Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Yes! Success!


I'm delighted to announce that, following my second letter of complaint, First Great Western have decided that they should in fact refund the £12.00 my friend and I were forced to spend on a taxi because we were left stranded at the side of the road in the early hours when a replacement bus service never arrived. That'll serve them right for directing my attention to their now notorious so-called "Conditions of Carriage" (CoC), which, following a quick read, proved that they did after all have some small semblance of responsibility to get me home. Fancy that.
Since writing my second complaint letter, I have also read First Great Western's Complaints Handling Policy (another interesting document available on the company's website), and I feel I should give you a bit of a tip - it's always worth complaining twice, because the second complaint is handled by a manager, ie: someone who has the power to actually give you a refund rather than parrotting you sections from the CoC which go something like "I'm sorry, we actually don't give a monkeys whether you had a bad journey or not you prole. You mean nothing to me. My company made billions of pounds in profit last year, so I'm off for a dip in the champagne hot tub, so there." I think it was something like that anyway, I've mislaid the first letter, so can't go back and check. Anyway people, get complaining. There's nothing like several tonnes of paper hitting the complaints desk to raise attention that we're not altogether happy with the way things are. And they really really want us to be happy apparently. I quote: "We believe that customer service is key in everything we do. We know that it is the little things we do that make all the difference in delivering excellent customer service". Yes, those little things, like not providing enough carriages on the trains, or bothering to try very hard to run them on time, that kind of thing. Put pen to paper, immediately!

5 comments:

Billyo said...

Indeed, I've often found that compensation vouchers arrive with the second complaint rather than the first.

Given the first letter comes with a pretty much set text (insert date, time & randomly generated excuse), I wonder if I can stick my reply to their first letter in with my first letter, thus speeding up the whole process....

Anonymous said...

You've inspired me to complain about last night's journey. 1836 from Gloucester to Great Malvern. Usually on time. Not today, 29 late from Gloucester and 40 or so late into Worcester Shrub Hill. Train was turned back here to go back to Bristol. I usually get this train to connect into the 1939 HST to Hereford. Not last night, missed it by near 15 minutes. Thankfully there was the 2012 Central Trains service to Hereford, which was near enough on-time all the way through, slightly early at Hereford.

Point is that whilst the HST from Swindon to Cheltenham arrived slightly early, allowing me to get to the chippy for tea (rather hungry by now, not eaten properly all weekend) and get the train to Worcester and connections onwards home, the connection up to Worcester was incredibly late.

You can be sure I was sporting my 'I hate First Great Western' badge! Been wearing it since I was given mine on Saturday evening. Not wearing it today as I am at home though.

Your campaign inspires me to complain about this journey, although I don't think I'd get anything back.

When I've complained before (once I was sold the wrong ticket after checking with NRES and with the TM on the HST it was valid for my return journey), I waited 3 months for a reply, the original having got lost in the post I believe. But I got a free, First Class, return trip between any two points on the FGW network as a result. Score! Most other times I've had reason to complain (last time it was because I was two hours late into Stonehouse because of a bridge strike and being dumped at Cheltenham and Gloucester for two hours with no information, help or anything) I get a computer-generated response...

Anyway, I shall be writing a lengthy complaint to them today or tomorrow. Although it will read more like an essay...:D

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