Complaint to SWT!

[Gizmogle]

Yeah, but if for some reason the guard wasn't there/available/whatever, the driver should do what he can to help if he isn't busy.

 

[devon_metro]

If there wasn't a guard the train couldn't run...

 

[Gizmogle]

Yeah, but there was no corridor on the train. So the guard was on the other side, meaning that the only person available to help was the driver.

 

[matt]

If there wasn't a guard the train couldn't run...

What about Driver Only Opearion (DOO)

 

[Lesjordans]

Reading the first post, i dont think you should complain, he could get into quite a bit of trouble, maybe he had a bad day or something, imagine it was you, you wouldnt want complained about would you?

 

[Gizmogle]

Nobody wants to be complained about. But if this guy isn't being helpful, then SWT need to be aware of that. If he acts like that all the time and people just think "Ah, maybe he just had a bad day" then he gets away with it.

 

[devon_metro]

What about Driver Only Opearion (DOO)

I was referring to SWT.

 

[16CSVT2700]

But if there wern't any other staff around then the driver is the only person you can contact...
Plus the driver wasn't doing anything, so he should help.

How exactly do you know he wasn't doing anything?
Drivers have a lot more things to worry about than a group of chavs ****ing about on the platform.

 

[Craig]

As GhostCav said the driver probably didn't want to open the door if he didn't know who it was. But at the same time the driver probably could have handled the situation better, rather that just saying go away.

Are 458s fitted with passenger intercoms?

 

[Gizmogle]

How exactly do you know he wasn't doing anything?
Drivers have a lot more things to worry about than a group of chavs ****ing about on the platform.

Okay, assuming the driver wasn't doing anything, he should have helped. At least have been polite about the situation.

 

[Sprog]

As i siad,

simplistic.

It could have gone a million ways.

Why are we arguing about it?

 

[Daniel]

Class 458 doors have a "spy hole" so he could have at least looked through to see if I looked threatening/whatever.

A bunch on chavs on the platform were not the only problem, Jamster, a bunch on chavs on the train were vandalizing it.

Gizmogle, thanks for trying to stick up for me - I couldn't contact the guard due to a lack of corridor connection, and you could say that myself trying to contact him would have been putting myself in danger, having to walk past a group of youths vandalizing the train.
Again, thanks for seeing my point of view, those that did, but I am getting increasingly fed up of people coming onto my MSN and telling me that I am "out of order" if I make a complaint.

So im not going to, despite my own judgment.

 

[Craig]

Again, thanks for seeing my point of view, those that did, but I am getting increasingly fed up of people coming onto my MSN and telling me that I am "out of order" if I make a complaint.

So im not going to, despite my own judgment.

It's probably still worth writing in, but if you re-write it so you're just sticking to the facts rather than telling them what the driver should have done then IMO you'd be more likely to get a response.

 

[asopu10]

Reading the first post, i dont think you should complain, he could get into quite a bit of trouble, maybe he had a bad day or something, imagine it was you, you wouldnt want complained about would you?

I think he ought to complain, the train has been designed/operated in a mannor that makes it difficult to contact a staff member, and meant the only avalible staff member was the train driver. This is a problem in itself, if theres an onboard emergency it would mean a gaurd couldn't get to the person if there in the front carrige. Secondly if it had been an emergency go away would be very unhelpful, a better response might have been to say use the alarm if its an emergency, and if the trains are fitted with intercoms this is a resonable request but if there not then you do need to speak to him and he should ask what the problem is. Ideally the whole problem would'nt have arrised since you would be able to contact a member of train crew (not the driver0) and they would be damaging the train in the first place! Oh and lose the first class comment, makes you sound snobby!

 

[Daniel]

Oh and lose the first class comment, makes you sound snobby!

Was feeling rather snobby at the time of writing, I had just paid over £100 for those tickets .

Anyway, as I said, im not gonna complain now!

I was told to write to them via post, and a complaint ticket has been given for this complaint, they're waiting for a postal complaint from me, but they shan't get one.

