Items lost as moving company goes into liquidation

Doug Hearmon and son Alistair are awaiting news of the shipment for which the family paid $2600 to Global Moving Systems. Photo / Christine Cornege

Family’s 50 boxes of precious belongings missing after British company goes under.

A Hamilton family has lost valuable belongings after an international moving company hit the wall.

Repeated phone calls and inquiries by Deirdre Hearmon, 47, have returned no clues as to where her family's 50 boxes of items might be.

Mrs Hearmon moved with her husband, Doug, and son Alistair, 11, to New Zealand from the United Kingdom about 10 years ago.

She and Alistair went back to England last year to care for her mother, who died from cancer in May, aged 72.

"I used to be a nurse, so I wanted to be at home with her during that time ... she was very young, enjoyed life and it was for living," Mrs Hearmon said.

When Alistair broke from school in July they arranged for items to be shipped home to New Zealand by Global Moving Systems (GMS).

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After landing in August they paid the rest of the 1300 ($2600) cost to GMS and were told their belongings would be shipped on September 22, and would arrive in about five weeks. After that they heard nothing. The GMS website was taken down, and Mrs Hearmon was alerted to media items on the company's impending liquidation, and other customers' missing items.

GMS representatives could not be reached by the Herald but last week managing director James Wood told Britain's Daily Telegraph the company would be put into liquidation.

The British Association of Removers and third-party shipping companies have arranged for some customers to have goods delivered, but they've had to pay those companies again to release their belongings and then chase up GMS representatives for a refund.

Mrs Hearmon, a primary school teacher who lives in Tamahere on Hamilton's outskirts, has contacted GB Liners, who have taken over many of the deliveries, but it has no confirmed record of her own shipment.

Deirdre Hearmon.

"Their feeling is it's probably in New Zealand but no one has [told] us."

Mrs Hearmon is trying to contact all shipping companies to try and trace the belongings, which include things her late mother set aside for her to keep.

Who are Global Moving Systems?
An international moving company based in East Sussex, England.

What's gone wrong?
Customers' belongings shipped overseas haven't turned up and inquiries have gone unanswered. The firm is going into liquidation.

Will the items be delivered?
The British Association of Removers and third-party shippers have delivered to some customers, but many have had to pay again.