Well, the Sunderland bound service 8, that has just passed through Rickleton at 1734, has just provided a cracking example of customer service.
Obviously in a bit of a hurry, being 10 mins late and all, the bus has went straight past a couple of lasses with their hand out. Although we did come to a stop towards the end of the bus link, we sharply moved off after about 5 seconds, and without them. I guess the drivers expectation was they'd sprint towards the bus...
Last time I sent one of these in, I was told I couldn't make a complaint about it, because it didn't affect me. Hence a post instead.
Could somebody please provide the opening and closing times for the travel shops at both Chester-le-Street and Washington (or just the one set if they're both the same) please. Just need to sort something and since we don't have a proper travel shop at Stanley or Consett, one of those 2 would be best. You won't need to go to the trouble of the Saturday times (think they both close at 14:00 anyway) and i know they're closed on Sundays. Just a bit iffy on Wednesdays as some shops are open half day and with it being something i am not familiar with, i have my doubts. Thank you in advance.
(11 Aug 2015, 6:51 pm)S813 FVK wrote [ -> ]Could somebody please provide the opening and closing times for the travel shops at both Chester-le-Street and Washington (or just the one set if they're both the same) please. Just need to sort something and since we don't have a proper travel shop at Stanley or Consett, one of those 2 would be best. You won't need to go to the trouble of the Saturday times (think they both close at 14:00 anyway) and i know they're closed on Sundays. Just a bit iffy on Wednesdays as some shops are open half day and with it being something i am not familiar with, i have my doubts. Thank you in advance.
http://www.simplygo.com/travelshops/
If I remember and we get there, I'll check the one at the Galleries, tomorrow. Of course, you could always try ringing them.
Even Thornley has started having shops open on a Wednesday afternoon, mind. Racing into the 20th century
(11 Aug 2015, 6:54 pm)S813 FVK wrote [ -> ]Never even noticed that page before. There is a specsavers in Chester-le-Street, right?
Thanks!
Yep
I've always found the Chester times to be a bit bizarre!
By the way, does anybody remember the old Washington travel shop? Where you'd go in through the coaches waiting room, with the changing room style wooden benches round it?
(11 Aug 2015, 7:00 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I've always found the Chester times to be a bit bizarre!
By the way, does anybody remember the old Washington travel shop? Where you'd go in through the coaches waiting room, with the changing room style wooden benches round it?
Oh yep. They started making changes to the station about the time that I stopped going there regularly.
It's all lighter and brighter, now, but I miss the metal railings that forced people to queue in order. It's just a free for all when a bus turns up, now.
(11 Aug 2015, 7:14 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Oh yep. They started making changes to the station about the time that I stopped going there regularly.
It's all lighter and brighter, now, but I miss the metal railings that forced people to queue in order. It's just a free for all when a bus turns up, now.
It certainly is. I loved our leaky shed!
I even remember the old PTE board at the bottom end (towards ASDA). It remained long after deregulation, hence it being in my memory.
It's great how a multi-national company like Arriva can get away with not advising people that a major road has been closed and buses can't serve x, y and z.
Yet, when I write to them to advise them about a road being closed and how they never wrote anything about it, they reply that the road has reopened and buses are using that road as per usual. When it wasn't. The road is still closed (as of half an hour ago), with police still present while buses are being diverted.
As written in the Arriva Sapphire customer charter; We’ve set ourselves a punctuality target, to ensure a minimum of 95% of scheduled journeys will run no more than five minutes late or one minute early. Where we have to change the service because of roadworks or other factors (such as special events), we will advertise the fact as soon as possible on board and/or via our website, Facebook and Twitter pages (assuming we ourselves are given sufficient notice).
Also to note, as stated above, "Where we have to change the service because of roadworks or other factors", as some may have gathered a couple weeks ago, Ashington bus station was closed during demolition work, no sufficient notice to where the temporary bus stops would be, online or at the bus station, and just leaving passengers to assume where the bus would stop is good Sapphire customer service?
