After a recent event at work, where I was attacked by an irate customer.(Can’t name/shame yet as on-going) I am wondering if anyone else on here has been in a situation where you’ve been physically attacked? I don’t want the usual…“I would have chinned the ■■■■■■” comments. I’m interested in the responsibilities of the company with regards to claiming off their insurance etc… As I don’t go to work to be attacked, in the cause of delivering a poxy pallet.
I’m big enough and mean enough to look after myself. But the circumstances were something I couldn’t deal with at the time, being as I was facing away from the attacker. This will be going to court pretty soon, and just looking for anyone’s valid experience of similar. Cheers for reading.
Live in Thurrock… Trg always advertising for drivers on tesco.work…have seen the places they have to reverse into and the flack they get from customers who frequent their express stores…its only a matter of time before a driver gets seriously hurt…and I’m sorry to hear of your unfortunate episode…
When you say a customer do you mean a person you were delivering to their address (eg pallet network delivery, white goods etc) or do you mean a business that pays you to transport their goods?
I understand if you don’t want to or can’t go into detail but was it a proper assault or just someone trying to give you a tickle?
All employers have a duty of care to their employees. What has your employer said about this or are they trying to gloss over it to keep a contract viable?
Before I got into driving for a living I did security work for a supermarket. The line of work meant that it was inevitable that is be assaulted while doing my job. Every time I’d press charges and ended up in court a few time putting my side across. When they were found guilty the court would issue compensation, with the amount depending on the severity of the injuries.
If the offender is convicted, you can claim against CICA ( gov.uk/government/organisat … -authority ) where the payouts are much higher.
You could go down the route of making a civil claim against the offenders employers/insurers, but you’d be best seeking advice from Citizens Advice.
Victim Support (phone your local Police force and ask to be put through to them) should be able to point you in the right direction in how to make a Victim Personal Statement to provide evidence to the court on how you have been affected by the assault.
In my previous career, occasionally being assaulted by the customers was part of the job - but the principles involved are the same as far as insurance claims etc are concerned. i.e. You may well have a valid claim, but unless you have suffered significant injury (physical or psychological) you won’t be getting anything through that channel. If the case is going to (presumably magistrates) court, the bench will probably make a compensation order for £50 or so if he’s found guilty.
If you do want to pursue a claim against your employer, you’ll need to document all losses (such as time off work due to stress etc) as well as incidental expenses related to it.
bigvern1:
I can’t mention the whole scene, but it’s basically someone demanding a service we don’t provide and my refusal to do so.
Handballing stock?
I used to get a few moaning and very irate because I wouldn’t rotate stock when delivering or putting the bags in the right order, counting them as you go.Never came to threats but some bakers and chefs think they can talk like Gordon Ramsey to people and not expect grief in return.
Report to both the delivery point, and your employer, you don’t go to work to be assaulted by anybody. I haven’t been in that situation and hopefully I won’t ever be, good luck with the court case, I would imagine said company of the attacker will want it swept under the rug, as well as sacking him, so may offer you something out of court.
ok , I’m going with what was said after a fellow employee was thumped by a employee of a company we were collecting from ,now this is from the early 2000s (Scotland). the company we worked for was asked by our union(after the fact) if any complaints had been made in the past about problems at this collection … yes there had been ,ok so what had our company done to lessen the risk …told drivers not to argue with customer and if a problem get back in cab and alert our office. WELL a lot o good that was when our man was coldcocked from behind!
anyway the jist was the company must ensure a safe working environment ,work with staff that bring problems to their attention and not to put staff in an unsafe environment.
the driver claimed against the works insurance and got an undisclossed sum,full basic wage when afe work . THe attacker got iirc 30days in the BAR L .
I know its not the same vern but …
It was a delivery point. It was a running kick to my kidney as I turned to leave. which eventually caused me to pass blood in my urine temporarily. My boss has been fine, and is as shocked as I was at the time. I’m being kept away from that particular region, because he knows I am a sod who may seek retribution. (But I won’t. )
neilp1982:
Report to both the delivery point, and your employer, you don’t go to work to be assaulted by anybody. I haven’t been in that situation and hopefully I won’t ever be, good luck with the court case, I would imagine said company of the attacker will want it swept under the rug, as well as sacking him, so may offer you something out of court.
