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…
