mast delivery cost

[Rigger Mortice]

I agree that OP should have sorted out the price at quotation stage and I'm not sure that we have got the full story of the whole saga.

However £800 for a shared delivery several weeks late does seem to be OTT. I do wonder if some suppliers are inclined to overcharge when so many hereabouts seem to think that the £800 bill is perfectly reasonable.

 

[bert49uk]

Perhaps distance selling regulations apply, in which caseI believe the whole price should have been made clear in advance?

Distance selling law is slightly different for special orders, that's why you may see on invoices ' special order items can not be refunded'
After supplying parts for 20 years I'm well up on the regulations

 

[bert49uk]

Just to add, delivery companies have conditions of delivery, one is 'items over xxx long are special delivery and may need to be scheduled, and may need an additional driver for loading and unloading, where a fork lift is not available'
As the OP didn't ask for a price, did he ask to se conditions of carriage?

 

[charles_reed]

I think the OP is feeling sore, about what he feels is an overcharge and was looking for soothing sympathy from the site, which has not been forthcoming.

Facts are:-
1. Mast transport is incredibly expensive - apparently ridiculously so.
2. Anyone who doesn't obtain a quote before committing themselves has only themselves to blame for subsequent outrage.
3. It's a bit late to come here - except to warn people, most of whom don't know any better, from their posts, to beware mast transport costs.

(Ducks below parapet and crawls away).

 

[winsbury]

Distance selling law is slightly different for special orders, that's why you may see on invoices ' special order items can not be refunded'
After supplying parts for 20 years I'm well up on the regulations

I agree that items made to order or customised cant be refunded unless faulty or not as described which is fair enough, however that's not the OPs issue; he's asking only about the transport fees which , if the seller asked for delivery at the time of ordering should have formed part of the initial contract for supply. If the seller then adds transport fees later without advising a change of costing and giving an opportunity for the seller to rescind the order that would be unfair. However, if the buyer failed to ask for delivery at the point of ordering its not unreasonable the seller would have quoted ex-works in which case the buyer needs to arrange and pay for his own transport separately. I presume ( fatal, I know ) the buyer decided to have the seller deliver sometime after the order was placed and failed to ask for a price, the seller therefore has charged his rate card price which was not subject to any negotiated discount. As a business and not a charity this is perfectly reasonable for the seller to do, particularly since he's clearly carried out the task albeit late.

One bit I remain unclear about is this business about the rigger - there seems to a be a portion of the transport that wasn't directly delivering the finished goods to the customer, that implies there might be a portion of the shipping which should have been included in the original price, ie that between the extrusion manufacture and the rigger unless it was specifically excluded from the quotation.

There's a lot of ifs buts and maybes without seeing the correspondence but several people have already nailed the key point on the head which is that the buyer had not gathered all the necessary information prior to accepting the goods so must pay the price. One could argue the seller should point this out and as an distance seller myself I would feel obliged to tell a customer all the costs and let them decide which portions of the goods and service they whish to buy from me. IMHO its sharp practice doing a job not knowing the customer has agreed a set price or at least seen an estimate in advance.

As to whether the sum is reasonable; we had a 40ft HGV & trailer with driver for a whole day to deliver several tons of steelwork including loading and unloading assistance and 150 mile one way journey for £480 + vat. To my mind the mast delivery cost is inflated and had I been quoted what the OP has been asked to pay I would have rejected the quote and gone to a haulage firm for a quote instead - most will do mixed loads for a fraction of the cost of a full load such as we had. However if I hadn't got the quote I would learn the hard lesson and cough up and not let too many people know what a fool I'd been.

 

[viago]

i don't know many companies who deliver c.o.d. these days, most companies would require payment up front, if that is the case here the op accepted the quote.
i think there is a whole lot of information the op is choosing not to reveal here.
i would have thought it reasonable to assume that the cost of having the mast transported to and from the rigger would have been included in the original quote to supply a working mast and if it was not then he may have some sort of claim for that section of the charge.
the delay in delivery appears like the company making a fast buck by doubling up the delivery load at the expense of the op's convenience.
i would write to the md of the company expressing my dissatisfaction with the charge and asking for an explanation of the costs involved and the reason for the delay to see what he has to say.
if i were the md i would politely tell the op to swivel.

