Sir,
It is disappointing that Gestamp and Gescrap has become so desperate as to blame each other for the state of Howden Road and Groat Avenue. I refer to the spillage of scrap metal on what is supposedly a public highway.
Take a walk and it is unbelievable the amount of scrap that can be found on those two streets. On two occasions, the first, leaving my wife stranded in Bishop Auckland and the second in Aycliffe, where a piece of metal was removed by a local tyre firm, who after greeting me with the words “back again”, proudly handed me the distinctive metal scrap.
On four occasions I reported the second incident. Firstly to the security guard at Gestamp’s gatehouse, taking the metal from me he took my details and said someone will get back in touch.
A week later I approached Gestamp’s gatehouse and enquired about progress. “It is not Gestamp but Gescrap, you need to speak to”, was the reply from the security guard I had spoken to the week previously whilst giving me the phone number of Gescrap.
I called Gescrap the following day who informed me, I need to speak to Gestamp’s HR Department. I enquired and found the location of Gescrap, visited their portacabin and together we phoned Gestamp who took my details and said they would get back to me.
A week later, I approached Gescrap again as no one had got back in touch with me. We contacted HR who were in meetings and was informed to call back on the Monday. The following Tuesday I spoke to HR, who again took my details and informed me someone will get back in touch.
A week further on and here I am, I do not envisage being refunded by either of these companies, Gescrap – whose name speak for itself, and Gestamp – whose website is a contradiction to their actions.
There have been numerous punctures suffered by vehicles using these roads, my attention is now drawn to the Coaches, buses and HGV vehicles that access these roads and a pending catastrophe.
A. R. Howard
Gestamp Replies . . .
Dear Mr Howard,
Please accept our unreserved apology for any distress or inconvenience that may have been caused by your recent experience.
As a local employer Gestamp take their responsibilities within the community very seriously and it disappoints me to hear that your complaint has not been dealt with in a satisfactory manner.
Please be assured that a thorough investigation will be carried out into your complaint and we will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that any complaints in the future are dealt with sympathetically and in a timely manner. We will review our systems and policies and make amendments where required to ensure our future actions do not impact our neighbours or the wider community.
Brian Rees, Gestamp Human Resources Manager
