We are happy to announce that MS Executive Chauffeurs will be part of Bright FM’s win a wedding competition in 2010. Over the next few weeks at Bright FM, will be looking to make one lucky couple’s big day extra special! The prizes include a wedding car from MS Executive Chauffeurs, flowers, cakes, dresses, hen & stag night parties and the big day itself with the wedding been held at Buxted Park Hotel in Ashdown Forest.

There will be a huge Grand Final on Saturday the 13th of February as part of Bright FM roadshow, where one lucky couple will be winning an amazing package. For more information see the Bright FM web site.

Tomorrow there is Rugby International game at Twickenham. We had some bookings for this three weeks ago and then nothing until 2 days ago. Now everyone wants to go to Twickenham! Unfortunately by leaving bookings so late, it means that we don’t have any available cars or staff to fulfil demand. Usually we would use our contacts in the industry to help out or customers, but it seems that everyone is doing the same thing, none of the reputable chauffeurs that we deal with are available. We want to find out why people leave booking cars until it is too late, especially since most people have had their tickets for weeks? So if you want to make sure of getting a car and driver for the day book in advance!!!

Chauffeuring is a profession that takes years of training and experience to excel at. Unfortunately we are starting to see a worrying trend of ex-office workers setting up as cut price chauffeurs.

Recently the market has started to become flooded with cheap airport transfers, most of the drivers are untrained and more importantly many of them don’t carry the correct level of insurance.

We have seen prices slashed below the cost of running the vehicles and while this does attract some customers in the short term, it is unsustainable. These inexperienced drivers then realise that they are not covering their costs, so they take on more work, cut costs and corners, than start being late for jobs or drive like idiots thereby giving professional chauffeurs a bad name. Worst of all, their clients start having to run for flights, or even miss them! Then the penny drops with client and driver, the price charged by a quality company has a reason, the costs directly relate to the level of service provided.

There are no short cuts in the professional chauffeur world,  it requires a high level of skill and service combined with good time management. The role of the chauffeur revolves around knowledge of passenger requirements, we sometimes ask clients to leave home 15 minutes earlier than normal,  its not just because we like getting people out of bed, but because we know the traffic or road conditions require it.

A good chauffeur learns what their regular passengers expect and need, in this respect we regard it as viatally important to build a strong working relationship between ourselves and all of our clients. This is where the proessional chauffer makes a difference to the business traveller.

General Motors are making a song and dance about their new $1 billion electric car.

It does a 100mph, but it only has a range of 40 miles, not much use to a chauffeur! Tunbridge Wells to Heathrow is 62 miles, each way so you can see the problem.

To be honest I don’t think we will replace our Mercedes yet, as the only real ‘green’ option is the Lexus hybrid.

Be warned if you are offered an early flight back to the UK from the USA, three clients all last week arrived at New York JFK flying to LHR with BA and Virgin a little early only to be offered earlier flights!

Great they all thought, get home early! Not the case, they had all been put onto late running flights given the airlines space to transfer some of their clients that where complaining about their flights been late. All three planes landed over an hour later than their original flight did!

So the moral is, if it seems to be too good, it probably is. On top of that, you get a early flight, your driver might not be available to meet it, so you would have to wait for him or catch a cab, then have his cancellation fee to pay as well!

Happy flying and happy Easter.

It’s good to talk to your clients, but it is better to see your clients face to face.

It has surprised us how much our clients have cut their travel to see their own clients and their other offices around the world. For some reason businesses seem to think that it’s OK just to telephone a client to see how they are and how they are been affected by the current credit crunch.

Yes during this credit crunch we’re all looking for more cost effective options, but surely we should be going the extra mile. This is the time to stay in personal contact and to go and see their clients face to face?

A year ago most businesses wouldn’t think twice about jumping on the Eurostar from Ebbsfleet to Paris for lunch or having a round of golf with a client.

We should all be trying to work hand-in-hand with our clients to provide cost-effective solutions that make a real difference to their bottom line, this can not be done by just sitting behind our desks and waiting for it to blow over.

So why spend years building up your reputation only to throw it away because you thought you could just telephone a client rather than go and see them?

‘This shall pass’ is an age-old phrase that is very apt in these uncertain times.

Mark Gettings

To all our customers, have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

As a VAT regsitered company we have changed our rate of VAT to 15% in accordance with the new directives. To be honest I don’t think a 2.5% change is really going to make much difference, I guess we will see how the change affects the economy.

Christmas may still be three months away but now is the time to start planning your holiday season travel arrangements. The lead up to Christmas is always busy with parties and functions, if you want to secure a booking for any time over the Christmas / New Year period, book now. Give us a call on 0800 980 7252 or email info@msexecutive.co.uk.

OK so our part in the closing ceremony wasn’t up to the 2008 Chinese drummers for the opening ceremony, but we give a taster of what is to come. Hopefully by the time the London 2012 starts we will see the RAF Red Arrows flying as part of the show.

So whats the Chauffeuring angle? well to be honest not much