Any way to treat a young lady?

[northwichcat]

How'd she come to travel with no money?

That's quite probable. Police advise people to not carry large amounts of money around with them, especially after dark. And after all she had a train ticket to get her home, why would she need money for a taxi home as well?

If she was delayed by a long time she may well have used any emergency money she had to buy extra food and drink, which isn't cheap at a station and would there have been working ATMs in the vicinity of the station she was dumped at?

Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of people hanging about at stations late at night who pretend they need money for the train home and that likely would have meant other passengers that would have been willing to help if they were 100% sure she was stranded wouldn't believe her story.

 

[Fred26]

I didn't say anything about a 'large amount of money' or 'a taxi home'.

 

[yorkie]

This person didn't just leave home with no money, she travelled a reasonable distance with no money. I'd call that fairly daft.

There is no suggestion she "left home with no money" (other than you making yet another assumption!), all we know is that by the time she was at Wokingham on her return journey she had no money left. And, quite frankly, why the hell should she have money at that point? I've often been on my return journey with no money, what relevance does that have? If you have a valid ticket to get back that should be all you need.

This forum isn't for anti-passenger rants, you can take them elsewhere quite frankly.

 

[MCR247]

But it is for anti-staff rants?

 

[thefab444]

But it is for anti-staff rants?

The staff member wasn't young and female.

ordered all passengers OFF the buses. Desperate and without money and no mobile phone, she approached the duty staff at Wokingham station. Who... completely ignored her, refused to speak to her, slammed the door in her face and wouldn't answer her knocking.

Probably mentioned before but couldn't she have asked one of the other "passengers" for help? Where did they all vanish to?

 

[Fred26]

There is no suggestion she "left home with no money" (other than you making yet another assumption!), all we know is that by the time she was at Wokingham on her return journey she had no money left. And, quite frankly, why the hell should she have money at that point? I've often been on my return journey with no money, what relevance does that have? If you have a valid ticket to get back that should be all you need.

This forum isn't for anti-passenger rants, you can take them elsewhere quite frankly.

I'm not making any assumptions. Re-reading the original post, I may have misunderstood the part about having no money. It's hardly clear when she was left with no money though.

You're being very aggressive. Why do you feel a need to take every word at face value and not question it at all?

 

[thefab444]

Why do you feel a need to take every word at face value and not question it at all?

Some people instinctively stick up for staff no matter what; Yorkie is the equivalent for passengers - what would in Newspeak be termed as "propax".

 

[Greenback]

No one should make assumptions about the staff or passenger behaviour. If the person had no money or very little money at Wokingham, it doesn;t necessarily mean that she started out with very little money. On the other hand there is the posisbility that she did travel with only a small amount of cash.

Even if that was the case, there is no requirment to carry x amount of pounds, or a fully charged mobile phone, before embarking on a ourney of this length. These days, where cards are accepted almost everywhere, quite a few people deem it unnecessary to carry pockets, wallets or purses full of coins and notes.

I am sure that no reasonable passenger would leave Plymouth with a rail ticket to Farnborough expecting to left stranded at 2300 in a strnage place they had never been to before. Should we always prepare as though we are going on a trek up the Amazon before commencing a long distance rail journey in the UK? Are things that bad?

At the same time, I will not criticise the apparent actions of the Wokingham staff. We don't know how the story has been exaggerated, or whether it was actually true in the first place. If it did happen, then it reflects badly on the rail industry, even though, imo, it's largely the fault of the bus company in deciding to abandon the passenger at Wokingham.

 

[Fred26]

Some people instinctively stick up for staff no matter what; Yorkie is the equivalent for passengers - what would in Newspeak be termed as "propax".

If that's to imply that I'm 'instinctively sticking up for staff', then I am not. I'm not having a go at her, either. I'm just questioning the story.

 

[thefab444]

If that's to imply that I'm 'instinctively sticking up for staff'.

It wasn't.

But there are a few on here who will defend staff up to the hilt regardless of the circumstances, in the same way as Yorkie and others do for pax.

 

[Fred26]

Ok. Fair enough.

 

[yorkie]

But it is for anti-staff rants?

Fred26 is having a go at a passenger when there is no evidence available to us that the passenger did anything wrong, I believe a tiny minority of staff do this because they side against the passenger no matter what, but the vice-versa equivalent doesn't seem to exist on this forum. Where is someone having a go at staff when the staff didn't do anything wrong? The only person I can think of who did that, was the infamous Tonyaran, and he got slated for it (and rightly so!). But having a go at passengers for no reason seems to be acceptable? It isn't!

Some people instinctively stick up for staff no matter what; Yorkie is the equivalent for passengers - what would in Newspeak be termed as "propax".

That simply isn't true at all, if the passenger is acting incorrectly and the staff are acting correctly, why would I stick up for the passenger? And where have I done that?

I know you know that isn't true, and are just saying that to get a reaction. I'll just give one example that proves it isn't true and leave it at that. I trust the allegation will be withdrawn.

Greenback posted an excellent post, I couldn't have put it better.

 

[Fred26]

I'm not having a go at anyone - I'm no more on the member of staff's side, than I am on the passenger's. I just wish people could be more objectionable and not take things at face value. I'm not sure how many times I'm going to have to repeat that.

 

[thefab444]

I know you know that isn't true, and are just saying that to get a reaction.

Nah, I've just been waiting for ages to use that phrase, "propax", in a relatively relevant discussion.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I disagree. The very nature of a service industry is that, despite any crap an individual staff member may be feeling, it gets put aside when dealing with customers. Politeness and helpfulness are important 100% of the time. In lines of business where this is recognised (hotels, etc.) this is expected and delivered and customers are usually compensated (and staff disciplined) if it isn't. Anyone who can't cope with it shouldn't be in that line of business.

