Customer Service frustration

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

50 grand FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have now spent for this one station. Just think of the things they could have done with the money...

Like pay shareholders...?

[LiskeardRich]

I have to say the service and response speed from "Jess" this morning on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) twitter feed was excellent. I had a response within less than 2 minutes. I bet if I called FGW customer services it would have taken longer than that to get through the "press option 1....etc." automated system let alone any hold time they may have.

Redruth station undone all the good work of the Twitter feed by telling me the Twitter feed was wrong and under no circumstances can the admin fee be waived, although to be fair to the gent working the station he was calling through to the area manager and relaying the information. I have since spoke with the 03457 000 125 who have in part redeemed the customer service of the company and confirmed Jess was correct due to the circumstances. I'd taken the doctors note with me to the station as requested by Jess. Redruth also told me they cant do refunds at that point of sale anyway would that be correct?
Attached is a print of the conversation with Jess on Twitter, the 0345 number confirmed this verbally, who was right Redruth station or Jess and 0345 number

[JayMac]

I have been informed that Shirehampton CIS^▸ (Customer Information System)/Help Point 4.0 has been ordered and should be fitted sometime in the next 8 weeks.

50 grand FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have now spent for this one station. Just think of the things they could have done with the money...

The new one is fitted. Looks nice. Doesn't do anything. Posted here verbatim is my semi-rant on FGW's Facebook page:

A new Help Point was fitted two weeks ago. We now have one without a display screen listing train departures. No doubt to prevent local scrotes smashing the screen. Instead we have the more basic Help Point with three buttons. 'Emergency', 'Information', and 'Next Train'. Just about adequate...

If the bloody thing actually worked. Four visits over the past 10 days: The 'Next Train' button does nothing; The 'Information' button when pressed just plays, "Please wait" every few seconds and fails totally to connect with someone to provide information. No dial tone, no apology that you might be in a queue, just "Please wait" over and over again. Last Sunday the first service of the day toward Bristol was cancelled. This Help Point was no help whatsoever. It just told all of us waiting for a train, to "Please wait", this it did for the 20 minutes I was there. Eventually, after the scheduled departure time of the first train of the day had been and gone, I, on behalf of the 20+ people waiting, called National Rail Enquiries from my phone to learn of the cancellation.

Twice reported this (no) Help (whatsoever) Point to staff at Bristol Temple Meads. Still, as of today, the 'Next Train' button does nothing and the 'Information' button just tells you to "Please wait" over and over again. This afternoon I had some time to spare so I thought I'd see how long one should wait. Pressed the 'Information' button and listened to "Please wait" repeated every few seconds for 25 minutes. Then I went home. I could still hear the Help Point saying "Please wait" as I left.

Next time I may well press the 'Emergency' button. See if that is actually connected to anything. Neither of the two other buttons appear to be.

[thetrout]

I'd be very tempted to try that emergency button BNM. For 3 reasons:

• It probably won't work. My understanding is the system is connected to a telephone line and the help point just dials a preprogrammed phone number dependant on the button you pressed
• Once you've established it's fully not working. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) would hopefully on being given this information fix it very quickly. Imagine what would happen if there was an Emergency and something unthinkable happened whilst someone was trying to seek help from the help point?
• You know for your own piece of mind if it can be trusted god forbid you ever have to hit that button!

The Emergency Button connects you to the 112/999 Call Centre. I've had the unfortunate pleasure of having to use it in a genuine Emergency... (Trespassers on the Track at Clifton Down)

If you did get through to the control room (which I doubt). I'd personally be honest and say why you tried it based on previous non working states. Whilst the operator may take a dim view to this. It is better to be safe than sorry and the operator may make a note that the help point is proving ironically unhelpful.

Or there is also plead ignorance and pressed the wrong button...

[JayMac]

Today, I complained again at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) about the (no) Help (whatsoever) Point at Shirehampton Station.

There's been progress, of sorts. When you press the 'Next Train' button you get a bit more than just, "Please wait... please wait... please wait..." ad infinitum.

Now you get a dial tone, the green LED flashing to show it's connecting, sound of a connection being made, with the green light changing to a steady state. Then... nothing. Followed a few seconds later by a disconnect.

I'm hoping that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) might replace this Help Point (again!) with one of the alternate style with a screen. There'll be two going spare soon as I noted today that Clifton Down is having overhead scrolling displays fitted to both platforms. It's too much to hope that Shirehampton will get one of these much more fit for purpose overhead jobbies. 

On a more positive note, one of the platform planters at Shirehampton, made from old railway sleepers, has been repaired some three years after part of it was set alight. Not though with a replacement aged sleeper, but a substantial piece of fresh timber. Hopefully it'll weather to match the others. Looks a bit incongruous at the moment. Sad to see though that a couple of large pieces of the old damaged sleeper have been dumped in the cess rather than taken away. I hope that wasn't a deliberate bit of littering on the part of those who repaired the planter.

[Brucey]

There'll be two going spare soon as I noted today that Clifton Down is having overhead scrolling displays fitted to both platforms.

Hooray, about time.  This is what should've been fitted all along.  Much easier to read and less likely to be stolen.

On a related note, whatever happened to the parking meter style TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Clifton, Redland and Montpelier?  Were they ever replaced?  And do they ever get used?  I've lost track since moving here, there and everywhere after leaving Bristol.

[JayMac]

Still in situ. Either trashed (CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station)) or non-working (RDA^▸ (Regional Development Agency)).

Redland does have a refreshment stand on week day mornings though. Coffee machine and other bits on a tricycle! Seems to be doing a good trade every time I pass through. I'm told that the lady running it has even started taking telephone orders from the train staff to save them having to use the outlets at Bristol Temple Meads during sometimes very short turnarounds.

http://thecoffeetrike.co.uk/about/

[Chris from Nailsea]

Still in situ. Either trashed (CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station)) ...

I am not trashed! 



Oh: I see what you meant.