Things in life change constantly, and frequently, except, of course, our cars. We have a driver, a really good driver, we don’t have any issues with him, his car is always immaculate, or it is when he comes into the office for a meeting. It could be a real mess the rest of the time, but I don’t know that. He works hard and does an excellent professional job.
We normally have our vehicles on a 36-month lease, but this can be extended on a regular basis, mainly due to the recent shortage of new cars. This particular driver was young, keen, and a real go-getter. So, he wanted a cool, keen-driving, and good-looking two-door sports coupe to suit his image. To be quite blunt, he was a bit of a show-off, and wanted a “look at me” car to gain some street cred. Anyway, our boss perhaps surprisingly agreed to him having the coupe, we got it on a 42-month lease, and our driver was over the moon.
However, just 12 short months later, the sound of tiny feet appeared in his house, and no it wasn’t mice! Anyway, he battled on for a few weeks, trying to lift the baby in and out of the rear seat, nearly doing himself an injury every time he made the awkward manoeuvre.
Then my telephone rang, with the said staff member asking if it would be possible to change the car early? As he needed something a bit more practical, something that he could fit a small pram in, and something that wouldn’t require him to go to the chiropractor every time he put the baby in and out of the car.
I managed to negotiate an early termination for the car, an expensive termination at that, and I was surprised the boss agreed. The result was our driver got a more modest-looking five-door hatch. No more chiropractor, no more tying the pram to the roof!
Then just last week, I got another call from our very successful salesperson, and yes, you’ve guessed it, he was expecting his second child! Anyway, the upshot of the conversation was, that he didn’t think the five-door hatch would be big enough for two prams, and all the added kit needed – could he have a large SUV or people carrier instead? As I write, more negotiations are just about to begin with the boss and the leasing company.
I realise you really can’t plan anything in life, especially planning a family, and don’t expect every young couple to get a people carrier ‘just in case,’ but as a good, mild-mannered and caring fleet manager, I do try and keep everyone happy, especially to keep our drivers and family safe – but this comes at a cost to the company.
I started having a bit of a clear-out recently, some call it a spring clean. Anyway, some stuff went to the tip, other items to the local charity shop – so they can raise money for a good cause. These included a few electrical items, so I took them into the shop, only to be shown a list of ‘Electrical items we can’t accept.’ (For safety reasons, we are unable to sell the following electrical goods: sun beds and tanning equipment, electric showers, mobile phones, waste disposal units, microwaves, and electric blankets.) I certainly wouldn’t donate an electric blanket, and can’t imagine anyone buying one. Power tools, white goods, fridges, freezers and washing machines are also out. But apparently some charity shops do accept some electrical goods, but they must be “PAT” Tested. It got me wondering if they’d take an EV, based on their strict criteria – probably not.
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