TERMS & CONDITIONS – S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS
1. Definitions
- “us”, “our” or “we” means S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS.
- “you” or “your” means the authorised person booking the carriage of goods or
similar services to be carried out by us. - “goods” means any goods or item which you have requested to be carried or
arranged to be carried by us.
2. Customer Obligations
- You have the obligation as a customer to read, acknowledge and understand these terms and conditions before engaging in S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS Services.
- You warrant that, in entering into this agreement, you are either the owner of the goods or the authorised agent of the owner of the goods.
- You agree that once a job has been accepted these terms and conditions will apply without the need of it being signed.
- You must ensure that you or a person acting on your behalf is present at all times when the goods are loaded or unloaded. You agree that we will not be held responsible or liable for goods not collected or any loss of or damage to goods if you or a person acting on your behalf is not present, for any amount of time, during the loading and/or unloading of the goods.
- You shall give sufficient and executable instructions. You warrant that any information that you have provided to us, and on which we have reasonably relied in assessing any quotation or estimate of the resources necessary to carry out the work, is accurate.
- You warrant that the description and particulars of the Goods are complete and correct.
- You warrant that the Goods are properly packed and labelled, except when packing has been done by S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS or any of its subcontractors.
- You warrant that the goods do not include any firearms or goods which are or may become of a dangerous, corrosive, highly combustible, explosive, damaging, or noxious nature nor likely to encourage any vermin or pest unless you have disclosed to S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS when the job was placed.
- You will, prior to the commencement of the removal or storage, give to us written notice of any Goods which are fragile or brittle in nature and which are not readily apparent as such, or which comprise jewellery, precious objects, works of art, money, collections of items or precision equipment, in any case, having a value in excess of $1,000.00.
- You warrant to the best of your ability, that all Goods to be removed or stored are uplifted and that none is taken in error.
- You agree to be liable for all and any fees, and costs incurred as a result of any consequences relating to any breaches of the terms of this agreement.
- You, as a customer, are obligated to secure parking space or a loading zone for our Removalists. If you fail to secure a parking space or a loading zone, we reserve the right to cancel and/or reschedule your move and keep the deposit. You will be responsible for all parking tickets, parking fines, and infringements that occur if we are unable to get an adequate and legal parking space at your premises.
- You, as a customer, are obligated to book any lifts or elevators (where applicable and if possible), providing a sufficient time slot to cover the entire duration of your move and organize any other arrangements required to complete the move. If you fail to do so, we will not be held responsible for any time lost or additional costs accrued with the elevator booking.
3. Removal Services
- We are not common carriers and accept no liability as such.
- We reserve the right to refuse to quote for the carriage of goods for any particular reason and for carriage of any goods or classes of goods at our discretion.
- You acknowledge and accept that any pick-up/delivery time or date advised by us is indicative only and is not guaranteed to be met. If there is a pickup/ delivery time or date that in our opinion cannot be reasonably met, then we reserve the right to alter that time or date at any time before the commencement of the move with reasonable notice.
- Due to OH&S regulations, we expect your items and premises to be of standard cleanliness and we have the right to refuse to continue with the move if the Removalists believe there are safety risks. All your items should be put into boxes and the boxes must be suitable for moving. We will not move boxes that are not strong enough to carry the items that have been placed in them. Should any cleaning, organizing, and/or storage be required, you agree that we will charge you additional fees and/or costs.
- If our staff believe there are safety risks, or the work being requested is not suitable for our Removalists and/or equipment we have the right to refuse to undertake the work. We reserve the right to take any photos and videos of the premises or items for internal purposes.
- At any time, we need to cancel the booking as a result of any OH & S issues and/or regulations and safety risks, we are entitled to charge a service call fee and for any hours worked for the booking.
- We reserve the right to reschedule or cancel your move if the weather conditions are being unfavourable (rain, hail, etc.) due to OH&S, if we feel it poses a safety risk to our staff.
