Modern customer service - rant.

[KennyN]

Long story short :

Wife was due into hospital last month for a major operation , we had a five day break pre-planned for the week before to visit our daughter in London. Her consultant said to go as the break would do her good but try and observe distancing where possible , which we did by avoiding crowded places and public transport , so this time all "attractions" were outside and all travel was done via taxi.

Train journey back home with Avanti was a nightmare as there was zero distancing on the train due to overcrowding and less than half the occupants were wearing masks , both the correct "distancing" and mask wearing for the entire journey were policies that Avanti were very specific about enforcing when we booked the journey.

Wrote a complaint e-mail whilst on the train , waited 28 days for a reply. Which basically told me that Avanti cannot enforce the mask wearing and i should have contacted British Transport Police - nothing about them selling too many tickets which caused the overcrowding issue in the first place and they now consider the matter closed.

When we got off the train we headed straight for the Avanti booking office and explained (calmly) what we had experienced and the reason we were so annoyed , we were told by the manager that he would look into the complaint directly and get back to us ASAP but we are still waiting almost a month later.

Tried calling their "customer services" last week and waited 2h 20mins for someone to pick up the phone and after explaining our grievance we were given the standard concerned "lip service" reply.

Why is it that certain organisations now make it virtually impossible to speak to anyone directly and seem to think that "customer service" is just palming the customer off until they get fed up and give up trying.

Monday rant over.

K

 

[st13phil]

Hope your wife's surgery went well and that she's fully recovered or at least is well on the road to full recovery.

Bearing in mind the impending medical procedure, I understand the stress you would have experienced on the train journey and also your frustration with the lack of response from the train operator. I also appreciate that your post was a rant (or "venting" as our cousins across the Atlantic would say).

However, in purely practical terms what exactly could the train operator do now, after the event, to put matters right?

I remember a friend of mine who was Dealer Principal covering a large southern England group of dealerships saying that in at least 90% of the customer complaints that reached him, when he asked the complainant "What can I do to put matters right for you? What would you accept as an equitable resolution?", the reaction was of utter confusion because they hadn't given that question a moment's thought.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I can’t offer any advice or views on your rant Kenny but wishing Mrs K all the best and fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

 

[KennyN]

Hope your wife's surgery went well and that she's fully recovered or at least is well on the road to full recovery.

However, in purely practical terms what exactly could the train operator do now, after the event, to put matters right?

Surgery went according to plan , radium and possibly chemo to follow depending on further biopsy results that we should get next week.

The matter can not now be put right , the time for that was on the day by Avanti not overbooking the train. Minimum that should be done is that we should be financially reimbursed for our return journey , which we would give to Cancer Research anyway , and to be treated like paying customers and not just "fobbed" off as another moaning member of the public looking for a "freebie"

Without making our situation a bit "Hollywood" , my wife was absolutely terrified for the entire 4h 45m of the trip and was starting to panic with the situation we had been put in through no fault of our own and to just be given "lip service" and fobbed off tends to get the hackles up , just a tad.

Once again it seems that profit takes precedence over policy (C19) , just wonder how an Avanti employee would feel if they were placed in our unfortunate situation.

K

 

[st13phil]

Surgery went according to plan , radium and possibly chemo to follow depending on further biopsy results that we should get next week.

Very pleased to hear that the surgery went to plan. Fingers' crossed for positive biopsy results.

Without making our situation a bit "Hollywood" , my wife was absolutely terrified for the entire 4h 45m of the trip and was starting to panic with the situation we had been put in through no fault of our own

I can completely understand that, and it wasn't reasonable to be put in that position. However, on a more positive note neither you nor your wife became infected with anything that jeopardised her surgery.

The matter can not now be put right , the time for that was on the day by Avanti not overbooking the train. Minimum that should be done is that we should be financially reimbursed for our return journey , which we would give to Cancer Research anyway

Perhaps a direct request for them to make a donation of the fares paid to CR on your behalf would see the matter closed?

 

[KennyN]

Perhaps a direct request for them to make a donation of the fares paid to CR on your behalf would see the matter closed?

The matter is now closed , according to Avanti's e-mail , any further correspondence from me i fear will be consigned to the recycle bin and I am not prepared to sit on the phone for 2h plus just to be given yet more "lip service" as we have too many other important things to be getting on with at present.

