Van guy demanding extra money

[sakurasdream]

Hi all, just looking for some advice on what to do about this situation.

The past year i’ve not been the most successful after finishing my uni degree. I’ve now got an average salary job, but have been sleeping on friends spare beds and sofas as I couldn’t afford my own place.

I now have a flat to move in to, and a portion of my belongings are at my kind friends house, think bedding, abit of cutlery, bags of clothes etc and my tv.

I hire a van company online to move my belongings from her house to my flat because neither of us drive, fair enough. It cost me £140 after carefully detailing on the website what has to be moved when getting my quote. My flat is about 10 minutes away from her house.

Anyway, I pay, and my time slot is between 8am-12pm, which is fine. I track my driver on the app and it mentions delayed. It’s now 1pm and no show, still just showing delayed.

Time stretches and it’s now 6pm and absolutely dark and rainy out. No word from my driver, just “delayed”, and there’s no number to contact him on. Finally at 6:30 he rings me to say he’s twenty minutes away and my stop is next.

He doesn’t show up till 7:50, not those twenty minutes at all. He pulled up and his attitude was awful, after having a long day I presume. I load the van myself whilst he sat in the front texting on his phone, until he gets out and demands an extra £20 off me! He says i’ve booked wrong, and when I explained that I listed everything involved and can’t he check the booking, he got further pissed off and intimidating.

I am a female alone with this man in the dark on my friends front porch. I give him the £20 and he finally storms back into the van.

I feel abit shaken, I despise confrontation and I am doubting that my booking was wrong, I checked it over and over again.

This company is reputable, has its own huge official website and everything. Do I suck it up? put in a complaint?

Thanks all.

Complain and demand the extra money back that he stole from you.

Absolutely you should complain that sounds awful

Complain completely. This is one of those things that never happens to my DH who is over 6' with a broken nose and a shaved head.

I wouldn't use a company that demanded extra money from women on their own. Nobber.

Absolutely you complain about him, and I would be damanding a refund including the £20 he effectively held your belongings ransom for. Shocking behaviour.

Of course you should complain. About all of it.

Definitely complain

This company is reputable, has its own huge official website and everything. Do I suck it up? put in a complaint?

You complain (unemotionally and concisely with details of the booking) and point out you were a woman on your own being held to ransom by this cock. I complained to a very big waste company about one of their drivers speeding and jumping red lights (more to get it off my chest than anything) but they took it seriously.

Complain about absolutely everything, starting with being nearly 8 hours late. If it is a reputable company looking to retain its reputation my starting position would be trying to get a full refund. Getting back the £20 ransom money is the least of it!

This is a really common scam.

just the other day a radio station in my area did an hour on it. Some companies also make a habit of holding your items hostage on the other end as well. You should complain, but it probably won’t accomplish anything.

Had it with a waste company, bloke loaded the van and it was an additional £ 30.

Definitely complain about it!

Complain about everything, the lateness as well, and report them to Trading Standards

I don't know why this is even a questuin, what reason could there be to not complain?
Also name and shame we know who not to book

You should complain, but it probably won’t accomplish anything.

I don't know why you say this, most of my complaints accomplish things quite quickly. You have to complain in a certain way though. Write ever letter factually and dispassionately, as though it's going to be assessed in court (even though most times it won't be). Physical letters tend to get more attention. Hint that the next one will be from a solicitor without saying so, or a formal complaint of discrimination (if applicable obviously) or whatever is the most central and unnacceptable part of the complaint. Sometimes it is a good idea to write WITHOUT PREJUDICE at the top in red. Don't waffle.

Complain big time. And emphasis he was intimidating.

It's the company's job to pay him, whether he's employed or freelance, not yours.

Definitely complainabout all of it with non emotive language (I find bullet points work best). Definitely include that he intimidated more money out of you. State what you expect out of the complaint getting the £20 back is the minimum I would expect)

Definitely complain!

Someone I know booked a man with a van to help her move house, he was lovely, helped her load all her belongings into the van, filled the whole space, even the passenger seats so she had to get to the new house by tube (no problem it wasn't far). She never saw him or any of her stuff again.

He probably did similar all over London every weekend.

I agree with this. Use very clear language with the actual words that were said. I also get a lot of complaints taken seriously. Not 'pissed off' and 'intimidating' but 'he said "you've booked wrong" and refused to leave until I paid the extra'.

BTW I make a point of complimenting as much as I complain if not more.

Definately complain, and also check if he really is a legit member of that big company. DP had this issue with a guy who had a van done up with a big company's logo. He then demanded extra money, knowing she was alone in a strange place. When she double checked the big company site, she found he wasn't on it at all - they didn't have a branch in our area; he was pretending to be legit when he wasn't.

Definitely complain. Next time it might be an elderly or more vulnerable person.

Definitely complain , not just about the extra cash the cheeky sod asked for but the delay .
Can you imagine what your bosses reaction would be if you turned up 8 hrs late , had the boss do all the heavy/ difficult work ( you loading the van ) while you sat on your bum doing nowt and the demanded a extra £20 for you shift .

As PP have said write factual letters to the company , one to the local branch that you used and one to their head office , make sure both know the other has a copy of the letter .
State that they were 8 hours late , it was a huge inconvenience to you , the fact that he did not load the van with / for you ( check your contract first to make sure he should of helped / done all the work )
He demanded a extra £20 though this may be hard to prove.
You expect full compensation for the whole shebang

@User478 similar thing happened to us, they didn’t take everything just a few nice things! When we called the company to complain they denied it and basically said that they knew where we lived. We decided it wasn’t worth the effort for a few hundred pounds worth of stuff, but it’s very upsetting when things like this happen.

Complain, but not just about the money. Set it out as you have done here - the guy arrived over 7 hours after the arrival slot. What did you do all day other than wait for him? And then when he turned up and made you load the van yourself in the dark and cold, he suddenly decided he needed more money? Absolutely not. I’d be looking for a full refund, an apology for your wasted day and assurance that he will be spoken to about his conduct.

You need to ring or email the company and make a strongly worded complaint.

Tell them this guy failed to turn up on time without any explanation and then used the fact that your were a lone woman to intimidate you and extort more money from you and that you considering reporting him, and therefore the company, to the police for theft.

Ask to be refunded but also make it clear that you consider that there is safeguarding issue and that the company should not be employing drivers who act like this.

Any decent company will sack him on the spot for gross misconduct because he definitely put your £20 in his pocket, so stole money while on the job using his company as an excuse, and made you feel uncomfortable.

I would also name and shame on social media and copy the company's social media team in. That will get their attention and the guy will lose his job even faster.

Was it one of those agency type van and a man hire company? Anyvan?

My daughter hired through them to move during lockdown. Van due at 9 didn't turn up and subsequent promised teams were also no shows. Eventually a pair of exhausted Polish guys turned up about 5pm after completing another job and got it done in record time. They were amazing and I felt so sorry for them. Don't know what we would have done without them. As it was we had to break the law (lockdown rules) to get it all done.