I find Arriva's customer service absolutely appalling.
Had an interesting one today, whilst on the GNE 20.
I boarded at Durham Bus Station, and a lad in front of me wanted a single to Sunderland Interchange. He was quoted £4.10, and questioned it as too expensive. Driver confirmed that was the fare, so he took his ticket. He then turned back to question it, as the ticket stated 'South Shields Market Place' on it.
Rather than take the time to explain simplified fares and the fare table to the customer, the driver decided to be rude and obnoxious instead, insisting that the customer can "take it or leave it", "if he has an issue wait till you get to Sunderland and complain to a supervisor", and "it's not my problem. the machine issues fares not me.".
As this argument went on for a good 2-3 minutes, and we were getting no where, I stepped in to explain the simplified fares, and that the ticket will actually print the furthest destination you can travel to within that fare bracket. The customer seemed to accept this and sat down.
I can't see why the driver would take the approach he did, given that he only had to produce the fare table that the service is legally required to carry and produce on request.
Baffling, and hardly a great example to set to that customer, and the queue of customers behind.
(07 Sep 2015, 6:10 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Had an interesting one today, whilst on the GNE 20.
I boarded at Durham Bus Station, and a lad in front of me wanted a single to Sunderland Interchange. He was quoted £4.10, and questioned it as too expensive. Driver confirmed that was the fare, so he took his ticket. He then turned back to question it, as the ticket stated 'South Shields Market Place' on it.
Rather than take the time to explain simplified fares and the fare table to the customer, the driver decided to be rude and obnoxious instead, insisting that the customer can "take it or leave it", "if he has an issue wait till you get to Sunderland and complain to a supervisor", and "it's not my problem. the machine issues fares not me.".
As this argument went on for a good 2-3 minutes, and we were getting no where, I stepped in to explain the simplified fares, and that the ticket will actually print the furthest destination you can travel to within that fare bracket. The customer seemed to accept this and sat down.
I can't see why the driver would take the approach he did, given that he only had to produce the fare table that the service is legally required to carry and produce on request.
Baffling, and hardly a great example to set to that customer, and the queue of customers behind.
It wasn't me
(07 Sep 2015, 6:10 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Had an interesting one today, whilst on the GNE 20.
I boarded at Durham Bus Station, and a lad in front of me wanted a single to Sunderland Interchange. He was quoted £4.10, and questioned it as too expensive. Driver confirmed that was the fare, so he took his ticket. He then turned back to question it, as the ticket stated 'South Shields Market Place' on it.
Rather than take the time to explain simplified fares and the fare table to the customer, the driver decided to be rude and obnoxious instead, insisting that the customer can "take it or leave it", "if he has an issue wait till you get to Sunderland and complain to a supervisor", and "it's not my problem. the machine issues fares not me.".
As this argument went on for a good 2-3 minutes, and we were getting no where, I stepped in to explain the simplified fares, and that the ticket will actually print the furthest destination you can travel to within that fare bracket. The customer seemed to accept this and sat down.
I can't see why the driver would take the approach he did, given that he only had to produce the fare table that the service is legally required to carry and produce on request.
Baffling, and hardly a great example to set to that customer, and the queue of customers behind.
Thanks for providing all of these details, but my real question is, was it a branded vehicle on the 20 or not?
(07 Sep 2015, 8:01 pm)R852 PRG wrote [ -> ]Thanks for providing all of these details, but my real question is, was it a branded vehicle on the 20 or not?
In the absence of the 'Like' button...
'Like'
(07 Sep 2015, 9:04 pm)northern156 wrote [ -> ]In the absence of the 'Like' button...
'Like'
Aye...I miss that LIKE button
I received a reply from Customer Services about a week back, it landed in my spam folder and forgot to put it in my folders.
Basically it was about being conned at Ashington bus station and the 0930 X22 not turning up.
