Best directions I ever gave could have actually been a comedy scene on tv.
I was just going into my doctors to pick up a prescription, and as I opened the door a stunning blonde was just coming out so I held the door open for her she said thanks then said “excuse me I’m new to the area could you tell me where Cohen’s Chemist is please” straight away I jumped into wind up mode and said “of course” “just go to the bottom of the street turn right, then 10yds take your next right, 50yds and take your next right and it comes up in front of you 10yds ahead on the corner next to the doctors”. She even drew the directions on the spare slip of her presciption said thanks and off she trotted.
I went into the doctors got my prescription and went through the connecting doors to the youve guessed it “Cohens Chemist”. As I was in there waiting the blonde came in handed her prescription over and then said to me " oh thank you very much, I would never have found this place if you hadnt told me how to get here, but you must walk quick to beat me here or are you in your car?" I didnt have the heart to tell her the truth, but two weeks later I went into my local and she was there with her mate and they came straight up to me, I thought I was going to get a right roasting, but she just said to her mate " Karen this is the nice guy I told you about that told me exactly where the chemists were" and bought me a drink. Her mate just smiled at me, I think she knew what I had done but didnt have the heart to tell her. Anyway it just goes to prove that helping someone can be rewarding in itself, as I spent a few nights shall we say getting to know the new girl in town and showing her some of the local sights of interest, especially the night time hotspots.
I’m having problems replying to this thread for some reason. I was able to help two foreign drivers close to here looking for an engineering place recently. One stopped me & simply handed me his mobile, I answered it to find his agent on there asking directions to the place, I told him & he asked me to pass the phone back & thanked me very much.
The second instance was almost in the same place on that road & I’d seen an artic driving around & wondered if he was lost. When I was going out again I came across the lorry parked up with the driver wandering around asking householders for directions. I stopped & told him where the place was, he was chuffed to bits & I was pleased to have helped him.
I don’t like the idea posted by Muckaway that telling them anything will do, he may be lost himself one of these days & needs to remember this thread if he’s sent the wrong way.
You can always tell a lost lorry driver as they are parked in a dangerous place with their hazards on. I will pull up if possible and help them out, foreign or not. Usually the foreign drivers are very pleased with you for helping them.
have helped out a couple looking for a pet products place just down the road from my house not much needed to be said really apart from its just there by that gate but every little helps
Paul:
Anyway it just goes to prove that helping someone can be rewarding in itself, as I spent a few nights shall we say getting to know the new girl in town and showing her some of the local sights of interest, especially the night time hotspots.
I always say to anyone never ask me for directions, because my mind just seems to go blank, til about five minutes after they’ve gone and I’ve realised where they’re going and how to get there, I’m just (zb) when I’m put on the spot
The other day one of the newer drivers asked me for directions to a builders merchants in Uxbridge, felt pretty chuffed that I’d remembered the way to go…til about ten minutes after he’d gone And I realised id directed him to one in Slough
Basilbrush:
I’m having problems replying to this thread for some reason. I was able to help two foreign drivers close to here looking for an engineering place recently. One stopped me & simply handed me his mobile, I answered it to find his agent on there asking directions to the place, I told him & he asked me to pass the phone back & thanked me very much.
The second instance was almost in the same place on that road & I’d seen an artic driving around & wondered if he was lost. When I was going out again I came across the lorry parked up with the driver wandering around asking householders for directions. I stopped & told him where the place was, he was chuffed to bits & I was pleased to have helped him.
I don’t like the idea posted by Muckaway that telling them anything will do, he may be lost himself one of these days & needs to remember this thread if he’s sent the wrong way.
BB
I’ll help where I can BB but for some reason lost foreigners stop in the most stupid and dangerous places (blind nends, near pedestrian crossings etc) and/or wander right out in front as I pass them. Foreign or not, it’s no excuse for stupidity.
Regarding getting lost, you should try using some of the directions our sales office pass on; I’ve been told to go down roads with 3t weak bridges on them, 6’6 width limits, low bridges and recently a load in the sticks that the customer himself warned one of the office staff was “like a skating rink”…
i had to smile at the sight of a regular Argos driver
(who is a bit anti agency but not nasty with it)
getting direction advice to a new store
from an agency driver
and Polish at that
Basilbrush:
I’m having problems replying to this thread for some reason. I was able to help two foreign drivers close to here looking for an engineering place recently. One stopped me & simply handed me his mobile, I answered it to find his agent on there asking directions to the place, I told him & he asked me to pass the phone back & thanked me very much.
The second instance was almost in the same place on that road & I’d seen an artic driving around & wondered if he was lost. When I was going out again I came across the lorry parked up with the driver wandering around asking householders for directions. I stopped & told him where the place was, he was chuffed to bits & I was pleased to have helped him.
I don’t like the idea posted by Muckaway that telling them anything will do, he may be lost himself one of these days & needs to remember this thread if he’s sent the wrong way.
BB
I’ll help where I can BB but for some reason lost foreigners stop in the most stupid and dangerous places (blind nends, near pedestrian crossings etc) and/or wander right out in front as I pass them. Foreign or not, it’s no excuse for stupidity.