- Assembly / Disassembly of Furniture – We are happy to disassemble/reassemble certain items, when arranged prior to the move. However, this is done as a courtesy service upon request. As such, we do not accept liability for any incorrect assembly/installation or any damages as a result. Our Removalists are not qualified tradesmen and cannot be considered/treated as such. We reserve the right to refuse to assemble/dismantle furniture items if we are not confident in being able to perform the job correctly
4. Local Moves (within the same state)
- Our prices quoted in the booking confirmation are per hour rates and are charged in minute increments. Please note that the prices are not a fixed price but an hourly rate, unless specifically agreed upon otherwise. Our Fixed Prices are quoted prior to us undertaking your move and are calculated based on the inventory you have provided. If there are any discrepancies between the inventory you have provided, we reserve the right to charge any differences calculated per a cubic metre, as per Your Obligations in clause 2. Any extra charges will be discussed with you prior to us moving the items. Any Fixed Price Quotes are payable at least one week prior to the date of your move unless agreed upon otherwise beforehand.
- Our rates start from the time our Removalists arrive on site until the completion of the move at the final destination address.
- A call-out fee will be charged on moves to cover our travel expenses traveling to and from the move. This fee will be quoted to you prior to your move.
- All moves incur a 2-hour minimum charge.
- Any waste disposal fees incurred during the move will be charged to you (incl. waste disposal fees and time taken).
- All moving estimates are given verbally (i.e. over the phone) and cannot be considered a fixed cost. The minimum fee is not a fixed cost of the move.
- We provide a quote for a number of trucks and Removalists which is based on the information you have provided over the phone and or email us about your property. This does not guarantee the work will be completed within a certain timeframe or
that additional resources may not be required on the day if our Removalists believe
it is necessary to complete the work within a given timeframe.
5. Specialist Items
Please notify us if you have any of the following items:
1. Double Door or Commercial Refrigerator;
2. Piano or Organs (we do not move grand pianos or pianolas);
3. Items made from marble, glass, mirror or acrylic;
4. Pool or Snooker Tables (we do not move commercial pool tables or any heavier than approximately 350kg);
5. Animal enclosures, fish tanks, etc.;
6. Any items heavier than 100kg;
7. Any items larger than 3 meters in length;
8. Sensitive and/or delicate items such as fishing rods.
We reserve the right not to cover any damages to any of the above-listed items due to their fragile nature. We reserve the right to refuse to move these items if we were not informed of such items at the time of the booking. There may also be additional charges for moving any of the above items.
6. Warranties
- You warrant that, in entering into this agreement, you are either the owner of the goods or the authorized agent of the owner of the goods.
- You should inspect all the goods as they are unloaded and/or relocated. If there is any loss of or damage to goods that you consider to have been caused by us, please ensure you notify our office no later than 24 hours after completion of the job. Unless you advise us within 24 hours of completion of the job, we will not be responsible or liable for any such alleged loss or damage.
- You must sign the job sheet on completion of the move. If you fail to sign the job sheet on completion of the move it will be taken as if you were not present at loading/unloading and that no loss or damage has been identified and therefore we will have no liability as detailed under the points above.
- We have zero tolerance to abusive or disrespectful behavior. We expect you to be polite and not rude to our staff, we reserve the right to not complete a job if you or the people on your property are not acting in a professional manner. At any time, we need to cancel the booking as a result of this, we are entitled to charge for any hours worked including the call-out fee.
- We do not tolerate any behavior and/or words that we could reasonably interpret as defamation, abuse, threat, stalk, harassment, or anything that could violate the legal rights of others.
- You are expected to do a final inspection of your pick-up and drop-off properties prior to our Removalists leaving to ensure that nothing has been left behind and that all tasks requested have been completed. You should ensure all power, taps, etc. are off and doors, windows, and garages are locked.
- Prior to our Removalists arriving, you should disconnect all appliances from power and any hoses should be disconnected from their taps. You should also remove items such as TVs from any brackets/walls.
