JumbleTown Ireland - View Single Post - JTers

Chris P · **Posted: 18-12-2013 , 03:33 AM** #2

Hi tiggyT,

First of all, thanks for the feedback, and sorry to hear that despite the efforts that you and the Taker went to, the Giving and Taking process ended up being unsatisfactory.

As you outline in your detailed post above, the Giver in question passed on what they thought were the correct measurements for the sofa, and that no desire to mislead was intended -- a genuine mistake was made.

Ideally, potential Takers should inspect the item in person to ensure the item is what they expect. (In the past, we've had a few instances where potential Takers have complained that a Giver's description of an item was wrong or simply misleading. When we queried the Giver, they usually responded that, in their opinion, their item was as described, and that the potential Taker obviously had a different opinion of what constituted "good condition" or "slight marks on seat-covers" etc. We rarely get complaints about incorrect measurements, and I can't recall an incident where we had to ban a Member for trying to pass off a poor-quality item as being in good condition. It's our experience that most folks know when something needs to be recycled or disposed of instead of re-used/life-cycled, the latter being JumbleTown's remit.)

The fact is that Takers can't and shouldn't rely 100% on a Giver's description or even a photo -- seeing and inspecting the item in person is the only way to be be 100% sure. In the case you outline above, I understand that this wasn't really possible because of the distance involved, but had that been possible, you wouldn't have found yourself with a nice sofa in your hallway that you couldn't put in your apartment. (I can just imagine your frustration and dismay!) Perhaps if you'd asked the van-driver to measure the sofa in situ, things mightn't have gone so pear-shaped, but then again, you clearly didn't expect a discrepancy in the measurements.

Re: Apologies and compensation: You state that the Giver was apologetic and genuinely sorry, and we've no reason to doubt this. As regards your being out of pocket for the van-hire, and the time and trouble involved in actually getting the item and then having to pass it on again, unfortunately, there is very little that either you or Admin can do. We can't compel the Giver to offer compensation or a reimbursement as the item was offered in good faith and a genuine mistake was made -- no malice was intended. Also, you're right to state that nothing in JumbleTown's current guidelines covers this area specifically. This is partly because we rarely get such occurrences, and also because, at best, we could only make a recommendation that Givers compensate potential Takers for any inconvenience experienced or costs that may be incurred should the Giving and Taking process go awry. Admin feels that such a recommendation (or even stipulation) would only discourage potential Givers from using the site. And so, as you state in your post above, you may have to simply put it down to experience and move on. That's not satisfactory, but realistically, it's as good as it gets. Sad, but true.

Thanks again for the feedback, tiggyT, and here's hoping that your next experience on JumbleTown will be less fraught.

Regards
Chris P
Admin

	Posted: 18-12-2013 , 03:33 AM #2
Chris P Administrator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: JumbleTown Posts: 5,998	from Admin Hi tiggyT, First of all, thanks for the feedback, and sorry to hear that despite the efforts that you and the Taker went to, the Giving and Taking process ended up being unsatisfactory. As you outline in your detailed post above, the Giver in question passed on what they thought were the correct measurements for the sofa, and that no desire to mislead was intended -- a genuine mistake was made. Ideally, potential Takers should inspect the item in person to ensure the item is what they expect. (In the past, we've had a few instances where potential Takers have complained that a Giver's description of an item was wrong or simply misleading. When we queried the Giver, they usually responded that, in their opinion, their item was as described, and that the potential Taker obviously had a different opinion of what constituted "good condition" or "slight marks on seat-covers" etc. We rarely get complaints about incorrect measurements, and I can't recall an incident where we had to ban a Member for trying to pass off a poor-quality item as being in good condition. It's our experience that most folks know when something needs to be recycled or disposed of instead of re-used/life-cycled, the latter being JumbleTown's remit.) The fact is that Takers can't and shouldn't rely 100% on a Giver's description or even a photo -- seeing and inspecting the item in person is the only way to be be 100% sure. In the case you outline above, I understand that this wasn't really possible because of the distance involved, but had that been possible, you wouldn't have found yourself with a nice sofa in your hallway that you couldn't put in your apartment. (I can just imagine your frustration and dismay!) Perhaps if you'd asked the van-driver to measure the sofa in situ, things mightn't have gone so pear-shaped, but then again, you clearly didn't expect a discrepancy in the measurements. Re: Apologies and compensation: You state that the Giver was apologetic and genuinely sorry, and we've no reason to doubt this. As regards your being out of pocket for the van-hire, and the time and trouble involved in actually getting the item and then having to pass it on again, unfortunately, there is very little that either you or Admin can do. We can't compel the Giver to offer compensation or a reimbursement as the item was offered in good faith and a genuine mistake was made -- no malice was intended. Also, you're right to state that nothing in JumbleTown's current guidelines covers this area specifically. This is partly because we rarely get such occurrences, and also because, at best, we could only make a recommendation that Givers compensate potential Takers for any inconvenience experienced or costs that may be incurred should the Giving and Taking process go awry. Admin feels that such a recommendation (or even stipulation) would only discourage potential Givers from using the site. And so, as you state in your post above, you may have to simply put it down to experience and move on. That's not satisfactory, but realistically, it's as good as it gets. Sad, but true. Thanks again for the feedback, tiggyT, and here's hoping that your next experience on JumbleTown will be less fraught. Regards Chris P Admin