AIBU to think £100 comp is not enough after courier damaged my mirror?

[Elizabella]

I bought a mirror from Laura Ashley in a private sale last month.I paid £200but becauseI didn't have a car available, I contracted AnyVan to pick my mirror up for £67 incl basic insurance.I left specific instructions on the booking about the mirror being unwrapped, fragile and needing careful handling. I booked the driver after reading his profile that said he had good ratings and blankets/strapping for furniture.I asked the seller to remind the driver to wrap the mirror etc which she did.

When it arrived at home, the driver set it down and drove off.I was very concerned as it is a large and heavy mirror and he brought it in carrying it one handed under his arm with no especial care and no evidence of wrapping.. I noticed a corner had been damaged with bits missing.I immediately texted the driver to ask him to stop and check the back of his van for any bits of the mirror. he came back with only one bit saying he could superglue it (impossible as it is a gilt mirror and bits of the corner are still missing) then he asked me not to make a claim then stood looking at me like a kicked spaniel to try to get sympathy.

I reported it toAnyVan with photos, receipt, testimony ofthesellerand they have said:

AnyVan acts as an agent within the booking which means we must mediate with the Transport Provider in an attempt to resolve the claim. Upon speaking to the Transport Provider and reviewing the evidence that has been provided, we would like to offer you a settlement of £100 to resolve the claim. This refund is in line with the terms and conditions for the basic compensation cover included in your booking and is stipulated within section 9.2(b) of the terms and conditions sent to you at the point of booking;

9.2 Basic Compensation Cover is included in the Price. This provides:
b.cover for up to a limit of £100 per individual item.

I wrote back and said that the mirror cost £200, the transportation was £67 and £100is not enough to either purchase another or to pay fo ra repair with transportation costs. AlsoLA are no longer trading so I could only get another from ebay and they go for £200+ WITHOUT the cost of transporting. Also quoted the bit of consumer law about reasonable care being taken when it clearly wasn't.

They came back and said they understand my points BUT "Upon placing the booking, you are offered the option to purchase additional comprehensive insurance cover, however, as the basic compensation cover was opted for, this would be the maximum offer we would be able to make.

Should you wish to accept the refund of £100 as the full and final settlement to the claim, please respond to this email with the following details and I shall refund this to you with the 3-5 days;'

AIBU to expect them to either bear the cost of repair or give mea proper refund? What would you do? Anyone know anything about consumer protection law in cases like these?

I said that it LOOKS as though he pivoted the mirror on its corner from the damage caused

Braeburn, when he is only driving 10 miles to deliver, actually, yes!

Again my mistake. You were close enough to him and the van to see in it so I wrongly assumed you would have seen when you believe he damaged it.

I know it was damaged INSIDE the van as he had to come back to my house with the broken off gilded bits that he had broken off that were inside the van because I had to call him and ask him to check for any bits and even then, he didn't find them all!

I'm the last person to scream political correctness but what on earth has the fact he was Eastern European got to do with it and surely a man a with a van service us exactly what AnyVan is ...

Did you not have to sign anything?

Perhaps a language barrier that meant he couldn't properly read the instructions and description? His spoken English wasn't great.

Why the hell should I accept blame for damage to an item that I did not cause???

Because you didn’t have it properly insured.

It should have been wrapped. You should have gotten the seller to give it some kind of protection. Its crazy to think you can transport something delicate with adequate wrapping.
As you weren't going to bother greening a few quid on some bubble wrap to make sure it was properly protected you should have paid for extra insurance.

A delivery note but that only says it was delivered and I didn't notice the damage until about a minute after he drove off when I walked back to close the front door and noticed a bit of the gilding twinkling up at me from the carpet. He had set the mirror down on its damaged edge. I immediately called him and told him he had broken the mirror and to stop the van and look for any more gilded pieces that might be in the van as I was hoping that I could just stick them back on. He brought back two further gilded pieces that were in the back of his van but there is a large wedge piece missing (so if you can imagine a corner with a big chunk in the middle missing) which means it needs to have that part modelled and ten re-gilded with a matching colour.

It wasn't that I was being 'tight' about insurance, it is that from his description, he made it sound that he had all the gear to properly pad, wrap and strap it and he didn't. I assumed I was dealing with a professional. I wasn't.

emilyfrost I accept that in my naivety and in future, I will take out comprehensive insurance but I will bloody well not accept responsibility for someone else's shoddy service and clumsiness! Having read upon this company, even people with comp insurance have had their furniture and items trashed and had to really fight hard to get even half the value back. they are not a good outfit. As I said earlier, it is about asking about consumer rights law regarding purchase and provision of services which trumps insurance anyway.

I also think that when purchasing a service, one has the right to expect a reasonable standard.

I’ve used their service several times and all fine. BUT in every case all items have been well wrapped and protected by me.

Sorry but the person who you bought the mirror off is responsible for bubble wrapping this with several layers taped down prior to transport. Then it would have been ok wrapped in a blanket or two by Any Van. It isn’t the job of AV to wrap a fragile object prior to transport. They would expect it to be done anyway and then aid wrapping with further blankets/duvets etc for additional protection.

I actually think you are doing well with being offered £100 compensation frankly.

The damage is all on one corner where he bumped it down and pivoted it on its corner

I said that it LOOKS as though he pivoted the mirror on its corner from the damage caused

Did you see him do this OP?

friendlycat glad that you personally had a good service but there are literally thousands of people out there who haven't. The one thing I have learned is that using AnyVan is a lottery from reading what others have had to say online and in their reviews.

Well, considering he had to go back and look in the back of the van for the corresponding missing pieces that he actually found in the back of his van, I would say it is highly unlikely that he did the damage elsewhere and the seller sent me time stamped photos of the mirror literally when the courier was there. It was in perfect condition when it left the house there and had broken bits in the back of the van and he admitted he had broken it and asked me not to put a claim in!

It was the responsibility of the seller to adequately bubble wrap the mirror. Sheets weren't adequate for a fragile item but to add extra protectionto what should have been a wraped item. I cant believe you expected the to package youre item for you. Youre issue is with the seller

Can you not actually admit you should have ensured it was wrapped properly? Really!?

No, my issue is with a courier advertising himself as one thing then being quite another and not taking the appropriate level of care to provide a service that one could reasonably expect having read his description of himself and the measures he claimed he would go to on the AnyVan website.

IF he had not advertised himself as professional with expertise in handling large and fragile items with everything needed to pad, wrap and strap the mirror and being happy to take on the job knowing the mirror was unwrapped at pickup then perhaps..

If the mirror was only 10 miles from your home, it would have been cheaper to collect it yourself by taxi. Then you could have ensured it was properly wrapped

I wouldn't have been able to carry it.It is large and heavy.

I have an old rotator cuff injury that means I have weakness in one arm -if I could have done that, I would have.There were lots of bids that were cheaper than the guy I booked but I was taken in by his self-advertisement

@Nicknacky

Can you not actually admit you should have ensured it was wrapped properly? Really!?

Of course she can’t 😂