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First Scotrail -
22-04-2008, 09:00
here is a copy of a conversation i've been having with first scotrail's customer service department:
Train tickets booked for Wednesday 23rd Hi Yesterday i booked a return ticket from Aberdeen to perth on an early morning train returning at 4.37. I haven't received a confirmation email with my reference number for collecting my tickets. I did print off the confirmation page but there doesn't appear to be a reference number on it. Could you please confirm my reference number and send a confirmation email as i need to forward that to my work for expenses. Thanks David Officer Response: Dear Mr Officer Thank you for your email dated 18 April 2008 regarding your on-line booking for your journey from Aberdeen to Perth on Wednesday 23 April 2008. I regret that we are unable to view your on-line booking as we do not have access to the on-line booking system in this department. You should contact the outlet where you originally purchased your tickets. The telephone number for Web Aftersales is 0870 333 4873. . Thank you for contacting First ScotRail. Should there be anything else we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact us. Should you need to reply to this email, please respond to scotrailcustomer.relations@firstgroup.com. Yours sincerely Lorna Davenport Customer Relations Advisor Now, I had already spoken to their online department who aside from interrupting me everytime i tried to speak, were very quick to deal with my problem and told me that i had to buy another ticket if there wasn't a reference number. This was after i'd gone to the station yesterday to pick up my tickets and was told that there was no record of it and that this happens quite often. The lady there suggested i check my bank balance and see if the payment had come off then return to purchase new tickets should it not have come off. So i sent this response: Hi After reading your response to my original query and having spoken to station staff at Aberdeen and phoned your helpline, I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that your website and the procedures you have in place for dealing with issues arising from it are completely ineffectual and rubbish. I think having a website on which you can buy tickets which then don't exist is a pretty redundant enterprise, even worse when you have a customer services department who aren't able to deal with any customer service related issues. I gather this happens fairly regularly according to the staff in the ticket office in Aberdeen. I was cheerfully told that the website selling phantom tickets keeps them in a job. Anyway, thanks for taking 4 days to tell me you can't help. Though i'd imagine you are pretty busy given that your website just isn't fit for purpose. David Officer too harsh? having worked in retail for 10 years i hate poor service, and even worse is when people can't deal with complaints and fob you off to other departments. i think it's pretty stupid having a customer services department that you email from the website that can't deal with website customer service. bah. |
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22-04-2008, 09:06
I had a similar thing happen with plane tickets recently. My connection dropped just as I pressed the purchase button and I had no way of knowing if it went through or not. So I tried phoning Thomas Cook and none of their departments could give me a definitive answer.
In the end I just waited to see if the money came off and when it didn't I bought them again. But you're right, there's no reasonable excuse for poor customer service these days. Customer Services should have access to the booking systems and be able to at least tell you about the booking you may or may not have made. And they should also be able to transfer you directly to any other department that you may have to speak to, rather than force you to call a premium rate phone number (a la Thomas Cook). Cunts. ~ Bill Hicks |
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22-04-2008, 09:30
Quote:
our folks were telling me about thomas cook last night, sound like a bunch of robbers to me. they have to pay extra to sit together on the plane, madness. |
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22-04-2008, 09:34
Quote:
~ Bill Hicks |
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22-04-2008, 09:40
To be honest, if a customer service person can't handle the use of the word "rubbish" in an email then they are in the wrong job.
I've worked in customer service for almost three years and have had enough personal attacks directed at me thanks to flaws in the company's system to say that there's nothing wrong with the email. It's not like you said "YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF F****** C***S" or anything. Customer service representatives have to deal with some the biggest arseholes around on a daily basis, but there is absolutely no excuse for shitty service. As someone who considers himself to be pretty good at the job, I find the conduct of the Scotrail employees pretty embarassing. How much effort would it have taken them to call up the web aftersales department themselves? About a minute from their schedule... |
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22-04-2008, 09:58
I just booked tickets for a return journey to Glasgow on the website and I had my confirmation email straight away. It's strange how this can happen.
I love how each department is quick to say that it isn't their problem! But that email isn't harsh at all! If anything it wasn't harsh enough. It's probably been consigned to the delete mail now though.  |
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22-04-2008, 10:13
You're quite right, those Scotrail people are absolutely useless, I've had problems with them in the past. It seems that none of the departments communicate with one another and trying to get anything out of their "customer services representatives" at the train station (ie bitter, rude old battleaxes) is nigh on impossible. I was in Edinburgh recently and I bought an open ticket to Aberdeen, the person who sold me the ticket couldn't even tell me what time the next train was at!
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22-04-2008, 10:36
I would love to take the train every time I make a trip back to Glasgow, but the hassle of getting tickets and the rising cost puts me off... So I sacrifice an hour and some comfort and take the Megabus. Surely if tickets were cheaper, and rules were a bit more flexible First Scotrail could have something good going on.
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22-04-2008, 11:40
Quote:
I book my rail tickets through www.thetrainline.co.uk and have never had any issues to date |
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22-04-2008, 13:00
Yeah, I'm going to Glasgow on Thursday on the train with the £20 ticket, which I am totally happy paying. I only booked mine on Saturday, however I can't get the train back that I wanted because the ticket isn't available so I'm having to wait until later at night.
The Megabus is ok if it's just me on my own. You know - ipod + book and the hope that no one sits next to me and I'll be fine. Generally, the service provided by the staff in the stations is the problem. Going in and asking a simple question and not getting a suitable response is the main problem. How difficult is it to check on their system (which is just identical to the online booking one) and tell you train times and prices? I also think its good customer service to suggest alternatives i.e suggesting different times etc for cheaper tickets rather than - that's not available. Maybe they just dont get paid enough! Lol. |
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