Lucinda K

Serious safety and trust concerns during move – unresolved

We booked Biggles Removals for a household move on 11 December 2025. The move was carried out by a team subcontracted to Cape Removals under the Biggles booking. The team was employed to pack and move our belongings, which required a high level of trust. During the move, two adults noticed that some of the movers smelled strongly of alcohol. At the end of the day, we discovered that a sealed bottle of whisky, which was full prior to the move, was almost empty. We also discovered that aftershave and bread knives were missing following the move. There were three adults and one child present in the house at the time. The alcohol and missing items were not taken or consumed by anyone in the household. The issue is not the cost of the items. The concern is having a removals team in our private home who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol while on duty, while also packing our personal belongings. This constitutes a serious breach of trust, as well as significant safety and insurance concerns, particularly given that vehicles were being operated that same day. Management initially apologised and advised that the matter would be investigated. We subsequently requested that Biggles Removals take formal action in line with their legal and safety obligations, including a proper internal investigation. We specifically requested that polygraph (lie detector) testing be considered as part of that investigation. We were advised that such testing would only be pursued at our cost, and since raising these concerns, our communications have gone unanswered and the matter has effectively been ignored. We offered to provide affidavits confirming what was observed, but this was not taken up. We are extremely disappointed, not only by the incident itself, but by how it has been handled thereafter. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend Biggles Removals and believe it is important that other consumers are aware that subcontracted teams may be used and how serious complaints are addressed.