Damage · A
Something arrived broken
The complaint that appears more than any other, and the one most often described as bad luck. It is rarely bad luck. Three ordinary decisions account for most of it, and all three are made before the vehicle is loaded.
Nobody drops things on purpose. Almost everything that breaks was packed in a way that made breaking likely.
What is actually done about it
Cause one: the carton
Supermarket boxes are designed to be stacked twice in a warehouse and opened. They are not designed to sit at the bottom of a column in a moving vehicle for six hours, and they collapse.
The consequence is not the box failing. It is everything above it dropping several inches at once, repeatedly, for the whole journey.
Cause two: the half-empty box
A box packed lightly, with a gap at the top, crushes when anything is placed on it. A box packed to the brim carries its own load and supports what sits above.
It is counter-intuitive — people leave space to keep boxes light — and it is the second commonest reason things arrive broken. Fill them, and use smaller boxes for heavy things.
Cause three: the unstrapped load
A load that is not restrained moves for the entire journey. Not dramatically; continuously. Drawers ease open, a mirror corner finds a gap, a veneered edge rubs against something for four hours.
A load strapped in sections as it is built cannot do that. It takes longer to load and it is the difference between arriving intact and arriving mostly intact.
And where the cover sits
Cartons packed by you are covered for loss or damage arising from our handling, but not for damage attributable to the packing itself. That is the standard position across the trade and it is worth understanding before choosing to pack, not afterwards.
Over any distance we would rather do the fragile categories ourselves even where you are happy to do the rest. That is not an upsell; it is where the risk actually sits.
Something arrived broken
Questions about something arrived broken
- What cartons should we buy if we pack ourselves?
- Double-wall, in two or three sizes, with the smallest for books and anything dense. Supermarket boxes are the commonest cause of a crushed column and they cost nothing for a reason.
- Should boxes be light?
- They should be full. A light box with a gap at the top crushes; a full box supports what is stacked on it. Use a smaller box rather than under-filling a large one.
- What do you pack differently for a long journey?
- Everything, but especially the fragile categories. A load on the road for hours works against itself in ways a short local run never does.
- Are our own boxes insured?
- For loss or damage arising from our handling, yes. For damage attributable to the packing itself, no. It is the standard trade position and we state it before you choose.
- What if something is damaged anyway?
- Tell us at once and in writing within the period the booking contract sets out. Keep the item and its packaging so both can be examined.
- Do you protect the building too?
- As standard, at both ends — floors, door frames, banisters and any communal area on the route. Damage to a building is a complaint in its own right and an entirely preventable one.
Ask us the awkward questions
Will you survey before quoting. Will the crew who load us unload us. How many vehicles will our goods be on. What happens if the day overruns. Start there.