I was told that there is no CCTV facing towards the shelter (Stand A, go and look for yourself to see if theres CCTV pointing towards the stand from a lamppost...!) so they couldn't have recorded it. It wasn't an Arriva matter, despit it being an Arriva bus station and how I should contact the police "if its serious enough".
So, nothing to prevent a similar incident, as it is not an Arriva matter.
The 0930 X22 experienced difficulties of some sort and regretfully missed the bus station. As I used the X20 (non Sapphire service), I don't qualify for a no-quibble money back voucher either.
Exactly the response I expected, rather unhelpful and no apology.
(26 Nov 2015, 3:32 pm)GX03 SVC wrote [ -> ]I received a reply from Customer Services about a week back, it landed in my spam folder and forgot to put it in my folders.
Basically it was about being conned at Ashington bus station and the 0930 X22 not turning up.
I was told that there is no CCTV facing towards the shelter (Stand A, go and look for yourself to see if theres CCTV pointing towards the stand from a lamppost...!) so they couldn't have recorded it. It wasn't an Arriva matter, despit it being an Arriva bus station and how I should contact the police "if its serious enough".
So, nothing to prevent a similar incident, as it is not an Arriva matter.
The 0930 X22 experienced difficulties of some sort and regretfully missed the bus station. As I used the X20 (non Sapphire service), I don't qualify for a no-quibble money back voucher either.
Exactly the response I expected, rather unhelpful and no apology.
How were you conned?
(26 Nov 2015, 3:56 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]How were you conned?
I was waiting for the bus, then a rather scruffy looking middle-aged man approached me and asked for £1.20 so he could afford his fare. He then asked for 20p as he was short. He then went and approached a woman for a cigarette he then started asking personal questions (family, school, where I live etc) before walking off five minutes before the bus was due.
(26 Nov 2015, 4:01 pm)GX03 SVC wrote [ -> ]I was waiting for the bus, then a rather scruffy looking middle-aged man approached me and asked for £1.20 so he could afford his fare. He then asked for 20p as he was short. He then went and approached a woman for a cigarette he then started asking personal questions (family, school, where I live etc) before walking off five minutes before the bus was due.
Then that's definitely not an Arriva matter!
With all of these situations, if you're willing to hand over some change, you have to be willing to do so knowing that there is a likelihood that the person in question is a chancer. I'd not feel any guilt about saying sorry, but no, anyhow, since I can't think of anywhere in the region where £1.20 buys you a bus ticket that isn't walkable by anyone reasonably able bodied
(26 Nov 2015, 4:09 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Then that's definitely not an Arriva matter!
With all of these situations, if you're willing to hand over some change, you have to be willing to do so knowing that there is a likelihood that the person in question is a chancer. I'd not feel any guilt about saying sorry, but no, anyhow, since I can't think of anywhere in the region where £1.20 buys you a bus ticket that isn't walkable by anyone reasonably able bodied
£1.20 would get you from Ashington bus station to the other end of Rotary Parkway. Hardly Kilimanjaro. I made that complaint informing them of the situation, he was sat in Stand B (X21) when I arrived talking to a woman in there. God knows how many people he's conned, as it's falling on deaf ears. He also tried selling me a watch "that didn't fit", but it obviously did.
GNE and Arriva should take a note of Stagecoach customer services - their customer service is absolutely great.
It's very rare I complain about bus drivers, however I did as last Friday the bus driver on the 22 refused to let me off the bus even though I had pressed the bell (I told him and got absoulutely no response which is also really bad as I know they might miss stops but to ignore me is the main reason I complaint) and continued up to Willington Square where he eventually stopped. So I sent an email to Stagecoach and got a reply back within 2 hours by their main customer service team, and then today I got a follow up email by the Walkergate duty manager letting me know what was happening. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I could put the response in here if anyone wanted to see it without names etc.
(23 Dec 2016, 5:49 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]GNE and Arriva should take a note of Stagecoach customer services - their customer service is absolutely great.
It's very rare I complain about bus drivers, however I did as last Friday the bus driver on the 22 refused to let me off the bus even though I had pressed the bell (I told him and got absoulutely no response which is also really bad as I know they might miss stops but to ignore me is the main reason I complaint) and continued up to Willington Square where he eventually stopped. So I sent an email to Stagecoach and got a reply back within 2 hours by their main customer service team, and then today I got a follow up email by the Walkergate duty manager letting me know what was happening. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I could put the response in here if anyone wanted to see it without names etc.
Aye, stick it on if you could and just redact the names or any reference numbers.
(23 Dec 2016, 7:27 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Aye, stick it on if you could and just redact the names or any reference numbers.
Sorry it wouldn't let me copy and paste it on my phone
I write following receipt of your complaint regarding our service 22 driver who failed to allow you to alight on the evening of Friday 16th December 2016. First and foremost I am extremely sorry that you have had a negative experience with one of our services, and I am very concerned to hear of the incident you have described.
At Stagecoach we invest a great deal of time and resources into providing comprehensive training for all of our employees. This training covers all aspects of the drivers’ role, but has a particular emphasis on driving standards and customer care. All of our drivers are aware that the fundamental role of a bus driver is to stop at designated bus stops and allow passengers to alight, so long as it is safe to do so. We regularly impress upon our drivers the crucial need to conduct a thorough final check before committing to departing or passing stops. Any report that a driver has failed to allow travel to allow a passenger to alight without good reason is fully investigated and treated very seriously.
I have launched an investigation into this incident, which will involve viewing the CCTV from the bus in question, and I will also arranged an interview with the driver concerned. At this interview I will be discussing this incident, and I will be taking the appropriate action in line with our company procedures to ensure that it is not repeated in the future.
Once again on behalf of Stagecoach in Newcastle I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for any distress or inconvenience that this incident has caused. I would also like to thank you for drawing this to my attention and enabling me to investigate and deal with this matter appropriately. I hope that this incident does not deter you from travelling with us again in the future.
Regards
vs. the Go North East response of they will pass it onto the depot.
Great response. They may not actually do anything but they create the appearance and attitude that they care about your business.
It's a really solid corporate response vs the GNE 'whatcha gonna do, aggressive response' . I actively avoid using any Go Ahead services where possible due to their woeful service.
I got the kinda same reponse from Stagecoach regarding the 18 in Sunderland... They were helpful and were interested in sorting the problem.
Even said they were update me on the progress.
(23 Dec 2016, 8:34 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Sorry it wouldn't let me copy and paste it on my phone
vs. the Go North East response of they will pass it onto the depot.
Cheers Tom.
I like it when someone appears to take responsibility and shows ownership of an issue. As opposed to a lack of empathy, passing the buck or shrugging their shoulders.
(23 Dec 2016, 10:23 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Great response. They may not actually do anything but they create the appearance and attitude that they care about your business.
It's a really solid corporate response vs the GNE 'whatcha gonna do, aggressive response' . I actively avoid using any Go Ahead services where possible due to their woeful service.
I disagree. That is pretty standard as far as responses go, and I'd be confident in the next customer getting a similar response. I do not like templates, and would much rather that someone phone me to discuss it.
Go North East and Arriva will give you a similar reply, changing the
section of their template.
A discussion regarding Customer Services has been absorbed into a discussion on another part of the board. Adrian moved these posts
here yesterday, for anyone who may have assumed they'd been deleted.
As I feel that that the two topics aren't related, I thought it best to reply in the thread we have set up to discuss dealings with Customer Services within this industry.
(08 Apr 2017, 9:01 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]I wonder if it gives an example or is symptomatic of the culture or attitudes shown by the organisation?
Staff using copyright images without consent, drivers breaking the law when driving a vehicle carrying passengers and staff failing to respond to correspondence about said driving...
Arrogance is a word that jumps to mind.
Andreos1 - may I ask how long it has been since you initially logged your complaint with Go North East?
Has the company failed to respond, or is there a possibility that the company is still investigating your complaint? The last time I submitted an e-mail of complaint to Go North East's Customer Services Department, I received an automated response, as follows:
Thank you for your e-mail to Go North East.
We aim to respond to enquiries by e-mail as soon as possible.
If you are reporting something that needs investigation, such as a specific complaint about a service or ticket, you will need to complete our online feedback form.
I noticed you made a post
here regarding generic e-mail acknowledgements. Whenever I send an e-mail to someone with their 'out of office' enabled, I receive an e-mail back almost immediately (and indeed if it's someone within my organisation, I can read their out of office whilst I am composing my e-mail!) Did this not happen for you?
When submitting e-mails of complaint to organisations, I do like to receive an automated e-mail response to confirm that the organisation has received the e-mail. I also like it when a member of staff from the company responds afterwards, confirming that the incident is being investigated, with some feedback from a member of staff at a later date after the complaint has been investigated.
You say yourself that it was a 'serious complaint' - presumably one which would require investigation. CCTV would have to be downloaded, the bus' telematics system data would have to be analysed... Did you fill out the feedback form provided in the link on the automated e-mail response?
(09 Apr 2017, 7:09 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]A discussion regarding Customer Services has been absorbed into a discussion on another part of the board. Adrian moved these posts here yesterday, for anyone who may have assumed they'd been deleted.
As I feel that that the two topics aren't related, I thought it best to reply in the thread we have set up to discuss dealings with Customer Services within this industry.
Andreos1 - may I ask how long it has been since you initially logged your complaint with Go North East?
Has the company failed to respond, or is there a possibility that the company is still investigating your complaint? The last time I submitted an e-mail of complaint to Go North East's Customer Services Department, I received an automated response, as follows:
I noticed you made a post here regarding generic e-mail acknowledgements. Whenever I send an e-mail to someone with their 'out of office' enabled, I receive an e-mail back almost immediately (and indeed if it's someone within my organisation, I can read their out of office whilst I am composing my e-mail!) Did this not happen for you?
When submitting e-mails of complaint to organisations, I do like to receive an automated e-mail response to confirm that the organisation has received the e-mail. I also like it when a member of staff from the company responds afterwards, confirming that the incident is being investigated, with some feedback from a member of staff at a later date after the complaint has been investigated.
You say yourself that it was a 'serious complaint' - presumably one which would require investigation. CCTV would have to be downloaded, the bus' telematics system data would have to be analysed... Did you fill out the feedback form provided in the link on the automated e-mail response?
You touched on a point yesterday about my line of work. Without going in to the nitty gritty, I work with a number of organisations (some at a pretty high level) and do a range of things within them.
As an example, I could work with a firm and develop their customer service strategy. Working on an existing process and improving it as we see fit. Obviously we would look at case studies, models, theory, statistical evidence and anything else relevant, before completing the process.
One important factor with customer service is communication. There is also a need for transparency.
As an example, a personal issue with an organisation has just been resolved. It took an awfully long time, but we got there once the organisation identified there had been a lack of ownership, lack of communication and lack of transparency.
Once that person took ownership of the dispute, there was a modal change in something that had dragged on for far longer than it should have done. A telephone call to introduce himself, was followed by regular telephone updates (he had asked me if I wanted these updates and if so, by what method) and then a final summary, before confirming the outcome in writing. There was a formal apology and an offer of financial recompense.
I’m not saying that the operator in this case should go to those extremes (there has been no material loss in this example – mainly down to luck!), but the behaviour by the organisation above, was in my opinion exemplary towards the end of the process.
What we have here, is an operator clearly complicating the process (by asking for the same information via survey monkey, despite already having it), a total lack of ownership, absolutely no communication and no transparency at all. Despite it being 11 days since the initial communication was started by myself.
I know data and cctv will need checking. I know the driver (and any witnesses) may need to be spoken to. Unfortunately, I don't have that knowledge because the operator provided me with it.