Hello ladies and
gents,
We are into September and now that the
school holidays are over, I am sure that
work figures will return to normal
levels. Sadly and in all probability, so
will the traffic!
Run-ins
That leads me onto the subject of meter
run-ins. I know that as a driver myself,
it is often very difficult to judge the
correct amount on the meter at arrival
or at the booked time, but clients
request as part of their invoices a
report showing detailed information of
run-ins and cleared meter fares. These
reports also provide distances between
arrival and CLJ.
So it is very important and worth reminding you, that arriving at
the pick-up point with more than the
authorised amount (currently set at
£4.20) is a procedure rule and if it the
amount is exceeded, could lead to a
possible complaint and quite easily lead
to problems with, or even the loss of, a
large account.
Please be mindful and
adjust the meter if necessary…
Increase in complaints
In the short time that I have been in
this particular post, complaint numbers
seem to be on the increase - pretty much
on a daily basis. It appears to be more
and more of a problem, we are after all
in the service industry and as
experienced professionals we are guided
not only by the rules of our Society,
but also the PCO.
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As a fair-minded person, rudeness to clients, threatening or
aggressive behaviour towards fellow
subscribers, call centre staff or
Marshals is something I feel very
strongly about. Again I am sure you
understand that this type of behaviour
can cause irreparable damage to an
account.
We are known as the
gentleman’s circuit and I hope we will
always stay that way.
I am fully aware that it certainly isn’t always a one-way
street, but it is sometimes very tricky
to assess both sides of a complaint and
make a fair and just decision based on
information I receive from either side
that sometimes may be conflicting.
As I
mentioned in my previous article, if I
feel it is beyond my power as an
individual to make the correct decision,
it is then that I may ask a committee of
fellow members to listen and pass
judgment on an alleged offence.
TaxiCard trips
Many of you
cover large numbers of these trips in
all parts of London, especially in the
Boroughof Westminster. These accounts
are actively busy on
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every day of the year and
provide large numbers of trips seven
days a week, all year round.
Of late, I together with the call centre and the account manager
Carol Carpenter have received quite a
number of different types of complaints
from various cardholders. Complaints
regarding refusals at station ranks and
street hirings, rudeness to the
passengers and one that is rather
concerning, complaints that a small
minority of fellow members are
apparently turning down passengers for
the reasons that they either don’t cover
these types of trips, or they feel it is
not worth their while to do so.
Please remember when you carry the Dial a Cab Logos and CCC
Stickers it is imperative that you do
not fall fail of the Society procedures
by refusing TaxiCard rides or Charge
Card trips without good reason. I know
the vast majority of you are more than
happy to help and assist these
passengers and go far and beyond what is
expected of you, but again it can be the
very small minority who can spoil it for
the majority and tarnish our good name.
And the positive side…
This report is not meant to be negative,
because we also receive correspondence
and phone calls commending many of our
drivers and the service we supply. It is
merely a reminder that we have all
worked very hard to reach the top in our
field - let’s make sure we remain there!
Allan Evans
DaC Compliance Officer |
