CUSTOMER TERMS & CONDITIONS OF USE
We want our T&C’s to be clear and transparent, not written in ‘legalese’ nor deliberately confusing or obscure. This is in a spirit of goodwill and openness because, although legally binding, our intention is to provide a useful service while creating an environment of fair and reasonable behaviour for everyone involved.
Naturally issues can occasionally arise during any type of work – but especially when it involves traffic, lifting heavy objects and the stress of moving. We pledge to always try to deal with these with professionalism, understanding and consideration, and request the same from drivers and customers.
Service Definition
Relōku has invested in creating a unique peer-to-peer technology platform allowing customers requiring removal or delivery services immediate access and connection to vetted, trained, insured, trustworthy porters and drivers. We offer industry leading technology systems, processes and support throughout work performed, including customer care before and after the job, and are compensated with a percentage of the cost price of each job.
How We Protect You
Safety
The safety of everyone involved in a move is paramount to us. We know how important trust is when anyone enters your property and handles personal items, so every driver and porter goes through robust and rigorous systems of vetting which include official validation of ID such as passport and driving license, photo verification of both identity and home address, plus extensive background checks which include government watch lists for any history of money laundering, links to terrorist or extremist groups, violent crime and so on. Once all checks are passed we manually validate all the required insurance documents.
Payments
For payment transaction protection we use industry leading payment provider Stripe. We don’t store any card details ourselves either during the move or after payment has completed.
Work
All drivers and porters undergo vetting, training and testing before before work is allocated to them. Our bespoke technology tracks and monitors everything that happens during your move and calculates the exact times, distances and costs involved. It also includes ‘fail safes’ to ensure a driver arrives with you at the time you book while offering you a live view of your drivers progress, both as they approach and during the move until completion.
Privacy
We use and store data in full compliance with legal regulations. We also use temporary phone numbers between drivers and customers which are destroyed and recycled afterwards so neither party has direct access to the others personal number. No personal details are stored on the drivers apps and our servers are among the safest available (Amazons AWS) meaning your data is encrypted and secure. Please see our full Privacy Policy for details.
Insurance
We manually verify all insurance documents and have systems for uploading photographs of items before, during and after moves. The claims process is all done through the driver app so we have real time notifications of any issues, and will always mediate to ensure resolution. You will have immediate access to the office should you need it, and we record calls for validation and security.
Mediation
We offer full mediation between client and driver in the event of any dispute until the issue is resolved.
General Terms & Conditions
1- Quotes
Please try to be as accurate as possible when getting a quote. Estimate load times thoughtfully – consider parking availability, walk distances, stairs, access and include all addresses. The app will measure all times and distances to calculate the exact price at the end, so the more accurate your estimations, the closer it will be to your exact price. Any applicable sundries such as parking costs and local taxes (congestion charge, ULEZ charge, tolls, council tip disposal fees etc.) will also be added, so please be aware if you require these. VAT is not added as an addition to your final cost.
While we don’t need exact weights and dimensions of your load nor charge extra for stairs, please disclose as much relevant information about the move as possible such as special parking instuctions, any stairs or tight spaces to be negotiated, items which might need dismantling and so on.
Check the photos, size charts and advice boxes and try to select correct van size best suited to the job. If in doubt, choose a larger vehicle.
If you have booked a smaller van than required your driver will always try to complete the work and do extra runs if their schedule allows, but in extreme cases we might swap vans if the drivers later schedule is compromised and you may incur callout fees for the first driver who attended.
Obviously we can’t take anything illegal or dangerous, and may refuse or charge extra for anything extremely dirty that would make the van (or driver) unpresentable for jobs after yours. We reserve the right to refuse to take any removals load we feel is unsuitable or has not been accurately specified before collection which therefore may affect the removal service of later scheduled clients, and you may still be charged a callout fee.
2- Access
Please ensure we have adequate access to all properties such as correct keys, adequate vehicle height allowances, vehicle access passes if required etc. and check for temporary road closures or restrictions that may coincide with your booking day such as the London Marathon, street markets, protest marches and so on, as you may still incur callout charges even if we are unable to complete the work.
3- Parking
Ensuring adequate parking and paying charges are the responsibility of the customer. We always try to park legally but very occasionally cannot – your driver will tell you than a penalty charge is likely either by warden or CCTV, and request a waiver stating that if a penalty charge is subsequently incurred during the removal you agree that it will be added to the job cost. We usually don’t need official parking dispensations unless it’s a full day job – even then sometimes paying a PCN can be cheaper or more efficient than applying for a council dispensation.
