First TransPennine Express customer relations department.

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Has there been any recent change of location of this department. Yesterday, I spent what seemed like an eternity speaking to a female with a very thick Asian accent and constantly had to repeat questions.

 

[amateur]

You sound like a xenophobe. I often hear passengers complaining staff not being fluent in English. I'm often tempted to ask them how many languages they are fluent in outside of English!

 

[thealexweb]

You sound like a xenophobe. I often hear passengers complaining staff not being fluent in English. I'm often tempted to ask them how many languages they are fluent in outside of English!

No he does not. It is not offensive in any way to expect front-line staff and support staff to speak good English. You could ask anyone if they speak multiple languages and most of us would say we cannot but then most of us aren't trying to interact with the public in a foreign country are we?

 

[PHILIPE]

No he does not. It is not offensive in any way to expect front-line staff and support staff to speak good English. You could ask anyone if they speak multiple languages and most of us would say we cannot but then most of us aren't trying to interact with the public in a foreign country are we?

They can speak fluent English. The problem is the accent which is alien to the majority of us making them difficult to understand. Many companies have brought call centres back to the UK after finally realising this fact. Shame on TPE for their atrocious customer service.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You sound like a xenophobe. I often hear passengers complaining staff not being fluent in English. I'm often tempted to ask them how many languages they are fluent in outside of English!

You need to read what I wrote about the very thick accent of the person to whom I spoke. It was not the language fluency to which I made reference to. Would you care to know, despite my Polish username, in how many languages that I am fluent.

If I am a Xenophobe, a word whose word-base I am well acquainted with being a Classics scholar from 1956 to 1961/2 prior to studying at Manchester University, having studied the three ancient languages of Greek, Assyrian and Latin, then I would like you to justify this once you have the cognisance to read, fully digest and understand the exact wording of my posting.

If you look on the panel under my forum username, you will see the two words...Xenophon philosopher.

 

[richardio123]

I presume its in the head office, Bridgewater house on Whitworth Street/Oxford Street in Manchester. As that's where there twitter team are based, I've rang up many times, recently actually and usually get someone with a Manchester accent

 

[185]

Correct, Letters, calls and stuff are replied from BWH Customer Relations unit by Maxine Myers' team. As for Twitter, I thought they were done by the retail control desk in the combined control centre, I may be wrong

 

[richardio123]

Correct, Letters, calls and stuff are replied from BWH Customer Relations unit by Maxine Myers' team. As for Twitter, I thought they were done by the retail control desk in the combined control centre, I may be wrong

I remember they tweeted an image of MCO from there office when a train broke down showing the first train going through the station.

I know the web tickets support team are at Intercity House in Plymouth with FGW

 

[Starmill]

My letters from TPE are usually postmarked in Exeter.

 

[richardio123]

Customer Relations , First TransPennine Express , Freepost, ADMAIL 3878, Manchester, M1 9YB

From the TPExpress Website

 

[WatcherZero]

Looks like a PO Box address, Admail are a company that receives and couriers post, think their actual office location might be Whitworth Street nearby and of course just because that's where the post is going doesn't mean that's where the phones are answered.

 

[Stonesourscotty]

It's Perfectly acceptable to expect Customer Facing Staff be it in Person or on a Phone to Speak Good English

 

[Flamingo]

Lots of areas in the UK where the accent is "difficult" for outsiders to grasp. I once was on a course in Newcastle which was a waste of a weekend - I couldn't understand what anybody was saying (and I couldn't believe that with snow on the ground, the number of people - male and female - in t-shirts!) .

 

[Clip]

Lots of areas in the UK where the accent is "difficult" for outsiders to grasp. I once was on a course in Newcastle which was a waste of a weekend - I couldn't understand what anybody was saying (and I couldn't believe that with snow on the ground, the number of people - male and female - in t-shirts!) .

A bit like you west country boys

But Paul, Im not sure they have moved it anywhere, it may have been a temp to cover or such like. I still have trouble with some of my own staffss and colleagues but its a valid point you raise.

Language is everything from tone to accent and its difficult with how you or others say something to come across as you mean it.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Everyone has an accent, people's jobs shouldn't be based on sounds in the same way as they shouldn't be based on looks. I think the way radio broadcasters talk is easiest to understand down the line however. Maybe they should add the options to talk to someone on the phone with a specific accent in the same way as languages?

 

[Clip]

Everyone has an accent, people's jobs shouldn't be based on sounds in the same way as they shouldn't be based on looks. I think the way radio broadcasters talk is easiest to understand down the line however. Maybe they should add the options to talk to someone on the phone with a specific accent in the same way as languages?

you are correct but with that I wouldnt call Paul a xenophobe for stating what he did.

What we should have is people on the end of the phone no matter where who can understand us, the customer. If we cant provide that basic issue then we should look not to outsource but thatll never happen.

 

[rdeez]

You sound like a xenophobe. I often hear passengers complaining staff not being fluent in English. I'm often tempted to ask them how many languages they are fluent in outside of English!

:roll: There's a world of difference between being a xenophobe and having difficulty understanding someone because of their accent.

 

[LowLevel]

Everyone has an accent, people's jobs shouldn't be based on sounds in the same way as they shouldn't be based on looks. I think the way radio broadcasters talk is easiest to understand down the line however. Maybe they should add the options to talk to someone on the phone with a specific accent in the same way as languages?

If you work on the telephone a basic competency is to speak clearly and be understandable. I previously had a fairly strong accent which didn't help my work so I learned to switch it off at will - this also helps with on train announcements!

 

[TUC]

Lots of areas in the UK where the accent is "difficult" for outsiders to grasp. I once was on a course in Newcastle which was a waste of a weekend - I couldn't understand what anybody was saying (and I couldn't believe that with snow on the ground, the number of people - male and female - in t-shirts!) .

Some of us aren't soft southerners ....

 

[alexl92]

OP's first post also suggests that he had to repeat his questions multiple times, which suggests to me that the agent's comprehension of English was not great, even allowing for OPs accent.

Whilst nobody should be discriminated against on the grounds of race or ethnicity, in a customer service telephone-based role, the ability to speak and understand English well is perhaps the single most important thing; forgive me for stating the obvious but people seem to be forgetting this in their rush to be PC!

If someone can't do this, they should not be in this role because they don't have the basic skills required to do the role well. It's not a question of xenophobia.