1. Removals: all charges are calculated from the when the van leaves Bodmin until it will arrive back.
2. Hourly rate for removals service operates up to 50 miles of Bodmin. Customers requiring our services beyond this distance please notify us of their circumstances so that we can provide a written fixed price quote for the job.
3. House cleaning / packing: charges apply from when the operator arrives on the customer’s premises until the operators leave the customer premises.
4. House cleaning packing service limited to approx. 20 mile radius of Bodmin.
5. Customers are required to notify us of their circumstances, i.e. distance involved, access, volume/quantity of goods and other services required. We then provide a firm written quotation based on the hours we calculate the job will take. Provided customers have notified us of their full circumstances, the price quoted is the price paid.
6. We reserve the right to charge extra for unforeseen circumstances that are beyond our control. For example, waiting for customer to arrive, waiting for keys, restricted access, supply of incorrect address etc.
7. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that items fit into the new premises e.g. size of sofa to size of aperture. Although operators will endeavour to ensure that large items enter the new premises, no guarantee is given. In certain circumstances we will consider removing windows and doors. However, operators are not trained in this field so work of this nature is considered only at the customer’s request and on the understanding that the customer agrees that the company will accept no liability for any damage caused however it arises.
8. Once a job has been agreed, customers must pay 25% of the total cost in the form of a deposit on booking. The balance due is payable immediately on completion of the job to the driver present. Payment to be made by cash, bankers draft or company cheque.
9. Cancellations: we require a minimum of 24 hours notice to cancel a move. Shorter notice cancellations will incur a £50 fee.
10. Postponement: postponements will result in the deposit being rolled over. We require a minimum of 24 hours notice to postpone a move - shorter notice postponements will incur a £25 fee.
11. Customers are expected to arrange parking / access. The cost of any parking penalties incurred while carrying out a job will be passed onto the customer.
12. Where a Severn Bridge Toll or London Congestion Charge has been incurred on a customer’s job, the cost will be passed onto the customer.
13. While every effort is made to arrive at the appointed time there are many factor’s that can cause a driver to arrive late, therefore it should be understood that there is no guarantee that a van will arrive on time and no liability will arise should a van arrive late. If a van is going to be more than 15 minutes late the driver will attempt to contact the customer by phone and advise of an arrival time.
14. Vehicle availability: for removals requiring a 7.5 ton lorry, we may use two 3.5 ton Lutons.
15. Staff abuse: If our operators are forced to leave the job because of verbal abuse or             threatening behaviour from the customer, the customer will still be liable to pay the full agreed
    cost of the job.
16. By booking our services you are deemed to have read and contractually accepted the above terms and conditions, and also the terms and conditions of our basic insurance scheme as set out below.
    
    

Furthermore:

It will be the customer’s responsibility to:
a. Ensure all small goods are adequately packed in strong stackable boxes/containers if not using our packing service.
b. Ensure all delicate and fragile surfaces are not left exposed.
c. Be present or represented throughout the removal.
d. Take reasonable steps to ensure that nothing to be removed is left behind or taken in error.

INSURANCE

Do not be fooled by companies overtly stating they offer full insurance cover without first reading the full terms and conditions on their website.  For example, Safe Vans.com [aka. Man and Van London Removals] offer the following reassuring statement for customers viewing the Insurance page of their website:

“Each van load is covered for loss or damage to £10.000 of customers' belongings during transit, subject to an excess charge of £250 per claim.”

However, when examining the ‘terms and conditions’ page [which is not highlighted at the top of Safe Vans.com home page], the following statement appears:

“We have a "Goods in Transit" insurance policy which can be endorsed to cover client's goods. Please notify us of the value of your goods to be insured and we can provide you a removals quote including an Insurance Option. Please note that this insurance has been arranged solely in the name of our company. As our customer you will have no enforceable rights under our insurance policy.”

So not only does the customer have to pre-arrange insurance with the company, and pay an additional fee for it, the customer has no enforceable rights under that policy!

For smaller items, many companies operate a scheme that limits cover to only those goods packed by the removal company. These policies usually require customers to pay £500 excess charge for each claim made. Moreover, the annual cost to the operator of the policy is passed onto each customer in the form of higher charges.  This form of insurance does not appear to us to be cost effective. For these reasons we operate our own insurance scheme as detailed below.

We agree to compensate customers for any damage to their property during removal to the value of £10,000 total goods, or £1,000 max/single item, subject to the following conditions:

a. £100 customer excess.

b. Damage caused by us only where free and un-restricted movement is possible.

c. Small goods must be adequately packed/wrapped within sturdy boxes/containers.

d. Electrical mal-function must be as a result of evident physical damage and pointed out by you at the time of removal.

e. In the event of damage to which we are liable we will, at our discretion, either repair; replace on a like for like basis; or compensate you to the estimated value of the goods at the time of damage.

f. Any claim for damage to customers property or goods [whether unpacked or not] must be made to the driver on the day of the removal before he leaves. If no amicable agreement can be reached at that point, before the driver leaves the customer must make two written accounts of the alleged damage. The customer and driver must both sign each written account, with one being retained by the driver, and the other retained by the customer. The customer must also permit the driver to take appropriate photographs. The written record and photographs will be used to evaluate our response to the claim.

EXEMPTIONS AND EXCLUSIONS: The following items and events are specifically excluded from the above agreement:

a. Damage caused by leakages or spillages of any contents due to inadequate packing/sealing [unless packed by ourselves].

b.  Jewellery, watches, trinkets, precious stones or metals, money, deeds, securities, stamps, coins or collections of similar kind, data loss -computer systems, plants, livestock.

c. Damage caused to the property when customers ask us to facilitate movement of goods by removing windows, doors, skirting boards, fitted cupboards or any other fixed obstruction.

d.  No liability is accepted when goods must be squeezed, rammed or otherwise forced through inadequate openings such as doorways, windows, stairways etc.

Your booking is deemed your acceptance of these terms and conditions in full