(19 Jun 2015, 6:24 pm)aureolin wrote http://www.comeonengland.org/2015/06/19/shocking-video-of-bus-driver-choking-woman-who-fil/

(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.

(11 Aug 2015, 6:53 pm)citaro5284 wrote http://www.simplygo.com/travelshops/

(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!

(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?

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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? 

(07 Sep 2015, 9:04 pm)northern156 wrote In the absence of the 'Like' button...


'Like'

(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.

(26 Nov 2015, 3:56 pm)BusLoverMum wrote How were you conned?

(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.

(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

(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.

(23 Dec 2016, 7:27 pm)Andreos1 wrote Aye, stick it on if you could and just redact the names or any reference numbers.

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

(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.

(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.

(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.

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.

(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?