Dianne Strang
1/5
A recent experience with this company that would certainly discourage me from using them:
A driver took the wrong route to deliver a load and ended up stuck on a junction with only either a low bridge or a route away from the delivery location to take. Multiple lorries use this route and have no problem here at all.
This driver stopped about a metre from the junction for almost an hour, causing a considerable hazard, just sitting in his truck, waiting for help that he had already requested. There was nothing practical I could do other than to let the company know the situation.
The response I received was personal and completely unprofessional and came from a Director of the company, Damian Smith. Bearing in mind that he used to be a lorry driver with the company himself, I understand that he wanted to defend the driver but he made incorrect assumptions about the situation in a diatribe to me. When I pointed out the actual facts of the situation to him, there was silence. A better company would have apologised.
Some of the nuggets are as follows:
"If, as you say, the driver was there for nearly an hour causing considerable hazard, instead of taking pictures and taking the time to type out an email, why not take yourself from your Ivory Tower and offer assistance instead of assuming and criticising."
He had already requested assistance but, instead of directing traffic around him while they came, he chose to sit in his cab. What assistance could I be expected to give?
"In summary I would say the driver is a huge credit to our company, he’s worked with us for many years without incident and this morning showed his professionalism by arriving at the delivery point (obviously the wrong place but that’s not his fault) realising this, staying calm while tempers around him were rising ."
The driver took the wrong turn so it was his fault. There were no tempers rising and I never stated this. Another incorrect assumption.
"The thing I find in this day and age is this: folk are so wrapped up in their own self-importance; they quickly make judgements of situations without stepping back and taking an alternative view."
I made an accurate assessment of the situation and passed on the facts. I would reflect back the above paragraph to Damian Smith himself.
"I’ll also credit him for taking the route he did take; to me the driver showed just a glimmer of intelligence by taking the main A4 onto the Approach Road, by intelligence I refer to him realising the fact that he was pulling a tall trailer (I think you may have observed this when you mention falling branches).So even with the perceived minimum of intelligence the driver worked out (all on his own) that his tall trailer wouldn’t (no matter how hard he tried) fit under the 3 low bridges which would have been alternative routes, namely Station Road,Hitcham Road & Taplow Road. I may be giving him too much credit however, as any intelligent person would surely have realised this."
From the M4, there is a clear route to the delivery location along the A4 involving no bridges at all. As this is a Crossrail destination, there are multiple large deliveries and this has been the only problem. Yet, intelligence has been mentioned 4 times in the above paragraph!
