Nightmare relocation to Cape for Joburg couple

Furniture removal company has failed to make delivery

A JOBURG couple who relocated to Langebaan to open a guest house have had a bumpy start to their new life and new business venture after they fell victim to an alleged scam.

Ingrid and Trimaine Petersen found One Stop Movers, situated in Boksburg, online and were initially impressed with the promises the company made.

They said they first made contact with One Stop Movers on November 27 and arranged for their goods to be collected on December 14.

A deposit of R3 400 was paid, and the goods were duly collected, with a promise that the load would be delivered to the family’s holiday home in Langebaan on December 19.

The Petersens also paid the balance of R3 400 on December 14, the day the goods were collected from their Joburg home.

The couple decided they would turn their family holiday home in Langebaan into a guest house, and included in the load to be brought to the Western Cape were furniture, bedding, towels and other items to furnish the new guest house.

“They promised us that our goods would be delivered on December 19 at 3pm. This suited us as we were expecting our first guests two days later, and we would have enough time to set up,” said Ingrid.

On the day of the promised delivery, the couple called One Stop Movers several times and were assured that the truck was on its way.

“We spoke to so many people. We have been sworn at. We’ve been lied to. I just don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” she said.

While her husband was on the phone with One Stop Movers, she was rushing to their local Sheet Street to purchase bedding as it became clear that the truck was not going to arrive, but their guests were.

Several phone calls later, the Petersens were informed by one of the “managers”, Gerhard Jacobs, that there was a problem with the truck and that it was stuck at the “border” of the Eastern Cape.

That story soon changed to a delay in Beaufort West. “The Eastern Cape has no border. These guys have been messing us around. We just want our furniture,” said a frustrated Petersen.

The Petersens, in desperation, sent their son to the address of One Stop Movers at 301 Commissioner Street, Boksburg, to see if their goods were still in the company’s yard.

According to the couple’s son, the address did not exist, and the company was not to be found at those premises.

Ingrid remembered that she was given the number of the driver of the truck that would be delivering their goods. When she contacted the driver, known only as David, she was informed that their goods had not left Joburg, and were, in fact, held at a storage facility at 111 Modderfontein Road, Midrand.

According to the Petersens, their goods are worth R80 000, but the load also contains all Ingrid’s clothing and sentimental furniture and personal items.

When the Saturday Star’s sister newspaper, the Weekend Argus, contacted One Stop Movers, it was informed by Gerhard Jacobs that he never promised the Petersens a delivery date of December 19. He had also promised the couple a 10% discount for all their troubles.

Weekend Argus asked him about the non-existent address to which he replied: “We had just moved to new offices.”

The couple said they were told that the truck was now in Stellenbosch and that driver would only make the delivery between January 7 and 10.

According to Jacobs, One Stop Movers contracted an independent truck and driver to transport the Petersens’ load as their own truck had broken down.

The couple have laid a charge with the Langebaan police. Petersen flew to Joburg on Thursday morning to lay a charge against One Stop Movers at the Boksburg police station.

The couple also took to website hellopeter.com to vent their frustrations.

“We spoke to a director called Christo and a manager called Gerhard, but we now suspect that they may be the same person.”

Jacobs told the Weekend Argus that the company’s drivers were on leave for the festive season and that this was the reason for the delay.