Yesterday, 22nd August 2012, I was returning from Kidderminster to Shirehampton.
Following delays and cancellations due to vandalism in the Great Malvern area I was given an itinerary by staff at Kidderminster giving me connections at Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove, Cheltenham Spa and Stapleton Road. With the via Worcester ticket endorsed to allow travel avoiding Worcester.
Because of the earlier problems, the service from Droitwich to Bromsgrove was delayed and this meant I just missed my connection to Cheltenham. Bromsgrove is not a place I would wish on anyone to be stranded. The time was 1850 and there were no further services that would have allowed connections down the line to Shirehampton, excepting going via Birmingham NS (invalid route) and making a tight 3 minute connection at Bristol TM.
For the first time ever, I had to resort to a 'Help Point'. What a misnomer. Could I get the folk, allegedly working for London Midland, based somewhere in the Asian sub-continent, to understand my predicament? Could I flip. All they could advise me to do was take the 1946 from Bromsgrove to Birmingham NS and then pick up CrossCountry at 2042 for Bristol TM. Telling me, essentially, to wing it with a ticket that wasn't valid by that route. They said they couldn't make any contact with London Midland staff on the ground to let them know they had a passenger slightly stuck in the hell-hole that is Bromsgrove. Fortunately the London Midland guard on the 1946 eventually accepted my explanation, but not before saying I should really be paying an excess!
I approached the XC Train Manager at New Street before boarding, explained my predicament regarding an invalid ticket that no one had officially endorsed to travel via Brum and all my previous problems melted away. She said that someone in her 'Control' had been made aware that a passenger had been somewhat stranded at Bromsgrove and may well turn up on her service. The numpties via the 'Help Point' at Bromsgrove never bothered to tell me they'd been in contact with XC. She was all apologetic on behalf of folk that don't even work at the same TOC as her, and by way of apology she bumped me up to 1st Class.
She even fed and watered me. Sandwich, coffee, biscuits, crisps and cake.
Then she further, without prompting, ensured there would be taxi from Bristol TM to Shirehampton should I miss the tight 3 minute connection at Temple Meads. Fortunately I just made that connection.
So, Sandra on the 2042 XC BHM-BRI. I salute you. You really did go the extra mile and your customer service skills were exemplary.
London Midland? You sucked on this occasion. One crumb of comfort is that it'll be you paying the Delay Repay compensation. Although the fact that CrossCountry stepped up to plate means I may let the claim slide. But perhaps not the complaint letter. It would have been nice if alternative transport could have been arranged from Bromsgrove to Cheltenham for the onward connections, but the off route alternative via Birmingham was apparently all that was on the table from London Midland via deepest darkest Asia. That despite the unofficial connection at Bristol TM. Without that unofficial connection I'd been well over 2 hours late at my destination.
Following delays and cancellations due to vandalism in the Great Malvern area I was given an itinerary by staff at Kidderminster giving me connections at Droitwich Spa, Bromsgrove, Cheltenham Spa and Stapleton Road. With the via Worcester ticket endorsed to allow travel avoiding Worcester.
Because of the earlier problems, the service from Droitwich to Bromsgrove was delayed and this meant I just missed my connection to Cheltenham. Bromsgrove is not a place I would wish on anyone to be stranded. The time was 1850 and there were no further services that would have allowed connections down the line to Shirehampton, excepting going via Birmingham NS (invalid route) and making a tight 3 minute connection at Bristol TM.
For the first time ever, I had to resort to a 'Help Point'. What a misnomer. Could I get the folk, allegedly working for London Midland, based somewhere in the Asian sub-continent, to understand my predicament? Could I flip. All they could advise me to do was take the 1946 from Bromsgrove to Birmingham NS and then pick up CrossCountry at 2042 for Bristol TM. Telling me, essentially, to wing it with a ticket that wasn't valid by that route. They said they couldn't make any contact with London Midland staff on the ground to let them know they had a passenger slightly stuck in the hell-hole that is Bromsgrove. Fortunately the London Midland guard on the 1946 eventually accepted my explanation, but not before saying I should really be paying an excess!
I approached the XC Train Manager at New Street before boarding, explained my predicament regarding an invalid ticket that no one had officially endorsed to travel via Brum and all my previous problems melted away. She said that someone in her 'Control' had been made aware that a passenger had been somewhat stranded at Bromsgrove and may well turn up on her service. The numpties via the 'Help Point' at Bromsgrove never bothered to tell me they'd been in contact with XC. She was all apologetic on behalf of folk that don't even work at the same TOC as her, and by way of apology she bumped me up to 1st Class.
She even fed and watered me. Sandwich, coffee, biscuits, crisps and cake.
Then she further, without prompting, ensured there would be taxi from Bristol TM to Shirehampton should I miss the tight 3 minute connection at Temple Meads. Fortunately I just made that connection.
So, Sandra on the 2042 XC BHM-BRI. I salute you. You really did go the extra mile and your customer service skills were exemplary.
London Midland? You sucked on this occasion. One crumb of comfort is that it'll be you paying the Delay Repay compensation. Although the fact that CrossCountry stepped up to plate means I may let the claim slide. But perhaps not the complaint letter. It would have been nice if alternative transport could have been arranged from Bromsgrove to Cheltenham for the onward connections, but the off route alternative via Birmingham was apparently all that was on the table from London Midland via deepest darkest Asia. That despite the unofficial connection at Bristol TM. Without that unofficial connection I'd been well over 2 hours late at my destination.