- If you have not done the above, our Removalists will do what they can in terms of removing items from walls or disconnecting and reconnecting appliances, however, they are not plumbers, electricians, or handymen and as such, we cannot guarantee or warrant those tasks. You should have a licensed plumber/electrician/handyman attend to these items or check these tasks once they have been completed.
7. Delivery:
- We will not be bound to deliver the goods except to you or a person authorized in writing by you to receive the goods.
- If we cannot deliver the goods either because there is no authorized person there to receive them on our arrival, or because we cannot gain access to the premises, or for any other reason beyond our control, we will be entitled to unload the goods into a warehouse, and for the subsequent redelivery of the goods.
- If this happens, we will endeavor to contact you to ascertain whether you have any alternate instructions.
8. Cancellation Policy:
- Local moves (i.e. moves within the same state) canceled, rescheduled, or placed on hold at least 48 hours prior to the estimated arrival time will incur no fee and your deposit will be refunded.
- For local moves, the deposit will be automatically forfeited for any move canceled, rescheduled, or placed on hold within 48 hours of the estimated arrival time.
- Any move canceled, rescheduled, or placed on hold within 24 hours of the estimated arrival time will incur the minimum 2-hour charge. This will be charged onto the same credit card you paid with the deposit unless you provide an alternative credit card at the time of cancellation.
- If we have to cancel your move for any reason other than not specified in these terms & conditions, your deposit will be refunded otherwise your booking will be rescheduled if practical subject to our availability.
- Our quotes are subject to availability at the time the quote was provided to you. We give no guarantee there will be availability if you book at a later date.
- If we are unable to offer you our service during your requested time slot due to no availability, we will provide you with a refund of your deposit.
9. Payment and Deposits:
- We accept either cash (where applicable) or credit card as forms of payment.
- Cheques are not accepted unless pre-authorized with us. We accept Visa, MasterCard.
- Some payments may incur a credit card fee of up to 5%.
- You may not withhold any part of the amount due or additional charges.
- You shall not be entitled to withhold payment of any account by reason of any account query, dispute or set off except S.S REMOVALS AND RENTALS written consent.
- In the event that you are on a cash-only account, payment would be payable before the service is provided.
- Goods held in lieu of payment. We reserve the right to seize or hold the goods and where you fail to pay any amount due, dispose of or sell goods in lieu of payment.
- We may dispose of goods in lieu of payment after a period of 28 days (28) days from the completion of the move.
Local Moves (within the same state):
- A $50 deposit is required to secure your local booking. The deposit is nonrefundable subject to the applicable Cancellation Policy in clause 6 above.
- You must pay the full amount due (less the deposit) (“amount due”) on completion of the move either by cash or credit card. You must ensure that you have the payment available in either cash or credit card.
- If you do decide to pay by credit card, you expressly authorise us to process the credit card payment for the amount due (on the credit card provided by you, or if no credit card is provided, then the credit card used for the original deposit) within one (1) business day of completion of the move regardless of whether there is any dispute in relation to the move. To avoid any doubt, even if there is a dispute for any reason, you must still pay the amount due on completion of the move and you expressly authorise us to process the credit card payment for the amount due. If you have any issue or concern with your move or what you were charged, you should email our customer service team at info@ssremovalsandrentals.com.au so that it can be resolved.
- If you are not present at the completion of the move, you expressly authorise us to process the credit card payment for the amount due on the credit card used for the original deposit.
- If you are not present on your move, S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS at its discretion can charge the minimum payment prior to starting the move. This will be deducted from the final payment once the move is completed.
- If payment of the remaining amount is not received or is unable to be processed within seven (7) days of completion of the move, then the collection of the amount due will be passed to a debt collection agency and you will be subject to the debt collection agency fees in addition to interest charges.
- Interest shall run on the number of monies outstanding from the date due for payment until the date payment is made at the rate prescribed by the Penalty Interest Rates Act (QLD) plus two percent.
