drivers have it hard!

[limoman]

the life of a limo driver!
all names in this story are fictional.
mike = limo driver
tom = customer

tom makes plans to use xlimo company tom also plans a grocery stop he signs papers that states if plane is more then 15 min.late the driver cannot make the grocery stop tom agrees.

toms plane comes in a 1/2 hour late mike is waiting mike takes tom to the baggage area and waits for toms luggage1/2 an hour later they have all toms luggage and leave the air port toms mike informs tom that the plane was late and he can not make the grocery stop this makes tom very upsetsaying he paid for a grocery stop and he wants one so he calls the office and states the driver refuses to make a stop so there are no problems the boss radios mike and tells him to make the stop and cancell his next run.so mike does they get to the grocery store and tom says he will be out in 10 min. mike says ok ill be right here. 1/2 an hour later tom comes out and climbs into the car and says i told you i wouldnt be long. so mike just blows it off he has the time to kill now that they took away his other run.so tom asks mike about the fare .
(tom) so mike is the tip really included in the fare
(mike) yes
(tom) come on mike be honest
(mike) the tip is included
(tom) well how much do you guys get paid
(mike) we make $15.00 per trip tip included
they arive at the hotel.
(tom) mike here is $10.00 extra for you time
(mike) thank you sir and enjoy your stay
later back at the office.
(boss) hey mike i got a complaint on you today
(mike) by who
(boss) by tom he said you told him tip was not included in the fare
(mike) sir i didnt not
(boss) are you calling tom a liar
(mike) no sir
(boss) and you have to give tom back the $15.00 he tipped you extra.
(mike) but he didnt give me $15.00 he gave me $10.00
(boss)well i dont have time for these games you are suspended for 3 days.and im taking $15.00 out of your check and giving it back to tom.

so the ponit of the matter is now you all now what a driver gets paid and what he goes thru to make your trip special.

this is a break down of the above trip.
toms plane was suppose to land at 10 it showed up a 1/2 hour late plus a 1/2 hour for baggage plus 1/2 hour at store plus 1/2 hour for trip.=so mike was on this trip for 2 hours for $15.00 so mike got paid $7.50 an hour plus lost a $15.00 trip so now mike has down time of 1 1/2 hours add it all up 3 1/2 hours for $15.00 =$4.28 an hour.
is this job worth the hassel i used to give the ladies flowers and the kids toys or bags of candy that i had to purchase out of my pocket but i stoped doing it because of these things. a customer does not regonize what good the driver does just the bad.well next time i know to keep my mouth shut about what we get paid you try and be honest and look at what it gets you.well maybe i can get my own company going one day and treat my customers with respect and my employees the same.but for now i guess i just spend the next 3 days at home. thanks for reading.
if you have any questions fell free to ask.

 

[VickiVM]

HUH??? I certainly don't see how this post is appropriate. I just wanted to check out the Transp. boards to see what others are chatting about regarding airfare for late spring.

I just returned from our WDW trip and we drove from Texas. I thought this might be a post about people who drive to WDW. I hope a newbie to DIS doesn't see this post - what a turnoff!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by VickiVM
HUH??? I certainly don't see how this post is appropriate. I just wanted to check out the Transp. boards to see what others are chatting about regarding airfare for late spring.

I just returned from our WDW trip and we drove from Texas. I thought this might be a post about people who drive to WDW. I hope a newbie to DIS doesn't see this post - what a turnoff!

This is the transportation board and I think this post was perfectly acceptable here.
Not a turnoff at all, a nice perspective into what some take for granted when they hire a limo.
Hopefully, it will wake some people up.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by limoman
the life of a limo driver!
all names in this story are fictional.
mike = limo driver
tom = customer

tom makes plans to use xlimo company tom also plans a grocery stop he signs papers that states if plane is more then 15 min.late the driver cannot make the grocery stop tom agrees.

toms plane comes in a 1/2 hour late mike is waiting mike takes tom to the baggage area and waits for toms luggage1/2 an hour later they have all toms luggage and leave the air port toms mike informs tom that the plane was late and he can not make the grocery stop this makes tom very upsetsaying he paid for a grocery stop and he wants one so he calls the office and states the driver refuses to make a stop so there are no problems the boss radios mike and tells him to make the stop and cancell his next run.so mike does they get to the grocery store and tom says he will be out in 10 min. mike says ok ill be right here. 1/2 an hour later tom comes out and climbs into the car and says i told you i wouldnt be long. so mike just blows it off he has the time to kill now that they took away his other run.so tom asks mike about the fare .
(tom) so mike is the tip really included in the fare
(mike) yes
(tom) come on mike be honest
(mike) the tip is included
(tom) well how much do you guys get paid
(mike) we make $15.00 per trip tip included
they arive at the hotel.
(tom) mike here is $10.00 extra for you time
(mike) thank you sir and enjoy your stay
later back at the office.
(boss) hey mike i got a complaint on you today
(mike) by who
(boss) by tom he said you told him tip was not included in the fare
(mike) sir i didnt not
(boss) are you calling tom a liar
(mike) no sir
(boss) and you have to give tom back the $15.00 he tipped you extra.
(mike) but he didnt give me $15.00 he gave me $10.00
(boss)well i dont have time for these games you are suspended for 3 days.and im taking $15.00 out of your check and giving it back to tom.

