Barry Doe's Column

[ole man]

Barry doe in his last column states that he got free special passes on EC services to trail the food, which is fair enough as he is a leading columnist, but come on.. he states that Nobody has any clue who he is and would be treated the same as any other person.
No Chance your in the leading rail magazine every two weeks slating these companies.
Does he think that EC don't know who he is and haven't told there staff!!!.
I enjoy reading his column but this time!!

 

[williamn]

I would doubt the staff have a clue who he is. I read his column but wouldn't recognise him.

 

[junglejames]

The chance of the staff knowing who he is, is rather slim. Plus who said the passes were for specific trains? If he could use them on any train, EC wouldnt know which train he was on, so couldnt warn any staff.
Also, perhaps EC were using him as a mystery shopper. Loads of companies do it.

 

[O L Leigh]

When the reputation of the company is going to appear in print...? Hardly likely!! The TOC are going to have a pretty darn good idea of EXACTLY which train he's likely to be on in order that the staff are pre-warned. We know when VIPs are due on our trains, especially if they are important people in the railway world.

O L Leigh

 

[Greenback]

When the reputation of the company is going to appear in print...? Hardly likely!! The TOC are going to have a pretty darn good idea of EXACTLY which train he's likely to be on in order that the staff are pre-warned. We know when VIPs are due on our trains, especially if they are important people in the railway world.

O L Leigh

If he was given a pass which he cna use to travel on a train he chooses, then he can effectively turn up unannounced. Of course, if he does happen to be recognised then staff may make a special effort, but I wouldn;t say that he would automatically be recognised.

On the other hand, if he has been givne a ticket for a specific train and in a specific seat, you can bet your house that the staff will be pre warned as you say.

I do think the former is more likely though.

 

[O L Leigh]

He doesn't have to be recognised by the on-train staff. All they need to know is that a critic will be travelling in order to sample the food, and if the TOC wanted a good write-up they would make his passes as restrictive as possible in order to have a good idea when he'd be travelling so that the staff can be warned to be on their toes.

O L Leigh

 

[ole man]

It states that his pass also gave him free food and drink, he must show this ticket to the staff aboard, he must realise that on showing this pass he would be known, and a special effort would be made towards him, which makes the whole report making EC favourable a mockery, and stinks of being staged

 

[O L Leigh]

As a paying passenger, having travelled in 1st class between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh earlier this year using Virgin and EC services respectively, I would have to say that Virgin's service knocks EC's into a cocked hat. We got complementary food and drink at our seats for the entire journey, including hot food and alcoholic drinks, on Virgin but EC got sniffy about where I was sitting and wouldn't serve me anything more than a sandwich unless I moved one bay of seats closer to the buffet car and still charged me for it. Then they stopped serving altogether somewhere around Doncaster on the way back up.

Frankly if EC got a favourable write-up it is almost certainly because the crew got tipped the wink about their special passenger.

O L Leigh

 

[Greenback]

He doesn't have to be recognised by the on-train staff. All they need to know is that a critic will be travelling in order to sample the food, and if the TOC wanted a good write-up they would make his passes as restrictive as possible in order to have a good idea when he'd be travelling so that the staff can be warned to be on their toes.

O L Leigh

If it is for a particular service or even day, then they will probably know. I fit's an 'open' pass, then they won't until he is on the train.

There is an argument that EC would want a sparkling review, especially since their FC food has had a bit of a grilling (sorry) from customers.

But there is also the argument that, having stated previosuly that the catering is not what it was, EC want honest feedback.

It states that his pass also gave him free food and drink, he must show this ticket to the staff aboard, he must realise that on showing this pass he would be known, and a special effort would be made towards him, which makes the whole report making EC favourable a mockery, and stinks of being staged

Maybe, but it seems more likely to me that by that time he might have experienced the announcements about service failures and lack of stock!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Frankly if EC got a favourable write-up it is almost certainly because the crew got tipped the wink about their special passenger.

O L Leigh

Evn on this forum some contributors have been satisfied with the food and drink, not to mention the service. Yes, many have been dissatisfied, but maybe EC can get it right sometimes, whether the custome rhappens to eb a columnist or not.

Perhaps I am just not cynical enough.

 

[ole man]

No your not

 

[O L Leigh]

But there is also the argument that, having stated previosuly that the catering is not what it was, EC want honest feedback.

