Skip Company Failing to Remove Skip

februarysgirl

We've just had a new kitchen, which is fabulous, but the skip is still sitting on our driveway, despite the request for a collection being made a week and a half ago. We didn't hire the skip, our kitchen fitter did and he has been chasing them for us and being given nothing but apologies and excuses. He was told Friday they would pick it up first thing this morning but when I came home from work, it was still sat on our driveway. When our kitchen fitter called them, they claimed they tried to pick it up on Saturday but couldn't find the address :wall: He's given them detailed directions (although they managed to find us without problem when dropping it off) and they claim they're going to pick it up today. In anticipation of them not showing, I contacted another local skip company to ask whether they would be able to pick it up, but they said it would be illegal for them to do so.

What exactly am I entitled to do if they fail to remove it? I've seen advice on charging them storage but none of it is recent.

System

what exactly do you think you should be entitled to and for what reason?

TheCyclingProgrammer

the_r_sole wrote: »

what exactly do you think you should be entitled to and for what reason?

I presume OP feels entitled to have the skip company remove the skip in a timely manner having already asked them to do so several times whilst having options to get them to comply if they fail to do so. Seems reasonable to me.

What would you advise OP do?

februarysgirl

the_r_sole wrote: »

what exactly do you think you should be entitled to and for what reason?

Perhaps allowed would have been a better word than entitled. All I want is the damned thing off of our driveway and I need to know what action I can take to that end. I've already been assured that it would be illegal for someone else to take it, which would have been my preferred option, so what am I legally allowed to do/threaten them with? I've seen people suggest charging them storage by the day (including loss of use of the driveway) but unless this is a genuine course of action, it would be pointless to threaten them with it. In the event that I am legally entitled to charge them storage, what rate could it be charged it at? I've seen posts advising £50 per day but that's from years ago and to be honest seems a little excessive to me. I need to provide them with motivation to get it removed but to do that, I need to know where I stand rather than making empty threats and throwing arbitrary numbers around.

Furts

You need to have a go at your kitchen fitter. The skip company cannot take any instructions from you because you did not hire from them - their order/contract is with the fitter.


A possible scenario is the fitter has not paid for the skip, or his account is on stop. Hence the skip company will not do anything until this is resolved.

Doozergirl

Why don't you just see if it goes today, first.

Sounds like typical skip company behaviour to me. Say they'll do something on one day and do it two days later.

februarysgirl

Furts wrote: »

You need to have a go at your kitchen fitter. The skip company cannot take any instructions from you because you did not hire from them - their order/contract is with the fitter.

A possible scenario is the fitter has not paid for the skip, or his account is on stop. Hence the skip company will not do anything until this is resolved.

I had a feeling that the order being between the fitter and the skip company would complicate matters.

Having a go at the kitchen fitter doesn't actually move things any further than they are now. Me having a go at him is only going to result in him having a go at the skip company which he's already done once to no avail. Without the prospect of actual consequences, I don't see any motivation for this to be resolved.

I would have thought it unlikely they would make promises of collection if the bill hadn't been paid. Unless he's lying and hasn't contacted the skip company at all despite telling me he has. I would have thought that unlikely. Apparently this is the first (and last) time he's used this particular company.

Pennywise

Skip hire firms and scaffolders are from the same mould unfortunately. We've had endless days with both for removal. The only way is to make an absolute nuisance of yourself. Phone them every day, if not twice per day. They don't really care about picks up and prioritise drop-offs. You're only hope is to make them fed up of hearing your voice.

As for the suggestion you're not party to the contract because it's between your fitter and the company, that's nonsense. It's trespassing on your land so you have every right to insist it is removed and contact the skip hire firm directly.

But yes, your fitter should also be chasing them every day. You'd be within your rights to withhold payment from your fitter to try to "encourage" him to chase them for you. Until the skip has gone, the job isn't finished!

februarysgirl

Doozergirl wrote: »

Why don't you just see if it goes today, first.

Sounds like typical skip company behaviour to me. Say they'll do something on one day and do it two days later.

I won't be doing anything today, I just want to be prepared for tomorrow if they don't show this afternon. Two days I could excuse, but it's now eleven days since they said they would be picking it up.

Strider590

It's all very well getting angry, but i've seen the videos online of what happens when people start getting nasty with skip hire companies, they roll up, tip the contents on the lawn, take their skip and leave you to it.

I recommend being reasonable and staying calm, or you could end up like these people on Youtube, often left looking like some self entitled brat who got what was coming to them.

februarysgirl

Pennywise wrote: »

Skip hire firms and scaffolders are from the same mould unfortunately. We've had endless days with both for removal. The only way is to make an absolute nuisance of yourself. Phone them every day, if not twice per day. They don't really care about picks up and prioritise drop-offs. You're only hope is to make them fed up of hearing your voice.

As for the suggestion you're not party to the contract because it's between your fitter and the company, that's nonsense. It's trespassing on your land so you have every right to insist it is removed and contact the skip hire firm directly.

But yes, your fitter should also be chasing them every day. You'd be within your rights to withhold payment from your fitter to try to "encourage" him to chase them for you. Until the skip has gone, the job isn't finished!

I'm not a big fan of the phoning every day approach. I spent years working in insurance claims and found that constant phone calls were nowhere near as effective a motivation than the threat of actual consequences.

The fitter has already been paid so that's not an option!