Terms & Conditions

 

1.Quotations

1.1. The Quotation price given is for carrying out the removals service as stated and does not include, (unless otherwise stated in writing) any of the following:

1.1.2. Taking up or laying floor coverings

1.1.3. Disconnecting or reconnecting appliances and fixtures

1.1.4. Parking fees

1.1.5. Custom duties, port charges or other fees payable to government bodies or agencies.

1.2. Unless already agreed, extra charges may also be applied if;

1.2.1. The work is carried out on a Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday or outside the hours of 07:00 – 18:00 at your request.

1.2.2. The work does not commence within 3 months of the acceptance.

1.2.3. We are required to move goods at your request, above the ground floor or first upper floor.

1.2.4. We supply, at your request any additional services, including moving extra goods or increasing our liability as described in Clause 8.

1.2.5. You request collection or access to your goods while in storage.

1.2.6. Restrictions to access prevent the free movement of goods without mechanical equipment or alterations.

1.2.7. Restrictions to access prevent the unloading/loading of goods within 20 metres of the doorway.

1.2.8. There are delays or events outside our reasonable control that increase the resources and/or time required to carry out the work.

1.3. Any additional work such as moving goods into and out of storage on separate days are charged at the standard hourly rates as independent jobs, unless specified in the written quotation.

1.4. For fixed quotations, we reserve the right to charge additional fee. If there are additional items on the day of the move that weren’t shown during the survey, VP Smart has the right to charge an additional fee based on their volume, size, weight, and other factors.

2.Goods not to be submitted for removal or storage

2.1. The following items must not be submitted for removal or storage and will not be moved by us.

2.1.1. Stolen goods, drugs, highly flammable or explosive materials/items, (including petrol, gas bottles, aerosols, paints and ammunition).

2.1.2. Jewellery, precious metals or stones, money, bonds, deeds, securities, coins, stamps or goods or collections of a similar kind, (unless agreed in writing).

2.1.3. Goods that can encourage vermin or cause infestation or contamination.

2.1.4. Goods which are hazardous to health.

2.1.5. Perishable goods and/or goods requiring a controlled environment.

2.1.6. Animals or plants. Plants can be submitted for removals only if it is pre-agreed. Due to the nature of the plants, they don’t follow to be covered by our insurance and liability policy. 

2.1.7. Goods that are prohibited by law or require special licence or permits for import or export.

2.2. If such goods are submitted without our knowledge, we will make them available for you to collect. If they are not collected within a reasonable time, we will apply for an appropriate court order to dispose of the goods, at your expense.

2.3. We accept no liability for loss or damage to excluded goods, as detailed in Clause 2 unless we have been negligent or are in breach of contract.

3. Your Responsibility
3.1. You agree that we will not be liable for any loss or damage resulting directly from your failure to discharge your responsibilities.

3.2. You agree to advise us in writing of the value of the goods to be removed and/or stored.

3.3. It is your responsibility to pay any parking charges incurred by us in carrying out the work and to obtain and pay for all documents, permits and licences required for the work to be completed.

3.4. You agree to prepare all appliances for removal, including defrosting and emptying refrigerators and freezers, emptying all fluids from appliances and equipment, (including hoses, washing machines, dishwashers, etc) and ensuring there is no residual fuel in petrol-driven garden, (or other) equipment.

3.5. You or your representative must be present throughout the collection and delivery of the removal.

3.6. You must ensure that all inventories, job sheets, receipts and other necessary documents are signed by you or your representative.

3.7. You are responsible for ensuring that nothing that should be removed is left behind and nothing is taken away in error.

3.8. You are responsible for the protection of goods left unattended or where workmen, other tenants, (or any other third parties) may be present.

3.9. You agree to provide us with an up to date contact address and telephone number for the duration of your removal and/or storage.

3.10. Where we provide a list of goods or a receipt and send it to you, it is your responsibility to notify us of any inaccuracy within 10 working days. If no such notification is received by us, the list of goods is deemed to be accepted by you as accurate.

4. Our Responsibilities
4.1. For the purposes of this document, “undamaged” means in the same condition as before our work commenced.

4.2. It is our responsibility to deliver your goods to you or produce them for collection, undamaged.

4.3. If we fail to deliver your goods undamaged, we will compensate you according to Clause 8.

4.4. We will not be liable to compensate you unless we have been negligent or are in breach of contract.

4.5. It is our responsibility to provide the staff, vehicle(s) and equipment that are fit for the purpose of carrying out the work as agreed.

