The Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading, Mr Chris Batt, today warned the public not to deal with Easymove Australia or Michael Diamond O'Rourke, a furniture removalist, who is also known as Michael Diamond.
Mr Batt said that his Office has received a number of complaints from people who have paid money to Mr O'Rourke to move their belongings interstate and that he has then failed to deliver the services for which he was engaged.
Some complainants claim that that their belongings have simply not been delivered and are sitting in shipping containers or in some circumstances the whereabouts of the goods are unknown. In other cases, consumers have had to make and pay for other arrangements after Mr O'Rourke failed to complete delivery. Effected consumers also report that they have not received a refund from Mr O'Rourke or compensation for their additional costs.
The Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading receives a number of complaints in relation to furniture removalists each year, and Mr Batt urged consumers to exercise caution when choosing a removalist. Common complaints include non-completion of delivery, failure to release goods, loss of goods and damage to goods. Many of these problems can be avoided by careful planning and Mr Batt offered the following tips to consumers:
Mr Batt said that consumers who had paid money to Easymove Australia or to Mr O'Rourke, or anyone seeking further information about removalists should contact Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading by phone on 1300 65 44 99 or email consumer.affairs@justice.tas.gov.au .
The public warning has been issued under section 223 of the Australian Consumer Law.
