I was reported to my employer for bad behaviour to client

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

And it was like that:

I had some agency job, multidrop palletised deliveries arround Ayrshire.

I arrived with my delivery (five pallets of Coca-Cola drinks) to one huge Holiday park. Guy asked me:

  • what do you have me?
  • Soft drinks - I answered
  • Very well - he nodded - How much?
    I checked in the paperwork:
  • I don’t want to count all this houndred of cases, but I can tell you that this is five pallets, that’s slightly over 4 tons and 7 hundreds kilos alltogether.
  • Very well - he nodded again. - Please come with me.

I followed him over the grass then over the kerb, then on the very step path, then through the narrow doors, then along long corridor, then 4 steps down to the big cellar. On this cellar there were some shelves, other chambers and it was very dark and hot.

  • Please put the cans here, on that shelves, but keep them separately - cola from fanta, sprite etc. Then bottles going on the floor, but please leave acces to the machinery. And juices are going upstair to the other room. And be hurry, becouse you are blocking evacuation path - ordered me. - Do you have any questions?
  • Yes - I told him - When I will finish, you want me to mop the floor, or you prefere me to do the dishes first?
    Guy becomed very indigant with my answer:
  • Are you making fun of me?
  • You started first - I told him.
  • You got a problem, pal? - he started to be slightly agressive.

I remembered, that when Napoleon Bonaparte arrived to some city he was very angry, that they havent salute for him, and he demanded city major why. Guy told him: “There are various reasons. First of all, we don’t have cannons…” Napoleon interupted him and told “Thank you, that’s enaugh for me”.

So I decided to give similar answer and I told him:

  • There are various reasons: first of all, I have no time. Second, I don’t have trolley or nothing…

Guy obviously wasn’t Napoleon Class. He told me:
“That’s not my problem”. And went away, when I was forced to move my lorry for some garbage truck.

When I found him about 5 minutes later I gave him two options: he will send someone to me to unload the van, or he will just sign me, that he is refusing to accept that delivery. He was really ■■■■■■ of. He told me, that “some lorry driver will not teach me my job! I am a janitor here, not some porter, and I am earning 6.50 per hour!” and he told, that he’ll call my company to report me.

I told him that I can wait for results of his call. “In fact is even better for me, as I am earning so poor money as a driver” - I told him - “So i will be happy to do some overtime paid 10.25 instead of usual 8”.

So he was become dark red on the face and went to the phone.

Meanwhile a supervisor came and asked me what I am waiting for. I explained him situation. He told me, that he will give me two chaps to help me. One of them was this bigheaded janitor, who was feel so important.

Anyway I decided to help them, but we spent 3 hours to unload the lorry and put all stuff just to first, closest chamber. After four pallets it’s turned that the last one (the heaviest) collapsed and it wasn’t possible to pull it on the pallet truck from the lorry. They called somewhere and after 2 minutes forklift arrived…

Grrrr

And about this phone to the company. They really appreciated my sense of humour and asked me to come back for couple of shifts :wink:

:grimacing:

2

I’ve had this as well. I deal with it on a ‘moment’ basis.

If the request is really courteous, and I can see that my help is really required, and that the result of a failed delivery will mess up the next job, i’ll do it.

If I know/hear otherwise to the above, i’ll call my office and get advice/instruction and take it from there.

Sometimes i’m warned about a particular drop, and i’ll say sorry, it’s
‘pallets-to-door’ service, your call.

Sounds like all’s fine with your situation!

3

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
Nice one Orys

4

Orys next time just tell them “front door, back door delivery only” no stairs, lifts or ramps :laughing:

5

Well done that boy!

6

:smiley: enjoyed that read.glad you stuck to your guns

7

:laughing:

Well Done for sticking to your guns

Now, important question - is the firm hiring you covered by insurance for “taking” the stuff “into their” customers buildings?

If they don’t have any insurance to cover for you injurys, then its Kncok and drop - loading their shelves is nothing to do with you. (After all, if you hurt your back and your signed off for 6 months, who is going to pay for your mortgage?)

I learnt the hard way when I was a newbie doing work like this in the starting months, but you quicky learn to make the job easier for yourselve :slight_smile:

8

Wasnt southerness caravan park was it ■■?

rings a bell when i was there last
:laughing:

9

My reply to him,would be along the lines of previously mentioned,and that is that I get paid to deliver to the door,not stack the shelves.If they can’t provide the staff to do the latter,the delivery goes back,no questions.

Ken.

10

Heh.

I used to do plenty of shifts for that company over last year and I was always told that’s my job is finished, when pallet comes off from the tail lift. But they won some coca-cola contract propably now and they have some new rules - double manned vehicles etc.

But sorry: I used to work with drinks and there were never nothing like ten tons of drinks, even for triple manned lorries. And I was alone this day (that was only one of many cola deliveries that day).

I prefere not to tell company name or which caravan park it was, as I am not sure, if I can spread company secrets over the internet :slight_smile:

11

good one orys, if they had told me that, i would of been less polite, i dont mind giving a hand, but im a driver not a warehouseman, thats why i wont tip myself at places like netto they can go ■■■■ themselves

12

Used to get this sort of thing all the time when I worked for Reality driving the vans doing the POD Argos deliveries (mainly furniture, so heavy stuff). Worst ones were tower blocks and business premises, schools, hospitals etc. They’d always ask you to take it to a room or somewhere within the building, or in the case of tower blocks upto their front door on whichever floor that may be.