- In the event, that you are in default of your obligation to pay and the overdue account is then referred to a debt collection agency, and/or law firm for collection you shall be liable for the recovery costs incurred and if the agency charges commission on a contingency basis you shall be liable to pay as a liquidated debt, the commission payable the agency, fixed at the rate charged by the agency from time to time as if the agency has achieved one hundred percent recovery and the following formula shall apply. Commission = Original Debt/ (100 -Commission % charged by the agency including GST) x 100.
10. Additional Charges:
- Some of our movers carry additional packing materials (including but not limited to bubble wrap, shrink wrap, etc.) and offer these products as additional services to the normal removal service. If you request using additional packing materials for extra protection of your goods, these will incur an additional charge which will be discussed with you prior to the Removalists undertaking this work. This amount will be charged upon completion of the move.
- Without limitation and at our S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS discretion, upon unloading your goods, S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS reserves the right to withhold some of your goods in the truck until the final payment has been made.
- Extra charges of $150 per item may apply for e.g.: Pianos, stone tabletops, billiard tables, butchers tables, oversized barbecues, and all other goods that may be considered oversized or overweight (100kgs and above) and might be a risk to the safety of our staff. This is referred to as Heavy Lifting Fee.
- Recovery for legal costs. You are liable for any additional cost(s) incurred by us, as a result of having to recover overdue or outstanding monies from you.
11. Vehicle Sizes:
- We endeavor to always quote the correct vehicle for your move. However, our decisions are based on the information we are provided by you over the phone or when you completed our online enquiry form. We will not be liable if the truck provided is too small for a single move and multiple moves are required. Please advise us of any loading docks height clearance, our large trucks have a height minimum of 3.6m and our smaller trucks have a height minimum of 3m.
- We will be entitled to charge for additional hours than originally quoted if the proper clearance is not advised.
12. Method of Carriage and Subcontractors:
- We will be entitled to carry the goods by any reasonable route (having regard to all the circumstances including the nature and destination of any other goods being carried on the vehicle) any by any reasonable means.
- We may hire or engage subcontractors to fulfil the services under this Agreement.
13. Risk, Title, and Liability:
- All risks in the goods will pass to you on delivery. All of your goods received by us will be subject to a general lien for any monies owed by you to us as a result of this Contract. The title to the goods will not pass to you until we have been paid in full for the move.
- Our maximum liability shall be an estimate of the value of the goods that you have provided to S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS.
- Your goods are dispatched at your own risk as per the terms of the agreement.
- We do not provide any warranty that the goods the subject of the consignment will be delivered by any particular time.
- If we transport your pot plants that have fire ants or fire ant’s nests in them, you will be 100% responsible for all costs associated with the removal of the fire ants, incl. but not limited to fumigation of trucks and fines.
- We shall not be liable for any damage or loss to your goods when the collection place is a storage facility or a storage unit that has not been packed by S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS.
- We exclude liability and responsibility in tort, for implied warranties and otherwise in so far as may be subject to the provision of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) or similar state acts, for any loss of and/or damage to or deteriorations of goods the subject of the consignment for any reason including but not limited to the neglect or wilful conduct of the nominated carrier or the third parties.
- We shall not be liable for any indirect, consequential, or special losses suffered.
- In addition to any lien at law, you acknowledge that S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS has a particular and general lien over all Goods sold to or stored on your behalf in S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS possession for all money due now or in the future. S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS may, after giving 7 days’ notice, sell or otherwise dispose of such Goods at your expense and without any liability to S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS and you hereby indemnify S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS from any Loss caused due to the sale of the Goods or otherwise.
14. Insurance, Loss & Damages
- You understand that whilst S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS is fully insured (Public Liability, Goods in Transit, Vehicle Cover, etc.) this insurance does not automatically extend to customers, and it is your responsibility to organize your own contents insurance.
