Over-charging or Short-changing Policy

1.3 Over-charging or Short-changing Policy

Section A

Over-charging is the number one reason we lose customers. Sometimes customers will not complain they will just stop using the company.

What Can Happen

  1. Customer given less change is the same as over-charging.
  2. Customer has a text saying one price and your PDA another price
  3. Customer is being awkward and trying to avoid paying
  4. Customer wants to collect money from house
  5. Customer expects no charge for stopping “on the way”

Section B

What Not To Do

  1. “Sting” customer because they kept you waiting
  2. Make up the price because you didn’t base
  3. Say you have no change, in this case you must charge customer less
  4. Refuse to give customer their change
  5. Charge a different price to the PDA
  6. Any other charge or action not sanctioned by the base

Section C

What We Will Do

We will conduct a transparent investigation:

  1. Listen to your side of story
  2. Ensure it was not the company’s fault
  3. Assess your level of remorse
  4. Check your past record
  5. Take action against passenger by Blacklisting (If Necessary)

Section D

The Sanctions

A Fine of double what was charged e.g. Quoted £10 Driver Charged £12 Fine = £24

The maximum fine for overcharge will be £50

  1. Warning
  2. Final Warning
  3. Dismissal

Anything considered Gross Misconduct could result in Summary Dismissal, in such circumstances we reserve the right to use Section D Item 3 in its own right.

Late Jobs Policy

1.2 Late Jobs Policy

Section A

As a licensed driver we expect you to move off as soon as you receive a booking.  Picking up jobs late is one of the main reasons we lose customers. It damages our business and our reputation. During busy times, we know jobs can get late. There are also other reasons that jobs can get late and the driver is not to blame.

What Can Happen

  1. Lone females stranded.
  2. Medical emergency turns tragic
  3. Train or Placed
  4. Appointment missed
  5. Any other consequence

Section B

What Not To Do

  1. Accept job and then does not move for 10 plus minutes.
  2. Make a job late by taking a personal de-tour.
  3. Accept job, then go to fuel up
  4. Stops to go to the shop.
  5. Stops to go to toilet.
  6. Pops home for 5 minutes on the way to the job.
  7. Making the journey longer. This happens when the Driver does not have a Sat Nav or Mapping App downloaded on their phone. Not knowing how to use a Sat Nav or Maps App also a to this happening
  8. Driver clears his job early and then bids for another job and makes this job late.
  9. Any other reckless act.

 

Section C

What We Will Do

We will conduct a transparent investigation:

  1. Listen to your side of story
  2. Ensure it was not the company’s fault
  3. Assess your level of remorse
  4. Check your past record
  5. Take action against passenger by Blacklisting (If Necessary)

 

Section D

The Sanctions

A Fine of between £10.00 minimum to a maximum of £50 for every offence

  1. Warning
  2. Final Warning
  3. Dismissal

Anything considered Gross Misconduct could result in Summary Dismissal, in such circumstances we reserve the right to use Section D Item 3 in its own right.

Driver Behaviour Policy

1.1 Driver Behaviour Policy

Section A

As a licensed driver we expect you to behave in a professional manner at all times.

What Can Happen

As a Taxi Driver there are certain things you will experience

  1. Some customers will show you a lack of appreciation and respect.
  2. When it is extremely busy they will be late coming out.
  3. Customers will make you wait. When you ask them for waiting time they will say ‘it was only a couple minute’s mate’
  4. They will slam your doors.
  5. Any other unreasonable action.

Section B

What Not To Do

All the following are unacceptable behaviour(s) by Drivers.

  1. Shouting at the customer(s)
  2. Swearing at the customer(s)
  3. Threatening the customer(s)
  4. Make inappropriate comments or conversation with female/male customer(s).
  5. Not helping the customer with shopping/luggage.
  6. Driving too fast/dangerously.
  7. Any other unreasonable action.

Section C

What We Will Do

We will conduct a transparent investigation:

  1. Listen to your side of story
  2. Assess your level of remorse
  3. Check your past record
  4. Take action against passenger by Blacklisting (If Necessary)

Section D

The Sanctions

A Fine of between £10.00 minimum to a maximum of £50 for every offence

  1. Warning
  2. Final Warning
  3. Dismissal

Anything considered Gross Misconduct could result in Summary Dismissal, in such circumstances we reserve the right to use Section D Item 3 in its own right.

 

 

The Reputation of your company

World Class Customer Support

We have now had a World Class Customer support system since April 2018 and during this time we have collected a lot of data.  The first 6 months has seen us  give amnesty on most minor offences.   This amnesty has now come to an end.

There are small minority who are ruining the reputation of this company.  The work we do aims to increase the work for our drivers and is why we are the largest and best Taxi company in Walsall.  We are the only company that acquires 2 or 3 new bases every year and constantly reinvests to improve the service we offer.

Fines & Sanctions

Certain drivers are trying to push the system to the limit and we are about to publish policies that will clearly explain Fines & Sanctions that will be given to drivers for:

  1. Mobile Phones use with or without Bluetooth whilst passengers on board
  2. Overcharging
  3. Not moving or taking detours after receiving job
  4. Being rude and not helping passengers

We will continue to add to this list and publish on driver blog.  It is your duty to read this when we alert you.  This means your mobile number should be up to date.  The author of these lists is our driver’s behaviour and the above list has happened more than once during the past week.

New Method of Dispatch

We are also looking at a new way of dispatching due to level of recovered jobs we are still experiencing.  Nearest Car is used during Friday afternoon and after 11pm on Friday and Saturday already plus between 8-9am on Weekdays.  So you already experience it every week.

This method has been used by  a large company in the East Midlands recently and has proven to increase the amount of jobs (over 10,000 jobs increase per week) covered and a big increase in driver income.  It does require drivers to trust the system as we are reaffirming that dispatch is completely transparent at 247 Cars and no favouritism is shown to any driver(s).

Note: Nearest Car is only being looked at no final decision has been made

Going Forward

We will not tolerate any consistent poor behaviour going forward.  Offences that constitute Gross Misconduct will result in Summary Dismissal.   Our company will continue to grow bigger and stronger without these people.

Please don’t take law into your own hands and report bad customers by clicking this link Blacklist Form and filing out short form each time you feel a customer should be blacklisted

For other drivers we will require the worst performing drivers in terms of complaints to attend a 3 hour training session with a view to help you improve your customer service skills.

Taxi drivers receive a bad press in many different ways, but we do realise it is only ever a minority who let our industry down.  You must do all you can to improve this reputation.

We realise that the above will not affect the vast majority of our hard working, honest drivers, but will stop the minority who losing us work on a daily basis.