 

[AlexS]

A lot of drivers are grumpy arseholes in my experience, at least around here (not you, obviously GhostCav ). But then, they aren't paid to offer customer service either.

Regardless of all else, the thing you should really have done if it concerned you was call the BTP - Wokingham station isn't even the guards responsibility even if he had been available, so long as whatever was happening wasn't affecting the running of his train.

 

[class 313]

I think the main point he is angry is that the driver was rude to him aswell as being rude to a first class passenger...

 

[Daniel]

I was going to ask the driver to call the BTP... I didn't have a phone.

I know the happenings on the station aren't really the on trains staff's problem... but the vandalism of the train definatley is!

 

[AlexS]

I was going to ask the driver to call the BTP... I didn't have a phone.

I know the happenings on the station aren't really the on trains staff's problem... but the vandalism of the train definatley is!

Short of pulling up at a signal, what can he do!

 

[Gizmogle]

Short of pulling up at a signal, what can he do!

The train was sat at a station. The driver could have at least tried to help. Or I guess even "Sorry, I'm busy" would have been an improvement on "Go away"
I'm sure SWT wouldn't be very happy to hear that their staff were being rude to ticket holders.

 

[AlexS]

It's a driver, they wouldn't care, I would presume. Like I said, customer service probably isn't in their resumé.

 

[Gizmogle]

It's a driver, they wouldn't care

Well, they should.

 

[73109]

They should but it isnt there job to, a fight broke out on a 455 recently all the driver could do is watch

 

[class 313]

It's a driver, they wouldn't care, I would presume. Like I said, customer service probably isn't in their resumé.

Indeed!

Memorex, how did he say go away?

 

[Daniel]

I knocked on the door, and he said in a loud voice...

Go Away

.

 

[class 313]

Yes but how, did he sound angry or just irritated?

 

[Ben]

They should but it isnt there job to, a fight broke out on a 455 recently all the driver could do is watch

It's not their contract to intervene and risk getting injured.

 

[ChrisM]

I am writing to complain about the Driver of the 20 : 12 SWT service to London Waterloo from Reading.

Upon arrival at Wokingham, I spotted several youths on the Reading bound platform repeatedly ramming the vending machine. After watching them expecting them to give up, I decided to speak to the driver (as I want in the from 1st class area) and ask him to call the British Transport Police. My father, also with me in first class, had seen a group of youths on our train
vandalising a carridge further down. Again, we felt this called for the BTP to attend.

One short knock on the drivers door, (this is while the train was still stationary, so it was safe to ditract the drivers attention), and the door wasn't even opened, the driver simply shouted "Go Away."

This is APPALING behaviour by a representitive of South West Trains. The train being formed of two class 458 units did not have a corridor connection. As such, the driver was the only representitive for South West Trains immediatley contactable.

I left my father in first class and made my way towards the guard, transferring to the rear unit at the next station. The guard aggreed with me, saying that as a representitive of SWT, and being stationaty, the driver SHOULD have opened his door and dealt with whatever I had to say.

The guard promised that upon arrival at Waterloo, he would check the CCTV from Wokingham station to see if the youths were caught on tape. However, you driver *needs* dicipline, not only do railway staff not talk to passengers like that, they do not talk to First Class ticket holders like that. Besides, perhaps I was in dire need of the Police, say I was being thretend with a knife? Would "Go Away" be appropriate then?

I'm on the drivers side, i mean who the hell do you think you "they do not talk to First Class ticket holders like that".
There are things that you could have done in that situation but you went to the driver instead of informing the guard or contacting the police yourself.
For all you know the driver/guard might have seen it and already reported it or it could have been seen by the signalman (if it was still manned at night) or caught on CCTV.

 

[AlexS]

To give a precedent, on the new stickers that CT put up all over their train windows for whatever reason, it says that if you see damage being caused to the train, you should call the BTP or even the regular police, and nowhere does it mention the driver of the train.

 

[devon_metro]

He might have thought you were a chav. Late at night i can't imagine it being your average tourist.

Out of interest do you ever travel in standard class