AnyVan dropped two TVs during my move and subsequently denied my claim for damages
I have a problem with a moving company, AnyVan, that carried out a move for me.
We discovered after the move that our two television sets were broken, although the company denied this.
The moving team was upstairs when they dropped one of the TVs. My son and daughter, who were in the house at the time, heard a loud thud, followed by silence.
My son went upstairs and asked if they had just dropped the TV. The mover he spoke to said ‘no dropsy.’ There was a language barrier as two members of the moving team spoke little to no English, and the driver had limited English.
After the move, the driver told me that I had to sign a form. I thought it was to confirm the job was done.
Damaged goods: This reader says she had two TVs dropped by a moving crew (stock image)
A while after they left, and while I was there myself, we plugged in the main TV and turned it on, only to find that the entire screen was broken.
Then we plugged in the other TV, only to find that the screen was also damaged, which has since spread even further.
I reported this to AnyVan and then submitted a damage claim form on their advice, but they rejected this completely on the grounds that I signed a ‘legally binding waiver’ at the end of the move. JL, Cheltenham
Harvey Dorset from This is Money replies: Moving can be an incredibly stressful experience.
Like many people, you have chosen to hire a moving team to ensure that your moving day goes as smoothly as possible.
AnyVan is an online marketplace that takes bookings from customers who are moving. Self-employed drivers then bid on the job and AnyVan decides which movers are assigned to the job.
In theory, leaving your home moving to a professional means you’ll save time and reduce stress by efficiently packing your belongings and moving them to your new home.
Unfortunately for you, you didn’t get exactly what you paid for and were left with two broken TVs.
When you complained about this to AnyVan, they denied your claim because you had signed a waiver, which you thought was a document confirming that the move had been completed – an issue that arose due to the language barrier between you and the moving team.
I have contacted AnyVan on your behalf and am pleased to inform you that they have agreed to reimburse you for your damaged item.
AnyVan sent you £1,990 in compensation – the value of the two TVs.
AnyVan also told This is Money that your claim was going through the internal claims process when I contacted them. It said that it had been waived that you had not taken out a full compensation policy.
An AnyVan spokesperson said: ‘At AnyVan we know that moving can be stressful, and our mission is to ensure customers have as much peace of mind as possible during this process.
‘Every customer can also provide direct feedback to our transport partners after every job, with our average partner receiving a 4.8 out of 5. In the very rare event that something goes wrong, we always strive to find solutions for our customers.
‘In JL’s case, she had not originally chosen to take advantage of our full compensation policy, which covers accidental damage, when booking. She was also initially unable to provide us with the make and model of the claimed TVs or proof of purchase, making it difficult for us to determine the value of the items.
‘However, the customer agent involved requested a waiver of these matters and this was escalated through our internal claims process on 19 November.
It added that it has paid you the £1,990 within the stated six-week complaints handling period.
AnyVan continues: ‘Our advice to any customer moving is to always ensure you choose a level of insurance for the goods being moved that you are comfortable with, and where possible keep records of valuable goods for insurance claims.
‘Not all companies will be able to honor accidental damage claims if there is no accident insurance cover in place, or if proof of purchase is not provided.
“AnyVan is pleased that we were able to assist JL in this case, but it is not common for many other companies to be able to do this.”
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