Freight firm blamed for family troubles

Press, 7 April 1978, Page 17

Freight firm blamed for family troubles

By

JOHN ROSS

in London

A mother told Birminghan Magistrates how her family’: plans to emigrate to Nev Zealand were ruined by ; British shipping company. Jrs Caroline Nelson, o Braaford, Yorkshire, said sh< had almost suffered a ner Vous breakdown when shi found that all her family’* belongings were not in the ship with them as the; steamed toward a plannee ' n • Sew Zealand. 'I had to write to mv so Lci tor as soon as we amvec in New Zealand because realised our things had no l been put on the ship,” she said. "We returned to thi* country with the family anc we have lived here since.” The prosecution has claimed that Q.R.S. International Shipping and Travel. Ltd. of Kings Heath. Birmingham, now in liquidation, continued to advertise its services while it was • gradually going bust.” When trading standards officers raided two of its warehouses in the Birmingham area they found 251 consignments of customers belongings which people had paid a total of .$215,000 tc have shipped abroad. Even peoples cars which they had paid to have shipped to New Zealand and Australia were left in the open, often unlocked. Q.R.S/s two directors, Hugh Victor Ackerman, aged

i,57. of Solihull, and Robert ; -John Lowe, aged 36, of • Knowle, Solihull, have both i denied three offences under the Trade Descriptions Act. Two allege that they made ■ a false statement in the ■ company’s colour brochure : which said: "We offer you a reliable and efficient service : to move yourself and your possessions in one simple 1 operation.” The third allegation is that they made a false statement in the- "New Zealand [ News,” which said: “We know we offer the best service available.” .Mrs Nelson said at the resumed hearing in Birmingham that she read about Q.R.S. in an advertisement in the “New Zealand News,” ! a newspaper which they ■ subscribed to while they vvere planning emigration. She got in touch with iQ.R.S. in 1975 and after rei ceiving an estimate for the ■ removal costs they agreed to use the company. It was ar- , ranged that a truck would ' pick up their belongings and ■that- she and her husband ' would have to drive their car to Q.R.S.’s premises in Biggin Hill. Kent, for shipment. In March, 1976 they arrived at Biggin Hill and saw a Mr Wilson. "He seemed surprised to see us. We went into the warehouse, lie 'told us to leave the car outiside,” she said. ! It was agreed a truck

'.would fetch the rest of their goods later that month. Asked if anything was said about Q.R.S.’s position, iMrs Nelson replied: “Certainly not. We would not ' have left the car or anything if we had known what ■was going on.” They asked Mr Wilson if ! plans to receive their goods were going ahead as planned. ; He checked and confirmed I that they were. ' They agreed to pay the removal fees in one lump sum (and they made a cheque out ■when the truck arrived later : that month. Mrs Nelson said (the cheque had been cashed within two days. The invoice was headed “Oceanmount,” not Q.R.S. The Nelsons made (out their cheque to Oceanmount. She said the removal men arrived in a Q.R.S. truck and the driver wore Q.R.S. overalls. She added: “He said, ‘We have taken over Q.R.S. and we have borrowed their waggon. We have been down to the Birmingham complex, and everything seemed O.K.’” Mrs Nelson and her family arrived in Wellington in the Taras Shevchenko on May 3,: 1976. They lived for two months at Bertram Grove, Lower Hutt, but flew back to Britain on July 19. and are now living in Bradford, with no plan to return to New Zealand. The case is continuing.