 

[Poignard]

i would write to the md of the company expressing my dissatisfaction with the charge and asking for an explanation of the costs involved and the reason for the delay to see what he has to say.
if i were the md i would politely tell the op to swivel.

A realistic view.

I once ordered a new mainsail from a well-known firm and paid the quoted price. A few weeks after delivery and payment I did what I should have done in the first place and discovered that this firm offers a 10% discount to members of my class association.

I wrote a polite letter asking if I might have a retrospective discount, on the basis of 'if you don't ask you don't get'.

I didn't get!

:nonchalance:

 

[Fox Morgan]

Ok,
first thing: Im female not male. not that it effects anything with regards the delivery.

The time line of events to make everything 100% clear, (i tried to reply yesterday but my internet was having none of it)

early April 2013: had my mast stepped, went to a rigging company in plymouth (i will call company X) as recommended by a friend, took my old standing rigging for replacement. Whilst there I was told to check my mast for hidden problem areas which company X has specialist knowledge of.
Turns out the old mast was uneconomical to repair, especially given the planned projects. The solo, nonstop round Britain was due to commence 1st week of July.
At the same time I was made redundant (voluntarily) so with the fortunate windfall, consulting my local rigger in essex and obtaining prices from Company X, I ordered a new mast and full rig there and then. All was confirmed early May.
I received everything in writing (email), a breakdown of costs of mast/boom/vang/running rigging etc etc.
I was told delivery would be 6 weeks lead time, so June 15-21.
when June 21 came and went, I called company X politely asking if the mast might be arriving soon.
I waited another week.
I called again. politely.
another week.
I called again. politely. I was told that maybe I should chase the major mast manufacturer (I will call them manufacturer Y) myself as that was where the hold up was.
I called Manufacturer Y. I enquired where my mast was on the schedule. I was told delivery, early to mid August.
I explained in no uncertain terms that it wasn't acceptable for such a long lead time, I cleared up miscommunication between company X and manufacturer Y and was given a new delivery time of late July.
I called company X to let them know.
A week or so later I got a call from company X to say the mast had arrived and the director (a very nice man as it happens, whom I respect highly) would come up personally, tomorrow, and give his time, working alongside my local rigger to get the mast dressed.
At no point was a delivery cost discussed or even a delivery method. I had already made enquiries to get the mast collected with various chaps I know with low loaders who travel up and down between Essex and south coast all the time. I had already found a trailer I could use if I had to get it myself.
But it was never discussed, it happened so quickly in the end with no written quote, no verbal quote.
The company X director arrived, with a car and trailer, I had asked him if he wanted me to book/pay for a hotel for him to stay in given the distance, but he said no, he had two more deliveries to make, one in kent and another in Brighton so he went on his way and headed home the same day.

I got my final invoices two days later. everything on there had been pre agreed. Except a mast winch which was installed on the day and the delivery.

The mast winch came out at nearly 600 with vat on it. I found the same winch for just over 200, brand new. I sent the winch back.
The delivery break down revealed I was paying for the mast to be moved from solent to plymouth as well as from plymouth to essex.
The delivery from solent (from manufacturer Y) to plymouth (company X) had been included on the last page of a previous quote, which I unfortunately had missed. But that is my fault, not theirs obviously.
The rest was new to me and when added up came to around £800 with vat.
I asked if they had charged the other two customers the same as me on that delviery run. I was told yes they had. I felt that was wholly unreasonable.

I discussed several times with company X trying to find a resolution to the situation. But with no result.
Both sides refuse to back down.

I missed my window of opportunity for the round britain project. I lost sponsors and it cost me personally almost to the point of bankruptcy. I should have included a time sensitive clause in my mast delivery. But I trusted the company implicitly. I feel let down.

They're attempting to take me to court.
I'm paying them what I feel is fair.

That is it. In a nutshell.

 

[Pete54]

If that is an explanation then I have to say I'm still baffled by the timing and utterly confused by why you think you are hard done by.

None of this looks like it was planned, none of it looks like a sensible schedule was in place and as for the associated losses - no business can be liable for that unless it is in a specifically written contract, which not un-naturally very few would agree to.

Either you run a projct like this effectively or it will not happen. So it has not happened. Complaining afterward about things that you claim to have been able to do better than your suppliers begs the obvious question of why you did not do them?