4- Changes & Amendments to Bookings
Please amend your booking in your account as soon as you become aware of them to ensure the correct size van is sent and to update your expected price.
There is no charge for amending a booking more than 24 hours from the booked start time.
Changes made less than 12 hours from your booked start time may not update quickly enough through the allocation system, and could incur extras if the originally booked van needs additional journeys or another van is required.
If you need to alter the start time of a booking less than 6 hours before it is due to begin this will incur a 20% reallocation fee.
If the driver is already on their way to you then unfortunately the date or time cannot be altered, although you can still request additional stops or extra load time. These amenedments are still be subject to the standard T&C’s of changes, amendments, cancellations and ‘no shows’.
5- Cancellations
If you cancel your booking more 24 hours prior to your booked pick-up time there is no charge.
Cancellations made less than 12 hours before the pick-up time will be charged a cancellation fee of 10% of the booked job.
Cancellations made less than 6 hours before the pick-up time will be charged a cancellation fee of 20% of the booked job.
If a driver arrives but the booking is immediately cancelled, or unable to proceed due to unforeseen problems outside of the driver’s control (such as incomplete or incorrect address / phone number provided, access not possible, property purchase didn’t complete, lost keys, item too big for van, etc.) you will be charged a cancellation fee of 50% of the booked job to compensate the drivers losses for attending (callout fee), and you will need to rebook through the system if the move is still required at another time.
6- ‘No Shows’
If you (or any nominated person) is not present or contactable when the driver arrives they will take a time stamped photo of the address and wait for half of the booked ‘on load’ time, while continuing to attempt contact. If no one can be reached after this period they will take another time stamped photo of the property and their call record then leave the premises, and you will be charged 50% of the total quoted job fee.
If you (or any nominated person) is not present or contactable at any secondary address during your booking they will follow the same protocol before returning the goods to the pickup address, and you will be charged in full for the work performed to that point.
Further, if we have no option but to take the items to a storage unit you will be liable for all associated costs plus possible administration charges. If we still cannot contact you after 4 weeks the items may be donated to charity, sold, or otherwise disposed of and further charges may apply.
7- Driver Delays Or Non Attendance
Drivers have strict protocols in place for releasing jobs for reallocation in the event of over running bookings or traffic issues which would cause delay to their later bookings.
Our system also has safeguarding measures that trigger if an allocated driver will be late, or ‘drops off’ the system due to phone connectivity issues, allowing for reallocation to another driver who can reach you on time.
You will be provided with live driver tracking offering real time updates of their progress to you, and will be alerted in advance if they are running slightly late.
On the rare occasion where we are unable to find a suitable alternative to arrive on time we will offer discounts according to how late the driver arrives. This will be discussed with you in the unlikely event of it occuring.
8- Items Weights
Any single item must not weight more than 40kg PER MAN lifting it, in line with Health and Safety and insurance stipulations. If you have a very heavy item for removal please ensure you have enough people to carry it – we reserve the right to refuse transit if potentially dangerous or harmful to the item, our staff or the customer. For items like full size pianos we recommend using a specialist mover.
9- Feedback
To enable continuous improvement of our service we have optional feedback systems in place for drivers and customers after every job. This is offered in good faith and dependant on unbiased and objective opinion, and as such it should not be used as leverage to obtain additional unpaid services from a driver. Likewise any reports of a driver trying to coerce or influence a customer review in any way will be treated very seriously.
Negative reviews from either side will be investigated, and we reserve the right to withhold publication of any review which is found to be untrue, unfounded or without basis, including any deemed deliberately malicious, obscene, offensive or personal in ways such as racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise prejudiced.
If you have issues please contact us first before leaving reviews so we can attempt to resolve it – obviously we can only help with issues we are made aware of.
10- Service Exceptions
We will always try to assist in every way we can, however in situations where services requested are outside of standard practices you will be asked to sign a waiver which indemnifies liability in the event of any accident, issue or injury either during or after the move.
Such situations might include the removal of doors from their frame, lifitng items through windows or over fences, any rope lifting or lowering, anything involving electricity or water, moving specialist items such as pianos, dismantling or reassembly of goods intended for ‘single build’ use such as flat pack or Ikea style furniture items and so on.