Perhaps I am just not cynical enough.

Perhaps they do, but from a journalist...? If they want honest feedback they will use mystery shoppers because the results are private and kept in-house.

If they've invited (or even simply agreed under sufferance) a journalist on-board it's usually because they have something they want to say. Even EC are not daft enough to invite a journalist in to write copy for general consumption that reports that their on-board catering remains disappointing and mediocre.

O L Leigh

 

[Greenback]

Even EC are not daft enough to invite a journalist in to write copy for general consumption that reports that their on-board catering remains disappointing and mediocre.

O L Leigh

And yet he has done that before, much to a TOC's surprise...

 

[O L Leigh]

With a pass...? Or perhaps he snuck on and reviewed them in the course of holding his own ticket while on his way somewhere.

O L Leigh

 

[BestWestern]

We had a notice go up a while back telling us he was going to be out and about on our services, which helpfully had a big picture on it for those not familiar with him. I forget now what he was supposed to be doing, but I didn't come across him.

He makes some valid points I must admit, but I can't help but sometimes detect a sense of self-importance in some of his writing; maybe I'm wrong I haven't met him. I do dislike his apparent view that Guards have nothing else to do other than revenue, and perhaps his failure to appreciate that unlike him most of us don't dedicate our working lives to knowing the details of every last ticket in the machine, and that our knowledge is likely to be only as good as our training.

 

[jamesst]

I must admit i cant stand his column esp the stance that South West trains can do no wrong. For reasons that become very clear when you realise his website is supported by Stagecoach...

 

[DaveNewcastle]

. . . .
If they've invited (or even simply agreed under sufferance) a journalist on-board it's usually because they have something they want to say. . . . .

That is exactly my understanding too.
That's what East Coast's Communication team are there for - getting positive statements out there (whether we agree or not, and in the case of their 'complimentary offer', I do not).

 

[Greenback]

Whatever anyone thinks of his column, BArry Doe has reviewed railway catering offerings for many years. He has been very enthusiastic about various companies food and drink, and also very scathing at other times. This is what makes me conclude that he is fair, reports on what he experiences, but that his likes and dislikes might be very different to mine.

This is the problem with food and drink. One perosn may think that something is stunning and anothe rmight think it hideous! (In fact, this happeend with out Chrismas Dinner at work yesterday. I was very impressed, other far less so!)

Of course, in circumstances such as this there are bound to be questions about whether the service he experienced is what a 'non journalist might have received, and there are also bound to be concerns about the free pass. But ultimately, that could be true of any review.

Personally, though, I think that he should drop the subject now, as on train catering has declined so much, in terms of availability at least, over the past decade. It now has little relevance ot the vast majority of travellers.

 

[RPM]

Much as I do respect Barry Doe's ticketing knowledge, I find him an unreliable commentator on the railway industry as he so clearly has his favourite TOCs and his betes noires. Certain TOCs (e.g. SWT) can do no wrong whilst others (e.g. Chiltern) he takes every opportunity to attack. The cynic in me wonders if it has anything to do with which TOCs have employed him for consultancy work and which have told him to sling his hook.

 

[Greenback]

Even member sof this forum have their favourite TOC's, although it's true that a far higher level of objectivity should be expected from a magazine columnist than a poster on the internet!

 

[Marton]

As a paying passenger, having travelled in 1st class between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh earlier this year using Virgin and EC services respectively, I would have to say that Virgin's service knocks EC's into a cocked hat.

Absolutely correct; i have been using the ECML in FC for over 20 years. the current service is the worst ever, even worse than the bad days at the end of NatExp.

At least the staff working in the dying NatExp days knew about customer service and tried.

Now almost all the old staff have gone; the ones that are left whom most I now see are embarrassed at what they have to offer. the new ones wouldn't recognise Barry Doe if he had a 72pt name badge.

I use WCML occasionally; A year or so ago i was forced onto the WCML when the ECML fell over and went to Edinburgh via Preston. Then I though the food was awful; i would welcome it on the ECML now.

As an infrequently traveling colleague who came down on an evening train last week said "I have been at work all day, there was no proper food on the train and I am hungry; what am i supposed to do to eat if I arrive in London at 2130?"