- We have Goods in Transit Insurance as well as Public Liability Insurance to cover events wherein it has the discretion to apply if our Removalists are deemed to have carried out the service in a reasonable way that is negligent. If there is a claim to be made, the insurance excess value is $500 and is payable by you.
- For any minor cosmetic damages such as scuffs, scratches, or dents, which can be reasonably proven that the damage occurred whilst the items were being moved by our staff, we offer compensation of $50 per item damaged, with the exception of specialist items and certain goods mentioned below.
- Certain goods (including but not limited to all electrical and mechanical appliances, computer equipment, scientific instruments, musical instruments, antiques, pot plants, specialist items, and old, or self-assembled furniture) are inherently susceptible to suffering damage or disorder upon removal. Unless that damage or disorder results from the want of due care and skill on the part of S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS, its employees, or subcontractors, we will not be held responsible for any damages.
- Any damage to TVs will not be covered unless the TV was packed in its original box.
- We will not be liable if the Goods sustain damage by reason of defective or inadequate packing or unpacking, and the packing or unpacking (as the case may be) was not undertaken by S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS, its employees, or subcontractors.
- We will not be liable for any loss or damage nor any delay which results from any cause beyond our control. Under no circumstances will we be responsible for any loss or damage involving the restoration or reconstruction of information or data or any item if so-called consequential loss.
- These terms and conditions are in addition to any other rights or remedies that you may have under the Australian Consumer law. Those additional remedies remain to the extent that they cannot be excluded. To the extent that they can be excluded, they are. Where they cannot be excluded then such rights and remedies are modified to the extent permitted by law.
- You must notify S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS before the completion of the job if there is any damage/loss to your goods. Failure to notify us within this period means we will not be responsible or liable for any such alleged loss or damage. Irrespective of any damage or loss that may have been caused by S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS, you will still need to make complete payment upon completion of unloading your goods. For any claim for damage or loss, you will need to contact the office so that the normal process for claims can be followed.
- If the goods sustain damage by reason of defective or inadequate packaging, packing, or unpacking, and the packing or unpacking (as the case may be) was not undertaken by us or our subcontractor, we will not be liable for any loss or damage to the goods. It is your responsibility to ensure your goods are properly packaged and protected in a suitable manner for transport. S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS takes no responsibility for goods damaged during transport that were not adequately protected using packaging.
- We will not be liable for any damage to your goods or premises when you have been advised by our staff that damage may occur due to the nature or construction of the item, and/or the limited access available for manoeuvrability.
- Notwithstanding anything contained in these terms we will only be responsible or liable for loss or damage to goods where such loss or damage can be proven (without reasonable doubt) to have been caused by our negligence. If an item is damaged and is to be replaced, S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS will collect and take ownership of the damaged item and organise compensation with you (see below for more information).
- In any claim for loss or damage under this clause, any estimate of the value of the goods which you have provided to us, whether for the purposes of insurance or otherwise, will be prima facie evidence that the total value of the goods did not exceed that estimate at the time of loss or damage. Notwithstanding anything else contained in these terms and conditions, our liability is limited to repairing the damaged goods to as near the condition as prior to the damage occurring as possible or replacing lost goods with the same or similar goods. Such compensation will be equal to the market value of the item at the time of damage, taking into account any wear and tear. The customer acknowledges and agrees that any compensation for the damaged item shall be limited to its current market value at the time of damage, and that we will not be responsible for the cost of a brand-new replacement item. These repairs or replacements will be arranged by us unless arranged otherwise. No responsibility is accepted or any other losses whatsoever including any consequential loss or loss of value as a result of repairs or replacement of goods.
- In lieu of repairing goods, we have the option to compensate you, by paying to you the value of the damaged goods prior to the damage occurring. If the value cannot be agreed on between us it will be assessed by an independent valuer chosen between us, and if we cannot agree, chosen by the President for the time being of the Queensland Law Society. The value of determination will be final and binding on the parties. The costs of the valuer will be paid by the party whose value differs most from the valuers.
