

Have you thought about filing a theft report at the cop shop and then file an insurance claim?

Cwbguy · 06-08-2014, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by iliketurtles:

Does anyone have any journo contacts?

Stephen Vines of the SCMP has been useful in the past.

auss · 06-08-2014, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by wtbhotia:

Pay up, inform CC and move on, have a local friend send details to apply news daily once you have the official letter from CC and see if they will take up the news, that is all you can do.

Now if you want some medival stuff done to this guy then you will need to hold black ops secret meetings in my jungle with turtles/the brit and myself, we will come up with a plan and action items and we will put the leader of our team as SHRI

leave a paper trail to him LOL

Im in mate

iliketurtles · 06-08-2014, 09:50 AM

Panorama, is it worth contacting the police again? If they arrive with their trucks, and the police are there, then the police will be more likely to force them to unload before taking the money from you.

Years ago, I engaged a bathroom fitter to replace my bathroom and dispose of the old suite. I left payment with my retarded housemate who paid the fitter before he took away the old suite and tiles. He left a massive pile of rubble and shit outside my house. I called him a couple times and he told me to F off and if I wanted it removed, I'd have to pay him more.

I had to pay someone else to move the shit in the end and I learned a valuable lesson - something you've just had to go through as well (which I'm sorry for).

Luckily, I knew his address. His address was his home. A few weeks later he woke up to find his four van tyres slashed and his paintwork keyed. He never called me to ask me if I did it which made me think if he didn't automatically assume it was me, he must have been ripping many people off.

Mat · 06-08-2014, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by iliketurtles:

Luckily, I knew his address. His address was his home. A few weeks later he woke up to find his four van tyres slashed and his paintwork keyed. He never called me to ask me if I did it which made me think if he didn't automatically assume it was me, he must have been ripping many people off.

Very manly indeed. Can't face the guy so go to his home and damage his property while he is not here or asleep.

Either you stand up like a man, ring the bell and get an explanation or you move on with your life (what some of us have advised the poster to do). What you did, is cowardice, not courageous in my book - but again that's my humble opinion and I am sure you will disagree.

iliketurtles · 06-08-2014, 10:22 AM

Yawwwwn. Strike three Mat.

I'm sure you'd have rolled over and had your belly tickled, as you advised the OP in her situation. I know what type of "man" you are (you're obsessed with assertiing manliness on others - a bit of Napoleon syndrome perhaps?) so keep trolling. You're getting minimal reaction.

Slow week at work, methinks.

charlescs · 06-08-2014, 11:10 AM

Dear Panorama,

You took the right decision trying to settle it amicably. In those situations, the police remains the best assistance. They are quite busy and dont give the same effort and priority to all cases, However, i would have pushed them to assist at the first occasion,

If you feel threatened during the move or unsafe, dont hesitate to call them, they tend to help settling any issue on the spot. Whatever the greed of the mover and its background, no one in HK likes troubles and they would like to finish the matter even they tried to take advantage of you.

If we are all to loose our temper in certain conditions and like to show some muscles in similar situations, settling such issues out of the law is definetly a bad idea.

Consumer protection is almost inexistent, even if we have to admit that all government agency officers try to be helpful despite of no influence and power.

Wish all goes well with your move. We have heard too many similar stories recently and I have to say, with more and more discrimination toward foreigners trying to contract services of local companies. But no one can draw trends or general conclusions.

panorama · 06-08-2014, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by iliketurtles:

Panorama, is it worth contacting the police again? If they arrive with their trucks, and the police are there, then the police will be more likely to force them to unload before taking the money from you.

Years ago, I engaged a bathroom fitter to replace my bathroom and dispose of the old suite. I left payment with my retarded housemate who paid the fitter before he took away the old suite and tiles. He left a massive pile of rubble and shit outside my house. I called him a couple times and he told me to F off and if I wanted it removed, I'd have to pay him more.

I had to pay someone else to move the shit in the end and I learned a valuable lesson - something you've just had to go through as well (which I'm sorry for).

Luckily, I knew his address. His address was his home. A few weeks later he woke up to find his four van tyres slashed and his paintwork keyed. He never called me to ask me if I did it which made me think if he didn't automatically assume it was me, he must have been ripping many people off.

Yes i did. I was uneasy about the arrangement. So after talking to <snip>, I asked my local friend to call Aberdeen police to ask for advice yesterday, like- what kind of precautions i should take, what if at the last truck, they just leave furnitures in the lobby after i pay (cuz im supposed to pay when truck enters), what rights do I have, what could be their motives of arranging such weird kind of payment.. My local friend called for me and told me that the police was quite rude and told her that it's money issue and they already transferred my case to CC so the police won't entertain those questions and hung up on her. My jaw dropped after i heard what happened.. depressing. If those who sworn to serve & protect, don't want to help you, who will. They'd rather wait for the crime to happen, than advice you how to prevent one. Depressing isn't it?? It's like they tell u that u are driving down a cliff after u already drove down a cliff.. charlesc & Ilturtles, i'm glad u mention about police here. So, i know that my concern is quite valid. So if i don't report back after Aug7, u know who the suspect is.