Maunday Thursday was a difficult day for us largely due to the unreasonable expectations of a number of potential customers who seem increasingly unable to plan ahead but nonetheless expect us to be hanging on a peg behind the door awaiting their summonse.
It is a well known fact that demand invariably increases in the run up to Bank Holidays we are well aware of this and allow for it, however even we are incapable of responding positively to the disorganised schmuck s who call after mid-day the day before a Bank Holiday expecting, or in one or two instances, demanding a delivery by teatime. When the situation was carefully explained they then proceeded to berate us for not working on Good Friday, it is a measure of the way things have gone that to many Good Friday is just another day in the diary of rampant consumerism rather than a day of peace and quiet contemplation.
In the past year we have invested heavily in new truck capacity to increase service levels and overall efficiency but even so we are unable and increasingly unwilling to handle the demands of a small sector of business that appears to hold us in utter contempt judging by the attitude displayed towards hard pressed staff several times yesterday. This numerically tiny but incrediblydisruptive element impinges disproportionately on our ability to concentrate on getting on with the job of servicing the vast majority of genuine customers who actually ordered in plenty of time.
As Consols Oils has evolved and matured over the years we have increasingly focussed on customer service which has cemented our customer base and enabled us to grow and prosper in the manner we have, that is why it has become easier to make a stand against that small element of disruptive often abusive customers who, if allowed to do so,would disrupt operations to the serious detriment of all.
We are constrained by the European Working Time Directive which quite rightly places strict limits on the hours our drivers can work in an incredibly pressurised environment which dictates our working days are pre planned around grouped orders designed to reduce truck miles. We usually manage to keep one small truck in reserve for GENUINE emergencies (FAILURE TO ORDER IN GOOD TIME IS NOT AN EMERGENCY IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES) but all other orders are placed in a queue for delivery. In most cases we aim to deliver in two to four working days this excludes weekends and Bank Holidays when we are always closed. Our normal hours of operation are 07:00 to 17:30 monday to friday which complies with the working time directive and ensures our hard working staff have a family life.
ITS BEEN A LONG HAUL SINCE CHRISTMAS COPING WITH FREQUENT VERY DIFFICULT SPELLS OF WEATHER AND UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND LEVELS-EVERYONE HAS EARNED A BREAK- WE WILL REOPEN 07:00 ON TUESDAY 6th APRIL.
YOU CAN ALWAYS PLACE YOUR ORDERS ONLINE 24/7 FOR DELIVERY IN TWO TO FOUR WORKING DAYS GUARANTEED.