Regarding getting lost, you should try using some of the directions our sales office pass on; I’ve been told to go down roads with 3t weak bridges on them, 6’6 width limits, low bridges and recently a load in the sticks that the customer himself warned one of the office staff was “like a skating rink”…
so you dont like getting iffy directions from your sales staff but you’re quite happy to send a driver looking some help the wrong way
i got dee side and tee side mixed up when receiveing a phone call on route address, post code unknown and what are the chances of both places having the same street name in them - thats what I thought when it started to sink in whilst looking at a terrace house thinking that should be a super size iceland ndc!
Basilbrush:
I’m having problems replying to this thread for some reason. I was able to help two foreign drivers close to here looking for an engineering place recently. One stopped me & simply handed me his mobile, I answered it to find his agent on there asking directions to the place, I told him & he asked me to pass the phone back & thanked me very much.
The second instance was almost in the same place on that road & I’d seen an artic driving around & wondered if he was lost. When I was going out again I came across the lorry parked up with the driver wandering around asking householders for directions. I stopped & told him where the place was, he was chuffed to bits & I was pleased to have helped him.
I don’t like the idea posted by Muckaway that telling them anything will do, he may be lost himself one of these days & needs to remember this thread if he’s sent the wrong way.
BB
I’ll help where I can BB but for some reason lost foreigners stop in the most stupid and dangerous places (blind nends, near pedestrian crossings etc) and/or wander right out in front as I pass them. Foreign or not, it’s no excuse for stupidity.
Regarding getting lost, you should try using some of the directions our sales office pass on; I’ve been told to go down roads with 3t weak bridges on them, 6’6 width limits, low bridges and recently a load in the sticks that the customer himself warned one of the office staff was “like a skating rink”…
so you dont like getting iffy directions from your sales staff but you’re quite happy to send a driver looking some help the wrong way
I’ve been working for them long enough to know to never take notice of sales…they are what their name implies SALES…how it gets there is of no importance to them just as I dont care what profit they’re making or what the customer is using it for,even when Mr Twit goes on about his landscaping project as I slam the door and start to drive off…
Muckaway:
When foreign drivers stop on bends and proceed to wander in front of me waving a vague delivery note, I’ll tell them any old crap…
Do you go abroad yourself?
Only on holiday (at the wife’s insistance) even then I wont drive. I’d never do continental work either…My money’s good enough, job’s easy, I’m only a 15 minute cycle ride to work, no weekends, can park up and go home when I like, and I don’t get told off for sticking to speed limits… The only downsides are it’s a dirty job compared to others and we’re soon getting rid of the last crash-boxes
Muckaway:
When foreign drivers stop on bends and proceed to wander in front of me waving a vague delivery note, I’ll tell them any old crap…
Do you go abroad yourself?
Only on holiday (at the wife’s insistance) even then I wont drive. I’d never do continental work either…My money’s good enough, job’s easy, I’m only a 15 minute cycle ride to work, no weekends, can park up and go home when I like, and I don’t get told off for sticking to speed limits… The only downsides are it’s a dirty job compared to others and we’re soon getting rid of the last crash-boxes
That’s what I thought. You do it to them as you are sure it will never happen to you. Only then it’s funny…
As I said I do when they’re stupid enough to park in a dangerous place just to get them shifted. I’ve helped a few German drivers-I can remember a bit of German from school and they seem to know bits of English so we achieve something. I’ve helped a Czech driver once as my brother in laws wife is Czech and she worked at the garage where we were refuelling in; I knew the directions, she translated it. Bet the driver thought it was his lucky day…
if you are going to be bothered to tell them anything why not tell the truth instead of lies ? doesnt matter where they are parked does it? although now you are trying to claim if they are parked neatly you give proper directions and if they have pulled up somewhere you dont like then you will send them off with false directions i think you would be better driving on past and let someone decent come along and help.
Muckaway:
As I said I do when they’re stupid enough to park in a dangerous place just to get them shifted. I’ve helped a few German drivers-I can remember a bit of German from school and they seem to know bits of English so we achieve something. I’ve helped a Czech driver once as my brother in laws wife is Czech and she worked at the garage where we were refuelling in; I knew the directions, she translated it. Bet the driver thought it was his lucky day…
Nowadays it’s not hard to find some Czech/Polish speaking person, so if he does it often, he might be used to it.
I got Polish surname, so I have very often situations like list Thursday. The bodyshop called me about my car and the guy said very slowly very loudly: You wait, please, we give phone to someone who explain" and then they passed the phone to the Polish engineer who works for them…
For Polish me it’s very nice of them that they try to give me Polish speaking person, but on the other hand I feel a little British already so I wonder if I should sue them for discrimination, as they assume I don’t speak English only because I have Polish surname
glenman:
if you are going to be bothered to tell them anything why not tell the truth instead of lies ? doesnt matter where they are parked does it? although now you are trying to claim if they are parked neatly you give proper directions and if they have pulled up somewhere you dont like then you will send them off with false directions i think you would be better driving on past and let someone decent come along and help.
Especially that this works bad for the road safety. If they stopped like idiots and you give them wrong directions, most propably they will have to stop again, and they might stop like idiots again.
If you give them proper ones, they will never have to stop again
