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Thanking Staff

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SprinterMan

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I'm really not sure what area to put this in, so sorry mods if this is in the wrong place, but it says "non-specific" so I hope thats ok ;)
If a member of staff does a a particularly good job, is it the done thing to email the TOC they work for and pass on thanks or tell management they are good at their job or something like that? I was on the 1507 Bangor-Euston today and we did a set swap at Crewe and the the fella running the shop, a chap by the name of Gordon, was really helpful and friendly and stuff, and I just want to pass on my appreciation because he was really good at his job and a really nice guy also.
Is it ok to email VT and send my thanks?
Adam :D
 
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MidnightFlyer

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Some TOCs run staff reward competitions (Northern have 'Northern Stars', I forget VT's), where staff recommended by passengers are selected for recognition.
 

Skoodle

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Most TOCs would be very confused receiving a letter of praise and not know what to do with it! I think tweeting the TOC concerned would get through quicker. I know that at our company we have a weekly newsletter available to all staff and grades which includes tweets of the week.

On a side note, in the 18 months I have been driving, I have only been thanked twice, and they were both children.
 

mullin

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As I work in hospitality, it's always nice to receive praise and I've several times sent letters (comments forms) off to various train companies. Have missed the last train from Manchester Picc once due to a delay on a connecting train and sent a letter of thanks off to TPE as they were the first staff I found upon arrival there, I had a lovely reply back.
Have over a year ago now (tried several months apart) emailing tpe's customer relations with a thanks for the people I spoke with at their lost property. Still yet to receive an acknowledgment to that!
 

Class377/5

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I remember once getting a copy of an email a passenger had sent in thanking me for helping location some missing luggage. Was nice to get it (an a welcome surprise).

I'd say email the TOC and hopefully that person will get to know about it.

My TOC has weekly newsletters with customer paise of staff.
 

chris89

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I'm really not sure what area to put this in, so sorry mods if this is in the wrong place, but it says "non-specific" so I hope thats ok ;)
If a member of staff does a particularly good job, is it the done thing to email the TOC they work for and pass on thanks or tell management they are good at their job or something like that? I was on the 1507 Bangor-Euston today and we did a set swap at Crewe and the the fella running the shop, a chap by the name of Gordon, was really helpful and friendly and stuff, and I just want to pass on my appreciation because he was really good at his job and a really nice guy also.
Is it ok to email VT and send my thanks?
Adam :D

For Virgin Trains. Go to the Virgin Trains website. Go to Contact Us, down the page select Praise staff and fill in the form that appears.

I do it quite often and always get a nice reply from Virgin saying they always appreciate praise comments on staff and will be forwarded to them.

Chris
 

Schnellzug

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I rather fear that most operators would just assume that it was a Complaint, and just send the standard auto-response. "I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused".
 

SouthStand

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Most TOCs would be very confused receiving a letter of praise and not know what to do with it! I think tweeting the TOC concerned would get through quicker. I know that at our company we have a weekly newsletter available to all staff and grades which includes tweets of the week.

On a side note, in the 18 months I have been driving, I have only been thanked twice, and they were both children.

Personally, I think thanking train drivers is a bit different from thanking a bus driver for example. The bus driver may have advised you where the best stop is for your destination is etc., or been helpful regarding times of other bus services.

A train driver generally doesn't get involved in such niceties and probably doesn't care what passengers are on board or where they're going. Of course if the train manager/guard has been helpful then I would say thank you.
 

ChristopherJ

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Staff should only be thanked when they operate and supply above their designated duties.

If a customer receives standard service then no praise should be necessary, the staff have been paid to supply the service - a thank you is not expected.

Unless I have received service above what I have paid, I never say thanks, I say hello and I say goodbye, apart from that they don't deserve anything else unless proven otherwise.

I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right - except a majority of the time these staff treat passengers with little or no respect themselves. Take a look at the attitude of any member of staff on Railchat - all as arrogant as FrenchConnectionUK. :roll:

Saying thanks to a Train Driver? Most drivers take refuge in their cabs and try their up most best to not talk to passengers! Let alone take a compliment from one!

363fna.jpg
 

Poggs

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I rather fear that most operators would just assume that it was a Complaint, and just send the standard auto-response. "I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused".

That may have been true a number of years ago, but I very much doubt we're still running under BR mentality.
 
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I'm really not sure what area to put this in, so sorry mods if this is in the wrong place, but it says "non-specific" so I hope thats ok ;)
If a member of staff does a a particularly good job, is it the done thing to email the TOC they work for and pass on thanks or tell management they are good at their job or something like that? I was on the 1507 Bangor-Euston today and we did a set swap at Crewe and the the fella running the shop, a chap by the name of Gordon, was really helpful and friendly and stuff, and I just want to pass on my appreciation because he was really good at his job and a really nice guy also.
Is it ok to email VT and send my thanks?
Adam :D

I don't see why not. I had an experience with TPE, awhile back, where someone went above and beyond the call of duty. I mentioned it, on the forum at the time. I also emailed TPE about it - received an appreciative reply.
 

