Where do I stand? Evri lost my parcel.

Nobbygsxr

Hi, had a faulty electronic item off my motorhome which needed posting to a company in Somerset for repair.
Decided to have it collected from home rather than take it to local garage (Evri collection point with machine) as item was fragile.
My wife sorted pick up through her phone using Evri app.
Packaged up item & printed out destination address & my address for return leg.
Evri arrived the following day to collect but was not happy to take parcel as no label or QR code. I showed her my wife’s phone opened with evri app showing proof of transaction & she said yes that should be ok & took the parcel leaving us with a parcel collected ticket with a bar code.
parcel never arrived at destination so contacted Evri who couldn’t track it as no label on it. They tracked it to the distribution point via tracing the drivers drop off depot but said they cannot now find it & have reprimanded the driver telling her not to take any future parcels without the correct label.
I have since had to purchase a second hand unit for motorhome at a cost of £750.
Evri sent us a claim form which we submitted but have come back with a settlement figure of £20 plus £6 postage cost.
Unfortunately we did not take out extra insurance as at the time didn’t know the value of item. 

My argument with Evri is that they have admitted there courier was at fault taking the parcel but will not increase the settlement figure. & also what system have they got in place for lost parcels as mine had my return address on it. 

It’s basically sat in a local depot going nowhere!
Do I have a case to take this matter further legally?
Sorry for the lengthy post, any advice much appreciated.

knightstyle

IMO you told Evri that the item was worth a maximum of £20 so they have done the right thing.  I cannot believe you thought an expensive item was worth so little.  Lesson, do not skimp on insurance when using Evri!

Alderbank

Where do you stand? At the back of quite a long queue I'm afraid.

Your parcel might possibly be sat in a depot but Evri have form for selling parcels at auction. 

Here is a YouTube video of how it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxnaow0aoow&t=15s

Joe Lycett made an entertaining TV programme in which he bought some Evri parcels at auction and delivered them to their recipients who were delighted to receive them having given them up for lost.

If you get to the auction in time you might even be able to buy your parcel back.

mikb

Nobbygsxr said:

Evri arrived the following day to collect but was not happy to take parcel as no label or QR code.

I know there are cases where you are not *required* to put a destination/return address (e.g. Ziffit) -- where they say "Simply write your transaction number on the box and drop it off at an InPost Locker". 

It all gets done by magic, somehow.

I don't trust that. Even if specifically instructed to send a box with NO LABEL and NO QR code, there is zero chance I would do that. It just feels 100% wrong to put anything, especially an expensive anything, in an unmarked box and hope. It's a bad system, sorry you've been caught in it!

For future situations like this -- a) Write your house number and postcode on the outside of the box as a FROM: address. b) Include paperwork INSIDE the box stating where it's going and who you are. Even if it's not needed. Just do it ... that way if the item is lost/misdirected there is a chance it can be found and put back on track.

If the item arrives ok, then they are free to throw away your over-zealous information and tut about paranoid customers. Belt and braces!

Okell

Nobbygsxr said:

... Packaged up item & printed out destination address & my address for return leg.
Evri arrived the following day to collect but was not happy to take parcel as no label or QR code...

I'm not familiar with how Evri works, but what was the point in printing out the destination address if it wasn't attached to the parcel?

RefluentBeans

I’m afraid that insurance is worth it when something goes wrong. No one wants their parcel to get lost (and not many parcels do get lost) but when they do, it’s down to what you tell them on the paperwork. If you say the parcel is worth £20 then that’s all you’re going to get, for a part which cost nearly 40 times that much to replace you, you should’ve had an idea of how much that part was worth.

Like others have said, it’s a lesson you only need teaching once, especially at this price. Evri have actually acted fairly responsibly here - admitted they lost the parcel, and then given you the value of what you stated the parcel was worth. 

Ultimately insurance is a big scam, until you need to claim and then it’s not. Same as phone insurance, house insurance and postal insurance. All scams up until the point you need to claim. It’s how much you want to gamble! 

In terms of your rights, you can complain but you risk it falling on deaf ears. Any SCC claim would also be risky as it’s not clear you’ll win. 

ThumbRemote

In most cases you should take out the correct insurance. However, in this case if you've got it in writing/email from Evri that the courier is at fault you might have a claim against Evri for negligence. For £750 I might be tempted to try it in small claims court. 

Hoenir

Nobbygsxr said:

 as item was fragile.

Good chance that even if the package was insured. That compensation would have been payable if the item was damaged in transit. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

I'd have a read of this:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6442661/couriers-lost-parcels-and-unfair-terms/p1

and then send a letter before action, small claims is a personal decision but £750 is a fair sum, the arguments the court put forward in the judgements in the linked thread correspond to the CRA directly, based on that you should win but no one here can guarantee for certain. 

As a side note worth checking if the item was on the courier's prohibited list, if it was and they don't ask what the item is during booking, that would likely weaken your case.  

m0bov

I second the LBA, the insurance is over and above your consumer rights, they still need to comply with the contract and take reasonable care. Worth a shot.

born_again

mikb said:

Nobbygsxr said:

Evri arrived the following day to collect but was not happy to take parcel as no label or QR code.

For future situations like this -- a) Write your house number and postcode on the outside of the box as a FROM: address. b) Include paperwork INSIDE the box stating where it's going and who you are. Even if it's not needed. Just do it ... that way if the item is lost/misdirected there is a chance it can be found and put back on track.

I don't get why even if you think courier will print a label, that you would also not add the address it is going to on the outside as well..

Also a lot of mentions of Insurance in this thread.
Couriers do not offer Insurance, as it's a regulated product. Which would cause them a lot of costs. They offer compensation 👍