Complaining to company, Done right?

[Bigsharn]

Hey all. I saw a bloke driving a HGV pretty shockingly on the way home, and felt a need to complain to the company. I've sent an email already, but wondered what you might change about how I've phrased it?

Hi there, I am writing to complain about the driving standards of one of your vehicles.
Today (13/2/13) at around 3pm, I witnessed one of your HGV wagons using his mobile phone whilst driving. Not only that but he then turned left without using any form of indication. The registration number of the vehicle in question is EY09PZC.

I hope to hear from you in regards to this matter
Yours sincerely
(me)

You'll notice that I haven't included a video link in the letter, but I do have a video as evidence (Below). I've heard it's a good idea to do this incase the driver denies the incident, but am unsure on this.


Thanks all

 

[HLaB]

If they make it out to be pretty trivial its because of your good defensive cycling

 

[brucers]

No excuse for the phone but could be the bulb is gone. He did have a right signal earlier, so he does use them (when not on the phone?!)

Email content seems resonable

 

[BlackPanther]

Coincidentally, I've been on a CPC course this very afternoon. We were told a story about the some lady (name forgotten, information overload this afternoon ) who was at (or near) the top of the Freight Transport Association. She was filling her car with petrol, and witnessed a tanker driver (just made the delivery) using his phone whilst leaving the garage forecourt. Took his license plate, his employer was informed, and he was sacked.

Apparently, the company had all their drivers sign a form every 6 months in which they accepted that mobile phone use whilst driving was gross misconduct.

 

[Matthew_T]

I have reported these two lately:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er3enkOJ7MU&list=UURoxFrDZq9TNltHfSiEnpzg&index=4

Hello
On Friday 8th February, I was waiting at the traffic lights on the A547, Abergele at the junction with the A548 at approx. 3.25pm. The traffic lights were green for the vehicles on the A548 at this time.
A white Ford Transit van with the logos 'Daniel Utilities' on it turned left from the A548 onto the A547.
As it approached me, I noticed that the driver was holding a hand held mobile device and was using his elbows to steer the wheel. The vehicle registration was SE12 FLF.
I was utterly disgraced that a driver working for a company as large and well known as Daniel UK would be forced to break the law in order to do his job. I would expect that a company such as yourselves would have at least provided each driver with a hands-free system to use.
There is also video evidence of the driver driving whilst using a mobile device.
I look forward to your reply.

And:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9WrFyz2XqI&list=UURoxFrDZq9TNltHfSiEnpzg&index=2

Complaint regarding driver of vehicle FD07RUC.

On Monday 11th February at approx. 5.50pm I was cycling along the A548 in Prestatyn. I was approaching a junction with Rhodfa Wyn where I knew there were roadworks happening. There is also a traffic island just before the junction. There were 3 vehicles behind me which I knew of.

After the first vehicle had overtaken me, I decided to signal to the vehicles behind me that I was moving into the centre of the lane for the approaching narrowing in the road. I did so just as the second vehicle was overtaking me.
I directed my signal to the white van which had moved out to overtake. However, there was plenty of time for the van to slow down safely and wait. The van however decided not to wait behind patiently. He chose to accelerate and force his way past me.
Immediately after doing so, he was forced to cut in on me to avoid the traffic island. He also had to stop due to a red traffic light which he may not have been aware of. This resulted in the van braking hard causing me to take avoiding action.

As I was turning left into Rhodfa Wyn, I decided to filter past the van. As I did so, I thanked the driver for his actions which I was not pleased with. The driver just stared at me clearly unaware of how dangerous his manouvre was.

The incident has been caught on camera. I was appalled at the standards of this persons driving and his disregard for other road users' safety.

 

[ufkacbln]

Hey all. I saw a bloke driving a HGV pretty shockingly on the way home, and felt a need to complain to the company. I've sent an email already, but wondered what you might change about how I've phrased it?



You'll notice that I haven't included a video link in the letter, but I do have a video as evidence (Below). I've heard it's a good idea to do this incase the driver denies the incident, but am unsure on this.


Thanks all

This is a trick I always use.

Allows the driver to dig a bleedin' great hole for themselves by lying about the incident to their managers.

Then you send in teh video asking why the Company is lying to you.

Most managers hate being put in this spot and take out their wrath on the individual who has put them there.

 

[Black Country Ste]

Coincidentally, I've been on a CPC course this very afternoon. We were told a story about the some lady (name forgotten, information overload this afternoon ) who was at (or near) the top of the Freight Transport Association. She was filling her car with petrol, and witnessed a tanker driver (just made the delivery) using his phone whilst leaving the garage forecourt. Took his license plate, his employer was informed, and he was sacked.

Apparently, the company had all their drivers sign a form every 6 months in which they accepted that mobile phone use whilst driving was gross misconduct.

Tanker driver; petrol; petrol station; mobile phone...

Bloody good reason that he was sacked for gross misconduct! HSE would go to town on his employer if he caused an explosion.

I reported this one a fortnight ago:

Hello,

As RoSPA members I'm sure you won't be happy to learn that one of your drivers is willing to put the safety of others at risk by using a mobile phone while driving. I have no tolerance of mobile phone use at the wheel and trust that the driver will receive a formal disciplinary.

[link]

Thanks for your time,
[me]

Not as OTT of an email as I sometimes write. I forgot to tell them when and where but did get a good reply from the company.

 

[fossyant]

Hi Matt, I used to work at Daniel Contractors, I was the Financial Controller. Not sure who is there now as Plant and Transport Manager. They do take conduct seriously though of the drivers. Oh and the rules were you did not use the phone whilst driving. Oops.

 

[Bigsharn]

She was filling her car with petrol, and witnessed a tanker driver (just made the delivery) using his phone whilst leaving the garage forecourt. Took his license plate, his employer was informed, and he was sacked.

That's the most dangerous time for a tanker driver to be on the phone. It's not the petroleum that's explosive as such, it's the vapours and fumes that are left over in the tanker. The fact that the driver of a HGV is using a mobile is bad enough, but in charge of an explosive load? That's just atrocious.

 

[Matthew_T]

Hi Matt, I used to work at Daniel Contractors, I was the Financial Controller. Not sure who is there now as Plant and Transport Manager. They do take conduct seriously though of the drivers. Oh and the rules were you did not use the phone whilst driving. Oops.

Do you know if they provided hands free kits?

 

[Hip Priest]

I may be nitpicking, but you might want to re-word some of that email. You seem to be suggesting that the lorry itself was on the phone.

 

[Kins]

I have reported these two lately:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er3enkOJ7MU&list=UURoxFrDZq9TNltHfSiEnpzg&index=4


And:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9WrFyz2XqI&list=UURoxFrDZq9TNltHfSiEnpzg&index=2

Totally off topic, but that my Grandads old pub on the corner, The George and Dragon.

 

[fossyant]

Do you know if they provided hands free kits?

Not in the vans, they were told not to use the phones. This was 6 years ago though.

 

[BentMikey]

Do you know if they provided hands free kits?

TBF you shouldn't be suggesting hands free is any better at all. It is not, it is roughly just as dangerous as using the phone handheld. The distraction and danger comes from the mental investment in a remote conversation.