Mojo

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Most TOCs would be very confused receiving a letter of praise and not know what to do with it! I think tweeting the TOC concerned would get through quicker. I know that at our company we have a weekly newsletter available to all staff and grades which includes tweets of the week.
My company regularly (I cannot remember the exact frequency, think may be 4-weekly) publishes a list of positive comments which the company has received by telephone, email or post. These are broken down by management groups concerned, and where they mention specific staff these are also noted.
 

DaveNewcastle

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. . . .

Unless I have received service above what I have paid, I never say thanks, I say hello and I say goodbye, apart from that they don't deserve anything else unless proven otherwise.

. . . .

What a depressing post!
I hope your entire life isn't based on such an assuption that all relations are a transaction whose 'current balance' must be in credit before you show any kindness or humanity.

Once or twice I've recieved an odd look for beng friendly to staff, but for the most part it is reciprocated, and more to the point, staff regularly treat me with a warm welcome and with genuine friendship. Some will shake my hand on greeting me, some will come and sit with me for a few moments, some will make a joke or clever remark. Some will even have a moan about their day!

It can make all the difference, particularly after a hard day far from home, to be greeted and asked how I am. And I'm sure I only experience that as a consequence of my having been appreciative, supportive or just plain friendly with the staff I travel with.

Saying thanks to a Train Driver? Most drivers take refuge in their cabs and try their up most best to not talk to passengers! Let alone take a compliment from one!
Maybe not a compliment, but I've shown sympathy when a new Speed Restiction has suddenly appeared or a rough junction has become even rougher.
And in return, I'm greeted by drivers whether on the platform, in the shops or in the street, some of whom seem to really enjoy finding someone to talk to before/after a long and lonely shift. One chap recently, a driver on holiday, seemed to ignore his family for most of their journey he was so enthusiastically chatty with me!

Its no different from being friendly and interested in our neighbours or work colleagues; and they don't 'have to earn' or 'prove' my appreciation either - some of them never could, but I will continue to be friendly towards them.
 
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General Zod

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I've had nothing but good experiences with VT TMs and staff in general for the past year. Always polite, cheerful and very helpful. My latest trip with them was no exception. The TM on the Glasgow - Euston showed much common sense when there was a little problem with other people sitting in reserved seats. A big thumbs-up sir ! A little common sense goes a long way wrt customer satisfaction.
 

blakey1152

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I recently e-mailed SWT about 2 members of staff on a Waterloo to Portsmouth service.

Were incredibly helpful as we had a huge suitcase and a baby buggy

I got a response back from SWT saying that they would forward my letter of praise to their manager and thanking me for the time taken to e-mail them.

At the end of the day I believe that if someone goes above the call of duty and goes that extra mile then they do deserve to be recognised!

Blakey
 

142094

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I normally thank staff out of habit, bit like getting off a bus. I wouldn't write in or email unless they had gone above and beyond what is expected of them, such as during times of disruption.

Perhaps it is different in other areas of the country. Only yesterday was I having a bit of a laugh with a driver and guard on a Northern service. Most staff up here are friendly and easily strike up a conversation.
 

rdwarr

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Would it really hurt to be polite for once?

I work as a database programmer and get thanked at work many times per day. Not because I'm constantly exceeding my remit (although I try) but because I work with normal, decent people. Somebody asks for a report, I write it because it's my job, they say thanks because it's the done thing.

Look to how you can cheer people up rather than make yourself miserable and you'll enjoy life a lot more.
 

heart-of-wessex

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I can't see why you shouldn't say thank you anyway, as a member of staff in a superstore, if they don't say thank you to me when I've helped them to the limit, I think they are ignorant and feel depressed, when they are probably thinking the same about me!

On the railways I always say thank you, not only just because they are going above an beyond, even just as simple as selling a ticket. To me, a Thank You is saying thanks for turning up and making sure this service runs, and thanks for all your efforts as I know it's a demanding, exhausting and difficult job especially with complaints to deal with.
 

A-driver

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So 'xplo42', do you also refuse to say thank you to the check out staff at a shop when they hand you your change or in a restaurant when leaving, or when you get out of a taxi or when you take a parcel in from the postman etc? Quite sad really. They are also just doing there job. And if you go to a concert etc do you refuse to clap as that is basically saying thank you and they are being paid to entertain you so shouldn't need to be thanked?!

And I don't think that many rail staff refuse to respect passengers as much as you say, it's a 2 way thing and if people speak to me like dirt then I react by being fairly unhelpful-I don't think there can ever be an excuse to speak to anyone like that. If I am walking across the concourse at kings cross and someone barks 'Cambridge' at me I will generally ignore them as I won't be spoken to like that by anyone. If they approach me and say 'excuse me, do you know how I get to Cambridge' etc then I'll happily help them in a friendly manner. I would never dream of walking into a supermarket and barking 'milk' at the staff. Im sorry but I see no excuse for that kind of rudeness.
 

EM2

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An ex-colleague of mine, about ten minutes before the end of his last-ever shift before retirement, was approached by a customer who we'd seen walk in the station entrance, not looked at a single sign or departure board, and just said 'Gatwick?'
To which Jim replied 'A large airport near Crawley', and walked off :D
 

455driver

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Staff should only be thanked when they operate and supply above their designated duties.

