Cancellation & Refund Policy

• Within 60 minutes of booking: FULL REFUND, no questions asked (unless the driver has already started travelling for an urgent short-notice booking).
• More than 24 hours before the move: FULL REFUND of your deposit.
• Less than 24 hours before the move: NON-REFUNDABLE. Your driver receives £25 / $30 / €30 compensation for the reserved slot; the remainder is retained by VanManoo.
• Driver has already started travelling or arrived: NON-REFUNDABLE. Your driver receives £25 / $30 / €30 compensation for the wasted trip; any additional labour, mileage or waiting time already incurred will be added to the balance owed.
• Customer no-show: NO REFUND. Your driver receives £25 / $30 / €30 compensation.

To cancel: log in → open your booking → tap "Cancel booking". The refund amount is displayed before you confirm.

• If the driver does not arrive within 60 minutes of the agreed start time and cannot be reached: automatic FULL REFUND + free re-booking with another driver.
• If the customer does not arrive at the pickup within 30 minutes of the driver's arrival and cannot be reached: driver may leave and the booking is treated as customer-cancelled less than 24 hours out (non-refundable).

• £25 / $30 / €30 is credited to the driver first (compensation for the wasted trip).
• The remainder of the deposit is split 50/50 — half back to the customer, half retained by VanManoo to cover platform and re-booking costs.
• UK example: £64.99 − £25 = £39.99 remainder → £19.99 back to the customer, £19.99 retained by VanManoo.
• US example: $79.99 − $30 = $49.99 → $25 back to the customer, $24.99 retained by VanManoo.
• AT example: €59.99 − €30 = €29.99 → €14.99 back to the customer, €15 retained by VanManoo.

The customer can immediately re-book with the correct vehicle size — the deposit for the new booking is entirely separate from this refund.

If your booking was not accepted by the driver within 30 minutes, the refund is immediate — Stripe returns the full deposit to your card the moment our system auto-releases the booking.

All other refunds are issued to the original Stripe payment method. Card refunds land within 5–10 business days. Debit-card refunds can take up to 14 business days depending on your bank. VanManoo does not hold your money — Stripe processes every refund directly.

Every booking includes 20 minutes of free waiting time at the pickup address. The waiting clock starts the moment the driver marks "Arrived at Pickup" in the app, and both the driver and the customer see the same live countdown on their booking screen.

Free window (0–20 minutes): no additional charge. The customer should use this time to bring the items to the van and complete any final packing.

Extra time (20+ minutes): the counter continues to run and any additional minutes are chargeable at the driver's standard hourly rate for the vehicle size booked (see your quote breakdown). Extra time is billed in 15-minute increments — the first 20 minutes of extra time cost at least the driver's minimum extra-hour charge. The driver can raise an Extra-Time invoice from their app once loading begins; the customer receives a Stripe payment link before the driver leaves the pickup address.

Grounds for cancellation: if the customer is not ready after 60 minutes total waiting (i.e. 40 minutes of paid extra time on top of the free window) and cannot be reached, the driver may cancel the booking under reason "Customer not ready to load at the agreed time" (item 2 of the 23-item driver cancellation matrix). In that case, the driver receives the £25/$30/€30 cancellation fee and the customer receives the partial refund defined in Section 6.

Driver responsibility. Once the customer's items are loaded into the van, the driver is responsible for returning and delivering every single item to the customer at the agreed delivery address. Items must be unloaded and handed back to the customer as part of the booking.

Items must not be withheld. A driver must never keep the customer's belongings in the van after arriving at the delivery address — not to negotiate an unpaid balance, not to enforce an additional charge, and not for any other reason. Withholding items is unlawful and will result in immediate driver suspension from the platform.

Customers — collect everything. Please make sure you take every item out of the van at the delivery address before the driver leaves. Do not agree to leave any belongings in the van "for later" — VanManoo cannot recover items left in a driver's vehicle after the booking has closed.

