16th April 25. A New Customer.

After a lengthy joining process I am doing my first job for a new , for me anyway, online portal for logistic work. This first job was to collect a car from a place I had already been. Remember my Maserati experience?

So a bus from Aylesbury to Leighton Buzzard, which takes only 30 minutes. The bus takes the by-pass and misses the road I need. But once into town. It's a 20 minutes walk to the huge prep centre. There's over 3000 cars sitting in this place all waiting for a home. Mostly brand new BMW's, Mercedes and a few new Peugeots

My car today was a new shape Peugeot 3008 going to a retail customer in High Wycombe. So a short first job today.

Prep Centre

This prep centre also has two photo areas near the collection point. Getting here early is important as there's a queue of delivery drivers waiting for their cars. Outside and along the road are car transporters loading and unloading. This is a very busy place. Full of fleet cars ready for customers and cars arriving for prep. To be taken later to the various dealerships .

I finally got to front of the queue and gave my details and received the keys and told the location of the car for today.

All the bays are numbered so finding it wasn't difficult. I got the car into some space to do my appraisal. This new portal has their own system for logging the job, your details, with selfie!

Then an overkill of images of all angles of the car. A photo of the keys and chassis number. And even a photo of the engine bay. On a new car??

Once done I got my printed form signed at the barrier. And then stopped outside to set up my Sat-Nav and the car to go to High Wycombe.

Quick fail. STOP 🛑

The car demanded an update. So I foolishly started the process. Unfortunately I had stopped to do this set up at a petrol station. Putting enough fuel in. Then, on my return to the car. It disabled itself while this update happened. This was going to take 18 minutes!

So for the next 18 minutes I wasn't a popular person. The car refused to start until this finishes

Eventually I got to High Wycombe. The customer waiting for his new car. I did the lengthy appraisal. Got the secondary form signed, photographed and sent it over and job was completed.

New Peugeot 3008 32 miles on the clock.

The customer, very kindly offered to take me to the station. Brilliant.

Pre-booked tickets for Hinckley Leicestershire for the second car collection today.

Along the route. Stopping at Nuneaton station. I've often seen a piano sitting on the platform to be played by anyone who can and wants to.

Today, I was lucky enough to hear this young lady playing while people waited for their journey

Brilliant thank you.

High Wycombe to Hinckley

From Hinckley station. I hailed an Uber to go to the Kia Dealership to collect a trade VW Tiguan to be delivered to my independent car dealer in Aylesbury.

The sales team got the car quickly for me and I did my appraisal and set off for Aylesbury

These appraisals done on collection and delivery are hugely important to this business .There are people out there who don't bother. I have actually heard of one driver who was charged over £250 for not doing one. This was due to the buyer not being told about the damage and with no collection appraisal done. The seller simply said the damage must have been done on route. I imagine he learnt from this mistake. But you don't have to learn the hard way.

When you join us we can supply you with full digital appraisal tools and with our instructions. this will not happen to you.

So car delivered safely to Aylesbury. Damage reports on collection and delivery completed.

Homeward bound from Aston Clinton.