Failure to honour the quote and unexpected additional charges and refusal to deliver our furniture

We requested a quotation for the removal of our furniture from Durban to Johannesburg. All the relevant details were provided to Caleb, who subsequently submitted a quotation to us. At the time of requesting and accepting the quotation, Caleb was specifically informed of two important requirements:

- The furniture could only be delivered on a Friday or Saturday. - The complex in Johannesburg only permits a maximum **3-ton truck**.

Based on the quotation provided and the information discussed with Caleb, we accepted the quote and booked the removal.

The furniture subsequently arrived in Johannesburg on Thursday. We again reminded Caleb about the restriction regarding the size of the truck and the fact that delivery had to take place on a Friday or Saturday.

It was only on Thursday afternoon that Caleb informed us that we would have to pay an **additional R900** because of the truck-size restriction. This was extremely concerning, as he had been informed of this requirement before the quotation was issued and accepted. Had this additional cost been disclosed upfront, we could have considered it when comparing EFI Removals' quotation with other quotations we had received.

On Friday, we followed up with Caleb regarding delivery. At approximately 13:00, he informed us that EFI Removals does not work on Saturdays and that they were leaving to deliver the furniture. We waited the entire afternoon, but the furniture was not delivered and there was no further communication from Caleb.

On Monday, I contacted Caleb again. I was then informed that we would now also have to pay **storage fees**.

I questioned why the storage costs had not been included in the original quotation, particularly since the delivery requirements and the truck-size restriction had been communicated to him before the quotation was prepared. His response was essentially that he was running a business and that he was not going to pay the costs associated with storage and the smaller vehicle.

This is not an acceptable response to a customer who accepted a quotation based on information that had already been provided to the company.

The most concerning aspect of this matter was that Caleb **refused to deliver our furniture unless we paid the additional costs in full**. We were therefore placed in an extremely difficult position. Our furniture was already in Johannesburg, and we had little practical choice but to pay the additional amount because otherwise our furniture would not be delivered.

In our view, this amounts to unacceptable business practice. A quotation should reflect the costs reasonably foreseeable from the information supp**** by the customer. If additional costs were going to arise because a smaller vehicle was required or because delivery could not take place as planned, these costs should have been clearly disclosed before the quotation was accepted.

We feel that we were effectively **held to ransom over the release and delivery of our own furniture** because we were presented with unexpected charges after the furniture had already been transported to Johannesburg.

We are extremely disappointed with the way this matter was handled, particularly the lack of communication, the failure to honour the agreed delivery arrangements, the unexpected additional charges, and the refusal to deliver our furniture unless further payment was made.

We accepted the original quotation in good faith and provided all the relevant information upfront. We should not have been placed in a position where additional costs were imposed after the fact and where our furniture was withheld until those costs were paid.

This experience has been extremely disappointing, and based on the service we received, I would **not recommend EFI Removals to other customers**.