The delivery point was a business OWNED by the attacker. I can’t go any further guys.
bigvern1:
It was a delivery point. It was a running kick to my kidney as I turned to leave. which eventually caused me to pass blood in my urine temporarily. My boss has been fine, and is as shocked as I was at the time. I’m being kept away from that particular region, because he knows I am a sod who may seek retribution. (But I won’t. )
that is bad ,we aint there to be punchbags to frustrated customers.surely theres more to this than meets the eye …
come on tell us the whole story lol
bigvern1:
It was a delivery point. It was a running kick to my kidney as I turned to leave. which eventually caused me to pass blood in my urine temporarily. My boss has been fine, and is as shocked as I was at the time. I’m being kept away from that particular region, because he knows I am a sod who may seek retribution. (But I won’t. )
that is bad ,we aint there to be punchbags to frustrated customers.surely theres more to this than meets the eye …
come on tell us the whole story lol
He can’t it’s in the hands of the legal profession, let’s all back off & give BV some breathing space, he just wants some advice on similar occurrences.
Good luck Big Fella, not a nice place to be in, having said that, dark nights, dark alleys & time are on your side [emoji6]
bigvern1:
It was a delivery point. It was a running kick to my kidney as I turned to leave. which eventually caused me to pass blood in my urine temporarily. My boss has been fine, and is as shocked as I was at the time. I’m being kept away from that particular region, because he knows I am a sod who may seek retribution. (But I won’t. )
Hi Ade, crap that sounds nasty, hope you are back on point now
This happened to me about 5yrs ago when I was on the bed job, it was a regular delivery point, about 4 times a month, it was a medium size retail outlet in a big shopping centre. Never had any problems there before, always had a laff with the lads and delivery was always correct, this particular morning when they opened the delivery doors there was this older bloke with the usual lad’s and he appeared to now be in control, I’d never seen him before, so I just thought he was the whrse; manager who I had never met because the delivery’s went straight in a lift and were taken up to the shopfloor/whrse. After unloading it turns out I was one specific mattress short on the delivery, the problem was this customer had their own named label’s stitched onto all their products made by us, so as I apologised for being short on the delivery this older guy saw a similar matt in the truck and said “just give me that one instead” I said “well I can’t really do that because it is for another customer and it doesn’t have your labels on it” he then completely lost it and called me a “Flipin speccy four eyed twunt and if I didn’t give him the matt he was going kick the flipin faeces out of me!!!” I got out of the truck and we faced up to each other and although it didn’t come to blow’s it wasn’t far off, the usual whrse; lads had kept us apart and one had told me he was the shop owner and was a bit of a nutter, they all looked a bit scared of him coz he was very loud, abusive and stupid I then shut the truck doors and he ripped my delivery notes up into little pieces. I drove off and pulled up about 10mins later and rang the office and told them what had happened, I didn’t have a chance to tell the shop owner that I would ring the office about the missing matt because he had become so abusive that I had made my own decision that I wasn’t being spoken too by anybody like that so I definetly wasn’t going to do anything to help him out I don’t think I’ve seen anybody get so angry in the space of a minute or so over such a trifling matter, I didn’t provoke him, I was in a good mood and all I’d said was the other matt’s didn’t have his labels on and were for other customer’s.
Funnily enough I never delivered there again
Dave, not a million miles away from your story. I refused to be treated like a See you next Tuesday, and gave as good as I got verbally. Then the cowardly boot in the back as I left. Now that’ll do re details. I’m good mate. Was a glitch in the matrix. Firing on all cylinders mate. Take more than a prick to get to me. As mentioned, letting the law do it’s thing.
About eight years ago one of my co workers squared up to me and offered to settle things in the car park. He’d been in my face for about 5 minutes with loads of verbal.
I didn’t react, reported it as soon as and my employer did jack ■■■■ about it. I had 3 months on sick, I wasn’t sick but basically in dispute. I couldn’t work there so just had to bide my time.
)
I then shut the truck doors and he ripped my delivery notes up into little pieces. I drove off and pulled up about 10mins later and rang the office and told them what had happened, I didn’t have a chance to tell the shop owner that I would ring the office about the missing matt because he had become so abusive that I had made my own decision that I wasn’t being spoken too by anybody like that so I definetly wasn’t going to do anything to help him out 
I don’t think I’ve seen anybody get so angry in the space of a minute or so over such a trifling matter, I didn’t provoke him, I was in a good mood and all I’d said was the other matt’s didn’t have his labels on and were for other customer’s.
