You Might Want to Change That Nickname Pal

KITCHENER, ON. — The man who owns the Two Small Men with Big Hearts moving franchise in this city goes by the name “Lucky,” but odds are he’s not feeling that way at the moment.

CBC news reported that Ontario Superior Court Judge Sebastian Winny has reprimanded Himanshu (Lucky) Batta and told the mover that what he did to one of his customers amounts to extortion, blackmail, theft and fraud. So, the judge said, Batta has to pay an aggrieved customer more than $20,000 plus interest.

According to the CBC, in 2009, single mother Natasha Mitchell hired Batta but when the truck carrying her worldly goods arrived at the new location, his men presented her with a bill that was more than twice the original $500 quote. At the time, she says, she told the delivery men she didn’t have enough money, so they drove away with her furniture and put it in storage.

That same night, Court heard, somebody from the company phoned her to tell her she was being charged for storage and the new amount was $1,245. Next day, another call came from the company telling her the new fee was $1,901 and if it wasn’t paid, it would be jacked up to $2,529.

Mitchell sued the movers, represented herself in court, and won not only the $22,419 but also the sympathy of the judge as well as that of the Two Small Men with Two Big Hearts head office in Winnipeg. A corporate spokesperson told CBC news that they would do their best to make sure Lucky Batta pays what he owes.