We’ve been trying to get Pickfords to deliver our belongings which, after weeks of waiting, are still at the wrong end of the country. We are living in our new house in Bath with nothing to wear, sleep on, eat from etc.
Pickfords moved us out of our old house in West Yorkshire on 24 July. We’d had a few issues with it failing to take out cancellation insurance, even though it agreed afterwards that we had instructed it to do so, which, luckily, we didn’t need. But the crew who did the actual removal were fantastic. We were happy, and moved out into various forms of accommodation until the family could get back together in Bath when our purchase was completed.
In early August we called Pickfords to say we had a completion date of 11 August and to ask when it could deliver our things. We were stunned to be told it was “a really busy time of the year” and 24 August was suggested. We asked for an earlier date. Pickfords said it would check for cancellations every day and try for a revised slot. I have checked every day since and apparently, despite the company’s scale, it has had no spare capacity within its national network.
During one of many conversations we discovered our belongings were still in Leeds, not Bath, which is where our contract said they would be stored. This is important because we had asked whether we would be able to access our things. “Oh yes, that happens all the time,” we were told. The move plan that is part of the contract states that our belongings would be in Bath by 27 July. Pickfords’ material says: “When you are ready for delivery, Pickfords will deliver your consignment to its new location at a mutually convenient time.” We were offered an alternative supplier by Pickfords but we have a contract with it that it should honour. Please help! JT, Bath, Somerset
We were shocked by your report of such shoddy service from the UK’s largest removals and storage company, which boasts: “Our national resources give you flexibility. We can arrange for the local branch at your new property to check access prior to your move, draft in extra resources if required and arrange local storage close to your new home.”
All you ever requested was “a reasonable date” after your completion. Bizarrely, Pickfords has since turned up with a truck containing the sum total of two of your beds. In its T&Cs there is a clause that says it has 14 days to deliver items from storage. Yet this seems at odds with its sales material, its salespeople and general expectations.
When we contacted Pickfords, it promised an urgent investigation and to deliver your belongings within 48 hours, which it did. Andy Chatt, area manager for northern England and Scotland, told us: “Our internal investigation concluded this was down to a miscommunication between the gentleman that initially visited JT and our operations team. We understand that this could have inconvenienced JT with regards to accessing his items in store, if he wanted to, and affected the delivery of his items to his Bath address, for which we apologise profusely. After the issues arose we made every effort to deliver the items to JT as soon as possible, and also delivered some essential items to the client free of charge.”
The company has also promised a goodwill gesture, most likely through an adjustment to your bill.
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