5. Ownership of Goods
5.1. You agree that the goods to be removed and/or stored are your property or you have the full authority of the owner to enter this agreement.

5.2. If the ownership of the goods changes while this agreement is in place, you agree to notify us in writing immediately.

6. Charges for Postponement or Cancellation
6.1. We reserve the right to charge a postponement or cancellation fee according to how much notice is given. As follows;

6.1.1. More than 10 days before the work was due to start, no charge.

6.1.2. Less than 10 days before the work was due to start: 100% of the deposit.

6.2. If we cancel your move, you will be refunded in full.

6.3. In case of postponement is our obligation to offer the customer new date/s and reschedule the service according to our current schedule and available resources; it is the customer obligation to accept the new dates that have been offered by VP Smart Removals. If a customer refuse any of the offered dates, then this will be accepted as a cancellation request and the fees would be applied according to Clause 6.1.2
6.4. Postponement is acceptable only with 48 hours before the reserved day.

7. Payment Terms & Revision of Storage Charges
7.1. Payment is required in full, by cleared funds before unloading on fixed-price jobs.

7.2. Straight after unloading on hourly jobs.

7.3. We reserve the right to refuse to commence work until full payment has been received.

7.4. Where sums are overdue to us, we reserve the right to charge interest on a daily basis, calculated at 4% per annum above the current base rate of the Lloyds Bank.

7.5. Storage charges are reviewed periodically and you will be given 30 days written notice of any increases.

8. Liability and Insurance
8.1. Extended Liability

8.1.1. If you advise us of the value of your goods prior to work commencing, by sending a value inventory form, our liability in the event of loss or damage will be determined up to a maximum of the declared value.

8.1.2. A higher value may be agreed in writing before commencement of work and may incur an additional charge.

8.1.3. In the event of our negligence or breach of contract resulting in loss of or damage to your goods, the first 250GBP of any claim is considered an excess fee and for any claim exceeding this amount we will pay a sum equivalent to the cost of their replacement or repair to a reasonable standard whichever is the smaller sum up to a maximum of the declared value of any one item (see below)

8.1.4. In the event of loss or damage to your goods, our liability to you shall not exceed a sum equivalent to the repair or replacement of those goods, whichever is the lowest sum, up to a maximum of the declared value.

8.1.5. Where an item is part of a pair or set, our liability to you is assessed as the cost of that item in isolation and not the cost of the item as part of a pair or set.

8.1.6. We will disassemble and re-assemble IKEA, flat pack or custom made furniture. As the manufacturer itself offer no guarantee on their products assembly or disassembly, similarly we take no responsibility and offer no compensation if these are damaged or do not function correctly on dis-assembly or re-assembly, unless there is visible physical damage to the item resulting from the move.
In case of malfunctioning after dismantling or reassembling caused by a poor quality of the furniture materials, we recommend contacting the manufacturer or place of purchase. Any disassembly or reassembly is explicitly under the clients’ instructions and direction.

8.2. Limited Liability

8.2.1. If you have not provided us with a written valuation prior to work commencing, or you do not require us to apply Extended Liability, then our liability to you shall not exceed £40.00 per item.

8.2.2. An item is defined as the entire contents of a box, carton or other container and any other object moved by us.

8.3. For goods destined to or received from overseas:

8.3.1. We will not be liable for loss or damage to goods which are seized, confiscated, removed or damaged by Customs Authorities or other Government Agencies unless we have been negligent or in breach of contract.

8.3.2. We do not accept liability for loss or damage to goods in certain overseas
countries. We will advise you at the time of quotation if this exclusion applies.

8.3.3. The company cannot accept responsibility for any accidental damages caused by our movers if the customer has an unpaid balance owed to VP Smart Removals .

9. Damage to Premises
9.1. If we cause, (through our negligence) damage to premises or property other than goods for removal, our liability shall be limited to repairing the damaged area only.

9.2. If such damage is caused as a result of moving goods under your express instruction, against our advice, we will not be liable.

9.3. If we are responsible for causing damage to premises or property, other than goods for removal, you must notify us immediately or within a reasonable time.

10. Exclusions of Liability
10.1. We will not be liable for loss, damage, delays or failure to provide the service under this agreement as a result of war, hostilities, civil war, terrorism, rebellion or any similar hostile activities, adverse weather, third party industrial action, rescheduled sailing, departure or arrival times, port congestion or other such events outside our reasonable control.

