Help Me Hank: Delivery Disaster

Mrs. Flanagan
"I started shaking and I actually got queasy and my husband said to me, calm down calm down."

It wasn't their nice new mattress that caused the trouble, it was what happened when the delivery guys tried to carry away the old one.

Mr. Flanagan
"She almost burst out into tears. She was that upset."

They were at the top of the stairs carrying the old mattress, but when they headed down, they crashed it into the antique clock, which hit the lamp, which gouged the wall as it hit the Chinese screen and crashed into the table with the crystal candlesticks.

Hank
"How big of a mess was it?"

Mrs. Flanagan
"Well it took three hours for my husband and me to clean it all up."

The Flanagans assessed the dents and the scratches and the piles of broken glass, damage was thousands of dollars!

Hank
"You expected them to pay for it."

Flanagans
"Right."

Wrong. The mattress company said no, it's the delivery company's responsibility! The delivery company said sorry, they had no insurance.

Flanagans
"It has been a disaster."

That's when the Flanagans called "Help Me Hank." So we contacted the mattress company and explained the rules.

Hank on Phone
"It was a package deal?"

The mattress company has to pay, because they sold the mattress and delivery. The states' consumer affairs chief confirms it.

Jennifer Carey, Consumer Affairs Director
"It's all part of a contract."

And no insurance is no excuse.

Jennifer Davis Carey
"Certainly if you go into somebody's house and break something you're responsible, that's common sense."

Soon after it was mattress company officials assessing the scrapes and dents and glass and after that, the Flanagans got a check for 4,000 bucks! And finally, the Flanagans got a good nights sleep.

Mrs. Flanagan
"I'm delighted, I'm absolutely delighted!"

So what's the consumer battle that's keeping you up nights? Maybe I can help. Send it to helpmehank@whdh.com