so the ponit of the matter is now you all now what a driver gets paid and what he goes thru to make your trip special.

this is a break down of the above trip.
toms plane was suppose to land at 10 it showed up a 1/2 hour late plus a 1/2 hour for baggage plus 1/2 hour at store plus 1/2 hour for trip.=so mike was on this trip for 2 hours for $15.00 so mike got paid $7.50 an hour plus lost a $15.00 trip so now mike has down time of 1 1/2 hours add it all up 3 1/2 hours for $15.00 =$4.28 an hour.
is this job worth the hassel i used to give the ladies flowers and the kids toys or bags of candy that i had to purchase out of my pocket but i stoped doing it because of these things. a customer does not regonize what good the driver does just the bad.well next time i know to keep my mouth shut about what we get paid you try and be honest and look at what it gets you.well maybe i can get my own company going one day and treat my customers with respect and my employees the same.but for now i guess i just spend the next 3 days at home. thanks for reading.
if you have any questions fell free to ask.

That really STINKS!!!! I know it does not seem that honesty pays at this time, but, trust me, you will. Dishonesty pays much less. You kept your integrity, that is priceless.

 

[limoman]

all i was trying to do is be honest to the customers.now i have to pay by being suspended from work till saturday with no pay.if customers cant handle the truth then dont ask.the customer wanted to know and i told them now its my fault.i know the companys are un fair to its drivers thats why i would like to open my own company and give my drivers more.and my customers.
example how would you like to be greated at the airport with a rose and a toy for the kids.and well the gentlemen im still trying to figure out things for them.but i know i would love it i plan for a trip and not expecting it the driver gives the ladies in the party a rose and the kids a toy to keep them settled for the trip to the hotel.

 

[dtuleya]

Sorry to hear about such an awful situation for you limoman. Is this the policy for all limo companies or could you make a switch?

 

[goofy4tink]

You know....on our last trip back to MCO, in our limo from TT... I was thinking about the life of the limo drivers!! I wondered just how boring it must be to drive back and forth to MCO and WDW all day, with all those crazy tourist drivers. We have been lucky in our dealings with TT. We have gotten good drivers, some better than others...but none I would have an issue with. Just different personalities. So, thank-you limoman, for your hard work, making the start (and end) of our vacations more pleasant. My dd knows that her fun is starting when she sees you guys down there, at the bottom of the stairs, with her name on the board!!!

 

[sue1013]

Thanks Limoman. Sometimes its good for people to see things from the other side.

 

[VickiVM]

I stand corrected. Obviously this must be a pertinent issue. I just read it as a rant against people who use limo services since no specific incident was cited. Maybe there were previous posts on this board that provoked Limoman to write this post.

My bad.

 

[kathylovesdisneyworl]

limoman, isn't it a shame when you work in a customer service field, you are always wrong. I feel for drivers in the Orlando area. With all the complaints you here about some of the stupidist things, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to work with the public. Hang in there. There are lots of nice folks to.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> (boss)well i dont have time for these games you are suspended for 3 days.and im taking $15.00 out of your check and giving it back to tom.

Did this scenario actually happen to somebody sometime someplace word for word?

Mike's got a bad boss.

We should analyze this situation to find out what Mike should have done.

Workplace hints:
http://members.aol.com/towncriE/work.htm

Correct me if I missed something between the lines.

 

[Lewisc]

Let's look at from the other side:

Half hour for luggage and half hour grocery stop sounds about right. I don't think a half hour plane delay is that far out of the norm. The customer planned on a grocery stop when he picked the limo company. The driver said no so the customer called the company and got the stop re-instated. The company could have tacked on an extra fee since the flight was delayed but decided not to. The fact is if an extra 15 minute delay is causing the driver to miss his next pickup then there is a scheduling problem.

I wasn't in the car. It's possible the driver was *****ing the entire time about not making enough money and the customer felt he was being extorted into giving an extra tip. The entire tone of OP makes me wonder. I would think the driver was being suspended for a history of actions and not this one case. I though most limo drivers owned their vehicles and were indpendent contractors. Couldn't he get some work from other companies?

BTW OP is talking about a limo service (which adds a mandatory tip) NOT the towncar services most of the people use.

 

[limoman]

well in my case i never complain to a customer about losing money.
another example:
this really happend.
sue's plane was to land at 10:30 p.m. and was delayed till 1:30 a.m. mike knowing he does not have to make the grocery stop decides its his last run of the nite and he dont have to start till noon the next day and sue has to young children. so mike offers to make the stop.
(mike) mam would you still like to make the g.stop
(sue) i would love to but you dont have to my plane was late.
(mike) well it will save you money and you do have the children
(sue) that would be great thank you
my whole point on this is if customers are going to take the time to complain then please take the time to appraise.
most of the times when a driver is late or forgets something its not his fault it might be the schedule.
or if you dont want to know the answer to a question then dont ask then use it against the driver.
but no this was his first incident 3 you are fired.miss a run automatic fire.

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by limoman
my whole point on this is if customers are going to take the time to complain then please take the time to appraise.
most of the times when a driver is late or forgets something its not his fault it might be the schedule.
or if you dont want to know the answer to a question then dont ask then use it against the driver.
but no this was his first incident 3 you are fired.miss a run automatic fire.

Not really right but customers are always more likely to complain when things go wrong than they are to call to compliment when things go great.

Sorry but I don't buy the (second hand) drivers side of the story. I really believe the driver "extorted" or "guilted" the tip from the passenger. I think the driver was trying to get a tip large enough to compensate for the cancelled run. I can't picture ANY PERSON who voluntarily tipped then taking the time to call to complain about a tipped that was voluntarily given.

Personally I think a person SHOULD tip extra if the grocery stop takes longer (shopping or delayed flight).

 

[seashoreCM]

The limo company has to work as a whole, not as a disjoint group of independent drivers. There should be a published consistent policy regarding late airplanes.

Consider these situations, which have similarities.

You are a restaurant owner or manager and have scheduled groups for using the function room. One group takes too long and the next group is waiting.

You are a real estate salesman. You take someone to see a house and he spends a lot of time examining things and there is another client waiting at the office.

A larger limo company can use some of the techniques Disney uses for some of the bus runs. At certain locations, once a bus comes in and drops of passengers, it is assigned to the next trip that needs a bus according to departure time. So what trip a particular driver gets next depends also on who is early and who is late.

 

[taxi_man696]

Moral of the story?

TAKE A CAB!!!!!

It costs less, the drivers are just as friendly and the driver makes a GOOD living off of the fare--not the company!!!!!


And for you neysayers early--cabbies CAN flat rate from the airport they DO NOT have to use the meter. Plus they will meet you at the escalator--JUST LIKE A LIMO/TOWNCAR DRIVER.

I cannot believe the limo drivers work for $15 a trip. That is outrageous -- and we thought we had it bad as cabbies in vegas making 30% of the fare!!!!!

Try the cabs folks - it really isn't that bad- and your helping someone feed their family-- not line the rich owners pockets even more.

T-man

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by taxi_man696
Moral of the story?

TAKE A CAB!!!!!

It costs less, the drivers are just as friendly and the driver makes a GOOD living off of the fare--not the company!!!!!


And for you neysayers early--cabbies CAN flat rate from the airport they DO NOT have to use the meter. Plus they will meet you at the escalator--JUST LIKE A LIMO/TOWNCAR DRIVER.

I cannot believe the limo drivers work for $15 a trip. That is outrageous -- and we thought we had it bad as cabbies in vegas making 30% of the fare!!!!!

Try the cabs folks - it really isn't that bad- and your helping someone feed their family-- not line the rich owners pockets even more.

T-man

Maybe they will flat fee it in Vegas, but, in good ole Orlando, I think they would laugh at you. As to taking a cab, been there, done that, and found it to be just fine. I have also used FL towne car and liked that also. Now, I rent cars and LOVE that.

 

[taxi_man696]

No we cannot flat fee in Vegas, that is why I am moving to Orlando in Feb., so I can run my business as I see fit and make my money for me not for the company.

When I get to Orlando I will be starting my own website and will advertise flat rates on R/T from both airports apprx. $15 to $30 less than ANY town car in Orlando. How does MCO R/T PR $75 w/ optional grocery stop AND front gate photo at no extra charge?

Beat that on FLT!!!!!!
T-man

 

[vhoffman]

Oh, how awful! Tom has a job! And it isn't always perfect. So he decides to spend his spare time whining about it. Poor, poor Tom!

 

[vhoffman]

Ok, I goofed. It should have been poor, poor Mike, the limo driver.