Monday, 24 March 2008

Moving from Belgium to the UK

Belgium's removal companies price-fixing scandal hurts us all

Just because my company has not been implicated in the recently exposed price-fixing scandal, that has cast a dark cloud over most of Belgium's top removal firms, is no reason for me to gloat. All customers, be they corporations, institutions or private individuals, have been harmed by this scandal, and it wouldn't be unfair of them to view all removal firms as slightly dodgy.

The European Commission has cashed in on the scandal and secured 32 million euro from a fine imposed on the guilty parties, but what about all the companies, institutions and private individuals who have paid more than they should have for their removal service, how are they going to be compensated for years of being cheated?

My company was once a supplier of international moving services in Belgium to some of the biggest multi-national firms in the world: Cocoa-Cola Company, Huntsman, Dow Corning, etc. Gradually, over time, I lost the right to service these firms, partly because of stronger marketing, which I can accept in this the-strongest-survives economy, but also from resistance from Belgian lower management who felt no loyalty to my firm even though they had received nothing but excellent service. However, my company was replaced by none other than the firms that have now been fined for price-fixing. But you know something, I don't believe for one moment that the Belgian lower management even cared.

There is something that my fellow director and I can be proud of: Capital Worldwide was never a part of the price-fixing circuit, and if there's any doubt then just look at the European Commission's press release (see previous post), for you won't see our name there.

Peter McEwan

Capital Worldwide Limited
Web site: http://www.capital-worldwide.com
Email: moving@capital-worldwide.com
Phone: 02 535 7430

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