Agill Transport, Buraq Logistics fined $147k in Beenleigh Court

A removalist company run by a Brisbane couple has been fined $147,000 for shocking work practices which included threatening customers and throwing furniture off a truck, a court has heard.

Muhammad Zulnorain and Ayesha Siddiqa leaving Beenleigh Magistrates Court.

A removalist company run by a Brisbane couple has been fined $147,000 for shocking work practices which included threatening customers and throwing furniture off a truck.

Ayesha Siddiqa, 39, and her partner Muhammad Zulnorain, 43, ran removalist company Agill Transport and its associated business Buraq Transport and Logistics.

The pair faced Beenleigh Magistrates Court on May 31 where Ms Siddiqa pleaded guilty to 11 offences of failing to provide services, harassing customers and damaging consumers’ property.

The court heard that between December 2020 and June 2022, Agill Transport failed to give consumers $42,000 worth of services they had promised and caused $25,000 worth of damage.

The companies provided packing, removal, transportation and storage.

One charge related to Mr Zulnorain throwing a customer’s furniture off the truck because the customer would not pay for extra storage space.

The company also took a customer’s $18,000 insurance claim for themselves and never gave it to the consumer.

And the pair harassed seven customers and threatened them.

The court heard one customer’s wife was heavily pregnant and several of the victims were very unwell.

One was left without furniture for his family over Christmas.

Ms Saddiqa, Agill Transport and Buraq Transport and Logistics all pleaded guilty to five counts of accepting payment and failing to provide goods and five counts of making false or misleading representation.

They also pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and coercion.

Mr Zulnorain pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and coercion and one count of making a false or misleading representation.

The court heard the pair grew up in Pakistan and immigrated to Australia 15 years ago.

They had no prior criminal history and four children together.

Magistrate Tracy Mossop said they lacked insight and were “uncontactable and unremorseful” despite a litany of complaints from customers.

But Mr Zulnorain blamed a language barrier issue with employees.

“It was just a misunderstanding”, he told the court.

A string of frustrated customers took to the company’s social media accounts about their alleged shocking treatment.

One claimed their property was damaged and that they received threatening communications from Agill Transport.

‘They threatened to put our stuff in storage if we did not pay, so we paid the full amount to have all of our stuff completely damaged upon delivery,” they posted.

“They were supposed to pack down for us and dismantle and box up, as my partner had a broken leg and we had two small children to be supervised, but they never did.”

Agill Transport, Buraq and Logistics and Ms Siddiqa were fined a total of $147,000.

Mr Zulnorain was also fined $4000 for his involvement.

No convictions were recorded.