If a customer receives standard service then no praise should be necessary, the staff have been paid to supply the service - a thank you is not expected.

Unless I have received service above what I have paid, I never say thanks, I say hello and I say goodbye, apart from that they don't deserve anything else unless proven otherwise.
So when served in a shop etc you never say thank you?

I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right - except a majority of the time these staff treat passengers with little or no respect themselves. Take a look at the attitude of any member of staff on Railchat - all as arrogant as FrenchConnectionUK. :roll:

Saying thanks to a Train Driver? Most drivers take refuge in their cabs and try their up most best to not talk to passengers! Let alone take a compliment from one!

363fna.jpg
So why are you on RC (a staff forum) if you dont like us?

You really do have an arrogant outlook on life dont you and know very little about us or our job!
Whatever happened to being polite and having manners?
I wont bother replying to any other post made by you ever because it is obviously a waste of time and effort!
 

scotsman

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I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right - except a majority of the time these staff treat passengers with little or no respect themselves. Take a look at the attitude of any member of staff on Railchat - all as arrogant as FrenchConnectionUK. :roll:

Hmm...respect...isn't a right? So, you'll treat staff like dirt because you've paid for the service?
 

455driver

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Once or twice I've recieved an odd look for beng friendly to staff,

Thats probaby because they were in shock because somebody was being polite to them after dealing with a trainload of (a certain poster who cannot be named as it would be a personal attack).
 

Crossover

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I haven't regularly contacted a TOC to thank their staff - in fact the only time I can recall doing was to Grand Central after a particularly bad journey north where track defects and stuff saw us terminated at Grantham with the staff trying to do anything to get information and get us moving, right up until Leeds when we eventually got there.

Of course, I thanked the staff on the ground at the time but felt I should contact the TOC as well. Unfortunately I never got an acknowledgement (that said, I once emailed GC to ask a question and never got a reply to that either) but hopefully the message got to the right places.

I always try to be friendly - helps get through the day and if you are courteous, it also makes people more willing to help you too, I find.
 

Lrd

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In my company, the compliments always get passed down to management and us staff ourselves, we always get various emails forwarded to us from thankful customers or a compliment will go on the notice board. It is always nice to read letters of thanks, even if you know it wasn't you or your department.

If a member of staff excels themselves then I will always email in to let others know. I am also always thankful to that staff member themselves as well.
 

Schnellzug

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Staff should only be thanked when they operate and supply above their designated duties.

If a customer receives standard service then no praise should be necessary, the staff have been paid to supply the service - a thank you is not expected.

Unless I have received service above what I have paid, I never say thanks, I say hello and I say goodbye, apart from that they don't deserve anything else unless proven otherwise.
Really? Do you not say thank you when someone in a pub gives you a pint, or a coffee, or a sandwich? Do you just say "Goodbye" and walk off with it? is it not just common courtesy?

I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right
No, really? They expect to be treated with respect? The arrant nerve of it.


:roll:
 

Monty

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I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right.

As far as I am concerned it is, and for that courtesy I repay the passenger in kind. Treat me like a t***, don't be shocked if I wander off to find someone else who would appreciate my services.

I treat people how I like to be treated, and in return I expect to get a level of respect as a human being, you should try it sometime. ;)
 

notadriver

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Staff should only be thanked when they operate and supply above their designated duties.

If a customer receives standard service then no praise should be necessary, the staff have been paid to supply the service - a thank you is not expected.

Unless I have received service above what I have paid, I never say thanks, I say hello and I say goodbye, apart from that they don't deserve anything else unless proven otherwise.

I have noticed that, on the railways especially, staff expect to be treated with respect from passengers as a god given right - except a majority of the time these staff treat passengers with little or no respect themselves. Take a look at the attitude of any member of staff on Railchat - all as arrogant as FrenchConnectionUK. :roll:

Saying thanks to a Train Driver? Most drivers take refuge in their cabs and try their up most best to not talk to passengers! Let alone take a compliment from one!

363fna.jpg

I'm in total shock by your comments.
 

455driver

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I have just had a look on RC and xplo42 has posted twice, the first was very specific questions about Dollands Moor and got 2 replies, the first reply asking why he wanted the information (his 1st post and only joined the site 29 minutes earlier), the second reply was the MOD locking it, his other post is just a moan about the railways and staff in general and again got 1 reply before being locked.
I think we can work out why he doesnt like RC!
Definitely off now, bye bye (nearly) everyone! ;)
 

StoneRoad

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Saying "Please" and "Thank You" are simply common courtesy......part of the processes that make the day pass as smoothly as possible.

If a few more people did such things, as well as smile, hold open doors for others and so on, the world might end up being a better place !

"Do as you would be done by"

That is how I like to behave ....... it is just being polite!

When someone goes above and beyond the call of normal duty, by being especially helpful / considerate etc then I would not only thank them at the time, but would contact the TOC to record my appreciation.
 
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