Removal scam
#16
Re: Removal scam
I had a similar dispute; I sent a 6 meter container from the Netherlands.
The contract was verbal; a bit cowboyish, but the price was very competitive.
I said I would have the box lifted onto the transport, but they would have to get it off and put on the ground on our farm in Portugal, and I would not be there and had no idea where a suitable crane could be found.
I also mentioned that I couldn't be sure the ground would carry the weight of the truck, and the driver would have to check, but I was flexible about where the box would be placed.
He said it was dry season so the ground would be firm.
Truck got stuck in the field.
They got one of the neighbors to pull them out with a big tractor, or maybe the bulldozer.
They pushed the 15 ton container off the back of the truck onto 4 stacks of pallets, 3 feet high, and left it standing there.
Then he wanted 250 euros to pay for getting the truck out of the hole.
I agreed to pay half.
I still had to figure out how to get the container down, which I did because I'm good at that sort of thing; I'd never specified that the container should NOT be left standing precariously 3 feet up. That had been their plan from the start of course. It would have cost hundreds of euros to have a crane capable of lifting it come all the way out here, and they knew that very well.
The contract was verbal; a bit cowboyish, but the price was very competitive.
I said I would have the box lifted onto the transport, but they would have to get it off and put on the ground on our farm in Portugal, and I would not be there and had no idea where a suitable crane could be found.
I also mentioned that I couldn't be sure the ground would carry the weight of the truck, and the driver would have to check, but I was flexible about where the box would be placed.
He said it was dry season so the ground would be firm.
Truck got stuck in the field.
They got one of the neighbors to pull them out with a big tractor, or maybe the bulldozer.
They pushed the 15 ton container off the back of the truck onto 4 stacks of pallets, 3 feet high, and left it standing there.
Then he wanted 250 euros to pay for getting the truck out of the hole.
I agreed to pay half.
I still had to figure out how to get the container down, which I did because I'm good at that sort of thing; I'd never specified that the container should NOT be left standing precariously 3 feet up. That had been their plan from the start of course. It would have cost hundreds of euros to have a crane capable of lifting it come all the way out here, and they knew that very well.
#17
Re: Removal scam
Just out of curiosity, what sort of box van costs €500/day in Portugal? Does it have gold wheels?
#18
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 19
Re: Removal scam
Ours has been a very long process, it will be 3 months to the day, since they collected the items to delivery. Our other moves were done by the people I used to work for, so this is our first DIY move. I think the problems were due to it being trans-shipped via the UK rather than direct as we don't have a huge amount. We did say to it was limited access due to the rural location, and a 19m long vehicle would have issues in most towns and villages so it does seem a little strange that they don't account for this in the initial quote
#19
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 19
Re: Removal scam
In their terms they sent a couple of days ago, it does state, that they need to be no further than 20m from the location, but it does not say that they are using a 19m long vehicle. They also state it's not their problem and I should contact the original shipping agent in Cyprus as they did the original quote and took the payment
#20
Re: Removal scam
Ours has been a very long process, it will be 3 months to the day, since they collected the items to delivery. Our other moves were done by the people I used to work for, so this is our first DIY move. I think the problems were due to it being trans-shipped via the UK rather than direct as we don't have a huge amount. We did say to it was limited access due to the rural location, and a 19m long vehicle would have issues in most towns and villages so it does seem a little strange that they don't account for this in the initial quote
If it was me, the thing I would be mad about is being charged €500 for a box van for one day. That is off-the-chsrt absurd, as it shouldn't cost more than about €100, or maybe €200 if van rentals are especially expensive in Portugal.
#21
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 19
Re: Removal scam
The problem is, we did tell the Cyprus agent it's was limited access for large vehicles, what we did not know was it was a 19m long vehicle. As it was contracted door to door, I would have assumed that any additional cost was factored in to the original cost. That's where the scam is, at no point did I not disclose the limited access and at no point did they indicate until last week the vehicle would be 19m long. It seems to me they are just topping up their take on the delivery money with an additional 480 pounds
#22
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 0
Re: Removal scam
They sent an picture of how big this truck was, including the trailer, 4.5 x Golf GTI's long. Would attach but has the companies name on the truck. My agent in Cyprus implied there would be an additional charge of exactly this amount due to the narrow access, but there is nothing in their contract to say this.
#23
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 19
Re: Removal scam
It's not worth trying to go back to a Cypriot agent, after almost 3 months they would have trouble remembering your name having safely got our cash in their bank.
#24
Re: Removal scam
It's not just the van, but time taken transferring the load from one vehicle to another, and all the extra manpower and logistics required.
Most likely they'll subcontract with a local firm to do the job, unless it's a firm with their own facilities in Portugal.
I'm not saying it's right!