This on a blog:

http://racheleelnaugh.blogspot.com/2...r-service.html

Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I was nearly arrested at Leicester Railway Station today.

My crime? Refusing to pay a £5 supplement to use the First Class lounge.

The story: our (very old and outdated) East Midlands Train had been terminated on its way to Chesterfield due to engineering problems - which meant a whole hour's wait at Leicester. I had important emails that HAD to be sent and I needed to have someplace to utilise that hour - but my advance 1st class ticket apparently did not qualify me to use the lounge.

Now I accept that if I had arrived an hour early for my train or maybe wanted to dally in there and drink all the free coffee for a while I should be made to pay.

BUT THE ONE HOUR DELAY WAS THEIR FAULT!

To add insult to injury, when I refused to pay and went in (bear in mind the place was completely empty apart from one man) the receptionist called the police and two officers duly arrived to apprehend me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explained the situation and invited them to arrest me, pointing out the publicity that action might incur, they then backed down and called the station manager who proceeded to give me a good old talking to about rules and regulations and people 'having to do their job properly'.

No problem says I, let me happily pay your £5 - in return for which I will Blog and Tweet about your crap customer service to the whole world.

So much for the East Midlands Train Service 'Passenger Charter' !!!

The problem of course lies in the staff training. So much time is clearly spent teaching them about rules, policies and procedures that they forget to tell them the REAL reason they are there: TO GIVE EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Shame on you Stagecoach, you have started to abuse your monopoly - because I have no other choice than to continue to use your shoddy, uncaring and downright rude crappy service.

And the response from EMT:

http://racheleelnaugh.blogspot.com/2...s-finally.html

21 days on and the East Midlands Trains pathetic (& clearly standard script) response finally rolls into the station:

Ref: 177620

Dear Rachel Elnaugh

Thank you for your email of 22 May 2009.

I was sorry to hear that you were unhappy with the policy regarding our
First Class Lounges and I apologise for the inconvenience this caused.

Due to spacing restrictions the decision has been made to limit access to
the first class Lounges to First Anytime, First Plus Breakfast, First Plus
Parking, First Inclusive and First Class season ticket holders.

Holders of discounted First Class tickets will not be allowed access to the
lounges.

I hope you find this explanation useful, if there is anything else that I
can help you with please feel free to get in touch.

Kind regards


Donna Sallis
Customer Relations Officer

Tel: 08457 125 678 (Option 5, then 3)
Fax: 01332 263894
Email: getintouch


Wasn't really worth them bothering was it?

PLEASE GOD let Virgin win the contract next time it's up for grabs.

On 1 July, 23:12, noauth <a> wrote:
> This on a blog:
>
> [..]...

I wrote a comment, pointing out that she had paid for a cheap ticket
and couldn't reasonably expect them to supply her gratis with the
benefits of an expensive one. Did she, I asked, feel entitled to
occupy empty train seats without a ticket.

Pulled down in minutes. She's a whining control freak surrounded by
arselickers. And have you noticed that the photographs she uses is at
least ten and possible twenty years old.

Bloody ginges.

Ian

"noauth" <anon> wrote in message
news:95ff
> This on a blog:
>
> [..]
>> I explained the situation and invited them to arrest me, pointing out the
> publicity that action might incur, they then backed down and called the
> station manager who proceeded to give me a good old talking to about rules
> and regulations and people 'having to do their job properly'.
>
> No problem says I, let me happily pay your £5 - in return for which I will
> Blog and Tweet about your crap customer service to the whole world.
>
Didn't keep your part of the bargain, then. You blogged and tweeted despite
not paying the fiver.

David Bennetts
Australia

"Ian" <ian.groups> wrote in message
news:928c
> On 1 July, 23:12, noauth <a> wrote:
>> This on a blog:
>>
>> [..]...
>
> Pulled down in minutes. She's a whining control freak surrounded by
> arselickers.