Tower blocks I took stuff to the lift while they took it to their floor, I wouldn’t actually take it up floors unless it was someone physically incapable of doing it, just didn’t have the time. Schools and hospitals and the like I usually refused to go any further than the entrance as it wasn’t my job, but again if there were circumstances I thought were reasonable I’d help. But you get people expecting you to take furniture into the room where they want it, and some even want you to help them unpack it all so they can check it, sod that, if they’re that cocky it was on the doorstep and I was off.

13

when i drove for TNT on the 18 tonner in dublin, most jobs were tailift off and dump, sign here thanks bye, or forks off sign here thanks bye, but you would get the odd house delivery, gym equipment, tellys etc and they always just expect that youre the person whos going to bring it and set it up etc

they have no concept of that fact that youre actually a contracted delivery company driver rather than a driver for the company that they bought the product from, “i payed for this delivery service”, so i drop the pallet in their driveway “and now its delivered!” sign here thanks bye

14

beattun:
when i drove for TNT on the 18 tonner in dublin, most jobs were tailift off and dump, sign here thanks bye, or forks off sign here thanks bye, but you would get the odd house delivery, gym equipment, tellys etc and they always just expect that youre the person whos going to bring it and set it up etc

they have no concept of that fact that youre actually a contracted delivery company driver rather than a driver for the company that they bought the product from, “i payed for this delivery service”, so i drop the pallet in their driveway “and now its delivered!” sign here thanks bye

I have to agree with tail lift and dump, but we just got a new fridge freezer from Comet and for the £35 delivery charge they’re supposed to unpack and place new fridge where required, but did they heck, just left it in the kitchen and ummed and arred whilst our lass emptied old freezer, they had the cheek to tap her for a ■■■ and asked her to make a cuppa, whilst they muttered about insurance and H+S, now that was a total ■■■■ take.

I used to work at back door at Staples, once had a TNT driver turn up with 3 pallets of paper, and no tail lift, he said “get us a pallet so we can handball” my reply was along the lines of “zb that for a game of soldiers” his ticket specifically said tail lift req, he came back the following day, no hard feelings, but there are times when a bit of common sense is needed.

15

orys:
Heh.

I used to do plenty of shifts for that company over last year and I was always told that’s my job is finished, when pallet comes off from the tail lift. But they won some coca-cola contract propably now and they have some new rules - double manned vehicles etc.

But sorry: I used to work with drinks and there were never nothing like ten tons of drinks, even for triple manned lorries. And I was alone this day (that was only one of many cola deliveries that day).

I prefere not to tell company name or which caravan park it was, as I am not sure, if I can spread company secrets over the internet :slight_smile:

Sounds like the company is one which uses mainly fire engine red colour large engined Scania ridges with a few arctics as well ?

Same company that somtimes you have to deliver pallets of paint as well and a lot of the time the loaders always manage to put something really heavy on top of the pallets of painting leading to a right mess.

Caravan park i can guess as well, one just south of Ayr used to be a holiday camp. Heard they can be arsey in there.

16

Once had a engine delivery by TNT. Tail lift stated. and yes guess what. turned up without a tail lift lol! Just amusing. but as it was needed desperate ended up taking it of with a engine hoist. arghhh! :unamused:

17

Kenny1975:
Sounds like the company is one which uses mainly fire engine red colour large engined Scania ridges with a few arctics as well ?

Same company that somtimes you have to deliver pallets of paint as well and a lot of the time the loaders always manage to put something really heavy on top of the pallets of painting leading to a right mess.

Caravan park i can guess as well, one just south of Ayr used to be a holiday camp. Heard they can be arsey in there.

Yeah, that;'s why these scanias are not always only red :wink:

But they are really nice to drive, so I even like to do some shifts for them :wink:

And caravan park - yeah, big, south of Ayr :wink:

18

Topic’s like this, really open my eyes to what the future holds. Seems a driver has to make the decision to stick or twist and not look twice.

Thanks for sharing that Orys

19

Now that was an interesting read but what happened to the tailboard delivery mode then ?..it seems that more and more companies want their drivers to not only off load, but to stack it on the shelves too…each to their own i suppose…isnt that company 633 squadren like that , expect their drivers to cart the goods to all sorts of places, and stack it in the fridges as well…a mate of mine went for a job interview with them, and after a weeks training, well sitting in the passenger seat, told them he wasnt interested if it involved taking the goods further than the tailboard…got paid a weeks wages for it too…ha ha …

20

Kiowan:
Used to get this sort of thing all the time when I worked for Reality driving the vans doing the POD Argos deliveries (mainly furniture, so heavy stuff). Worst ones were tower blocks and business premises, schools, hospitals etc. They’d always ask you to take it to a room or somewhere within the building, or in the case of tower blocks upto their front door on whichever floor that may be.

Tower blocks I took stuff to the lift while they took it to their floor, I wouldn’t actually take it up floors unless it was someone physically incapable of doing it, just didn’t have the time. Schools and hospitals and the like I usually refused to go any further than the entrance as it wasn’t my job, but again if there were circumstances I thought were reasonable I’d help. But you get people expecting you to take furniture into the room where they want it, and some even want you to help them unpack it all so they can check it, sod that, if they’re that cocky it was on the doorstep and I was off.

Sometimes it happens in reverse - our delivery drivers also do collections, and are quite often given delivery instrutions “you’ll have to go next door and ask for Fred, and he’ll open the garage for you” :laughing: They don’t realise that the driver is not going to take their one pallet all the way to Scotland for them :laughing: :laughing: