Our Money team helps a reader every week with their consumer issue or financial dispute…
Today, the problem comes from a reader called Ruth…
A few days before Christmas, a 7.5-tonne John Lewis lorry that had just delivered a bed to me reversed too far off my drive and became stuck in my garden. The very embarrassed driver asked if I could help him, so I rang my tenant farmer who immediately dispatched a tractor to help. The John Lewis crew were on their way within 20 minutes, their busy Christmas schedule unaffected. Before the rescue, the farmer told the crew to mention to head office that it was customary to offer a small thank-you to farmers for their time and effort in such cases. He suggested £100. When the farmer hadn’t heard anything from John Lewis, I approached them on his behalf, but despite lengthy emails, they have refused to offer any goodwill to the farmer, not even a meagre voucher, saying that had they known he would charge, they would have refused his services and arranged their own recovery vehicle. What do you think?
We gave this one to our Money live reporter Jess Sharp to tackle…
This is very different to the usual Money Problems we receive, Ruth, so thanks for coming to us with this one – it’s an interesting ethical dilemma.
From your description, the John Lewis driver caused this problem, and you and the farmer showed goodwill in finding a solution.
Not unreasonably, the farmer hoped the goodwill would be returned.
Obviously, John Lewis is under no legal obligation here. If the farmer had told them they would need to pay for his services, and the crew agreed, then his case for payment would be significantly stronger.
A simple “I can pull you out, but I charge x for doing it” could have been enough to get them a payment.
I asked Rupert Wesson, director of etiquette coaching company Debretts, and he took this case somewhere I wasn’t expecting.
For him, if John Lewis won’t offer anything, it’s your responsibility to do so.
“He responded to a call from you, not from John Lewis so notwithstanding any agreement the farmer made with the truck driver, you should make sure they are not out of pocket,” he said.
“You should make some payment to them and if not the £100 you should agree what seems reasonable in the hope that more can be recovered in the fullness of time.”
He added that John Lewis had “not covered themselves in glory” by rejecting your requests and it was “pretty poor form” for them not to recognise the help the farmer offered.
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“I also note you are not seeking recompense from them for damage to your garden, which you would probably have been in your rights to do. John Lewis would have done well to have picked up on this. I suspect even a modest gesture of thanks from them would have brought matters to a close,” he said.
“Once you have looked after your tenant farmer you can do one of two things. You could let matters lie, forswear never to use John Lewis again and get on with your life which, given the sum of money involved, may be the best course of action.
“Or you could escalate things, which is the path you appear to be taking.”
I spoke to John Lewis about the situation and they later contacted you to offer you a £25 goodwill payment and the farmer a £100 voucher to say thank you.
You told me: “By way of an update (prompted by you??) John Lewis rang this morning, unprompted by me, and have done a complete U-turn. They have humbly apologised, grovelled almost, sent a £100 voucher for the farmer and, again, unprompted, a goodwill gesture for me of £25. An unbelievable change around.”
A John Lewis Partnership spokesperson said: “We’re big fans of British farmers, and are really grateful to this gentleman who helped our lorry out of a bit of a sticky, or should we say muddy, situation while it was making a delivery.
“As a thank you, we’ve sent the farmer a gesture of goodwill.”