Isn't that the definition of a blogger? What other point is there in it
(unless, like a journalist, you're paid to do it, or perhaps you're a
wannabee wating for your ten minutes of celebrity)?

And who reads amateur blogs anyway?

On 1 July, 23:12, noauth <a> wrote:

> The problem of course lies in the staff training. So much time is clearly spent teaching them about rules, policies and procedures that they forget to tell them the REAL reason they are there: TO GIVE EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.<

The problem is you think your more important than you really are and
are suffering from entitlement syndrome. Customer service does not
mean to pander to customers every whim. There is a difference between
exception customer service and pandering to whiners.

If other people have paid extra to use a facility why should you
suddenly get it without having to pay? Why do you feel you are more
important than those people?

I dont really think you can be arrested for what you did only removed
from he station. What a pity they didn't opt for either.

RE The above: Sorry though that was the originator of the complaint
posting. Please in your minds prefix the post with "This is what I
would say to the complainer if they were here"

: }

In message
<c7e2ff3c-b13b-4103-aaaf-e0ac403e928c>, at
17:22:20 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, Ian <ian.groups> remarked:
>I wrote a comment, pointing out that she had paid for a cheap ticket
>and couldn't reasonably expect them to supply her gratis with the
>benefits of an expensive one.

You get the same on-train benefits with an Advance Purchase FC ticket,
it doesn't seem consistent to deny them in the lounges.

On Jul 2, 3:52 am, SamLM <sam> wrote:
> On 1 July, 23:12, noauth <a> wrote:
>> The problem is you think your more important than you really are and
> are suffering from entitlement syndrome. Customer service does not
> mean to pander to customers every whim. There is a difference between
> exception customer service and pandering to whiners.
>
> If other people have paid extra to use a facility why should you
> suddenly get it without having to pay? Why do you feel you are more
> important than those people?
>
>  I dont really think you can be arrested for what you did only removed
> from he station. What a pity they didn't opt for either.


WHile I think many of us appeciate the fact this lady travelled on a
reduced price first class ticket, it does beg the question of "why buy
in advance" (as the train companies tell us) if you're not getting the
full range of facilities?

Train operators are forever telling us that there are bargains in
cheap tickets, but they are not that quick to tell us that you may not
get all you pay for. If I buy an advance first class ticket on Virgin,
they dont say "oh, coz youve a cheap ticket, you cant have
breakfast...".

It's like buying a standard class advance and saying, ah, but you cant
use the toilet. You cannot make these demarkations.

And furthermore, yes, while the OP is venting her spleen, it shows how
very badly EMT has handled this, given the delay. They should have
said under normal circumstances your ticket does not allow access, but
on this occasion we can make an exception. It shows a complete lack of
initiative, lack of flexibility, lack of discretion and lack of
customer focus. And the fact no one else was using the lounge only
makes it worse.

EMT could have come out of this with a bouquet, instead, they have a
bucket of pooh.

And according to National Rail's website, there is public wifi at the
station, plus I know there are several sites nearby, so I'd also
question why OP did not use HER initiative and ask, rather than stand
arguing?

Finally, EMT is another company (as is FGW, Nat Ex East Anglia, Trans
Pennine etc) that needs to get wifi on its trains sooner rather than
later if it is going to win over the business community (he says
smugly, posting this from a Pendolino.....)

In message
<725757f6-4218-4757-a062-2dfb59d0f57f>, at
23:13:09 on Wed, 1 Jul 2009, Ben More <rannochmoor>
remarked:
>And according to National Rail's website, there is public wifi at the
>station, plus I know there are several sites nearby, so I'd also
>question why OP did not use HER initiative and ask, rather than stand
>arguing?

There has been a payg wifi spot at Leicester station for a long time, I
have used it myself. But you do have to pay, as I don't think it belongs
to any of the popular roaming arrangements. You can sit in the standard
class waiting room and use it.

EMT are serial offenders when it comes to tipping people out at
Leicester - it's happened to me very late at night with everything at
the station closed [including local services having stopped for the
night] and nothing to do except wait an hour (for the last train).