K

 

[Skd884]

Long story short :

Wife was due into hospital last month for a major operation , we had a five day break pre-planned for the week before to visit our daughter in London. Her consultant said to go as the break would do her good but try and observe distancing where possible , which we did by avoiding crowded places and public transport , so this time all "attractions" were outside and all travel was done via taxi.

Train journey back home with Avanti was a nightmare as there was zero distancing on the train due to overcrowding and less than half the occupants were wearing masks , both the correct "distancing" and mask wearing for the entire journey were policies that Avanti were very specific about enforcing when we booked the journey.

Wrote a complaint e-mail whilst on the train , waited 28 days for a reply. Which basically told me that Avanti cannot enforce the mask wearing and i should have contacted British Transport Police - nothing about them selling too many tickets which caused the overcrowding issue in the first place and they now consider the matter closed.

When we got off the train we headed straight for the Avanti booking office and explained (calmly) what we had experienced and the reason we were so annoyed , we were told by the manager that he would look into the complaint directly and get back to us ASAP but we are still waiting almost a month later.

Tried calling their "customer services" last week and waited 2h 20mins for someone to pick up the phone and after explaining our grievance we were given the standard concerned "lip service" reply.

Why is it that certain organisations now make it virtually impossible to speak to anyone directly and seem to think that "customer service" is just palming the customer off until they get fed up and give up trying.

Monday rant over.

K

Have you both had a jab ?

If yes dont worry too much.

 

[Darrell]

I wouldn’t have gone. Trains for me are a no no.

We flew to Parga yesterday with 76 passengers on a 737!!

 

[Big Janner]

Have you both had a jab ?

If yes dont worry too much.

DO worry
Covid is a bastard and, if your wife is suffering with cancer, as mine is, you NEED to worry about it
Even double jabbed, with her weakened system, she could be in big, big trouble.

I've had both jabs
Still ended up in hospital, on the covid ward for a week
On oxygen and a new drug designed to kill the covid beast
Plus blood thinners cos the beast killer can cause blood clots
Now, thankfully, recovering at home . . . .slow but steady

My lungs are still not right, but, on the positive side, I could manage a 20yd sprint.

 

[Skd884]

DO worry
Covid is a bastard and, if your wife is suffering with cancer, as mine is, you NEED to worry about it
Even double jabbed, with her weakened system, she could be in big, big trouble.

I've had both jabs
Still ended up in hospital, on the covid ward for a week
On oxygen and a new drug designed to kill the covid beast
Plus blood thinners cos the beast killer can cause blood clots
Now, thankfully, recovering at home . . . .slow but steady

My lungs are still not right, but, on the positive side, I could manage a 20yd sprint.

Name of drug and manufacturer ?

Thanks

 

[bob6600]

Glad the surgery went ok mate, hope Mrs KennyN gets good results.

I'm not too sure why they said you should have contacted the transport police, as the law doesn't make it compulsory to wear masks or social distance, I can't see what they can actually do?

I think Avanti have put these words in their policies (or they may not have been updated) to gain customers where in reality they will not do anything to police it.

 

[Darrell]

Glad the surgery went ok mate, hope Mrs KennyN gets good results.

I'm not too sure why they said you should have contacted the transport police, as the law doesn't make it compulsory to wear masks or social distance, I can't see what they can actually do?

I think Avanti have put these words in their policies (or they may not have been updated) to gain customers where in reality they will not do anything to police it.

Spot on.

 

[st13phil]

We flew to Parga yesterday with 76 passengers on a 737!!

A mate's son & his US girlfriend flew from the USA to the UK in July on an A330. Including them, there were 5 passengers on the flight

Didn't stop the cabin crew reminding them that they must wear masks at all times unless eating or drinking though

 

[Darrell]

Didn't stop the cabin crew reminding them that they must wear masks at all times unless eating or drinking though

Same.

And they said that we can all sit where we want but if anyone sat in the extra legroom seats it’d cost 40 notes!!

 

[KennyN]

I'm not too sure why they said you should have contacted the transport police, as the law doesn't make it compulsory to wear masks or social distance, I can't see what they can actually do?

I think Avanti have put these words in their policies (or they may not have been updated) to gain customers where in reality they will not do anything to police it.

There were "compulsory" mask wearing signs on the train , their website states the same along with social distancing to be observed none of which were or could be enforced due to the volume of passengers.

There was an announcement just after departure (possibly to scare anti maskers) that there were plain clothed BTP on the train check for non-exempt travellers not wearing a mask and issuing fines accordingly which was a load of B/S as the only person that came through our carriage was the chap collecting rubbish three hours into the journey.

