19th January 26. Deepest Norfolk 😬

Today's two jobs looked, on paper, easier than it turned out. A day of missed trains, (by a minute.) Cancelled trains, £100 spent on taxi's, incorrect postcodes, heavy rain, mud and dark. Starting at 5.30am. finishing at 7.00pm it turned into a challenging but interesting day.

The first part, was a long drive from Aylesbury to Holt, Norfolk. Actually a place called Field Dalling. I was delivering a new Ford Puma to a customer there.

New Puma in Norfolk

I was expecting a quick handover and tried to click and Uber. Nothing.

And unfortunately the customer, how can I describe her politically correctly? Wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

She was too concerned about where I was going to park the car and then started asking some really odd questions. Like, where's the aerial? Does the car lock and unlock? Are the tyre pressures correct?

She moved her old car out of the way revealing a Renault Clio. That was so badly damaged down both sides. I didn't hold that much hope for the new car. I had to hand her about eight different pages of documents that needed signatures and she just signed them all without reading them because I don't think she could either read and definitely could not understand what she was signing. I was actually concerned she was a vulnerable customer. But that's not my problem or my remit this time.

New Puma delivered

Whilst asking all these questions I was trying to summon a taxi. I called three firms. Nobody could do the job. One man who was off with covid yes COVID. Pointed me in the direction of someone else and this was the only person who could do the job to get to Cromer station was £60. But from that station I was trying to get to Coventry for my next job and it was about 5 hours so I had to go from King's Lynn. But that taxi trip was £74. I had no choice. There were no buses either so it was a taxi to King's Lynn. station. I got the paperwork signed by the customer eventually. But the taxi had arrived while she was in the midst of asking even more ridiculous questions. In the end I had to tell her to contact the dealer. She was very perturbed that there was no handbook which there isn't in some new cars so I had to run through the the media screen to find the on screen handbook for her.

I finally got into the taxi and endured the 25 minutes journey to King's Lynn station, listening to the drivers very interesting stories about his Ford experiences.

Arriving at King's Lynn I had missed my train by three minutes. This would have repercussions throughout the day.

I now had another hour wait for the next train.

I was heading to Coventry. So via Ely. Then to Nuneaton before going to Coventry.

King's Lynn to Coventry

The train arrived at Ely. A few minutes late.

I ran across to the platform for the train to Nuneaton. The doors closed I approached the train to open and was told to back away. The train was leaving. Not making any allowances for the late arrival of the previous train. I wasn't alone. More, slower people arriving from the same train also wondered why this connection couldn't make allowance for the late arrival.

So, another hours wait at Ely. The day was going from bad to worse.

Ely Station

Not wanting a near £5 coffee. I sat patiently and updated this blog, while waiting for the next train.

Ely Station

So arriving at Nuneaton station now over two hours later than expected.

I was met with the news that train's to Coventry were cancelled. A bus would replace it.

The next bus would be leaving in 25 minutes. This meant I wasn't going to get to the next collection point for the car going to Oxford until way after 6pm

Looking at options, very few. I decided an Uber from where I was, Nuneaton station,

Was the only option. But a £25 option.

Nuneaton Station

The driver was chatty and we discussed my business. A lot do. They took, want to try doing what I do. He actually took my details and has become a paid up member of our training site for this work. Buying the middle package and getting all the information and team calls to get him started. You can join too. Click here

By the time we arrived at the business park at the postcode given. It was dark. He dropped me off and I couldn't see the company on the board. I called them and they weren't actually there. He directed me back out to the main road. And half a mile walk with no pavements along mud and grass and incoming traffic. I arrived thoroughly miserable at this point.

I arrived at the gates and they opened and a short walk up the driveway. I turned to see an amazing property with cars in the rooms illuminated by light. There was an original Fiat 500. In the kitchen. A Rolls Royce Carmargue in another room. It was huge.

I'm not posting too many photos for the persons privacy. But this is one.

I was collecting a 2022 Renault Arkarna. Which should have gone to Oxford today. But due to the time..it will go tomorrow morning now.

The seller was very friendly and chatty about the business and told me stories about the cars.

So the day ended well. I was delighted at having met this man and we will be doing business in the future. I'm sure.

I arrived home eventually after 7.30pm

A day that started at 5.00am so a fourteen hour day. Frustrating, horrible, in parts. But in the end very satisfying.

Still two jobs (almost) done so good amount to invoice.

That's what matters

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