end of lease inefficiency?
Discussion
is this normal?
swapping from one merc to another, both via merc corporate / merc finance
no individual in any part of merc that I dealt with had access to a system that enabled them to see both deals
that made it more difficult to co-ordinate extending the lease on the previous car to coincide with the arrival of the new car and, whilst the Merc people involved could see why I didn't want to be minus a car, I could tell that they would really have preferred not to have to do the work needed to extend the previous lease etc.
managed it to within a day, but it seemed like much harder work than it should have been
on delivery day, the car is delivered by a driver from the import place at killingholme
he asks if there is a bus from the village to York and I have to advise him that yes, there is one - but it is tomorrow
to get a bus to York today he needs to get to the next village - 3 and half mile walk, so I offer (several times) to drop him at the bus stop, which he refuses and is preparing to start the walk
I then mention that there is a car to go back and that the collection is arranged for tomorrow - surely he can call the office and swap so that he can take this one back today? 'No mate, I would have more chance in ringing President Obama and getting him to send Air Force 1 to collect me'
so off he trundles, in the rain and fog down 3 miles of country lane with no pavement
next day a guy rolls up to inspect the car to be returned, then goes off on his way
then a mini bus rocks up to drop off a driver who takes the car
I am sure it is well planned overall, but at the sharp end it doesn't look too efficient
swapping from one merc to another, both via merc corporate / merc finance
no individual in any part of merc that I dealt with had access to a system that enabled them to see both deals
that made it more difficult to co-ordinate extending the lease on the previous car to coincide with the arrival of the new car and, whilst the Merc people involved could see why I didn't want to be minus a car, I could tell that they would really have preferred not to have to do the work needed to extend the previous lease etc.
managed it to within a day, but it seemed like much harder work than it should have been
on delivery day, the car is delivered by a driver from the import place at killingholme
he asks if there is a bus from the village to York and I have to advise him that yes, there is one - but it is tomorrow
to get a bus to York today he needs to get to the next village - 3 and half mile walk, so I offer (several times) to drop him at the bus stop, which he refuses and is preparing to start the walk
I then mention that there is a car to go back and that the collection is arranged for tomorrow - surely he can call the office and swap so that he can take this one back today? 'No mate, I would have more chance in ringing President Obama and getting him to send Air Force 1 to collect me'
so off he trundles, in the rain and fog down 3 miles of country lane with no pavement
next day a guy rolls up to inspect the car to be returned, then goes off on his way
then a mini bus rocks up to drop off a driver who takes the car
I am sure it is well planned overall, but at the sharp end it doesn't look too efficient
Wow that really is a perfect example of inefficiency.
My SLK has just gone back to Mercedes about 3 weeks ago. The process wasn't quite as bad as yours, but it's amazing what they expect the guys who are doing the delivery and collection to arrange for themselves.
I had a guy turn up to inspect the car about 3 weeks before it went back, that was all good.
Then when the guy was supposed to be coming to collect it I was told that I would get a call to say whether it was morning or afternoon - surprise surprise no call.
Eventually I got a call early afternoon from the guy who was charged with collecting, he was sat at the local bus station and wanted to ask me which bus he needed to get in order to get to my house - I haven't got a clue and have never used the bus service once, Out of kindness however I said I would call down and collect him - and pretty sure that was why he made the call to start with. It sounds like this is what they do all day long.
In summary, not particularly efficient.
My SLK has just gone back to Mercedes about 3 weeks ago. The process wasn't quite as bad as yours, but it's amazing what they expect the guys who are doing the delivery and collection to arrange for themselves.
I had a guy turn up to inspect the car about 3 weeks before it went back, that was all good.
Then when the guy was supposed to be coming to collect it I was told that I would get a call to say whether it was morning or afternoon - surprise surprise no call.
Eventually I got a call early afternoon from the guy who was charged with collecting, he was sat at the local bus station and wanted to ask me which bus he needed to get in order to get to my house - I haven't got a clue and have never used the bus service once, Out of kindness however I said I would call down and collect him - and pretty sure that was why he made the call to start with. It sounds like this is what they do all day long.
In summary, not particularly efficient.
The drivers are not allowed to ask you for a lift, but if you offer, they are generally allowed to accept (or so I was told by a driver once). I imagine that the phone call to ask which bus is a ploy to get you to offer to pick them up - and I always offer a lift every time, since most of them are decent enough.
I've worked, and work, in the vehicle movement business and what you describe is not uncommon.
