GSSK International Movers Ltd. is suing the Better Business Bureau of Mainland British Columbia for defamation over statements that appear on the bureau’s website.
GSSK filed a notice of civil claim in BC Supreme Court on January 21. The company claims that an “F” rating on the BBB’s website gives people the impression that it is “among the worst moving companies in the Lower Mainland,” the claim states. GSSK is not accredited by the bureau but has resolved “numerous” customer complaints on its own, including some that the bureau notified it about. The alleged defamatory statements were first published in September 2012, according to the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, in January 2013, a bureau employee allegedly told one of the plaintiff’s prospective customers that GSSK “has a bad reputation with several unresolved BBB complaints and are not a good moving company.” Another customer was allegedly told to avoid GSSK and instead go with an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, allegedly resulting in the customer cancelling an $8,700 contract for a move from Vancouver to Malta.
GSSK seeks an injunction restraining the defendant from further alleged libel, a retraction and apology, and damages for defamation, inducing breach of contract and interference with economic relations.
None of the allegations has been proven in court, and the BBB has yet to file a response to the suit.