I'm not excusing poor behaviour on the part of passengers, and I'm definitely not saying it's easy (and yes, I do know from experience). But too many staff are allowed to get away with not recognising that they are dealing with paying customers who should be treated as such.

I'm not discounting the fact it should be 100% polite and helpful customer service, but there is the reality that no one is perfect, and personally I don't expect people to take the s**t for things out of their control... maybe that's just because I get that from people myself though. I don't disagree that too many staff do get away with it, I'd personally rather not be in the customer service aspect of the business, but it's something I'm reasonably good at. There's always going to be one passenger who will unnecessarily push you too far though.

 

[Kneedown]

Fred26 is having a go at a passenger when there is no evidence available to us that the passenger did anything wrong, I believe a tiny minority of staff do this because they side against the passenger no matter what

In the same vein though, there is no evidence that a member of staff did anything wrong. We only have hearsay to go on.
If the incident did indeed occur as related here, then the actions of some members of staff fall well short of what would be expected, professionally and certainly morally. A 23 year old woman may be a grown adult, but alone at night in a strange place she may be just as vulnerable as a child. I'm not sure what Wokingham is like as an area but i'm sure that not everywhere in leafy Surrey is an idyllic, Strawberries and cream, leather on willow, utopia.
We can only form a reasonably accurate opinion of what occurred if we hear the Staff's side of the story, both TOC and bus comapny.
If the incident was reported to the TOC then i'm sure an investigation into the full circumstances will be underway and any neccessary action taken.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Ta Matt. Would the info point be open at 2300?....

I imagine it depends on the help point. The help points at City Thameslink are/were manned 24/7 (they are linked to the control room on the station).

I was wondering more about this little part of a sentence in the story....

".... It was down to the ingenuity of her friends who repeatedly tried to contact FGW customer services ...."

....FGW Customer Services open at midnight?????

 

[thewomanfromhell]

I hope that she a formally complaint, but did she try and find the station help point ? Because I have always found the staff whom answer these give better information then the staff on the ground.

 

[Kernowfem]

I hope that she a formally complaint, but did she try and find the station help point ? Because I have always found the staff whom answer these give better information then the staff on the ground.

Ive always found rail staff be very helpful, while i do sympathise with the young lady in question, i wouldnt like to be stuck somewhere late at night on my own, i do think she could have borrowed someones mobile phone to make a call. Surely there were other passengers around to ask...

 

[Mr Spock]

Ive always found rail staff be very helpful, while i do sympathise with the young lady in question, i wouldnt like to be stuck somewhere late at night on my own, i do think she could have borrowed someones mobile phone to make a call. Surely there were other passengers around to ask...

Thats the bit I find strange as it was stated that everyone was turned off the coach so there must have been others around. Presumably some of these wanted to travel further so would have also tried to speak to staff but there is no mention of this in the original post.

 

[Greenback]

I think people are very wary these days, especially when approached at night. Sadly, the amount of beggars and scammers about has meant that people are very much on their guard and more likely to brush off any approach - you can't walk out of Swansea station without someone asking you for a cigarette, or money, most people just say 'sorry, no' before the person has finished speaking!.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thats the bit I find strange as it was stated that everyone was turned off the coach so there must have been others around. Presumably some of these wanted to travel further so would have also tried to speak to staff but there is no mention of this in the original post.

That is strange, but perhaps the woman was the only person who wanted to travel beyond Wokingham!

 

[Kernowfem]

I think people are very wary these days, especially when approached at night. Sadly, the amount of beggars and scammers about has meant that people are very much on their guard and more likely to brush off any approach - you can't walk out of Swansea station without someone asking you for a cigarette, or money, most people just say 'sorry, no' before the person has finished speaking!.

Indeed Greenback, i totally agree. But surely if the young lady was on the coach with other passengers, surely someone would have known she was genuinely in a fix. Also a graduate at 23 years old? I cant see her resembling a begger and i dare say i could tell the difference.

Had i been a fellow passenger i would have happily leant her my mobile. And exactly the same had she been male. Lets not forget a male alone in a strange place can be equally as vulnerable as a woman in some cases.

Just read your second post Quite possibly she was the only one wanted to travel beyong wokingham, but still i would have tried to find a phone box. Maybe it would have been possible for her to grab a taxi and get someone at her destination to pay the fare??

 

[Greenback]

I agree. I don't brush people off! Some of the beggars around here are very smart though!

The lack of othe rpassengers is one of those things that puzzle me about this story. I think my honest opinion is that the story has expanded and evolved since it happened (or if it happened!).

 

[Oswyntail]

I think it is easy to underestimate the state of uncertainty anyone might find themselves in in these circumstances. Arriving on a coach late at night, at an unfamiliar destination that you thought should have been somewhere else. I can imagine being bewildered, looking around for the onward journey, working out where you are - by which time everyone else has vanished. Phone box - does it take coins or is it a "cards only" one? More panic. Then goes to station staff, who (let's say) are shutting up shop thinking everyone has gone. Yes, I can imagine myself (57, male, generally confident!) being somewhat upset in those circumstances.

 

[Mr Spock]

That is strange, but perhaps the woman was the only person who wanted to travel beyond Wokingham!

I did consider that but in the original post it was stated that she was told that the bus would be going to Guildford only, but would be stopping at Farnborough. It was also said that on reaching Wokingham the driver announced he wasn't doing any more that day and ordered all passengers OFF the buses.

That is why I presumed that other passengers would want to go further.

As you say like most of these stories they get embellished on the way and this one is third hand to start with.

 

[Greenback]

I'm sure you're right Mr Spock.

From what I remember, the late trains out of Reading towards Guildford were usually pretty busy!