The shipping company damaged our wall, how to act?

[snowjim]

Hello,

We receive deliveries at regular intervals and usually, there is no problem for the driver to back up our driveway. This time, however, they came with a much larger truck and probably didn't quite know how to handle it. The result was that they drove into one of the pillars (Mexitegel), damaging 2 stones:

https://imgur.com/a/QeCpJxh

The driver wants to come out and fix the defect with some form of outdoor cement. Initially, I said no, we built this ourselves, and it requires a certain level of precision to be completely restored. Our confidence in him is not high; we've previously experienced minor incidents with him, and the feeling is that things are not handled precisely.

The wall is built with similar Mexitegel as the house, and this stone can't be bought new. You can find secondhand, but there is a very large variation, so finding exactly the same stone is difficult. The wall is mainly glued and the first thought is to glue back the pieces. After holding the pieces together, it can be observed that they generally fit, but there will be visible cracks. Mexitegel is quite porous, so just by trying to fit the pieces, you lose material and thereby the fit.

Another solution is to try to acquire the stones and then replace them.

Regardless, we estimate a couple of hours of work on this and it won't be the same as it was before.

How should we think about this? I know that if a craftsman makes a mistake, you have to allow them the opportunity to fix it, but this is slightly different.

We would probably want some financial compensation for the work we now have to put in to try to restore it. But what is reasonable to request?

 

[Stefan1972]

Who is the driver then? The business owner themselves or? I understand the concept as a whole, but you talk about the appearance as very primary while it looks like someone used a spade to fill it in? Sure, you want damage caused by someone else to be repaired, but it will never be invisible, and the easiest thing is probably to glue the pieces back if everything isn't smashed to bits.

 

[Dan_Johansson]

It is possible to insert images directly into the thread, which makes it easier...

 

[snowjim]

It's possible to insert images directly into the thread, making it easier ...

You're absolutely right! Unfortunately, you lose control over the photos when you do it that way in this forum. There's no possibility to delete images afterward; for that reason, I now prefer to simply link to them.

 

[snowjim]

Who is the driver then? The company owner himself, or? I understand the whole thing, but you talk about the appearance as very primary while it looks like someone has grouted with a shovel? Sure, you want damages caused by someone else repaired, but it will never be invisible, and the easiest is probably to glue the pieces back if everything isn't completely smashed.

The driver is an employee at the freight company.

The wall and pillar are mainly glued, but to cover certain gaps, we have used outdoor fix between the stones (horizontally). Normally, this isn't done, but it suited our taste better.

So the question here is, do we have to first allow them to repair it, or can we demand financial compensation for it?

 

[Stadsfiskalen]

Excuse me, but the joints you have done look terrible. You can probably forget about demanding financial compensation. A repair with suitable filler will likely blend in just as well as your joints.

 

[Dan_Johansson]

You are absolutely right! Unfortunately, you lose control over the photos when you do it that way in this forum. There is no possibility to delete images afterward, which is why I now settle for linking them.

You do that on imgur too ..

"With regard to any file or content you upload to the public portions of our site, you grant Imgur a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable worldwide license (with sublicense and assignment rights) to use, to display online and in any present or future media, to create derivative works of, to allow downloads of, and/or distribute any such file or content. To the extent that you delete any such file or content from the public portions of our site, the license you grant to Imgur pursuant to the preceding sentence will automatically terminate, but will not be revoked with respect to any file or content Imgur has already copied and sublicensed or designated for sublicense." https://imgur.com/tos

 

[snowjim]

Excuse me, but the joints you've made look terrible. Demanding financial compensation is something you can probably forget. A repair with suitable mass will probably blend in just as well as your joints.

Yes, the joints on the towers are not pretty, a mistake one could mildly say.

The action itself would then be to attach the parts with the same outdoor fix, in this way you can even out and avoid cracks. It will of course be more difficult to align the fit but it should be possible to get it reasonably right.

Regardless, it will be a job, so the question is what it might be worth? What would a craftsman charge to fix it?

 

[snowjim]

You do that on imgur too...

I upload to the hidden section, not publicly. I've always been able to remove images that I want there. However, this is the wrong thread for such a discussion, please PM me if you want to talk more about it.

 

[Dan_Johansson]

I upload to the hidden section, not the public one. I have always been able to remove images as I want there. However, this is the wrong thread for such a discussion, please send me a PM if you want to talk more about it.

Well, you were the one who brought it up? As far as I'm concerned, you can do as you wish, but if you want more responses, it's better to have the images in the thread...

 

[Jonatan79]

A few hundred kronor, have the driver buy a nice whiskey and fix the stone yourself!

 

[Stadsfiskalen]

Yes, the joints on the towers are not beautiful, a mistake one could mildly say.

The measure itself would then be to attach the parts with the same outdoor fix, in that way you can smooth it out and avoid cracks. Of course, it will be more challenging to match the fit, but it should be possible to get it fairly right.

Regardless, it will become a job, so the question is what it might be worth? What would a craftsman charge to fix it?

If the driver is handy, he might be able to sort it out. It's probably possible to cover up a lot, maybe so that it isn't noticeable unless inspected closely. Ask for a couple of bottles of whiskey as compensation in addition.

 

[ToRy]

I would have done the little job myself to get it the way I want it, or to have myself to blame if it doesn't turn out well.

If I then wanted to "catch" the driver, I would talk to him next time and be very clear that he needs to be aware of what he's doing, or ask for help to check before reversing.
If you want to catch the driver more thoroughly already, you can send an email to the company's info email/customer service and explain that the driver has caused damage to your wall and potentially add that you want compensation.

 

[kest]

Typical insurance claim! When an agreement cannot be easily reached, it gets handed over to the grey bureaucrats. Credit to the driver who at least offered to try.

 

[Fotografen]

In cases like this, you should first note the car's license plate number. If you cannot reach an agreement in any other way, you then report it to the insurance company. I would have started with the transport company, if it's bovägga directly, then it's an insurance matter.