In message <432dc7f4befb9042df4c0d165a3795ff>, at
00:12:38 on Thu, 2 Jul 2009, noauth <anon>
remarked:
>Shame on you Stagecoach, you have started to abuse your monopoly -
>because I have no other choice than to continue to use your shoddy,
>uncaring and downright rude crappy service.

If this was a London-Chesterfield service then there's the possibility
of using Virgin and XC, changing at New St. Takes a little longer
though.

Walter Mann wrote:


> And who reads amateur blogs anyway?

Maybe London should be de-Connected, and there is nothing Behind the
Water Tower?

"Ben More" <rannochmoor> wrote in message
news:f57f


>WHile I think many of us appeciate the fact this lady travelled on a
>reduced price first class ticket, it does beg the question of "why buy
>in advance" (as the train companies tell us) if you're not getting the
>full range of facilities?

Because the ticket is cheaper?

>Train operators are forever telling us that there are bargains in
>cheap tickets, but they are not that quick to tell us that you may not
>get all you pay for. If I buy an advance first class ticket on Virgin,
>they dont say "oh, coz youve a cheap ticket, you cant have
>breakfast...".

That's what Virgin choose to do, EMT don't, so what?

>It's like buying a standard class advance and saying, ah, but you cant
>use the toilet. You cannot make these demarkations.

Don't be stupid!

>And furthermore, yes, while the OP is venting her spleen, it shows how
>very badly EMT has handled this, given the delay. They should have
>said under normal circumstances your ticket does not allow access, but
>on this occasion we can make an exception. It shows a complete lack of
>initiative, lack of flexibility, lack of discretion and lack of
>customer focus. And the fact no one else was using the lounge only
>makes it worse.

Yes, I tend to agree but if the local staff have been told no reduced 1st
class, how far up the chain of command and how accessable is the person who
can reverse the dicision?

>EMT could have come out of this with a bouquet, instead, they have a
>bucket of pooh.

The original blogger has not come out of it whiter than white either!

>And according to National Rail's website, there is public wifi at the
>station, plus I know there are several sites nearby, so I'd also
>question why OP did not use HER initiative and ask, rather than stand
>arguing?

Quite so!

>Finally, EMT is another company (as is FGW, Nat Ex East Anglia, Trans
>Pennine etc) that needs to get wifi on its trains sooner rather than
>later if it is going to win over the business community (he says
>smugly, posting this from a Pendolino.....)

I wonder how many people actually use on board wifi?

Paul

On Jul 2, 7:11 am, Roland Perry <rol> wrote:

> You get the same on-train benefits with an Advance Purchase FC ticket,
> it doesn't seem consistent to deny them in the lounges.

Actually, with this talk of Virgin, you didn't used to get full
benefits - anything other than a First Open was originally just for
the larger seat and tea/coffee, no food etc.

Neil

"Paul Stevenson" <paul.pdsteveo> wrote in message
news:j6u1
:
: "Ben More" <rannochmoor> wrote in message
:
news:f57f
:
<snip>
:
: >Finally, EMT is another company (as is FGW, Nat Ex East
Anglia, Trans
: >Pennine etc) that needs to get wifi on its trains sooner
rather than
: >later if it is going to win over the business community (he
says
: >smugly, posting this from a Pendolino.....)
:
: I wonder how many people actually use on board wifi?
:

More to the point, how many passengers would welcome such a move,
I suspect that many would actually like some for of device that
*prevents* the use of mobile phones, iPods, notepad/laptop
computers etc. rather than encouraging their use!

On Jul 2, 9:36 am, "Jerry" <mapson.sca...@btinternet.com.INVALID>
wrote:
> More to the point, how many passengers would welcome such a move,
> I suspect that many would actually like some for of device that
> *prevents* the use of mobile phones, iPods, notepad/laptop
> computers etc. rather than encouraging their use!

Er, it's called the quiet carriage. You may have seen one.

Richard