Customer Charter

•    We will take responsibility, when dealing with your issue reported via your call centre, making sure we do whatever is needed to answer your query.
•    We will attempt to advise you of any significant issues or delays with regards to your delivery as soon as we are aware of them or alert your call centre to help us do the same
•    We will monitor our performance against our customer service standards to continually improve the service we offer.
•    Please advise your call centre of any changes to contact details to ensure we maintain effective communication with regards to future deliveries.

Delivery

•    We will endeavour to ensure all core products which are available in our warehouse are delivered to you.
•    We will deliver your standard order to you within a pre-defined time window and attempt to call you if circumstances hinder this
•    We will deliver your order to your cellar or designated area as per the risk assessment.  The Risk assessment for your premises can be made available.
•    We will collect empty containers from you on a one for one basis as a minimum.  Please request an uplift note for larger quantities of empties via your call centre
•    For larger quantities of empties for collection we will plan to collect these within 14 days
•    We will collect Ullage from your premises as per the Ullage request note provided to us. We will plan to collect your Ullage container within 14 days
•    Please do not ask the Dray crew to take Ullage without a request note as it will not be able to be processed and may hinder applying any credit due
•    We will note any delivery discrepancies e.g. shortage or damage at the point of delivery and ask you to sign to agree to this
•    The crew will wait up to 10 minutes if access to the property is not available on arrival

Customer Responsibilities

•    We need an authorised person to be available to accept and check your delivery and sign any documentation; otherwise your order may be returned to the warehouse for future delivery 48 hours later, which will be on an all day time window.
•    Could you do your upmost to ensure that access to your premises is not obstructed as the crew may not be able to complete the delivery.
•    We need you to ensure that access to your cellar and kegs to be returned are free from obstruction – for their own safety, please do not ask the crew to negotiate or remove obstacles. 
•    To enable empty collections could you segregate your empty kegs ready for collection.
•    If you have signed a ‘Left on Premise’ or ‘Key Drop’ agreement, the dray crew will leave your order in the designated area.
•    You will be provided with a delivery note for your order. Please check that the correct products, quantity and best before dates have been delivered and are not damaged before signing for your order. Please could we ask that you write the time next to your signature
•    In order to rectify delivery issues we need you to make the customer services team aware of any issues within 72 hours of delivery which were not recorded at the time of delivery. 
•    For Ullage you have reported, you will be provided with an Ullage uplift request note to be signed.  It is important you check that the correct products and quantity are recorded before signing for your order. To enable collections please can you ensure your Ullage is segregated and is easily accessible. .
•    We need your help to ensure your premises are free from hazards and debris in order to enable the crew to make the delivery safely – The Cellar Hazard Notification process will inform you of any hazards observed and this may require your order to be left at the nearest safe place until the hazard is removed. The dray will leave you with a Hazard notification report should this occur.

Examples of Hazards:  Broken cellar skids, broken cellar flaps, missing pads, cellar lighting not working, and pets not restrained etc.

Working Together to ensure Safe and Efficient Deliveries

We are constantly looking at ways to keep everyone safe and reduce any risk of injury to our employees and our customers.  Our recent accident analysis shows that the vast majority of injuries and accidents that happen to our delivery crews occur at the point of delivering into cellars.  We want to work with you to significantly reduce these accidents and injuries so that we can all work safely.  With this in mind, we have reviewed our delivery point hazard process.
If the dray crew do notice something that is a potential safety hazard, they are now instructed to notify and record anything of concern so it can be assessed and corrected.   

Delivery Point Hazard Process

-    Crews will identify any delivery hazards at your premises during deliveries.
-    They will bring this to your attention by completing a Hazard Notification Form and present you with a copy.
-    The notification will explain that for high risk hazards all deliveries will be to the nearest safe point until the hazard is removed to ensure accidents are avoided.
-    They will log the hazard at the depot and at this point a process of assessment and corrective action planning will begin.  
-    As part of this process you will be contacted by the depot to agree what corrective actions need to be taken to make the working environment safe.
-    The notification will be copied to Shepherd Neame to enable us to track remedial action.
-    Your Business Development Manager will also be informed so that he can track progress.
-    If after 28 days the hazard has not been rectified a follow up letter will be issued to you (and Shepherd Neame) to remind you that any future deliveries will have to be made to the nearest safe point until the hazard has been rectified.

We would like to reiterate that whilst most hazards are not serious, they do need attention, and this process should protect both the crews and your staff moving forward.
Please do not hesitate to contact your Business Development Manager or the Customer Services team on 01795 597000 if you have any questions about the process highlighted above.