My rant about train companies cashing in during poor weather
By Lois_Avery | Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 15:35
I was on a train on Monday from Bristol to Chippenham when a member of First Great Western's staff announced that passengers using the wrong train would be charged penalty fares.
This is all well and good. I agree that if you've bought an advance ticket you should use that train alone - in ordinary circumstances.
What made me extremely angry was that the snow had delayed trains for hours, (I waited an hour and a half) some were cancelled, yet passengers were still going to be held to ransom over an advanced booking.
So, if a passenger was booked on to a 1.30pm train but they saw that it was delayed by an hour and a half they weren't allowed to jump on the next available train (even if it came at 1.30pm) because it wasn't their specified train!
Not only did First Great Western fail to provide a service throughout the day, they then thought it was acceptable to allow a self-righteous member of staff the privilege of reminding passengers of the rules.
In my opinion, exceptional circumstances should be followed with relaxed rules. If you book a train but it's an hour or so late then chances are it will scupper all of your other plans, so why not be allowed to jump on the next train even though it's not 'yours'.
It was made worse by the fact that the train wasn't full, there were plenty of seats and no one even bothered to follow up the warning by coming to actually check tickets.
I had an open ticket so this didn't directly affect me. I just thought it was an interesting example of our rail network's shoddy service and poor customer service.
Did you have problems on the trains this week? Let us know how you got on.
Comments
First are very much aware of some of the issues, but are constrained to a degree by what the government lets them do. I'm not an apologist for them - I actually set up a campaigning web site that now has nearly 1000 members where we dish out accolades and brickbats - search for "first great western passenger forum" to find us.
By Well House Consultants at 08:39 on 05/02/11
ReportUnfortunately I commute to London regularly , and am often a victim of FGW, in eight journeys where I commute on a wednesday i failed to reach London three times at all on a £140.00 open return ticket. The remaining times I was late except for one occasion, FGW cannot run a train on the same route , at the same time every day , its unbelievably poor , and they constantly get away with it, they are the worst company in the world. The trains are knackered , dirty, and the staff regularly rude, unhelpful, stroppy and in many cases downright ignorant. I cannot understand how it got to this, I travelled all over SE Asia last year , and trains in "developing "countries run on time, over journeys of 12 hours, with great service, meals , porters, and arrive exactly on time, FGW cant get from Bristol to London on time ever. Completely incompetent and need their franchise removed, I now conference call, VOIP, and go by car to LOndon as I am sick of being ripped off by this appalling shower.
By jonnyboy012 at 21:28 on 05/01/11
ReportActually FGW have been offering refunds and compensation during the snow - although other train operators aren't. They're letting Advance Purchase ticket hodlers (which can only normally be used on a specific train) use later services, and occassionally allowing off peak tickets to be used on peak trains where there is disruption. They're even letting customers whose flights are delayed - which is no fault of First Great Western's - use pre-booked tickets on other services.
By DRPChipp at 15:22 on 23/12/10
ReportI often use the train to and from Bath, when attending company functions. It's always FGW and it supposed to be a fifteen minute journey. I cant remember once, when I have used the train and it's ever been on time!
Last Thursday, I was an hour late getting into bath thanks to FGW, and on Friday AM the train was 30 mins late leaving bath, when it had only started at Bristol, thanks to another broken down FGW train.
They have to be the worst Train company I have ever experienced.
By mjhudston at 08:54 on 23/12/10
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