Grumpy Git
On Moderation
How do you propose they are told?
Based on what a passenger said of a recent experience upthread (this week), they were in the Euston Lounge for ages before they were called to the platform.
How do you propose they are told?
How do you propose they are told?
You would be well advised to do so, leave nothing to chance! Heck, if you brought excess you could do a roaring tradeI personally will stock up well on snacks when it comes to my trip later next month. I guess no chance of the club car opening be then?
Another is that most people will have booked online and so they have contact details, which means e-mails or phone calls would be possible.
I could try and turn a profit and then teach serco how to do soYou would be well advised to do so, leave nothing to chance! Heck, if you brought excess you could do a roaring trade
This was a minor destination, I doubt there were many Easyjet on the ground.It is a question of scale though isn't it. Easyjet is much more able to do what you suggest What is the turnover of Easyjet relative to Caledonian Sleeper?
Do you really think someone could go to Sainsburys at Euston and buy random goods for resale or distribution on the train?
How do you propose they are told?
Yes, indeed I have had similar emails in the past - there does seem to be a disconnect between this kind of advance communication and issues closer to departure time.Two days before departure I received a nauseatingly fluffy marketing email entitled 'Are you as excited as we are to welcome you onboard Caledonian Sleeper'. This email had no purpose, other than what is known as a nurture campaign in marketing speak. If they can email me for this, why can't they email me to say I will have no dinner unless I get it myself?
It is a question of scale though isn't it. Easyjet is much more able to do what you suggest What is the turnover of Easyjet relative to Caledonian Sleeper?
Do you really think someone could go to Sainsburys at Euston and buy random goods for resale or distribution on the train?
How do you propose they are told?
I can only assume that up until that point there were staff frantically trying to resolve the problem, and I've seen them go to lengths such as emptying the shelves of supermarkets in Inverness and Fort William when supplies have been disrupted.
Yes, indeed I have had similar emails in the past - there does seem to be a disconnect between this kind of advance communication and issues closer to departure time.
Customers, pah, they're all a total PITA.
I'd be very surprised if the marketing emails weren't being sent by an outsourced marketing company. They'll be provided a list of names, email addresses and a travel date, that's about it.Yes, indeed I have had similar emails in the past - there does seem to be a disconnect between this kind of advance communication and issues closer to departure time.
One is to put it in the notes field on the PIS, which is how it'd tend to be done when the shop won't open on a Pendolino, say.
Very unlikely, I feel, especially in the light of the continuing staffing issues and the fact that social distancing/masks may still be required on public transport under Scottish regulations (which means that opening the lounge car will still be difficult). Perhaps it isn’t a bad idea to bring your own supplies and/or have dinner before boarding and breakfast after disembarking?I personally will stock up well on snacks when it comes to my trip later next month. I guess no chance of the club car opening be then?
If they haven't then I assume you believe they shouldn't have an opinion on it?
There are countless reports on this forum of how poor the service has been, there are countless reports elsewhere which say exactly the same. Much of it was pre-Covid as well, there's no hiding behind that. They can't all be incorrect.
Merging it back into ScotRail would allow for considerable cost savings,
Depends on how they do it. If it's run as a separate sub-brand and the only consolidation is back-end and marketing then it could work.It really wouldn’t. Maybe low single digit % of the cost base, at the cost of a loss of focus on what is a niche operation (and many here are suggesting there is insufficient focus as it is).
Depends on how they do it. If it's run as a separate sub-brand and the only consolidation is back-end and marketing then it could work.
I agree. I travelled on the Lowlander in the first couple of weeks after the new stock was introduced. The water in the shower wasn't hot, but everything else was fine. The lounge car host was friendly if a little harrassed "I feel like all I do is apologise to people" and the eggs roayale I had for breakfast was delicious, nicely presented and perfectly cooked. I didn't sleep very well but I never do on trains or boats.I think it is unwise to judge without taking a balanced view of all reports.
There are also many reports of good service. Including my own (twice - everything worked, all service delivered exactly as advertised and requested). Equally, they can’t all be wrong. And it is fair to say that you will always hear more noise about bad experiences than good.
There’s no doubt CS are having some issues, and this is not to excuse them from those. But it clearly isn’t universally bad.
You are drawn to the correct conclusion!This really is not CS’ finest hour. I think that a combination of the overtime ban and staff self-isolation has hit them hard. I am drawn increasingly to the conclusion that management don’t seem to care much at the moment.
You are drawn to the correct conclusion!
The total disregard for Guests and Staff in recent weeks has been appalling.
And why are they still your supplier??So, supplier issues with pre-prepared food.
When do they know there's an issue?
Just before departure? 10 minutes before? 1 hour before? When???
Seriously, how bad is this supplier?
A decent organisation would have someone on site with a company credit card and the authority to go to the nearest 24hr shop and load up.
They do indeed work bloody hard!In their defence, and I know this from experience, the management team work bloody hard and have often gone to extraordinary lengths to keep things going. I suspect a lot of this is out of their control at the moment, for one reason or another.
Exactly, even an old Nokia will receive a text message and I'd be astounded if anyone making a telephone booking wasn't asked for their mobile number.
There really are NO EXCUSES.
A cynic might suggest that they don’t want to give people time to cancel
I’m imagining a line of Deliveroo bikes rolling into Euston looking for the sleeper!I can't imagine many would cancel. They'd just appreciate an hour or so's notice to go to a shop and buy stuff. (If this is the Lowlander very little is open in/near Euston at that time, though there is a 24 hour convenience store by the Travelodge outside it's just a beer-crisps-and-pop type place).
Think it would be a bit more than that, staff pools could be utilised better, some on board staff could be trained on day and night services reducing spare coverage needed, possibly the same for drivers, though tat depends if contracted, also things like HR and training could be merged.Savings would then be in fractions of 1%. You would still have the same marketing spend for the same product (presumably), and there really isn’t much ‘back end’ to the CS operation (ie HR, Finance etc).
Nobody is likely to cancel their journey just because there's no catering. They are going to be travelling for a reason - be it a holiday, meetings or visiting friends/family - those aren't going to go away just because there's no hot dinner on the train.A cynic might suggest that they don’t want to give people time to cancel.