 

[winsbury]

...I was told delivery would be 6 weeks lead time, so June 15-21.
...At no point was a delivery cost discussed or even a delivery method.
...But it was never discussed, it happened so quickly in the end with no written quote, no verbal quote.

a few questions spring to mind...

Where was the agreed delivery location for the initial quote, Plymouth, Solent or Essex ?

Who decided ( or gave permission ) to put the mast on the trailer and bring it to you in Essex ?

If you didn't discuss delivery with X how did you know when it was coming ?

Did you condemn your original mast based just on verbal advice from X or was an inspection carried out ?

 

[[3889]]

But there will be a contract, even if only verbal, the customer wanted it delivered, it was delivered.
Not asking the price for delivery does not change that.

Yes, it does.

Other than that the customer asked for the mast to be delivered and the supplier did so. Price was not mentioned. But the supplier charged his price. The customer cannot complain that it was more than he wanted to pay as he did not enquire what it would be.
He could try legal redress, but he doesn't stand a chance.

Move on.

For someone with such a weak grasp of the law of contract you're very confident in trying to close down debate. Something which you have criticised others for repeatedly in the past.

Contract law for dummies:
1. Invitation to treat (we will deliver your mast)
2. Offer (I will pay amount stipulated or offer X amount)
3. Acceptance ( we agree the terms of your offer)

At what point was the offer made? Never. Thus, no contract.

 

[viago]

a few questions spring to mind...


Did you condemn your original mast based just on verbal advice from X or was an inspection carried out ?

i had an established local company come to look at my spreaders which had welded themselves int the support brackets (dissimilar metals) and whilst there they condemned my mast as it had a small dent in it.

no-one else i spoke to felt there was a significant problem and the dent was easily rectified.

they had no solution to the spreader issue other than to replace the lot. daft feckers.

i agree with the op's refusal to cough up, £2400 for a days driving work is not really justifiable and the company would not risk their reputation by going to the small claims court.
£200 sounds right and proper. get a quote from your flat bed man and send it with the payment.

 

[Fox Morgan]

i had an established local company come to look at my spreaders which had welded themselves int the support brackets (dissimilar metals) and whilst there they condemned my mast as it had a small dent in it.

no-one else i spoke to felt there was a significant problem and the dent was easily rectified.

they had no solution to the spreader issue other than to replace the lot. daft feckers.

i agree with the op's refusal to cough up, £2400 for a days driving work is not really justifiable and the company would not risk their reputation by going to the small claims court.
£200 sounds right and proper. get a quote from your flat bed man and send it with the payment.

i removed the spreader brackets (on the advice of company x) and having seen the corrosion under them immediately got a second opinion from a reputable rigger local to me to see if it was repairable. it was. but i know that i want to do a fair amount of offshore work with my boat and i plan to sell it within a few years. i was in a position to replace the rig completely and keep the boat highly desirable rather than patch it up and have issues with extra surveys and insurance exemptions down the line.

what bothers me about the delivery problem is that my reputation is being harmed in the process of trying to sort it out.
but i don't want to be bullied into paying for something i know is overpriced just to keep the big company quiet.

 

[viago]

i removed the spreader brackets (on the advice of company x) and having seen the corrosion under them immediately got a second opinion from a reputable rigger local to me to see if it was repairable. it was. but i know that i want to do a fair amount of offshore work with my boat and i plan to sell it within a few years. i was in a position to replace the rig completely and keep the boat highly desirable rather than patch it up and have issues with extra surveys and insurance exemptions down the line.

what bothers me about the delivery problem is that my reputation is being harmed in the process of trying to sort it out.
but i don't want to be bullied into paying for something i know is overpriced just to keep the big company quiet.

look, this issue seems to be stressing you out and it's dragging on. the company is unlikely to take you you to court for the payment without proof of a contract, especially if you send them what you think is reasonable.
for your peace of mind it might be worth you getting a local solicitor to write to the company with your cheque and quote enclosed. she might have some other ideas.

 

[Lakesailor]

For someone with such a weak grasp of the law of contract you're very confident in trying to close down debate. Something which you have criticised others for repeatedly in the past.

Contract law for dummies:
1. Invitation to treat (we will deliver your mast)
2. Offer (I will pay amount stipulated or offer X amount)
3. Acceptance ( we agree the terms of your offer)

At what point was the offer made? Never. Thus, no contract.

...so your point is what? That there was no contract? Then, as I said, he (or she, as it turns out) doesn't stand a chance.