So went out of town and parked up in a car park (belonged to a b&q-type place that was closed. Evidently there was some function on at a nearby building given the decorations. In the car park were two coaches, both parked at the back from different coach companies.

When I returned to the car, one of the coaches had moved forward, blocking me in. My sister spoke politely to the driver who retorted rather rudely that he was "on the clock" and shut the coach window.

It took me around 10-15 mins to negotiate out of the corner which meant I was 15 mins late for work. Although we managed it in the end, this driver's rude behaviour clearly needs to be highlighted to the company. I would like to know the best way to handle it. If I had spoken to the driver I would have flown off the handle and so remained in the car.

Also, say he had blocked me in to the point where I definitely couldn't get out is there anything I could have done LEGALLY?

If he'd blocked you in to the point where you couldn't get out I believe you would have been perfectly entitled to call the police.

I would ring the company advised and ask to talk to someone about it. Make sure you get a proper answer to "what are you going to do about it?" so that you have at least some chance that they aren't brushing it under the carpet.

Technically you've no legal right to park (or leave) after the store is closed. Parking ususally is provided for patrons of the store and has limits enforced by external contractors.
The store may also have an agreement with the coach company to give them access (& the right) to park their coaches wherever they need to whilst the store is closed.
Personally I'd talk to the coach driver & if that didn't work talk to his boss (use the medical emergency line) and get it sorted that way. You may have not been right but you should report a rude driver, as this is very bad for that company's image.

Name & shame!

Mark

Would it have been an over-reaction to torch the coach?

I have a bit more info from my friend's sister. The place with the function was a religious place of worship. The carpark had been open for people who wanted to go pray. The coaches had carried people from London to this temple (doesn't look like a temple from the outside but it was), so I believe the car park was open to everyone who wanted to pray. Along with my sister was her friend who is Sikh and she did go visit quickly but we all went to mate's house closeby. I think the lack of street parking was because of this function as the roads normally aren't so packed, otherwise wouldn't have parked in the carpark.

Damn the iphone and inability to scroll in text boxes.

I didn't want to use my medical standing. If I couldn't get the car out I was ready to call the police.

JW009 I was ready to smash in the coach window and assault the driver but given I needed to go to ork and because of my job, it's not a good thing for me to have a police record. Would you want to be treated by a doctor who has previously assaulted someone?

I plan on phoning and writing in my complaint but given I tend not to complain I need some help.

TIA

To be honest, it would not change my confidence in a doctor's ability to heal. There are plenty of excellent doctors who beat their wives; the personal and professional are separate. However, it's good that you controlled your temper. I'm sometimes not so self-controlled, and one impulsive reaction can indeed have long term consequences. Being an Ork is not socially acceptable :p

Regarding the complaint, I suggest you find the customer service email address of the coach company and send them an email headed "Complaints department". I believe they are legally obliged to treat such emails seriously, and I have always received a reply from such emails where several phone-calls have gone ignored.

I'd run the email past your friend, partner and maybe post it here before sending it. It needs to be calm but firm, with a specific statement on what you want to actually happen. Perhaps asking for a written letter of apology from the driver, and that he be given a verbal warning not to be such a dick head?

*ponders what the technical term is for dick head*

I believe the technical term is 'bus driver'.

White van man?
BMW/Merc driver?

C_W, to be honest I wouldn't care if you assaulted someone as long as you had good reason. I have seen the way medical staff get treated on a weekend evening and would be surprised if they didn't fight back once in a while!

That might even get a standing ovation. Grannies and walking wounded perched on stilts cheering "Go on!"

Karma dude. The coach drivers sedentary lifestyle will kick him up the arse harder than you can

vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord and so on.

The good thing about buses and couches (or bad thing if you’re a nob of a coach driver) is the amount of different emergency stop buttons accessible from the outside of the coach; they also require a physical reset whether the engine was running or not.

This is always a good way of getting the drive out of the coach/bus if required……

Write this down on a piece of A4 paper - "You've got a flat tyre". Now, show this to dick.... erm bus driver and wait until he gets off his big fat ar$e then alight bus and move it. If this fails I find holding a threatening conversation with a baseball bat in your hand gets sufficient attention (but in my case it's a hockey stick).

Al

It's worth thinking about what 'on the clock' means.

HGV and PCV drivers are subject to some insanely rigid rules about working hours and breaks.
I'm assuming 'on the clock' means he was taking a break. I'm not sure about the PCV side of things, but I do know that if an HGV driver is on a break, then he's not allowed to do anything at all work related. Strictly speaking, he was breaking the rules just talking to you. It's a bit daft really, there's not even any scope to move the vehicle a few feet if needed. And when you consider breaking these rules can mean large fines for both the company and the driver, as well as potential loss of licence for either, you can kind of see why they stick to them.
(I work in a company that does a small amount of haulage work, so I'm quite familiar with the rules).

Of course, that doesn't really excuse the driver - if you're going to be parking up somewhere such that you can't move it for a few hours, it makes sense to park it somewhere it's out of the way - and really, as long as everything else is legal, then thirty seconds spent moving a few feet isn't the end of the world, if really needed. Plus, there's no need for that attitude.

But it's worth bearing the above in mind before you complain.