5/29/09 no show

I am marking the paratransit down as a no show tonight.  They were supposed to pick me up at 6:19PM.  They did not do this.

I was told that the dispatcher was too busy to talk to me.

Sanford

Late

On 2/14/09 my Tripple A ride that was scheduled for 10:16AM appeared at 11:30AM.  I am not sure why I was told that the driver was to arrive in a few minutes when I called up much earlier.  I had to cancel the trip  when the vehicle finally arrived because I missed the class I was supposed to attend.

Clearly there used to be an incentive for the provider to arrive on time when the car fare used to be waived for latenesses beyond the one hour window from the time that the rider was told to be ready at.  I am dumbfounded as to why this promptness incentive for the providers has changed.  The driver stated that I would have to pay the fare if I went, even though the reason for going was cancelled due to the provider's negligence.

What ever happenned to the voucher program that used to be in effect for riders that were forced to cancel rides when providers showed up so late that taking the ride was futile?  Is there some kind of no show marking system on the drawing board directed at delinquent providers?  If not, shouldn't there be?

Sanford

no show

The 8:42 PM pick up on January 13, 2009 became a dreaded no show tonight marked against me.  Sandra at the Tripple A dispatch office told me that I didn't seem to understand.  Actually her words were "What about this don't you understand."  Maybe they need mirrors in the dispatch room for mixed up employees to look at themselves better.  Clearly, when employees are mixed up, they need to take responsibility for it. I tried to explain to her that I know what time the reservation was made for because it was me who made it.  I went on to explain that she could look up the paperwork.

This morning they sent a driver, Noel,  12 hours early.  Cindy said that they would fix the problem for the correct pick up at 8:42 PM and not AM.

Sandra just told me that I was a no show.  I am glad that Sandra understands that the no show is the problem when a customer is not able to get in to the vehicle.

She also needs to understand that they need to either be here when they are supposed to, or to knock on the door.  Or perhaps to get the driver back when they say he was here at 8:15 PM.

It is equally interesting in that I was here at 8:15 PM.  Once again it seems that there is definitely a mix up.

Perhaps a leave of abscence or some kind of time off could help mixed up employees become better accustomed to the business at hand.  This would be to get passengers in to the vehicles.

Of course when drivers need to return because they were in error due to mixed up employees, it would help.  Likewise other drivers who were nearby could cover as well.  I wonder how many more years it will take for the service to figure this all out.

And what do the customers who get no shows really deserve?  They deserve their rides.  What do the companies deserve?  They deserve a no show marked against them with definite penalties.

Sanford

October 30, 2007 7:25 PM

I have heard it said that it is better late than never.  Unfortunately the 7:25 PM arrival of my ride just now was inopportune for me.  I was supposed to be at my destination between 6 and 6:30 PM tonight.

I wonder if AAA is just going through the motions of looking like they are attending to their riders needs.  The veterans I was supposed to meet up with at the Veterans of Foreign Wars deserve better treatment.  I was supposed to meet up with them for a presentation tonight.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to think of ways of improving the service.  How about having a trouble shooter driving around.  This driver could pick up the slack by picking up passengers when their scheduled drivers got in to late circumstances and were not able to arrive on time.

Sanford

October 30, 2007

Today I wanted a pick up that would drop me off by 6 to 6:30 PM.  I just found out that my pick up is scheduled for 6 to 6:30 PM.

This is most interesting as I need to be at my destination at the same time Triple A is picking me up.  Clearly this pick up is useless because the ride takes at least 30 minutes.

After many years this kind of thing should not be occurring.  Especially if I am needing this ride for a job related appointment that was explained to the reservationist when the ride was scheduled.

I believe that someone making a reservation like this deserves a call if changes are being made to one's reservation.  This is unacceptable.

Sanford

June 16, 2007

I wonder how many more years it will take to acquaint the drivers with the AM radio rule.  When my driver picked me up today about 12:30 PM he told me he could not turn the station to an English radio station because he had to hear the talk show which was broadcast in Creole.  I didn't want to argue with him so I let us listen in peace. 

I am sure that it was more peaceful for him than I because he could understand the language.  I wonder what was being discussed.  I didn't receive any interpretation.

I ask here what is the practicality of having rules if the drivers flagrantly violate them?  My driver told me he was allowed to listen to anything he chose to.

Sanford

Monday June 11, 2007

It is time of course to make some changes.  Too bad I don't seem to be important enough to be considered in this equation.  Clearly things could be better.

For instance tonight the ride materialized at my home at 7:10 PM.  When I reserved the ride I said how I needed to be at my destination at 7 PM.  The AAA car service operator told me that according to the computer I needed to be picked up at 6:12 PM.  Nothing else was available.

This sounds absurd.  How can it be that nothing else is available when I am making my reservation well in advance of the day and time I need it.

I think the excuses must stop.  I called up the County complaints line.  Richard at TOPS told me that I have to fudge the reservation time.  I said that I needed to talk with the owner of AAA.  He wouldn't pass this message on.

My feeling is that the car service needs to do what they can in order to do what they say they are going to do.  It shouldn't be up to passengers to play the role of mind readers in order to get their rides.  I shouldn't have to play any kind of fudging game in order to make a reservation or get a reserved ride to arrive on time.

My call shortly after 6:12 PM only resulted in the operator saying that the ride still had time to get me.  This was quite incorrect as I needed to be on time by 7 PM at my destination.  It would be far wiser to actually let passengers know what is really going on.

As I suggested many times before, imposing a $2 waiver at 30 minutes or 60 minutes after the passenger has begun to wait, would be a step in the right direction.  Car service providers would pay more attention to passengers that were not going to pay for rides that arrived too late to be utilized.  No one listens to me.

I don't know why it was allowed for the car service to change the rule about this.  When I started using the service passengers didnt' pay when cars arrived 60 minutes after the beginning of the pick up time.    Now I am told that 90 minutes must transpire.

A better plan is to have the car service have enough drivers to deliver the service that they say they are going to deliver.  Otherwise the car service is spinning their wheels for nothing by sending a car that is deemed inopportune by passengers because of untimeliness.  Naturally I had to pass when the vehicle arrived so late.  I would have appreciated at the very least a phone call telling me before hand that I needed to find another way to my destination.  The 7:10 PM arrival did me no good because I was expected to do some important work on a governmental board  that started precisely at 7 PM.  The dispatcher Lori informed the driver Rene, that I should pay $2 for a ride that I would have cancelled earlier if I knew that they planned on getting here so late.

I will forward this to Supervisor Jerry at AAA.  I hope he takes it seriously.  In the past he has indicated how he has to read these messages and intimated how he found it to be a nuisance.  I regret equally that I have to send them.  Not sending them would constitute negligence on my part.  We owe it to ourselves to do whatever is necessary to make our corner of the world a showplace.  It doesn't happen by itself.  Recently drivers received a 50% pay raise.  These car service providers should not be having any difficulty attracting qualified personnel.  What is the problem.

Sanford           

Late

Tuesday April 3, 2007 my 8:56 PM Triple A paratransit ride arrived at 10:33 PM.  I called six times to alert them about my predicament.

I believe that the $2 passenger waiver should be changed to also include a $2 voucher for a free ride next time.  Doubling the penalty from what it is now would help remind the carrier to be more timely.  Perhaps it should be negotiated regarding imposing this penalty after about a half hour from the time that the passenger was told to start waiting for the ride.  Originally the $2 waiver was imposed after the passenger was waiting sixty minutes.  Lately the carrier has changed it to ninety minutes.  Clearly it needs to be turned back to how it used to be, or perhaps to a more punctual time as I have suggested.

Sanford Rosenthal