Passenger not allowed on station

[rdwarr]

Sorry, had to share this one with you as I find it incredible! Appeared on the GN Twitter feed around 15:50 today:

Passenger: The member of staff at New Barnet station, [name redacted], is refusing to let me in the station. I have a season ticket London terminals to Oakham via any permitted route. He said he has never heard of Oakham. Please help. I am stranded

GN: Have you managed to get into the station yet?

Passenger: No. I have spoken to customer service. They said buy a ticket and they will give me the money back. Your guy has threatened me, said he is coming to my work and going to get me the sack. He is going to tell my manager I am using a dodgy ticket.

Lost for words really....

 

[Kite159]

I wonder if it was the same member of staff I had issues with a couple months ago when trying to exit the station with a travelcard which didn't work the barriers due to an issue with the encoding, and tried to claim it wasn't valid as it was peak time and I was using an off-peak travelcard.

Sometimes though, the attitude of some staff makes you want to do a face palm at how anti-customer they really are.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sometimes though, the attitude of some staff makes you want to do a face palm at how anti-customer they really are.

There are far too many customer facing railway staff who are making a very good case for the abolition of customer-facing railway staff (i.e. to go DOO and close all the ticket offices). Yet another one, sadly

It's a downside of strong Unions - in many other businesses such staff would quickly be sacked.

 

[greyman42]

There are far too many customer facing railway staff who are making a very good case for the abolition of customer-facing railway staff (i.e. to go DOO and close all the ticket offices). Yet another one, sadly

It's a downside of strong Unions - in many other businesses such staff would quickly be sacked.

Should they not be disciplined for this sort of behaviour, regardless of any Union?

 

[Western Sunset]

Obviously he wasn't a railway modeller.
Surely everyone knows that the prototype for the "Airfix" signalbox kit is of OAKHAM.....

 

[robbeech]

It's a downside of strong Unions - in many other businesses such staff would quickly be sacked.

Without question. They’d have to have some incredible reason, excuse and justification to keep their job after that sort of behaviour if they worked for me.
I’ve stopped using freelancers for far far less.

 

[Bookd]

Altertough the staff members name is redacted it must be known to the OP - if so and the facts are described then I hope there would be a formal complaint and disciplinary action.

 

[talltim]

Tweet is here
https://twitter.com/hamapatel1/status/1055454027935371265?s=21

 

[GusB]

Question for the OP: were you there at the station in question, and did you witness the event?

 

[dutchflyer]

Do these guys get any extra wages/bonuses for finding ''fault'' tickets/cards/
In Germany, bayern, there was such a case where at a special control on train a family was accused of having printed a non-existent ticket from a town that was said not to exist-though it did and all was genuine. (Landesticket-can be used in the whole of the ''land''=region, with well over 2000 stations). But there these ''inspectors'' do get a bonus if they catch someone with real fraudulent tickets. of course local newspapers make a bonusday of it-the railways do not even know what stations they have!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think they do in the UK simply for refusing travel, though some railway staff get commission for *selling* tickets and I guess PFs.

The usual UK approach to a ticket that the member of staff has no idea of where the station on it is is to let it through. I'm fairly convinced Aughton Park as the origin or destination got quite a lot of leeway.

 

[A Challenge]

I remember reading somewhere on the forum about someone using an out of date advance ticket to I think Freshford to get access to first class lounges, as no-one knew where it was!

 

[rdwarr]

Now he won't let her out. How can this still be happening?
Twitter thread

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Now he won't let her out. How can this still be happening?
Twitter thread

Hmm, I would be quite worried about this if I were GN (GTR). They could well be opening themselves up to a claim of false imprisonment for the instances where they don't permit the passenger to exit (where they don't permit entry it's a less serious matter consisting "merely" of breach of contract).

 

[bnm]

Manan needs sacking.

 

[Wolfie]

Now he won't let her out. How can this still be happening?
Twitter thread

Time for the passenger to call the police and press charges. If what is reported is true what the staff member is doing legally constitutes an assault. His ignorance and refusal to learn does not give him grounds to detain someone illegally.

I wouldn't be surprised if another passenger intervenes if this continues and the individual 'Manan' gets physically assaulted. I hope not but in his pig-headedness there are many who will feel that he is asking for it. If it does happen he will get zero sympathy from the public.