 

[O L Leigh]

Fortunately 2130 is not too late to find a meal in London. The problem I had was that on arrival I had to transfer across London to find another service home. Having come up First Class all the way from Edinburgh, I was reduced to having to pick up a McDeaths to eat on the commuter train home.

O L Leigh

 

[theblackwatch]

There was a review of on train catering in Today's Railways a couple of months back, and if I recall correctly, the writer used an all line rover to travel about sampling the meals. I suspect this provided a more balanced review of catering than the one by Barry Doe where the TOC did know he was going to be 'out and about' even though they did not know which specific trains he would be on.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Aye, I remember reading it - it was two months ago, as it was the first issue in the slightly changed format. IIRC the writer thought EC was excellent, better so than the ATW WAG service!

 

[junglejames]

I must admit i cant stand his column esp the stance that South West trains can do no wrong. For reasons that become very clear when you realise his website is supported by Stagecoach...

What about the other companies that sponsor his website? What about the fact he has criticised them in the past? What about the fact SWT have won TOC of the year? Oh, and I think you will find he wasnt one of the judges.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

He makes some valid points I must admit, but I can't help but sometimes detect a sense of self-importance in some of his writing; maybe I'm wrong I haven't met him. I do dislike his apparent view that Guards have nothing else to do other than revenue, and perhaps his failure to appreciate that unlike him most of us don't dedicate our working lives to knowing the details of every last ticket in the machine, and that our knowledge is likely to be only as good as our training.

I think you'll find he has a very good idea what a guards duties are. He isnt stupid.
Also, he makes it perfectly clear that any guards' shortfalls are often down to training.

 

[Greenback]

Aye, I remember reading it - it was two months ago, as it was the first issue in the slightly changed format. IIRC the writer thought EC was excellent, better so than the ATW WAG service!

Which illustrates how subjective the whole issue of food and drink can be. Wherever you are. I've seen people having an online argument on cruise forums over whether one dessert or anothe ris the best on board a ship!

 

[BestWestern]

I think you'll find he has a very good idea what a guards duties are. He isnt stupid.
Also, he makes it perfectly clear that any guards' shortfalls are often down to training.

A particular gem I once read was a comment the tickets is "the sole job" of on-board staff. That's lacking a fairly basic understanding of a Guard's role.

I accept that he does sometimes mention poor training, but I still find his tongue a tad acid on occasions. As I said, most of us have no need or desire to spend our personal time swatting up on the intricacies of ticket conditions and acceptance, we have a good level of knowledge for the everyday stuff but are not 'experts'. I sometimes get a distinct impression that he thinks we all should be.

 

[Greenback]

A particular gem I once read was a comment the tickets is "the sole job" of on-board staff. That's lacking a fairly basic understanding of a Guard's role.

I accept that he does sometimes mention poor training, but I still find his tongue a tad acid on occasions. As I said, most of us have no need or desire to spend our personal time swatting up on the intricacies of ticket conditions and acceptance, we have a good level of knowledge for the everyday stuff but are not 'experts'. I sometimes get a distinct impression that he thinks we all should be.

It's not unknown for occasional mistakes to crop into articles that are not the fault of the author. I don't recall very many of thos types of comments, so I am tempted to treat it as a rare or unique occurrence which he may not have been responsible for.

He has also said, on many occasions, that the fares system is so complicated that it's impossible for booking clerks to know everything. Although that doesn't seem to include on train staff, it would be ridiculous to say that the latter should all be experts.

I find myself defending the man here, but that's not to say that I agree with everything he writes. But I did used to find his column very interesting and useful, even if it has been largely superseded for my me by this forum since I joined!

 

[All Line Rover]

Aye, I remember reading it - it was two months ago, as it was the first issue in the slightly changed format. IIRC the writer thought EC was excellent, better so than the ATW WAG service!

Ha! I haven't read something that funny in ages!


--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I must admit i cant stand his column esp the stance that South West trains can do no wrong. For reasons that become very clear when you realise his website is supported by Stagecoach...

That does appear to explain his (extremely over-enthusiastic and over-rated) review of EMT's First Class catering.

 

[Yew]

Emt's first class catering is very good especially for the price.

 

[ainsworth74]

That does appear to explain his (extremely over-enthusiastic and over-rated) review of EMT's First Class catering.

In your opinion that is as personally I agreed with him