How do I explain to my customers that their shipment will be late due to May 1st turmoil!?!?

Show all answers

Ipek K

Well first of all, May 1'st shouldn't be forgotten by the Turkish employees in your company and you should be warned in advance.

There are demonstrations going on right now - you can see on NTV or Kanalturk if you turn your TV on-. The police force blocked the roads leading to Taksim. ( There is a symbolism about the demonstrations in Taksim but it isn't the issue now)

This was announced in all the news programs and newspapers yesterday.

The driver can drive into Istanbul if his business isn't at the Taksim area. The bridges, and the highways are open. It is impossible to close out a city like Istanbul with a population of 11 million, anyway.

Tell your driver to check with a traffic police and ask whether his route is blocked or not. This could be the simplest thing to do to resolve the problem.

For your information the phone number for Istanbul Traffic Police is 154, you may ask a Turkish employee to check as well.

If you are interested in May 1st celebrations and related history in Turkey, you can read this article:

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=102906

Good Luck

TutSki YanCheg

stay where you are, the driver is right
just turn on your TV and you'll see why

Totally Blunt

The driver isnot right. Only Taksim area is troubled. (Damn those "freedom-loving" politicians!)

There is some traffic on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, but it is no excuse to not go.

Maybe he remembers last year. The Bosphorus Bridge was completely blocked then. This year, people remembered last year and stayed home.

You can follow the situation from NTV if you have a tv. They give information about the traffic, too.

Leprechaun

I was so worried about,how to make my way to work today,but i can say it was easier than any other day.Drivers are doubting because it was terrible last years.But today,it's OK.Only they need to avoid Taksim and ÅžiÅŸli area,it will be fine.

But for sure, you can use this as an excuse i believe.

Ladybug Queen of Lazistan

tell them all streets are blocked by the police due to security reasons and the traffic at "safe"parts of Istanbul are jammed.
dont send the driver anywhere...he wont be able to make to the city today...relax...one delay wont harm your business.

MedellÃn

I understand your worries. You fear losing professional credibility in front of your customer, because of a driver who doesn't care about your business
This driver is probably not lazy, but actually selfish..

My advice # 1 : Tell the driver that next time you'll hire another driver.
My advice # 2 : Tell your customer that the situation in Istanbul on May 1st is really serious , and tell him to check the medias . Most of foreign newpapers and TVs mention the riots in Taksim.

Setuch

The best thing to do is be pro-active about and give the customer a heads up if you are a) certain the package will be late and b) this will cause the customer a problem.

If is the case you can re-assure the customer the package will be delivered.

This way the customer will be prepared and they will appreciate your direct communication.

You may just send your customer a shipment confirmation with a tracking number if available and the expected date of delivery. Again if it's just one day, you don't want to alarm the customer unnecessarily.

Hurricane

OK,there are always some problems on May 1 in Istanbul but that shouldn't be a excuse to drive to istanbul.If you are not around Taksim area,then there is no problem for you.It's no different than a normal day except a few demonstrations on Taksim square.

rambling vine

Your customers down the supply line might be heavily inconvenienced, but at at the very least, the source of your problem is a piece of world news.

This may be an expensive lesson for many people involved, but I think you can take comfort in this as a learning experience. In the future, people will appreciate it when you warn them about May 1 and Turkey.

For now, I think you should get on the phone and fax immediately and explain your situation - and cite the news.

ErAs

very bad excuse of the driver...

Patrick E

u just need to lay down the rules an let them folks know whats happenin

boatlady

Just tell them in advance!! Don't wait till the shipment is late. You can also attach copy of the United States Embassy warning to back up you statement

HÃ¼lya

505 individuals were arrested by the police, so you customer will understand everything.

bloemkool

First of all if you make business with foreign countries you must do some investigation about the rules and traditions of the country. With this information you can better plan your business en inform your customers.
It's not the driver or transporter that is or was lazy, you were lazy by not investigating the custom of the country

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: