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I know this has come up before but I’ve had some manufacturers taking the proverbial, as well as customers.
The new rule around here is that we will not go into Glasgow City Centre unless the customer provides parking. After four parking tickets plus that were being paid for (someone else’s risk) I’ve had it with the city centre.
Not only that if we do use the NCP or whatever it costs us on a job that holds little profit anyway (if any) and have to suffer the fact that it often takes an age to get in and out of the city in the first place. Then I’m asking an engineer to walk through a busy shopping district humphing a toolbox about, not on really and certainly not for the rates.
Then if he needs a part, its a walk all the way back to the van and all the way back to the flat… nightmare!
I even asked the council what consession that they would make to allow us to service the products in these locations, the answer… NONE! They will not provide any access for services, totally insane! They want to regenerate the city centres, get people living in them at exhorbitant costs and make no provision for anyone to actually gain access to these properties? Is it just me or is that a joke?
K.
Re: City Centre Calls
No joke K, Preston is just the same.
I got a ticket in a residents bay the other week…….delivering a washer. He hadn’t put the ticket on when I got there, and his reply when I told him why I was there…’well the car behind you could say that couldn’t they’.
Mines a Boxer, that was a Fiesta 😯 .
A friend of mine who runs a town centre retail store with a loading apron outside, had a LWB full to busting with washers etc. Warden marches in ‘I want that vehicle shifted in ten minutes’.
Oh yes; The council have recently given away the contract for traffic wardens to a private co. No surprises really then!!Tony C
Re: City Centre Calls
Yeah I think most city and larger town centres are getting to be out of bounds for anything with wheels on it and an engine in it. 😕
I gotta love these contract customers with the holier than thou “it’s your problem” attitude, well actually no, it’s not my problem as they don’t work for free or pay the company they work for for the privilege of working there so why should I work at a loss? Can you tell I was on my high horse about Brandt this morning as well? 😆 Who incidently, happen to be one of the offenderswho asked us to do a city centre call where there’s no parking within a half mile radius!
To get into the city (and up here many of the larger towns are the same) takes you time, to find parking takes time, to walk to the house takes time and time costs money! On top of that you have the actual cost to park and it’s extra time, hassle and expense that is in no way accounted for.
Up here, in Glasgow and Ayr etc., we have privatised wardens who are contracted to the local council to enforce parking restrictions, they are affectionately known as “The Blue Ba****ds” because once their pen hits the paper, you’re done. Leave a vehicle where it shouldn’t be for five minutes or more and you’ll have a ticket in the city, leave it for twenty minutes and it won’t be there and the same applies if you’re lucky enough to get a meter (at 30p for five minutes) and it runs out! At that stage you’re on a taxi ride to the compound to part with £150 plus VAT to have it back and, even if you should return to see the vehicle getting lifted, if the wheels have left the deck that’s it, it goes whether your there or not!
If, as is being mooted, that they introduce congestion charging as well, the inner cities may well become total no-go zones.
Or that’s not actually fair, they won’t become no-go zones but the charges will have to be reviewed dramatically to accomodate customers who live in inaccessible areas. I mean I get hit with, “but in London they go in at 5.30am and are done by 10”, well that’s fine for a sole trader that wants to work that way, if you can get away with charging for such a service or if you happen to have staff that want to work shift patterns, many do not. Same thing with weekend and out of hours working in general and it means rewriting contracts of employment and all sorts just to accomodate a minority of customers. My contention is that for the amount of work in these areas and the renumeration on offer, it just ain’t worth the hassles.
K.
Re: City Centre Calls
Also where are all the new style loft apartment developements being put up ? in the nice quiet areas ,and why are they quiet because theres no traffic there due to pedestrianisation etc .We have got a whole new development of approx 50 apartments with Smeg everything going up ,each resident has TWO spaces allocated ,so what happens if mr & mrs are in when an engineer calls ,he’s asked to park down the road . Which then means walking back to the property .
These planners want shooting
LawrenceRe: City Centre Calls
Rule no: 585 Domestic Appliance Servicemans Charter 2005
“If you don’t provide a parking place outside your place, we don’t come!”
Stick that in your service contract or up your **** whichever the easier!
Martin
Re: City Centre Calls
Just before Chrimble we had a call from a regular customer (Allbran I think 😆 ) who has a student flat in the town centre. I offered to call after six, the wardens finishing time, and the tennant replied can I make it after nine I’m late night shopping. 😯
I found out later that the wardens worked overtime to catch the Christmas shoppers anyway. Christmas spirit eh!Tony C
Re: City Centre Calls
kwatt wrote:I know this has come up before but I’ve had some manufacturers taking the proverbial, as well as customers.
The new rule around here is that we will not go into Glasgow City Centre unless the customer provides parking. After four parking tickets plus that were being paid for (someone else’s risk) I’ve had it with the city centre.
Not only that if we do use the NCP or whatever it costs us on a job that holds little profit anyway (if any) and have to suffer the fact that it often takes an age to get in and out of the city in the first place. Then I’m asking an engineer to walk through a busy shopping district humphing a toolbox about, not on really and certainly not for the rates.
Then if he needs a part, its a walk all the way back to the van and all the way back to the flat… nightmare!
I even asked the council what consession that they would make to allow us to service the products in these locations, the answer… NONE! They will not provide any access for services, totally insane! They want to regenerate the city centres, get people living in them at exhorbitant costs and make no provision for anyone to actually gain access to these properties? Is it just me or is that a joke?
K.
I completely agree Ken, we suffer the same problem but not to the same extent.
We had an additional problem last week, trying to scource rubber dinghies, none to be had. The traffic was flowing freely for a few days,
the only problem being that the cars had no drivers !Shane.
Re: City Centre Calls
kwatt wrote:I know this has come up before but I’ve had some manufacturers taking the proverbial, as well as customers.
The new rule around here is that we will not go into Glasgow City Centre unless the customer provides parking. After four parking tickets plus that were being paid for (someone else’s risk) I’ve had it with the city centre.
Not only that if we do use the NCP or whatever it costs us on a job that holds little profit anyway (if any) and have to suffer the fact that it often takes an age to get in and out of the city in the first place. Then I’m asking an engineer to walk through a busy shopping district humphing a toolbox about, not on really and certainly not for the rates.
Then if he needs a part, its a walk all the way back to the van and all the way back to the flat… nightmare!
I even asked the council what consession that they would make to allow us to service the products in these locations, the answer… NONE! They will not provide any access for services, totally insane! They want to regenerate the city centres, get people living in them at exhorbitant costs and make no provision for anyone to actually gain access to these properties? Is it just me or is that a joke?
K.
I completely agree Ken, we suffer the same problem but not to the same extent.
We had an additional problem last week, trying to scource rubber dinghies, none to be had. The traffic was flowing freely for a few days,
the only problem being that the cars had no drivers !Shane.
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