 

[Wolfie]

Manan needs sacking.

I agree if there is any truth to the reports

 

[Wolfie]

Hmm, I would be quite worried about this if I were GN (GTR). They could well be opening themselves up to a claim of false imprisonment for the instances where they don't permit the passenger to exit (where they don't permit entry it's a less serious matter consisting "merely" of breach of contract).

Absolutely

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I agree if there is any truth to the reports

I think the video does strongly suggest that it's true. If the barrier staff member was trained to reject tickets in this way then I think some heavily ingrained retraining will do. But if they were trained to accept tickets they aren't sure about (as I would like to hope is the case), this isn't good enough and I would suggest that a move to a role where there is no interaction with passengers would be the minimum appropriate action.

At a basic level, this issue arises either from poor training or poor attitude. Whichever it is, it needs to be addressed.

 

[Darandio]

I think the video does strongly suggest that it's true.

There is a video?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

There is a video?

The passenger's thread with GN, or their previous posts, shows a video where the situation can be seen. I think the passenger or the barrier line staff member is talking to customer services on the phone, and they are confirming the route as valid.

 

[Mojo]

The passenger's thread with GN, or their previous posts, shows a video where the situation can be seen. I think the passenger or the barrier line staff member is talking to customer services on the phone, and they are confirming the route as valid.

It looks like the staff member is on the phone to the BTP falsely stating the customer is abusing him, whilst the customer is on the phone to the Customer Service team. The video seems to revolve around an incident that occurred last night where the customer is not being allowed off the station.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It looks like the staff member is on the phone to the BTP falsely stating the customer is abusing him, whilst the customer is on the phone to the Customer Service team.

It does seem that one occasionally encounters customer service staff (not just on the railway) who feel that a vocally made complaint (with no swearing) is "abuse". Such people are not suitable for working in a customer service role. I came across one such person at easyJet's desk in Luton - the word "unacceptable" was apparently too much and I was threatened with security. Fortunately, a manager heard the whole thing, sent the member of staff into the back and actually dealt with my complaint. I doubt that person lasted long in that job.

 

[Wolfie]

It looks like the staff member is on the phone to the BTP falsely stating the customer is abusing him, whilst the customer is on the phone to the Customer Service team. The video seems to revolve around an incident that occurred last night where the customer is not being allowed off the station.

If this is true, and l haven't seen the video, the staff member in question should be prosecuted for wasting police time. The (thankfully small) minority of railway staff who use the police to back their ignorance and bile have no place on the railway and should all be weeded out.

Good on the customer gathering the evidence to potentially protect themself and prove his lies.

 

[Wolfie]

It does seem that one occasionally encounters customer service staff (not just on the railway) who feel that a vocally made complaint (with no swearing) is "abuse". Such people are not suitable for working in a customer service role. I came across one such person at easyJet's desk in Luton - the word "unacceptable" was apparently too much and I was threatened with security. Fortunately, a manager heard the whole thing, sent the member of staff into the back and actually dealt with my complaint. I doubt that person lasted long in that job.

That's what happens when sad inadequate individuals get a bit of power...

 

[Darandio]

The passenger's thread with GN, or their previous posts, shows a video where the situation can be seen. I think the passenger or the barrier line staff member is talking to customer services on the phone, and they are confirming the route as valid.

Seen it now, thanks. There isn't much that really needs to be said other than it's completely unacceptable.

 

[Mag_seven]

in many other businesses such staff would quickly be sacked.

Manan needs sacking.

Whist the behaviour of the individual appears to be appalling, I do find calls for anyone to be sacked rather distasteful. By all means the individual needs to be put through whatever disciplinary process the company has in place, but if found guilty I'd rather the company decide the appropriate course of action to be taken rather than posters on an internet forum.

 

[gray1404]

Can someone post a link to the video please?

 

[Mojo]

There are two videos; both seem to show the same thing; see here: https://twitter.com/graz0235/status/1055527564616310784

 

[Wolfie]

Whist the behaviour of the individual appears to be appalling, I do find calls for anyone to be sacked rather distasteful. By all means the individual needs to be put through whatever disciplinary process the company has in place, but if found guilty I'd rather the company decide the appropriate course of action to be taken rather than posters on an internet forum.

To be clear having seen more l want him prosecuted. I assume a guilty Court verdict would mean instant dismissal for gross misconduct.