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Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
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- Lemon Quarter
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Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
While I was living abroad I put a range of personal possessions into storage, including a range of valuable antiques. I thought I'd be away say 3-4 years but it ended up being about 10. Throughout all this time, and still today, the company has billed me each month for storage.
About 8 weeks ago I contacted them and told them I'd soon be returning to the UK, and asked them to outline the options I had for the return of my goods. They didn't reply.
A few days later I followed up my request. [by now we were in the middle of our international house-move back to the UK; ie in household turmoil].
In reply they told me that they couldn't access my file on their systems and would have to request a hard copy. That was 5 weeks ago and I've heard nothing back from them since.
I don't know what to think, incompetance? They presumed I was deceased and so sold or stole my goods? I am considering instructing my solicitor to deal with this matter, but feel I should try one more time to get something constructive/positive out of them. Can anyone kindly suggest how I might phrase such a stern e-mail?
Thx!
Ps. The goods are insured, but that's not really the point with some of the valuable and irreplaceble antiques.
About 8 weeks ago I contacted them and told them I'd soon be returning to the UK, and asked them to outline the options I had for the return of my goods. They didn't reply.
A few days later I followed up my request. [by now we were in the middle of our international house-move back to the UK; ie in household turmoil].
In reply they told me that they couldn't access my file on their systems and would have to request a hard copy. That was 5 weeks ago and I've heard nothing back from them since.
I don't know what to think, incompetance? They presumed I was deceased and so sold or stole my goods? I am considering instructing my solicitor to deal with this matter, but feel I should try one more time to get something constructive/positive out of them. Can anyone kindly suggest how I might phrase such a stern e-mail?
Thx!
Ps. The goods are insured, but that's not really the point with some of the valuable and irreplaceble antiques.
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
However you phrase it make it a stern letter on paper & post it and get proof of posting. I find that even today many companies find it easy to ignore/forget emails and they pay much more attention to something physical on a piece of paper. I recently found this very handy when dealing with the remarkably difficult to contact Virgin Media.
Lynn
Lynn
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
I would agree that a letter by post is more likely to receive attention than one amongst a million emails.
However, in order for it to have maximum impact it should be addressed to a named individual, and marked `Private and Confidential'. This should ensure that it gets into his hands, even though he will almost certainly delegate someone else to deal with it.
The appropriate addressee would usually be the CEO or MD. You should be able to obtain his name from Companies House - https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company.
If you have any difficulty just provide the name of the company and I or someone else will be able to supply the relevant information.
However, in order for it to have maximum impact it should be addressed to a named individual, and marked `Private and Confidential'. This should ensure that it gets into his hands, even though he will almost certainly delegate someone else to deal with it.
The appropriate addressee would usually be the CEO or MD. You should be able to obtain his name from Companies House - https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company.
If you have any difficulty just provide the name of the company and I or someone else will be able to supply the relevant information.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
midnightcatprowl wrote:However you phrase it make it a stern letter on paper & post it and get proof of posting. I find that even today many companies find it easy to ignore/forget emails and they pay much more attention to something physical on a piece of paper. I recently found this very handy when dealing with the remarkably difficult to contact Virgin Media.
Lynn
And I'd recommend sending it Guaranteed Next Day Delivery as the post office does a much better job with those than recorded or registered mail. The delivery is not just the normal postie, but a special trip by someone in a van.
Slarti
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
A non legal idea...
have you a friend that you can supply with a letter of permission etc that can turn up to the storage facility and ask to get to the goods as they need to extract an item (any item)? To force their hand so to speak?
didds
have you a friend that you can supply with a letter of permission etc that can turn up to the storage facility and ask to get to the goods as they need to extract an item (any item)? To force their hand so to speak?
didds
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
After a follow-up they now tell me that they will reply within 2 weeks, when they have retrieved my archived records. Touch wood I managed to get their attention and answer. I'll post an update re: how this ends up.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
I am not saying that it excuses them but I guess that they probably have a mass of short term lets (4/8 weeks) and others which are long term but regularly accessed, and so a long term (10 years) let with no access probably gets the equivalent of the top shelf and so they need to dig out the file, dust off the cobwebs and track it down.
Hope it turns out OK. When you get the goods you may well wonder why on earth you paid all that good money for storage for a longish period.
Dod
Hope it turns out OK. When you get the goods you may well wonder why on earth you paid all that good money for storage for a longish period.
Dod
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
Thanks Dod, when I first relo'd abroad I was expectinng it to be for jut a few years; never in my wildest imagination did I expect it to stretch to c10!
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
Anyway, welcome back. I was working abroad for 23 years and even with regular return visits it felt like a foreign country to me when I returned to the UK permanently. Even today 20 years or so later there are great swathes of UK life/events that I suddenly realise I do not know about.
Dod
Dod
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
DiamondEcho wrote:After a follow-up they now tell me that they will reply within 2 weeks, when they have retrieved my archived records. Touch wood I managed to get their attention and answer. I'll post an update re: how this ends up.
It's possible they use a third party data archiving firm who physically take it off site on long term storage media like M-Discs, so may not have it to hand within their own company IT infrastructure. It would make sense bearing in mind their business model, a bit like keeping your house deeds with a local solicitor.
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
Dod101 wrote:Anyway, welcome back. I was working abroad for 23 years and even with regular return visits it felt like a foreign country to me when I returned to the UK permanently. Even today 20 years or so later there are great swathes of UK life/events that I suddenly realise I do not know about.
Dod
Me too Dod. I didn't even live abroad for long really... 1987/88, back in UK for three months, then 1989- (late)1993. Even in that brief three months in late 1989 I felt more in tune with Australia than the UK. I still have no idea about may things (music, TV, films even, political and social UK history etc) in that period 87-93.
didds
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Re: Goods in long-term storage, household-name company recently not replying re: status
I know a American who got conscripted for the Vietnam war, and has stayed in SEAsia ever after. But not many expats I've met never return home in such a way.
I'd being an expat in 3 other countries prior to this ten year stint, mostly for 18Mos-2years each, so I feel I can guage the adjustment one faces on returning home. This time London feels so changed, it's going to take some time to re-adjust.
I'd being an expat in 3 other countries prior to this ten year stint, mostly for 18Mos-2years each, so I feel I can guage the adjustment one faces on returning home. This time London feels so changed, it's going to take some time to re-adjust.
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