Elderly couple left devastated after their home contents are SOLD OFF by removalist company
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Think about how you'd feel if all of your life's work and personal belongings simply vanished into thin air…
This is what happened to a couple when they moved interstate from Queensland to New South Wales, and all of a sudden lost everything they had ever owned.
Gary and Lorraine Taylor, who are both in their late 70s and retired, moved from Queensland to Bega, in southeastern NSW, nearly a year ago. They planned to relocate to a community that was considerably quieter and more laid back after more than 60 years of marriage, far from the city's hustle and bustle.
However, little did the couple know that the moving service they hired to transport their stuff across state lines unintentionally sold off their items in an online auction, where everything was sold for a small fraction of their original cost.
Now, the retirees are attempting to make it to court to fight for compensation and the return of the priceless possessions they've owned their entire lives.
Gary and Lorraine Taylor, who are both retired, are emotional that their belongings were sold by interstate movers during their move. Credit: 7News.
In July 2021, Wridgways, the moving company they had first intended to hire, filed for bankruptcy. Kent Removals & Storage acquired 160 of its clients, including the Taylors.
At the time, Kent Removals & Storage was also helping the court-appointed liquidator Hall Chadwick sell Wridgways' assets, like office furniture. They said there was some confusion about one of the containers full of the Taylors' stuff.
The contents of the container were shipped mistakenly to Grays Online, which is an online auction company, where the items were sold at auction for a portion of their original worth.
According to retired man Gary Taylor, among the things were his $28,000 rug, which was sold off for just $200, and $120,000 worth of furniture, all of which he would likely never see again.
Furniture pieces were split between the two containers, so some of what did arrive are still not put together in their home. Credit: 7News.
The whole thing happened out of the blue, and now the couple doesn't know what to do. Some of their furniture that had more than one piece was split between the two moving containers. This made it hard to put together a lot of what did arrive.
Inside the Bega house, which has empty walls and is still full of boxes, there are stacks of couch cushions without frames and a vanity table without its mirror.
'We've been married for 60 years, and 60 years of our bloody furniture has just gone down the tube, and nobody cares,' Gary said in an interview with a news outlet.
On the other hand, as his wife, Lorraine, recalled the event, she choked back tears as she said it was 'very hard to describe'.
'It's not believable what we've been through,' she said. 'It's been terrible for both of us and for our family.'
The Taylors' lawyer told them that they could go to court to get some of their money back but that it would cost them $50,000. That money would have to come from the couple's retirement fund, which they can't afford to do.
This truck was delivered by mistake to the online auction house Grays Online, where everything was sold at a fraction of its worth. Credit: 7News.
Kent Removals & Storage CEO Steve Alves said in a statement: 'Due to human error, one of the containers containing the effects belonging to Mr and Mrs Taylor was incorrectly sent to Grays Online for sale of the goods.'
Alves claimed that the problem hadn't been brought to his attention until last Thursday and that he has since offered an apology for the way it was handled.
He claimed the case had been forwarded to Kent's insurers but that 'the matter was incorrectly internalised between Kent, Grays Online and Hall Chadwick with a view to establishing liability for this error'.
'As Kent Relocation Group contracted with Mr and Mrs Taylor and, irrespective of where the liability resides, Kent Relocation Group could and should have taken a lead role in this process and did not.'
'Our team will focus on ensuring we support Mr and Mrs Taylor in any way we can to bring closure to this matter for them,' Alves continued.
'In terms of the missing items, given the quantum of the potential claim, the matter has been referred to Kent's insurers along with an instruction to ensure that the matter is expedited in a prompt, efficient and reasonable manner for Mr and Mrs Taylor'.
Since the situation has become more serious, Alves promised that Kent Removals & Storage will strive to return 100% of the moving charges. To date, only 40% of the moving fees have been reimbursed.
The Taylors now have to wait for the companies' insurance process to finish to find out if they will get a refund for the $120,000 worth of furniture they lost.
What a horrible incident this is. We cannot even begin to imagine the heartbreak the couple must have felt when they suddenly lost all of the belongings that were important to them…
Here's hoping that the Taylors will not have to wait too much longer to get their valuables returned.
Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
This is what happened to a couple when they moved interstate from Queensland to New South Wales, and all of a sudden lost everything they had ever owned.
Gary and Lorraine Taylor, who are both in their late 70s and retired, moved from Queensland to Bega, in southeastern NSW, nearly a year ago. They planned to relocate to a community that was considerably quieter and more laid back after more than 60 years of marriage, far from the city's hustle and bustle.
However, little did the couple know that the moving service they hired to transport their stuff across state lines unintentionally sold off their items in an online auction, where everything was sold for a small fraction of their original cost.
Now, the retirees are attempting to make it to court to fight for compensation and the return of the priceless possessions they've owned their entire lives.
Gary and Lorraine Taylor, who are both retired, are emotional that their belongings were sold by interstate movers during their move. Credit: 7News.
In July 2021, Wridgways, the moving company they had first intended to hire, filed for bankruptcy. Kent Removals & Storage acquired 160 of its clients, including the Taylors.
At the time, Kent Removals & Storage was also helping the court-appointed liquidator Hall Chadwick sell Wridgways' assets, like office furniture. They said there was some confusion about one of the containers full of the Taylors' stuff.
The contents of the container were shipped mistakenly to Grays Online, which is an online auction company, where the items were sold at auction for a portion of their original worth.
According to retired man Gary Taylor, among the things were his $28,000 rug, which was sold off for just $200, and $120,000 worth of furniture, all of which he would likely never see again.
Furniture pieces were split between the two containers, so some of what did arrive are still not put together in their home. Credit: 7News.
The whole thing happened out of the blue, and now the couple doesn't know what to do. Some of their furniture that had more than one piece was split between the two moving containers. This made it hard to put together a lot of what did arrive.
Inside the Bega house, which has empty walls and is still full of boxes, there are stacks of couch cushions without frames and a vanity table without its mirror.
'We've been married for 60 years, and 60 years of our bloody furniture has just gone down the tube, and nobody cares,' Gary said in an interview with a news outlet.
On the other hand, as his wife, Lorraine, recalled the event, she choked back tears as she said it was 'very hard to describe'.
'It's not believable what we've been through,' she said. 'It's been terrible for both of us and for our family.'
The Taylors' lawyer told them that they could go to court to get some of their money back but that it would cost them $50,000. That money would have to come from the couple's retirement fund, which they can't afford to do.
This truck was delivered by mistake to the online auction house Grays Online, where everything was sold at a fraction of its worth. Credit: 7News.
Kent Removals & Storage CEO Steve Alves said in a statement: 'Due to human error, one of the containers containing the effects belonging to Mr and Mrs Taylor was incorrectly sent to Grays Online for sale of the goods.'
Alves claimed that the problem hadn't been brought to his attention until last Thursday and that he has since offered an apology for the way it was handled.
He claimed the case had been forwarded to Kent's insurers but that 'the matter was incorrectly internalised between Kent, Grays Online and Hall Chadwick with a view to establishing liability for this error'.
'As Kent Relocation Group contracted with Mr and Mrs Taylor and, irrespective of where the liability resides, Kent Relocation Group could and should have taken a lead role in this process and did not.'
'Our team will focus on ensuring we support Mr and Mrs Taylor in any way we can to bring closure to this matter for them,' Alves continued.
'In terms of the missing items, given the quantum of the potential claim, the matter has been referred to Kent's insurers along with an instruction to ensure that the matter is expedited in a prompt, efficient and reasonable manner for Mr and Mrs Taylor'.
Since the situation has become more serious, Alves promised that Kent Removals & Storage will strive to return 100% of the moving charges. To date, only 40% of the moving fees have been reimbursed.
The Taylors now have to wait for the companies' insurance process to finish to find out if they will get a refund for the $120,000 worth of furniture they lost.
What a horrible incident this is. We cannot even begin to imagine the heartbreak the couple must have felt when they suddenly lost all of the belongings that were important to them…
Here's hoping that the Taylors will not have to wait too much longer to get their valuables returned.
Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
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