It's a classic case of driving down the basic cost for the job as far as possible. You end up with the companies over-scheduling the drivers. With no slack it becomes impossible to predict an arrival time. If it works it helps make the work slightly more lucrative, if it goes wrong the customer just has to be inconvenienced. Also as the pay is so low the drivers range from reasonable guys who are doing it in semi-retirement, or alongside another occupation or past-time, to people who are semi-literate and genuinely can't work out a route or bus timetable.
As you say, overall someone might be working out the costs including double runs, repeated visits etc but I'd be surprised if paying the lowest possible rate and then having to micro-manage the scheduling and rework really is the best way of doing it.
Andy
It's a classic case of driving down the basic cost for the job as far as possible. You end up with the companies over-scheduling the drivers. With no slack it becomes impossible to predict an arrival time. If it works it helps make the work slightly more lucrative, if it goes wrong the customer just has to be inconvenienced. Also as the pay is so low the drivers range from reasonable guys who are doing it in semi-retirement, or alongside another occupation or past-time, to people who are semi-literate and genuinely can't work out a route or bus timetable.
As you say, overall someone might be working out the costs including double runs, repeated visits etc but I'd be surprised if paying the lowest possible rate and then having to micro-manage the scheduling and rework really is the best way of doing it.
Andy
I had a rather intricate arrangement where I had an SLK to be inspected and collected, another to be delivered and then to get down to Newhaven for a ferry all on the same day.
Chap came from BCA and inspected car. Another chap arrived having driven the car all the way from MB in Exeter to Rochdale - yes, I gave him a lift back to the train station. He wouldn't even accept a cup of tea! Nice bloke. I then had, for an afternoon, two SLKs
Had a bit of a wait then (in fact it was getting annoying - we were due to meet friends in Eastbourne then get to the ferry) for the bloke to come and collect it. Turned up at 5.30, Asian lad, bit of a wideboy; he did another inspection and left loads of stuff off and didn't note the spare wheel (I had to make him re-do the entire thing) and then opened the car door into the carport wall chipping all the edge. I made him note all that damage too.
It all ran pretty swiss-watch like, really.
I should really have tried to see if we could have got the train to Exeter and gone to France from there. The car had 500+ miles put on it on the first day to go, effectively, from Exeter to Eastbourne. Not very efficient.
Chap came from BCA and inspected car. Another chap arrived having driven the car all the way from MB in Exeter to Rochdale - yes, I gave him a lift back to the train station. He wouldn't even accept a cup of tea! Nice bloke. I then had, for an afternoon, two SLKs
Had a bit of a wait then (in fact it was getting annoying - we were due to meet friends in Eastbourne then get to the ferry) for the bloke to come and collect it. Turned up at 5.30, Asian lad, bit of a wideboy; he did another inspection and left loads of stuff off and didn't note the spare wheel (I had to make him re-do the entire thing) and then opened the car door into the carport wall chipping all the edge. I made him note all that damage too.
It all ran pretty swiss-watch like, really.
I should really have tried to see if we could have got the train to Exeter and gone to France from there. The car had 500+ miles put on it on the first day to go, effectively, from Exeter to Eastbourne. Not very efficient.
Until a few weeks ago I worked for a single vehicle movement company that did a lot of jobs out of Killingholme.
I won't name and shame but they are owned by a large auction company.
You would not believe the level of poor planning, silly timings and general stupidity that went on!
One day I went to collect car in Hampshire to take it back to Yorkshire.
Someone else from the company had been sent to collect the day before.
The car was not in Hampshire but at Heathrow and had been collected the same day as I'm in Hampshire by someone from the company.
I get into work at 6am to take a car from base to London. The car had broken down the previous morning in Scotland.
OP, I've seen it many times that a car is delivered and there is one to collect but the two jobs aren't linked.
Yes, we weren't supposed to ask for a lift but as has been said a phone call can often be a hint that I would like a lift!
I can understand why your guy didn't want a lift, he wanted to take his time so he wouldn't have to do the next job, happens a lot.
I won't name and shame but they are owned by a large auction company.
You would not believe the level of poor planning, silly timings and general stupidity that went on!
One day I went to collect car in Hampshire to take it back to Yorkshire.
Someone else from the company had been sent to collect the day before.
The car was not in Hampshire but at Heathrow and had been collected the same day as I'm in Hampshire by someone from the company.
I get into work at 6am to take a car from base to London. The car had broken down the previous morning in Scotland.
OP, I've seen it many times that a car is delivered and there is one to collect but the two jobs aren't linked.
Yes, we weren't supposed to ask for a lift but as has been said a phone call can often be a hint that I would like a lift!
I can understand why your guy didn't want a lift, he wanted to take his time so he wouldn't have to do the next job, happens a lot.
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