Moving company woes plague Alberta family 2 years later

An Airdrie woman says she still doesn't have her family's belongings two years after she hired a moving company to transport them across the country.

Rainbow Oveson hired Quebec-based Mega Moving and Storage to transport and store her belongings from Nova Scotia, but the company subcontracted part of the move without her knowledge.

Months later, and after paying more than she expected, Oveson tried to get her boxes from a Calgary storage company.

The company refused because it hadn't been paid by the subcontracted moving company.

Oveson says she is on the hook for the unpaid bill.

"We've finally saved up and hope that he'll release it in time for Christmas,” she said. “So we'll be able to see the Christmas stuff again .... and have all the stuff for the kids."

John Levi, president of the Canadian Association of Movers, warns there are a lot of questionable moving companies.

"They don't have trucks. They don't have people. They don't have storage. All they are is a company that answers the phone and then subcontracts the whole issue,” he said.

Levi said his advice to people planning a move is to do some homework first.