Great Western Coffee Shop

I've copied this from another forum where i lurke more than post - i just spen most of time in awe at the thing they get het up about!  But if this true - then it sums up everything I hate about the rail system!

" I was travelling through Clapham Junction station last week I was desperate for a wee and asked the guards if I could go through to the loo 3 minutes before the appointed time. I showed them my ticket and told them I was travelling on the 9.33 to Dorking. They barred my way (the Freedom pass is only for travel from 9.30 and it was 9.22 at the time). I assured them that I wasn't intending to use the pass early and asked again to go through but they put up their arms to bar my way. Then 2 off duty policemen arrived and weighed in to tell me I was in the way and I should 'run to the nearest coffee shop and use the loo there'."

Bares stark similarity to the not letting me through to noard the 1922 as my ticket was only vaid from 1915 and it wasnt 1915 yet

Another reason why I am against barriers - some staff cannot be trusted to use them sensibly

Its the jobsworth staff that do thigns like this which im my eyes give the railway a bad image.

That is a classic case of somebody getting bid headed, thinking they have a slight bit of power, when really, they have very little, if any!

Customer facing staff should always try and be helpful! Not on the railways, but I work with the public and always go out of my way to help them!

In general barrier staff, especially at the big stations,  are often not very helpful. They are certainly less helpful and friendly than most ontrain staff.  I am not sure that this is entirely their own fault but:

1) they are not very well paid.
2) as a consequnce they are often not the smartest people
3) they have a boring job
4) they see passengers at their worst - at a best impatient at worse abusive
5) they work with imperfect technology (the automatic barriers) which never brings out the best in anyone
5) many have not been in the industry very long

Guards are better paid, have real safety responsibility and therefore more training.  Have more interesting jobs with more variety and have often been in the industry longer.  I know who I would rather have check my ticket.