Sky Link Shuttle

Driver was distracted, discourteous, and unsafeHe made or took at least calls while taking me home from the airport & looked at screen a lot
I took Skylink Shuttle from RDU to Chapel Hill on July 16, The driver *** (who's also a dispatcher) was on the phone the whole ride, taking general calls (at least 10) from customers and calling or responding to calls from fellow driversHe used a flip phone with no headset and was constantly looking at the phone screen when picking up or making calls
I was very concerned for my safety, but I was afraid to say something as he appeared very agitated and on edge(He muttered things like me "Why me?" and "This is the worst day of my life," apparently because he had to do a lot of rescheduling because of weather-related delays.) I understand that the driver was under stress, and I'm very grateful that he picked me up and got me close to my homeHowever, he should not have been on the phone while driving
In addition, he was c

Driver was distracted, discourteous, and unsafe. He made or took at least 10 calls while taking me home from the airport & looked at screen a lot. I took Skylink Shuttle from RDU to Chapel Hill on July 16, 2016. The driver [redacted] (who's also a dispatcher) was on the phone the whole ride, taking general calls (at least 10) from customers and calling or responding to calls from fellow drivers. He used a flip phone with no headset and was constantly looking at the phone screen when picking up or making calls.I was very concerned for my safety, but I was afraid to say something as he appeared very agitated and on edge. (He muttered things like me "Why me?" and "This is the worst day of my life," apparently because he had to do a lot of rescheduling because of weather-related delays.) I understand that the driver was under stress, and I'm very grateful that he picked me up and got me close to my home. However, he should not have been on the phone while driving.In addition, he was completely devoid of any pleasantry and said nothing the whole trip save for two questions about my location. He didn't say hi when he picked me up. He only asked me where I was going. When I responded, he didn't follow up with any comment. When he unloaded my carryon, he dropped it on the ground and turned around without saying a word. (Know that I was very polite the whole trip. I barely said a word.)While I am upset by this driver's lack of politeness, I am appalled by his disregard for my safety and that of others on the roadway. I believe that he broke the law by using his phone repeatedly while on the road. I also believe that he may have violated rules that he may be subject to as a commercial driver. I believe that [redacted] and Skylink should be sanctioned for this behavior, which is unprofessional and unsafe. Drivers operating shared ride services out of your airport should not behave in this manner. It puts the public at risk. I can provide you with specific information about whom he was talking with, as well as my flight arrival and pickup time, in case you would like to verify my report.Desired SettlementI want my fare refunded. I also want this company to apologize.Business Response Skylink ShuttleCustomer Service Department Statement:On the night in question, there had been severe thunderstorms and flooding across our entire service area. All of the flights into RDU that night were delayed, rerouted, or changed. All scheduling for that evening was therefore severely disrupted. We dispatched all our drivers and even dispatchers to the airport in order to get all our clients to their destinations. The employee in the complaint's primary role is one of dispatcher. He went to the airport to assist. He picked up the client in as timely a manner as possible given the circumstances and took her to her destination safely. At the same time he was also scheduling rides for the many others that were stranded at the airport. Using the phone while driving isn't a best practice. However, given the extremities of the weather and the delays than ensued, it was unavoidable at this time. After over twenty calls that received from with this client, a reduction of rate, and a promise to deduct 5% for her service usage in the future, she still is not satisfied. We find her demands unreasonable and feel that our company went above and beyond to deal with the disastrous storm and serve our clients who were all in a tough position. Statement of Dispatcher/DriverIt was a stormy night. When it finally clear the airport was saturated with delayed passengers. All flights for the evening came in at once. As a result, in order to ensure timely pick-ups, I had to drive as well as coordinate the driving activities at the airport. While talking on the phone was unadvisable it was necessary to get our passengers to their destinations. On the instructions from the passenger, she requested I drop her off at the foot of the hill. I questioned her intent. She insisted on being dropped off. There was much flooding that nightConsumer Response This response is unsatisfactory and deceptive. Neither the customer service representative nor the driver acknowledge that the driver's behavior was unacceptable. They frame it as unavoidable given the circumstances. That is not true. Also, neither address the driver's rudeness. Most irksome, the customer service agent suggests that I made more than 20 calls to him. That I a flat-out lie. I called and spoke to him twice this Monday. He apologized but agreed only to credit $20 that had been erroneously billed after I made my reservation. I tried to call a third time that day to propose another solution and found that my number had bern apparently been blocked, which I found puzzling. So, this company's poor customer service runs throughout its operation.More Info Received From The ConsumerTo follow up on my response to the company's response, I wish to say that Skylink should have contingency plans in place for situations like this. They framed last Saturday as exceptional, but I am sure that they face weather-related delays many times. I find it puzzling that they wouldn't have contingency plans in place to deal with situations like this. Dispatching while driving a passenger is unacceptable in any circumstance. It shows a blatant disregard for people's safety. They should have made arrangements for me to take a taxi, or they should have told me that my ride home would be delayed. I would much rather that they had done either of these things than compromise my safety and that of others. From their response to my complaint, I believe that they think that the circumstances were extraordinary and their behavior heroic. That is simply untrue. The responsible thing to do, if the driver could not focus exclusively on driving while taking me to my home, would have been to make other arrangements or say that my ride would be delayed.