- Where an item is part of a pair or set of items, repair or compensation will extend only to the proportionate part of the pair or set of items.
- If you or someone on-site that is not one of our movers, assists with the loading or unloading of your goods into or out of our truck, you may not be covered by our insurance policies.
15. Packing Materials
- All packaging materials are at an additional cost to the client. Please organize your boxes directly with S.S. REVOMALS AND RENTALS either over the phone on 0450203763 or via email info@ssremovalsandrentals.com.au. Our Removalists will not collect used butchers paper or rubbish. It is the clients’ duty to dispose of these.
16. Packing and Unpacking Services
- S.S. REVOMALS AND RENTALS offers packing and unpacking services as part of its complete moving service. These services are available at a minimum of 2 hours.
- There is no guarantee as to the amount of packing/unpacking work undertaken in the specified time. Generally, each packer can pack/unpack 46 boxes per hour. Should you request additional hours on the day, this will be billed to your credit card at the time of requesting the additional hours.
- It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate boxes and packaging material (we recommend 1 kg of butcher paper for every 4 boxes). In a typical 4-hour session, you should have at least 30 boxes available (a combination of book cartons and tea chest boxes) along with packaging tape. If you are unable to obtain the boxes or any other packing material, you can organize these with us prior to the packing service.
- If bookings are canceled within 24 hours of the booked start time, there will be no refund on the payment made, you will still pay the full deposit and callout fee. Should our packers be unable to gain access to the property on the day or there is some form of dispute/disagreement on-site with the parties inside the house, the packers will leave the property, and you will still be charged the deposit and call-out fee.
- If bookings are rescheduled or postponed on the same day as the booked start date, this is subject to our availability, and you may lose the deposit.
- Our quotes are subject to availability at the time the quote was provided to you. We give no guarantee there will be availability if you book at a later date. If we are unable to offer you our service during your requested time slot due to no availability, we will provide you with a refund.
- S.S. REVOLAMS AND RENTALS will not be responsible for any damage or loss of items related to our packing or unpacking services. If you have any jewelry or valuable items of concern to you, we recommend you pack and store these items and not have our packers pack them for you.
- S.S. REVOLAMS AND RENTALS has the right to not pack or unpack in any property that is not considered to be at a reasonable hygiene level. If your property and/or goods are not considered clean, we have the right to not undertake the work to comply with our OH&S policies.
Force Majeure:
- We are entitled (without liability to you) to delay, vary, or cancel the performance of any of its obligations if and to the extent that it is prevented from, hindered in, or delayed in the performance of any of its obligations by normal route or means of delivery or at costs commercially acceptable to S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS through any circumstances beyond its control including acts of God, governmental actions, strikes or other labour disputes (whether or not relating to S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS workforce), lock-outs, accidents, war or national emergency, acts of terrorism, protests, riot, civil commotion, explosion, flood, epidemic, fire, natural disasters, extreme adverse weather, reduction in or unavailability of energy sources, restrictions or delays affecting the delivery of the Supplies, default of suppliers or subcontractors.
Fortuitous Event:
- We will not be liable for any delays due to circumstances beyond its control including industrial disputes, riots, war, weather, property access, traffic and road conditions, or the failure of the international sea or air carrier(s) to transit the Goods within the agreed time frames.
Severance:
- If any clause, term, or provision of this Agreement is legally unenforceable or is made inapplicable, or in its application would breach any law, that clause, term, or provision shall be severed or read down, but so as to maintain (as far as possible) all other terms of the Agreement.
Privacy:
- In order to provide this quotation, and to enable and assist to provide S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS’s services and if you accept this quotation S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS collect and hold personal information (such as your name, contact details, addresses and banking/payment details as well as photographs of your Personal property which may have helped in providing a quotation or assessing a claim). S.S. REMOVALS AND RENTALS endeavours to protect your privacy.