SWT outsourcing customer services to India?

[HowardGWR]

I've just tried to get some sense of what work is happening overnight at Salisbury overnight 25-26/4. As we are getting a flight from Gatwick I wanted to decide whether the risk is too great as the only train available is the 1009 from AXM (change Clapham Jcn), the first and only train that will get us there in time.

I went through different branches of SWT customer services but drew a blank each time. The two people I spoke to had Indian accents and they could only reel off what the web site said, which of course I already knew.

Generally I wondered whether I was talking to someone sat in an office in Delhi or whether it was just a coincidence, about their ethnicity.

Specifically, we have a lot of very knowledgeable people on this site, including employees, much appreciated. Does anyone know what they are doing at Salisbury, so I can decide whether the risk is too great. I could use the Weymouth line, where there are also diversions, but many more choices, or even Castle Cary, for instance.

 

[vikingdriver]

The WON suggests between Laverstock North and Wilton South that there is S&C unit renewal (whatever that is?) and changing sleepers & timbers. There is also a possession being taken from early Sunday morning between Yeovil Jct and Chard Jct for tunnel work (so at Crewkerne tunnel).

 

[causton]

Switches and Crossings IIRC - i.e. the points to go from one track to another!

 

[HowardGWR]

The WON suggests between Laverstock North and Wilton South that there is S&C unit renewal (whatever that is?) and changing sleepers & timbers. There is also a possession being taken from early Sunday morning between Yeovil Jct and Chard Jct for tunnel work (so at Crewkerne tunnel).

Viking Driver, that is most kind of you and a pity that SWT itself could not tell me. It seems not too drastic, a straightforward replacement and I assume the piece has already been constructed and just needs to be 'dropped in' as it were. The tunnel work does not sound too involved either.

We are a long way from the 70s when my wife left a bag in Crewkerne waiting room. When we got to Waterloo on the last train, we were simply directed to the Operations room above the concourse, where the supervisor just put a call through to the signal box* and the bag was ready for collection the next morning at Waterloo having come up on the 'milk train'.

*He moaned that he had to make a trunk call, because after the WR took over the line (west of Salisbury was it?) they cut off the direct phone line that he had previously to all SR (LSW) signal boxes. So petty, it would appear.

Anyone know where the SWT customer services are really situated?

 

[causton]

When did you call them? When they are too busy; or overnight when nobody is at SWT's customer services department, some calls get diverted to National Rail Enquiries, who some have said are useless!

 

[HowardGWR]

When did you call them? When they are too busy; or overnight when nobody is at SWT's customer services department, some calls get diverted to National Rail Enquiries, who some have said are useless!

About 11 this morning IIRC. It was definitely a call centre because I could hear loads of voices in the background.

 

[Matt Taylor]

The customer service call centre is in Southampton (I worked there at one time) but I believe that during busy times some calls are handled overseas-I stand to be corrected on this however.

 

[Helvellyn]

There was a fatality yesterday at Ashurst. Possibly the staff in Southampton were dealing with customer comments/claims that were coming in from that, so train enquiries were diverted to NRE?

 

[HowardGWR]

Just as an update, I looked today and the Sat night work at Salisbury and Crewkerne tunnel has disappeared completely!

I imagine the work has been cancelled for some reason. Does anyone know what they are up to?

On the call diversions, is NRE serviced from India /Pakistan (I don't use it)?