If a dispute arises on-site — for example an unpaid balance, refused delivery, aggressive behaviour, missing or damaged item, or refusal to hand items back — both parties should stay calm and try to resolve it first. If it cannot be resolved between the two of you, call the Police:

• UK: 101 (non-emergency) · 999 (emergency / threat of harm)
• US: your local non-emergency line · 911 (emergency)
• Austria: 133 (Polizei) · 112 (EU emergency)

VanManoo's position. VanManoo is a booking marketplace. We cannot mediate on-site disputes over goods, and we are not responsible for items withheld, damaged during a private dispute, or lost as a result of a disagreement between the driver and the customer. Both parties agree to resolve such disputes directly with the police as an independent witness, and both sides are protected by making a formal report.

What we will do. After a police incident has been reported, either party can email hello@vanmanoo.uk with the crime reference number. We will review the account, suspend the offending party from the platform where appropriate, and share booking metadata (route, times, tracking log, photos) with the police on request.

If the customer and driver cannot resolve a damage claim directly, VanManoo may request evidence from both parties and review the matter. VanManoo will assess the information provided and may issue a decision for the purposes of the platform. If there is insufficient evidence to determine liability, VanManoo may close the dispute without requiring compensation from either party.

Nothing in this process limits either party's legal rights to pursue the matter through their insurer or the courts.

To raise a damage dispute, open the booking and tap "Report an issue", or email hello@vanmanoo.uk with photos and a short description within 48 hours of the move so evidence stays fresh.

12.1 Reporting damage. Any claim for loss or damage must be reported through the VanManoo platform as soon as reasonably possible and no later than 48 hours after completion of the booking. Claims submitted after this period may be rejected where the delay affects our ability to investigate the matter fairly.

12.2 Evidence requirements. To enable a fair investigation, customers may be asked to provide:

• Clear photographs of the alleged damage.
• Video evidence where available.
• A detailed description of the issue.
• Proof of ownership where appropriate.
• Receipts, invoices, repair quotations or other evidence of value where available.
• Any other information reasonably requested during the investigation.

Failure to provide sufficient evidence may affect the outcome of the claim.

12.3 Investigation process. Upon receiving a claim, VanManoo may review all booking information, review photographs, videos and supporting documents, request further information from either party, obtain a written response from the driver, review communication made through the platform, and make a decision based on the available evidence. VanManoo may reject claims that cannot be reasonably verified.

12.4 False or misleading claims. Customers and drivers must provide honest and accurate information. VanManoo reserves the right to reject claims that are fraudulent, intentionally misleading, exaggerated or supported by false or altered evidence. Submitting fraudulent claims may result in suspension or permanent removal from the platform and may be reported to the appropriate authorities where necessary.

12.5 Normal wear and tear. VanManoo is not responsible for normal wear and tear resulting from ordinary use of furniture or household items. Examples include existing scratches, minor scuffs, general ageing, natural fading, loose fittings caused by age or previous use, and cosmetic imperfections that existed before the booking.

12.6 Pre-existing damage. VanManoo and the driver are not responsible for damage that existed before the move. Customers are encouraged to inspect their belongings before collection and, where appropriate, photograph any existing damage before loading begins. Evidence of pre-existing damage may be considered during any investigation.

12.7 Driver response procedure. Where a damage claim is submitted, the driver will normally be given an opportunity to review the allegation, submit photographs or videos, provide a written explanation, and supply any other relevant evidence. VanManoo will consider both parties' evidence before making a decision.

12.8 Preservation of evidence. Customers and drivers should preserve all relevant evidence until the claim has been concluded. Where reasonably possible: do not dispose of damaged items; do not repair items before the investigation has been completed unless immediate repair is necessary for safety; keep damaged components where applicable; retain photographs and supporting documents. Failure to preserve relevant evidence may affect the outcome of the claim.

12.9 Platform role. VanManoo acts solely as a technology marketplace connecting customers with independent self-employed drivers. Where a dispute arises, VanManoo may facilitate communication and review the available evidence but does not guarantee any particular outcome or accept liability for disputed damage except where required by applicable law.