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Call Sign September 2011
Last month's Call Sign contained an article based
Cash for Crash???
on a Dial-a-Cab driver who told us how he and
other drivers on the Kings Cross rank were
EDITOR WINS HIS CASE!
approached by an individual who suggested a
£350 referral fee for personal injury claims and
£250 for motor claims with the assurance of a
replacement taxi `within four hours' while your
court, then they would provide a barrister for me.
A happy Alan
cab was being repaired following an RTA. He
They pointed out that it would cost them money
wins his case
gave out business cards to drivers who discov-
either way but were prepared to take a stand if I
ered his company was based in Liverpool!
Alan's
case
agreed to appear at Ilford County Court. I wasn't
Around a dozen drivers came back to tell us
was mentioned
sure that the other guy would show up as he must
about offers sent to them via automated phone
in a Cash for
have realised he had been rumbled... but at
calls or text messages, claiming that they were
Crash article last
10am, he walked into the Court."
entitled to several thousand pounds "following
year in this mag-
Both sides were heard by the District Judge
your recent accident" and that it didn't matter
and indeed he did say it was difficult to prove
azine. He had
how small or insignificant it had been!
which side was telling the truth, but eventually
been moving for-
At the same time, BBC TV's Panorama aired a
said that Alan Fisher's version seemed more
ward into a park-
report highlighting a scam known as Cash for
plausible especially after the driver admitted
ing space in
Crash. Using hidden cameras, it showed several
saying that any damage may have been under
Wanstead High Street as someone else pulled
men in a breakers yard deliberately crashing a
the dirt on his car! He also came armed with
out, when another car tried to zip into the gap in
similar car to one involved in a minor scrape to
photos showing deep dents, but couldn't answer
front of Alan. The Call Sign Editor braked and
cause far more damage than existed after an ini-
the question from Alan's barrister as to why he
managed to avoid a collision but was surprised
tial collision. Photos of the extensive damage
had not wiped the dirt off at the time to see
to hear the other driver claim that he had been
were taken and added to an accident report. The
whether there was any damage, why such deep
hit. When Alan got out to look, he confirmed
repairers then claimed far higher fees than repair-
dents could not be seen through the dirt and also
there had been no accident and pointed out that
ing the original damage would have suggested.
why he hadn't had the car repaired until 6
no damage to either car proved that. But Alan
At the same time, Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher
months after the alleged accident?
became worried when the other driver came
was appearing in court to fight a claim where an
The judge turned down the claim for an
back to say that there "may have been damage
accident claimed for never actually happened
amount that had now crept up to over £1400
underneath the dirt!"
not to save himself money because he had a pro-
following the alleged accident that had not
Alan told his insurance company and
tected maximum bonus, but because he felt
happened some 19 months earlier!
filled out a form just in case, but it was 6
annoyed by another motorist inferring that there
Following the case, Alan told Call Sign he was
months later when they wrote to say that the
had been a collision between the two when there
delighted to have won a small victory in the bat-
third party had put in a claim for £1200!
hadn't even been a slight touch!
tle of high insurance costs, saying that these peo-
"I was fuming," said Alan, "there had been no
Before the case, Alan told Call Sign: "Insurance
ple rely on insurance companies just paying out
damage because there had been no accident! I
companies aren't my favourite people but never-
because of the cost of legal action. He asked us
was told Acromas would try to settle it on the best
theless they are a necessity and claims for non-
to thank Acromas for backing him and added
terms they could get as there were no witnesses
existent crashes are one of the reasons that pre-
that in future he would be taking photos of any
and it was my word against his, but confirmed my
miums are so expensive. If my insurance compa-
alleged damage even if there was none...!
no claim premium was protected and would not
ny (Acromas) has to pay out on this claim where
Dennis Latchett
be affected. After several phone calls to them,
there was no damage, it will just continue the
Call Sign online
they finally agreed that if I was prepared to go to
upward route of insurance premiums."
Every issue of Call Sign takes a look back at ODRTS history through the pages of the magazines of
the time with a flashback
DIAL-A-CAB FLASHBACK
This month's Flashback returns to October 1969
tend to be the longer jobs but the driver wanted
to be paid the full meter fare. Soon after that
and the letters page to show that nothing
we lost the valuable Midland Bank account
Flash
changes, perhaps except change itself...
due to poor coverage by other drivers who
ba
1969 ck
also refused to do some long rides at slight-
From ODRTS Monthly, October 1969
ly below meter price. It would seem that
some of you want blood, as I wrote a few
LETTERS
months ago. If you feel some shame at reading this, it
could pay you to reflect on the jobs you could have covered
Poor Coverage
but didn't because we soon will have no long rides left! But then
One of the main reasons behind our poor coverage of cash work is
again you may have been too busy making snide remarks about
that if one "blows out" on a cash job, unlike a credit ride, you do not
other drivers who try to cover account work that you won't do and
get paid. A "sorry mate" from the dispatcher does not compensate
which end up in us losing a good account customer. Those drivers
one, especially when people have tried to hail you from the street en
at least get out of the radio what they put into it. The rest of you
route to your pick-up point. So inevitably one must be within strik-
might just as well leave the trade unless you realise that taxis are for
ing distance of the job in order not to go along with that "I wonder
the benefit of the public as well.
if they are waiting for me" feeling. *A 3/- scrub would, to some
E.Ives
degree, encourage drivers to put themselves out to cover cash work
ODRTS Secretary
and therefore give a better service to our customers. I do not profess
to know where the money would come from to pay for this, but per-
D&B
haps someone, somewhere will come up with an idea.
ODRTS are having their 11th annual Dinner and Ball on Tuesday
G.Webber (E11)
11th November 1969 at The Rainbow Room, Derry & Toms in
* For those not around in 1969, 3/- is 15p ... 2011Ed
Kensington High Street. There is a three course meal with dancing to
Bank jobs under the meter?
Nat Temple and his orchestra. Tickets are £3 each.
We recently lost an ODRTS driver to Mountview because he was not
Joe Toff (B04)
prepared to undertake bank jobs for slightly below the meter. These
Editor
