As Hong Kong departures climb, moving company rates all over the map: Consumer Council
- In watchdog’s survey of 14 relocation firms, prices varied wildly, with some charging more than twice as much as others to move the same size container
- Complaints about movers have already hit a record high, with 20 filed in the first seven months of 2021, versus just three for all of last year
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog received a record number of complaints about overseas relocation services this year, with moving companies accused of charging high hidden costs and delivering personal belongings long after promised.
The Consumer Council on Monday said it received 20 complaints about relocation services in the first seven months of the year, the most ever and a sharp jump from the three logged in all of 2020.
“Many people find moving house hectic, and even more so when it comes to relocating the whole family overseas … Consumers should not gloss over the quotation details and delivery time of moving services,” Nora Tam Fung-yee, the watchdog’s chairwoman of research and testing, said at an online press conference.
Tam also stressed that people with plans to relocate abroad should scrutinise the terms and conditions in writing before confirming a contract rather than relying on verbal agreements with movers.
In the watchdog’s survey of 14 overseas moving services, the quotation for shipping a 200 cubic foot container to London ranged anywhere from HK$20,000 (US$2,600) to as much as HK$50,000.
Shipping a 500 cubic foot container of belongings to Toronto, Canada – which could fit large furniture, a piano and other goods – would cost from HK$50,950 to well over double that amount at HK$134,350.
Despite quotations being provided by the mover, additional expenses for moving services may be incurred due to cargo capacity and shipping schedules ratcheting up the final costs, Tam added.
Three of the movers clearly stated that there would be an extra charge of HK$5,000 and HK$3,000 if packing and pickup services were arranged for weekends or public holidays, respectively.
Under normal shipping schedules, 10 of the surveyed companies required an estimated six weeks to five months to deliver goods overseas.
The fastest service provider stated it would take 25 days from the cargo vessel’s departure from Hong Kong to reach London.
In one of the complaints filed, a customer who was moving to the British capital was told her costs were HK$14,000 higher than expected despite her belongings having been delivered two months late.
The relocation company picked up the customer’s belongings from her Hong Kong home on December 1 last year and said that they would be delivered to London by the end of January. At that point, the client had already paid HK$33,890 in deposit and logistics fees.
But the client received a notice from the relocation company on January 19 that her items were still in Hong Kong, and that the mover needed an additional HK$12,800 before they could start transporting them.
She replied to the company two days later and asked if she could pay the additional charges once the items were delivered. About a month later, the relocation company said an added HK$2,400 monthly warehouse fee would be charged while her possessions were held up.
When her items finally arrived in March, the customer turned to the Consumer Council for help.
After talks between the watchdog and the relocation firm, the additional charges were dropped.
