Coat lost in unmanned cloakroom

[Unregistered]

I left my coat in an unmanned cloakroom, at a conference where there was a security person and CCTV (not necessarily in the cloakroom).
I was a guest speaker, so presumably not expected to keep my coat on all the event.
On returning, at the end of the day, my coat had gone - it was less than a year old - value approx £300.

I have seen posts that explain the law where an attendant was paid, but not where the cloakroom was unmanned, but security measures in place.
Any advice on whether I could make a claim?

[des8]

Re: Coat lost in unmanned cloakroom

Leaving items in a free cloakroom service leaves you with no contractual rights, and if it is unmanned you do so at your own risk.

However you may be able to claim against the party who invited you if their hire contract for the venue included cloakroom facilities.

Otherwise there is possibility of a claim on your own contents insurance for items whilst out of the house

[R0b]

Re: Coat lost in unmanned cloakroom

Did you make a complaint on the spot or wait until a later date? Obviously the first port oyour cof call is to complain in writing and request compensation for it but as Des has said, if you didn't pay for the service then there is no contractual rights as a consumer.

You would have to rely on the common law system meaning that they would have a duty of care to look after your coat even if the service was free. Depending on the where the cloak room is situated, there may be an argument that they were negligent, particularly if the cloak room was unlocked, unmanned, no CCTV facing towards it etc. but you might have to chance going to court for this and issuing a claim if you really insisted and the company failed to acknowledge liability and there was no notice to you that any storage of the cloak room is entirely at your own risk.

[des8]

Re: Coat lost in unmanned cloakroom

Surely the duty of care only applies if there is ,in this case, a gratuitous bailment, i.e. the coat would have to be delivered to and accepted by an employee of the venue.
If the venue cloakroom facilities are solely a room with hangars and no employee of the venue to take custody of the coat IMO the OP will have problems sustaining a claim for the loss.

[R0b]

Re: Coat lost in unmanned cloakroom

Yes Des you are right, I've clearly misread the post thinking it was the venue who put it there as opposed to the OP. So the question is whether the OP had been offered to have their coat put in the cloak room or whether he/she decided off their own back (presumably after seeing it) to hang it there.

I guess other factors to take into account is whether there was any signs suggesting/offering for guests to hang there coat in the cloakroom, as that in itself, possibly could be argued that they would owe a duty of care in that instance.