myHermes with insurance... then broken items and no compensation.

[ManuelRibeiro]

I've contracted myHermes to deliver a pair of Mission 782 speakers from the UK Mainland to Portugal.

 

I've been buying speakers and amplifiers in the US and UK for months now, and apart from a Onkyo receiver being totaled by SEUR, 22 packages where successfully delivered. This baselines standard quality of service + my definition of good enough packaging to sustain normal transportation stress + a normal BAD transportation claim being settled correctly by ebay (that onkyo dropped by SEUR represented immediate FULL refund).

 

My myHermes experience starts with the transportation of the 2 speakers. They where bubble wrapped (2 layers big bublle, then the edges where card-boarded, then a layer of foam wrap together with gum-tape holding everything together).

 

When I got the speakers, the center drivers where:

Speaker 1 - marked and broken inner cone

Speaker 2 - no cone visible! it was inside the speaker together with the big magnet that makes a speaker work...both broken beyond repair. This speaker also had the front protector assembly broken.

 

I've received much more fragile speaker delivered with less protective wrapping... a set of Castle Acoustics for instance was delivered with the box containing them literally falling apart, with the speakers showing, wrapped only in a layer of small bubble wrap...yet perfect in condition as they where handled with care, as you would expect from a transportation service.

 

Since the ONKYO case, I decided to estimate the replacement value for those 2 speakers, and during contract from myHermes, I added insurance valued good for 200GBP.

After receiving the damaged speakers, I've seek a repair solution and managed one at 162GBP.

 

During claim, I added photographic evidence, together with a estimated cost form ebay parts to repair the broken drivers... that was not accepted as it was not a receipt. So I immediately brought the parts and added the receipt.

 

Then came the so called deliberation: Insufficient packaging...no settlement. Please accept the good will 30GBP.

 

Talking with client support the "official version was repeated over again"... a total and complete loss of my time.

 

My conclusions?:

1 - they must be self insured and so in conflict of interest regarding defending the client against a claim.... hence insurance is a [problem].

2 - insufficient packaging is an easy to claim nonsense.... Speakers are as heavy as they are fragile... dropping them is enough to damage them, even on original factory packaging... competitors had no issues with worse packing quality, yet myHermes managed to destroy 2 independently packed speakers...not one, but 2. They where packed for transportation, not rugby playing! The seller could have wrapped the speakers in steel... if they decide to shoot them instead of transporting them, no packing will ever be enough. This is the main point! A transportation company should transport their customer goods with care. Wrapping and protection serves the purpose of eventual, normal handling, accidents... not systematic, negligent, handling. 2 speakers 2 "accidental handling accidents"??? those odds would make billionaires on the lottery.

3 - During a claim, no claim is processed until you actually present a receipt of you paying for the repair... so they will force you into loosing more money. Then they deliberate... this is total disrespect for the client and a very bad practice.

4 - Finally they offer a "Good Will" refund. If they offer ANY sort of refund they know they are guilty.. the 30GBP is a joke and serves to reinforce that the insurance is actually no more than a ripoff form myHermes instead of a real insurance from an 3rd party entity.

5 - Will never use them again ever.

6 - Will pass this experience to EVERYONE ELSE OUT THERE so others do not suffer the same fate.

7 - Will seek alternative ways of punishment (legal or simple bad publicity).

8 - If Ebay global shipping decides to use myHermes, I would not opose, as they have the power/volume to press myHermes into submission (just as they've done with SEUR and the ONKYO case). BUT I've already posted on the ebay community forum as many other have. I honestly think that the decision is down to price and that quality is ignored... but it is worth the try.

[BankFodder]

I suppose that you have been through the forum and you have found this case below

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?456708-Hermes-Extra-Charges-but-lost-Item&p=4857994#post4857994

 

The experience you are describing seems to be about par for the Hermes business model.

 

If you want to take some action, we would be very pleased to help you. We already have a copy of Hermes defence which I can assure you is the defence that they use in pretty well most of these cases.

 

The problem is, that I think that you are in Portugal and that adds a level of complication.

 

If you have an address for service in the UK and if you have friends who will open any court mail and scan it to you so that you have it the same day, then you could get involved.

 

Your comments about being self insured and the resulting conflict of interest, I'm sure are absolutely correct. But of course, if you have read the thread whose link I have posted above, you will see that there is an additional dimension here and that is that you pay for a service to be carried out and then Hermes (and other carriers) require an extra payment, essentially to guarantee that they do carry out the service.

 

This is against all the contractual principles that I know and I'm sure that it can be dealt with in the courts.

 

I fully expect that Hermes will not want to go to court on this issue because it would have huge repercussions for them because it amounts to mis-selling of insurance and they would have to make refunds to a huge number of their customers.

[ManuelRibeiro]

Update:

I decided to follow the indicated "good Practice" and send a formal complaint to Hermes CEO, clearly stating that:

"I'm sorry to trouble you with these sort of issues, however, following the advise from the ConsumerActionGroup, if I want to follow this into court of law, I must, as responsible for the company, formally contact you on this matter".

I got the a "out of office" reply, but the next morning, i got an email from her secretary, taking matters into her own hands and forwarding the email to the responsible for that department.

A couple of days later I got the formal reply with an increase from the 30gbp to the originally requested 162gbp.

I'm now waiting on the actual settlement money wire, but apparently everything whent smooth from the moment I added "Acting on advise from ConsumerActionGroup"... this is excellent news and clearly a proof of good work from your part on other similar cases.

Thanks

[bankoff]

Congratulations on your success, lets hope they do the same for us,,,,,,,,,, but it would be much more fun if they were to see us in court,,,,,,,, we could then get to the bottom of the Unfair contract terms and conditions that everyone who comes here must be a victim of.

 

Although not quite the same, our valuable parcel disappeared into thin air, from their warehouse, it certainly makes you wonder where it is, or should I say who has it?

 

I do hope you get your money soon