10.2. We will not be liable for damage caused by natural deterioration, leakage or evaporation, perishable or unstable goods, (such as those left inside appliances) vermin, insects or similar infestation unless we have been negligent or in breach of contract.

10.3. We will not be liable for loss of or damage to china, glassware and fragile items (TVs, screens, monitors , mirrors,  pictures etc.) unless they have been both professionally packed and unpacked by Us.

10.4. Unless we arranged for the work to be carried out, we will not be liable for damage due to cleaning, repairing or restoration.

10.5. Unless caused by ingress of water due to our negligence, we will not be liable for damage caused by changes in atmospheric conditions, such as rust and mould.

10.6. No employee of ours shall be separately liable to you for any loss or damage under this agreement.

10.7. Our liability will cease upon handing over the goods or upon completion of delivery.

11. Limitation for Claims
You must note any visible loss, damage or failure to produce any goods at the time of delivery and VP Smart Removals’ office must be informed on the day of the move. A detailed inventory of damaged goods must be provided to us within 7 days of the job being completed. We will not accept claims outside of this period. We accept no responsibility for loss or damage to property after a job is complete and the job sheet is signed. The company cannot accept responsibility for any accidental damages caused by our movers if the customer has an unpaid balance owed to VP Smart Removals
The customer accepts and understands that poor service, breakage or damage must be reported straight after completion of the job. Failure to do so will invalidate the claim. Items excluded from liability are: cash, watches,  jewellery and items of sentimental value.

12. Route, Method and Delays in Transit
12.1. We will not be liable for delays in transit unless we breach contract or have been negligent.

12.2. If through no fault of ours, we are unable to deliver your goods, we will take them into storage and addition services, (storage and delivery) will be at your expense.

12.3. We have the right to choose the route.

12.4. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, we have the right to utilize other space in the vehicle for other customers’ consignments.

12.5. We have the right to sub-contract some or all of the work. These conditions will still apply.

Our right to stop/deny the service:

13.1 We reserve the right to stop the service at any point if any of the followoling applies

13.2 There is no safe access to the collection or delivery address
13.3 When it is found that the service could not be performed as requested by the customer: including but not limited to: removal vehicle has to be parked over 50m from the property; part or all of the furniture cannot fit into the lift (where applicable); part or all of the furniture needs to be taken through a window / balcony above raised ground floor.

13.4 The technicians or the office staff are being treated inappropriately and or disrespectfully

13.5 In case of injury or accident during the removal process.
Within this case we reserve the right to collect payment  for the service and materials provided including time required to unload our vehicle(where applicable) subject to our minimum charges depend of your service.

14. Applicable law

This contract is subject to the law of the country in which the office of the company issuing this contract is situated.

15  Your forwarding address

15.1    If you send goods to be stored, you must provide an address for correspondence and notify us if it changes.  All correspondence and notices will be considered to have been received by you seven days after sending it to your last address recorded by us.

15.2   If you do not provide an address or respond to our correspondence or notices, we may publish such notices in a public newspaper in the area to or from which the goods were removed.  Such notice will be considered to have been received by you seven days after the publication date of the newspaper.

Note:  If we are unable to contact you, we will charge you any costs incurred in establishing your whereabouts.

15.3 List of goods (inventory) or receipt

Where we produce a list of your goods (inventory) or a receipt and send it to you, it will be accepted as accurate unless you write to us within 10 days of the date of our sending, or a reasonable period agreed between us, notifying us of any errors or omissions.

16.0 Revision of storage charges

We review our storage charges periodically.  You will be given one month notice in writing of any increases.

17  Our right to Sell or dispose of the Goods

If payment of our charges relating to your goods is in arrears, and on giving you one month notice, we are entitled to require you to remove your goods from our custody and pay all money due to us.  If you fail to pay all outstanding amounts due to us, we may sell or dispose of some or all of the goods without further notice.  The cost of the sale or disposal will be charged to you.  The net proceeds will be credited to your account and any eventual surplus will be paid to you without interest.  If the full amount due is not received, we may seek to recover the balance from you.

18  Termination

If payments are up to date, we will not end this contract except by giving you one month notice in writing.  If you wish to terminate your storage contract, you must give us at least 10 working days’ notice (working days are defined in Clause 6 above).  If we can release the goods earlier, we will do so, provided that your account is paid up to date.  Charges for storage are payable to the date when the notice should have taken effect.

Liability Terms – For Non British Association of Removers Members