Any waiver is only related specially to the relevant request or item, and all other protections and insurances remain in place.
11- Service Issues During A Move
If you are unhappy during a removal service please contact us immediately and we will look into suitable alternatives. It must be directly related to driver negligence, rudeness, non-communication or anything that reasonably constitutes ‘bad service’ during removal.
Accidents can sometimes occur – if anything is broken by a driver while under their care we will arrange repair, replacement or an insurance claim, however this alone does not constitute grounds for dissatisfaction unless related to the above. We want you to experience a stress free, trustworthy removal service and the guarantee is for your protection, but we cannot accept false, frivolous, vexatious or malicious claims.
12- Disputes And Mediation
Please contact us directly in writing if you have any dispute or issue you wish to discuss after a job is complete. We will gather all relevant details from any parties involved and attempt to mediate a resolution. In the unlikely event that varied mathods are not sufficient we can arrange a professional and legally binding third party mediation partner. Any associated costs will be the responsibility of the disputing parties and we will consider their decision final, while continuing to assist in the upholding of that decision until fully resolved.
13- Card Details
We use the card payment processor Stripe, one of the worlds largest and most trusted payment gateways. You must enter your details to complete a booking although full payment will not be taken until the job is complete. The card details are fully encrypted and safe, and we do not store any card details ourselves.
14- Payment Card Charge Failure
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have sufficient capacity in your account to cover the payment when the booking takes place. If card payment fails at the end of a job, you can call the office to try other cards. If this also fails the driver must be paid using cash and will take you to an ATM or bank if required. The driver reserves the right to withhold the release of goods (in lien) until this is completed.
If they must leave without settlement we will add a £35 admin fee and follow up you with for payment or make further attempts to charge your card. If this is not resolved within 48 hours we will add a further £35 charge to notify relevant legal, credit and ‘blacklist’ agencies, and then pass the debt on to a 3rd party collection agency who may add their own fees or charges and interest and pursue the collection of outstanding debt without further recourse to us. At this point we are also absolved us of any liability or responsibility for any actions, claims, losses or ramifications of any kind incurred by the relationship between the debtor and the debt collection agency.
15- Chargebacks
If payment is completed after the job but later disputed with your card issuer we will add the £35 admin fee which we are charged by the bank for any dispute, plus a further £35 admin charge to gather relevant evidence and present our case. We will also follow up you with for either withdrawal of the chargeback or alternative payment of the full updated amount.
If the dispute is not withdrawn or is upheld by your card issuer we will add a further £35 admin charge to notify relevant legal, credit and ‘blacklist’ agencies, and then pass the debt on to a 3rd party collection agency who may add their own fees, charges and interest and pursue the collection of outstanding debt without further recourse to us. At this point we are also absolved us of any liability or responsibility for any actions, claims, losses or ramifications of any kind incurred by the relationship between the debtor and the debt collection agency.
16- Insurance
Our removal vans are all comprehensively insured for Hire and Reward, plus an additional £10,000 Goods In Transit insurance and £1,000,000 Public Liability insurance. Customers have the option for various levels of liability and protection, including waiving all insurance covers if not required.
Insurances are valid for items under our care and for the duration of the move where we are responsible directly for them, unless waived when booking or during the move using a specific item waiver form. Claims made after the job is completed, sign off and paid for cannot be supported as damage liability cannot be verified once the driver no longer has possession of the goods.
17- Waived Insurance Or Disclaimers
No goods or liability insurance is applicable or claimable where a customer has waived insurance cover when booking or agreed to a specific disclaimer / waiver during a job, such as an event where a customer has requested a Service Exception. Insurance of any kind cannot be retrospectively added after any incident.
18- Packing
Insurance companies will only validate claims when an item has been adequately packed for protection, so always ensure delicate items are well protected as we only carry blankets for basic protection in transit.
We recommend bubble wrap for mirrors and computer monitors, and ideally pack TVs and other screens in their original boxes.
Please ensure dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers etc. are empty and dry to avoid spillage in the van which may be liable for a cleaning charge.
19- Self Loading Work
Your driver will check load the load is safely distributed in the van and offer advice if required for safe packing but will not lift, carry or otherwise assist. Goods are uninsured other than in the event of a vehicle collision (unless all available insurance cover has been waived by the customer when booking, in which case there is no cover at all). Insurance of any kind cannot be retrospectively added or amended after any incident.