From their correspondence :

When it comes to face coverings, we’ve been very clear about these being mandatory when travelling with us, from the moment the government’s policy was in place.

These policies have been put in place by the government rather than by Avanti West Coast specifically, but all train operating companies in the UK are following these rules as set out by the Department for Transport.

What that does mean, however, is that it's for the British Transport Police to enforce these policies, rather than any individual members of our team. The BTP are actively patrolling the rail network and do have the power to issue fines if face coverings are not worn, excluding those who are exempt.

Regarding customers exempt from wearing face coverings, I hope you can understand that not all disabilities and medical conditions are visible. This can be a challenge both for our team and fellow customers, but we do have to have a level of trust and leave further enforcement to the BTP.

For future reference, if you see other customers who are not following the covid guidelines. You can text the British Transport Police on their 61016 number.

K

 

[Darrell]

There were "compulsory" mask wearing signs on the train , their website states the same along with social distancing to be observed none of which were or could be enforced due to the volume of passengers.

There was an announcement just after departure (possibly to scare anti maskers) that there were plain clothed BTP on the train check for non-exempt travellers not wearing a mask and issuing fines accordingly which was a load of B/S as the only person that came through our carriage was the chap collecting rubbish three hours into the journey.

From their correspondence :

When it comes to face coverings, we’ve been very clear about these being mandatory when travelling with us, from the moment the government’s policy was in place.

These policies have been put in place by the government rather than by Avanti West Coast specifically, but all train operating companies in the UK are following these rules as set out by the Department for Transport.

What that does mean, however, is that it's for the British Transport Police to enforce these policies, rather than any individual members of our team. The BTP are actively patrolling the rail network and do have the power to issue fines if face coverings are not worn, excluding those who are exempt.

Regarding customers exempt from wearing face coverings, I hope you can understand that not all disabilities and medical conditions are visible. This can be a challenge both for our team and fellow customers, but we do have to have a level of trust and leave further enforcement to the BTP.

For future reference, if you see other customers who are not following the covid guidelines. You can text the British Transport Police on their 61016 number.

K

But is it law or policy?

 

[KennyN]

But is it law or policy?

At time of travel , According the Public Health England it seemed to be against the law not to wear a face coverings in certain situations / area unless exempt - obviously.

Without the thread heading off at a tangent , Avanti overbooked the train / Avanti did not attempt to enforce their policies nor government rules / Avanti customer service is absolutely woeful and clearly not up to the intended job.

If the train wasn`t overbooked then the social distancing would have made the selfish non mask wearers less of an issue , but when you cant actually distance then it becomes more of a consideration for some.

K

 

[Darrell]

At time of travel , According the Public Health England it seemed to be against the law not to wear a face coverings in certain situations / area unless exempt - obviously.

Without the thread heading off at a tangent , Avanti overbooked the train / Avanti did not attempt to enforce their policies nor government rules / Avanti customer service is absolutely woeful and clearly not up to the intended job.

If the train wasn`t overbooked then the social distancing would have made the selfish non mask wearers less of an issue , but when you cant actually distance then it becomes more of a consideration for some.

K

So is it law? Yes or no?

 

[KennyN]

So is it law? Yes or no?

Far from being a legal eagle, from what i can read here it was an offence not to wear a mask in certain situations and proceedings may be brought by the CPS if required , so could that be done if it wasn`t a law - i dont know.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place) (England) Regulations 2020 (revoked)

These Regulations require members of the public to wear face coverings whilst inside a relevant place specified in the Regulations in England to protect against the risks to public health arising from coronavirus, except in certain limited cases.

www.legislation.gov.uk

Not to fussed about the mask wearing legalities as they are history now , more concerned that my wife was put in a situation that was outwith our control , on the day , a situation that shouldn`t have happened if Avanti had followed their own guidelines.

Anyway ,the bottom line is that this thread was started about poor customer service / over booked trains to maximise profit / companies not attempting to enforcing their own rules and nothing else .

Cheers - K

 

[Big Janner]

Name of drug and manufacturer ?

Thanks

You know what?
Initially, I didn't ask . . . . Strangely
As I had a throat so bad talking was utterly painful, if the consultant had offered me cobra blood, I'd have taken it
I DID ask, after the first couple of days, was told and then went to sleep and forgot.

On day 4, the news from home got plain catastrophic and all I did was make sure I was out ASAP, which was day 7.