A BC moving company based in Victoria was ordered to pay a customer hundreds of dollars after it caused some damage to her belongings.
Joy Davies accused James Movers of breaking a vase, losing a stand, and damaging her bed and other items.
She also suggested that the moving company overcharged her and claimed $3,744.44 in damages.
In its defence, James Movers denied overcharging Davies but admitted to damaging some of her belongings. However, it added that she packed fragile items improperly and essentially blamed her for the items’ breaking. The BC moving company filed a counterclaim for $472.50 for an outstanding invoice.
In a publicly posted decision, the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal partially sided with Davies.
- You might also like:
- Lawsuit backfires on BC moving company who sued a client for unpaid debt
- Canadians are moving to Mexico chasing a better life, not a pipe dream
- "Don't move here": Edmontonians react to being Vancouver's top moving destination
Sometime in 2023, Davies called James Movers because she wanted to move some things from Sooke to Parksville. James Movers provided a rate of $2,600 plus tax, adding that it wasn’t a quote but just an estimate based on the hourly rate.
Plans changed later that year, and Davies was going to move to Ladysmith instead. In mid-November of 2023, James Movers moved her belongings into storage for several weeks, and Davies paid $2,543.63 for the move plus $315 for storage.
They moved her belongings to her new place in Ladysmith in early December. Davies paid $2,257.51 for that move and $5,116.14 in total.
Davies couldn’t prove that James Movers overcharged her, but the same can’t be said about things damaged in the move. She had several claims about damaged items, including $550 to replace a broken vase. James Movers had little evidence to back up its claims that Davies failed to pack her fragile items properly.
Davies also claimed $440 for replacing a lost antique stand. James Movers said it didn’t even see the stand during the move, and the tribunal dismissed her claim.
She was also awarded damages for a work table, stool, and a hall table with broken glass. The tribunal awarded her $350 for those items.
In the end, James Movers was forced to pay $977.22 in damages, which included compensation for damaged items and pre-judgement interest.
Follow Channels and Categories