20- Damage Claims
Please note for clarity, items damaged by a customer before, during or after a move do not qualify for our insurance cover – this insurance is in place to protect you from damaged caused by us, while directly under our care, for the duration of your move.
In the unlikely event of item damage, it must be reported and verified immediately with the removal driver who will take photos and log the claim. We cannot accept responsibility for any alleged damage after any job is complete and payment has been made as liability cannot be verified at this point.
If liability is accepted we will assess the damage and seek various quotes for replacement or repair, and liaise with you to decide the best course of action. For speed and economy, less expensive items may simply be replaced, repaired or compensated for directly rather than going through an insurance claim process.
In line with the terms of our underwriters, the first £250 (excess charge) of any removal claim is the customer’s responsibility and will be required in advance to initiate the claim process with our insurance company.
If quotes for repair or replacement have not been provided within 28 days of us requesting them from you, the claim will automatically close and become void.
Where liability is contested (such as where a customer and driver are both carrying something which gets damaged and fault is disputed) we will seek to obtain an agreement in good faith and without prejudice. This may involve each party accepting partial liability and neither being held solely responsible for subsequent resolutions.
Insurance companies must be sure that alleged damage was not already in place before the move, and also that our team was directly responsible for it. As such we cannot accept claims of alleged damage to electronic goods such as TVs, computers or other screens without clear evidence of corresponding external damage directly caused by us and/or evidence of it having worked immediately prior to the move.
Any driver disputed claims of damage to walls, floors, doors or communal areas require prior evidence that the alleged damage was not pre-existing, and that it was directly caused by the driver or team (such as CCTV recordings or before / after images).
During a claim or investigation, customer failure to respond within 28 days to a request, query or offer made by us will result in the claim being voided and closed.
21- Customer And Driver Conduct
We want your move to be a stress free, straightforward, pleasant experience. As such we have strict driver conduct protocols and expect their behaviour at all times to be helpful, friendly and professional. We request the same from customers and reserve the right to remove or replace a driver from a job, or terminate it entirely if a driver is assaulted, abused or subject to racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry or any other form of offensive behaviour.
Porters and drivers will pace their work at a speed which is safe, efficient and sustainable throughout the day. They can take a 5 minute rest after each 90 minutes of loading work but shouldn’t be speaking on their phones, stopping to chat, resting, smoking or otherwise extending the job longer than is required. Please discuss with them or us if you feel they are working deliberately slowly or rushing the move in an unsafe manner.
Any instance of physical altercation from either party will be treated as a criminal matter and require police involvement.
22- Van Interior Cleaning Fees
These are working vehicles so while some dust, dirt or untidyness is inevitable there may be unusual circumstances where the van must be cleaned before attending the next job as a result of your move. These might include spills of incorrectly bagged waste, pet soiling during transit, travel sickness incidents, very dirty garden furniture or building materials, oil or paint spills and so on.
Should an accident of this type occur during your move, a £25 fee will be added to your final cost so the driver can go straight to a car wash after your job is completed.
23- Contact & Communication
You will receive notifications before, during and after the job as required to facilitate collection, work completion and provide receipts etc. We may contact you afterwards to offer the opportunity to provide feedback or benefit from promotions, and you can opt of these at any time. We will not share your details to any 3rd party or agency in line with our Privacy Policy.
24- Withdrawal Of Service
We will always try to complete any work under typical conditions, but reserve the right to withdraw from providing our removal service in extenuating circumstances where anyone is threatened, abused or potentially in danger, or is being requested to do something dangerous, illegal, unreasonable or otherwise outside of our normal service. You may still be charged a call out fee for driver attendance and/or for any work performed to that point.
25- Use Of Website
Customers must be at least 18 years old to place a booking. You may not use the site for fraudulent, malicious or unlawful purposes. You must not transmit corrupted data, viruses, ‘trojan horses’ or anything else that can cause damage to our site, servers, brand, trademarks, copyrights, patents, systems or intellectual property. You must not copy, duplicate, resell or claim as your own any part of the site or anything deemed to be part of our brand, IP or TM. We reserve the right to investigate any incident of suspected breach of these terms and will take any legal action deemed appropriate.
26- Changes To These Terms
These terms may be changed, amended or updated at any point. Any alterations will supersede previous iterations, so please be sure you are fully conversant with the latest version whenever you visit the site or use the service.
