Is This Quote Fair?

TELLIT01

The quantity of boxes almost doubled and there were other items added too.  Irrespective of the size of the boxes that is double the handling and therefore it should have been obvious that the price would increase. 

GingerTim

The change in the volume of stuff might have meant that a larger van was needed than preciously envisaged.

Spectralis

AnyVan offer a service and that is arranging removals. How they do that is irrelevant. My contract is with them not the delivery company they hire.
What I'm complaining about is that by adding a few more boxes the price doubled as soon as their terms and conditions stipulated only a 50% refund.
I just received a phone call from the company that is carrying out the removal. Apparently, the 4kg folding table hadn't been included in the price even though I added it to the list of items before receiving the latest quote. Already they're disputing the price and I'm held hostage by AnyVan's T&C's.
I'm hiring a van to take boxes from one place to another, not negotiating with NASA the payload for a trip to the moon.
The reason I posted is to find out my legal position as a customer. Is it acceptable that a company can double the price of a service 48 hours beforehand when they only offer a 50% refund?
What are my legal rights if, after the removal, they charge me more claiming I failed to include an item or some other excuse? AnyVan have my payment details so theoretically they can add on any charges they like. How can I prevent that or challenge it if it happens?

GingerTim

Spectralis said:

AnyVan offer a service and that is arranging removals. How they do that is irrelevant. My contract is with them not the delivery company they hire.

That's not what the AnyVan Ts&Cs say (https://www.anyvan.com/terms-and-conditions):

18. Our Status

1. We do not provide any transport services whatsoever. Our role is to provide a forum where potential buyers of transport services (Buyers) and businesses which provide transport services (Suppliers) can find each other.
2. It is the role of the parties to select each other on the basis of the services required and the contractual terms and rates offered by each of the parties. We do not carry out vetting of any Registered Users and therefore do not provide any assurances as to the ability of a party to perform its obligations under a contract.
3. Please note that, with regard to any transaction made between Users, the resulting legal contract is between those parties, and is subject to the terms and conditions of that Supplier or other terms as agreed between the parties. Parties should review any terms and conditions applying to the transaction.

Spectralis

I was only offered one quote by AnyVan. I made the contract with AnyVan. AnyVan billed me for the removal.
At no point, until after I had paid, did I have contact with anyone other than AnyVan staff.
There is no choice of quotes on AnyVan. It's not like eBay where you can communicate directly with the seller before payment.
AnyVan can print any T&C's they like but do they hold water? That's what I'm trying to find out.

GingerTim

Spectralis said:

I was only offered one quote by AnyVan. I made the contract with AnyVan. AnyVan billed me for the removal.
At no point, until after I had paid, did I have contact with anyone other than AnyVan staff.
There is no choice of quotes on AnyVan. It's not like eBay where you can communicate directly with the seller before payment.
AnyVan can print any T&C's they like but do they hold water? That's what I'm trying to find out.

As the terms and conditions explicitly state, you did not make a contract with AnyVan. They are effectively a middleman and manage payments, that's their business model, and they do indeed hold water. Your dispute is with the specific removal company.

eskbanker

Spectralis said:

AnyVan can print any T&C's they like but do they hold water? That's what I'm trying to find out.

What specifically are you seeking to challenge within them?  Cancellation costs for late cancellations aren't unusual, and it should be obvious that if the customer changes the specification that costs can be adjusted accordingly, so it's unclear what you're disputing from a legal or contractual perspective?

Spectralis

If I arranged a removal over the phone directly with a removal company I would explain what I wanted to remove, a price would be quoted, I'd pay a deposit and the rest on completion of the job.
In this case I had no contact with the company carrying out the removal, I paid the full price upfront with no control over surplus charges.
Are these online brokers regulated? Can they charge what they like with impunity? I'm questioning sharp practices among these new online businesses. What are my legal rights?

powerful_Rogue

Spectralis said:

If I arranged a removal over the phone directly with a removal company I would explain what I wanted to remove, a price would be quoted, I'd pay a deposit and the rest on completion of the job.
In this case I had no contact with the company carrying out the removal, I paid the full price upfront with no control over surplus charges.
Are these online brokers regulated? Can they charge what they like with impunity? I'm questioning sharp practices among these new online businesses. What are my legal rights?

They would have quoted you in the same vein as Anyvan did. They would also possibly charge more if you wanted to move more. If you cancelled without suffecient notice, they would likely keep the deposit, unless they could get another job to fill the void.

It's hardly a new online business, it was founded in 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091021054000/http://www.anyvan.com/#login

TELLIT01

A contract works both ways.  A price was given for a defined quantity of items to be moved.  That quantity was then approximately doubled so a price increase is entirely reasonable.  If a potential customer wishes to cancel then they are bound by the terms of the agreement.  There is another alternative, and that is to stick to the current contract and have half the items moved, then book another removal firm for the rest.