berkshirecarpetsandblinds - bad response to Driver Complaint

fingerbike

Copy and Pasta from another forum, can't see it on here so thought i'd post:

Would suggest any cyclists in the area dont use berkshirecarpetsandblinds. Also feel free to email your thoughts to them.

From: ******************************
Sent: 01 February 2013 14:45
To: Berkshire Carpets/Todds Flooring
Subject: berkshirecarpetsandblinds.co.uk - Form Submission

I'd like to report one of your drivers for bad and aggressive driving today, 1st Feb in your van BF10 VRV near the Oracle at approx 14.05. I was cycling in a narrow piece of road and 1st of all your driver sat behind me revving his engine, then at the first opportunity overtook very close to me and immediately swerved into the kerb forcing me to brake hard.

I'm always amazed when people drive in such an aggressive way in a sign written van. Do they not realise the impact this is having on your business? As a local home owner I would never consider your business if this is the kind of person you employ.

From : Berkshire Carpets and Blinds
berkshir...@btconnect.com
to : ********************************

Thanks for all the trouble you went to to make the above - I must say that personally if I were to bother to complain about every bit of contentious everyday driving that I come across I would have little time left to carry out my normal day. There are two sides to every story, though not saying in this case you did anything wrong, but I also find many, many cyclists think they 'own' the road and attempt to ride with some kind of inbuilt immunity to harm and therefore my sympathy is somewhat tempered by this.

However, I will pass your comments onto the fitter concerned, whose side of the incident I have not yet had the opportunity to hear and would just add that, fortunately, my business does not rely on people making similar status judgements to yourself.

Regards,

Geoff Cox

the_fuggler

Not a great response. He may well think that such status judgements are irrelevant, but he may well be surprised...

Loads of cameras around there. You could always pop into the local police station round the corner to report it and ask them to check the footage or at least register the issue?

wandsworth

Unbelievably arrogant response. I'd keep pushing on this. Do they have a complaints line? Find the details of the chief executive, etc.

It always amazes me when people drive aggressively in vehicles with their employer's name on. In this case they can be pretty confident thatthey employer doesnt' give a toss.

tomder

I will make sure that I wont buy anything of them and so will suggest to the friends of mine and other cyclists ...

aberdeen_lune

I would shop elsewhere too. Terrible attitude. You should post this on all the forums.

MJF01

Don't you all think you're being a little pompous? So the guy sent a sarcastic email. Get over it.

Or would you prefer that they went out of business and all the employees lost their jobs because of one crap driver and a failure to say sorry in a manner you like?

aberdeen_lune

Don't think so. If driving like that is condoned by employers then how many extra cyclists will be killed on the roads. It won't stop people buying carpets and blinds. The money and jobs will just go to the businesses who care about their impact.

The Rookie

What a stupid dumb ass reply....not in Berkshire anyway, so boycotting won't be hard!

cookeeemonster

Aberdeen_lune wrote:

Don't think so. If driving like that is condoned by employers then how many extra cyclists will be killed on the roads. It won't stop people buying carpets and blinds. The money and jobs will just go to the businesses who care about their impact.

+1

arthur_scrimshaw

MJF01 wrote:

Don't you all think you're being a little pompous? So the guy sent a sarcastic email. Get over it.

Or would you prefer that they went out of business and all the employees lost their jobs because of one crap driver and a failure to say sorry in a manner you like?

No I don't think he was, as part of my job I'm responsible for a small fleet of vans and the one occasion I got a complaint (about parking) I was very polite and after some further correspondence they ended up as firm supporters of our Trust.

Things go wrong, you have a chance of making an enemy (or loads in this case) or a friend - your call.

alidaf

The driving was more than contentious. It was threatening. If all he is going to do is pass on your comments then pass your e-mails on to a local newspaper to highlight the dangers of idiots that advocate their drivers driving aggressively and with threatening behaviour.

cookdn

Forget it. This is a Limited Company run from somebody's home address. The "fitter" was probably a member of their family.

Best regards

The Rookie

Google street view it, small industrial unit (very small) with a flooring lorry outside....probably a family business though.

cookdn

The Beginner wrote:

Google street view it, small industrial unit (very small) with a flooring lorry outside....probably a family business though.

I tried this game last night. The street is very suburban and I came up blank.

Another go and I think I have it - http://goo.gl/maps/Xxu73 (and stand corrected :oops:).

(Nice for them to be having a delivery at the same time as their visit by the Google car ).

danlikesbikes

wandsworth wrote:

Unbelievably arrogant response. I'd keep pushing on this. Do they have a complaints line? Find the details of the chief executive, etc.

It always amazes me when people drive aggressively in vehicles with their employer's name on. In this case they can be pretty confident thatthey employer doesnt' give a toss.

Why would the OP want a complaints line, they already sent an email & got told basically to do one so phoning them is not likely to get a better response.

I'm fully in support of the OP but to be fair as others have said this looks to be a small family run business and theres not much more that can be done other than to warn others of how poorly 1 of their drivers acted & what the company response was.

Your only other option is to make an approach to the local police either to see if they have any CCTV coverage or in the form of a complaint against their driver. However I doubt that this would get the response the OP is looking for.

Mark Elvin

MJF01 wrote:

Don't you all think you're being a little pompous? So the guy sent a sarcastic email. Get over it.

Or would you prefer that they went out of business and all the employees lost their jobs because of one crap driver and a failure to say sorry in a manner you like?

What he said

The Rookie

MJF01 wrote:

would you prefer that they went out of business and all the employees lost their jobs because of one crap driver and a failure to say sorry in a manner you like?

As all the employees probably amounts to 4 or 5, likley from the same family, then no probs, more business for the other local businesses.....

inkz

Just keep posting it everywhere so it works up the search enginges when someone googles their company.

R+P+K

The email respondent was probably the guy driving the van.

mybreakfastconsisted

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berkshire ... 4606421136

Ha!

kelsen

Same driver perhaps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HD0QGnIXGU

The Rookie

Most likley...sounds like a pattern of behaviour...enough reports and the Police may do something!