Do Virgin actually read letters and e mails from passengers

[Hellfire]

I sent an e mail to VTWC at the beginning of June asking of they would consider rotating their hot meal option in the evening a little more often as four months of one menu get monotonous if you are a regular. It was a lighthearted note.

I heard nothing until today when I got a two page generic letter, apologising for everything under the sun, explaining that they go the extra mile to satisfy their customers and attaching a £25 Rail Voucher for all the inconvenience I had suffered.

Very nice to get it but it seems a very inefficient and expensive way of responding to what was not a complaint.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's been going on for years. In 1995 I wrote to North West Regional Railways (still part of BR) complaining about the fact that we were dropped off in Manchester city centre when the evacuation had already started for the bomb. I got back an apology for delays which were out of their control. The delays were indeed out of their control, but we would not have been put at risk had they got a message to the train at Wigan Wallgate to tell people not to alight at Manchester.

VT are known for this - fobbing people off with RTVs - and while some free RTVs don't go amiss it grates that they have no real interest in solving problems.

 

[mirodo]

Are VTEC the same? I may feel the need to complain if it's likely to result in some free RTVs!

 

[BanburyBlue]

Had the same from Cross-Country. Was annoyed when the trolley service never turned up. Wrote a letter with explicit detail on what trains etc, and got a letter suggesting I should check the timetable as this explains when catering is available - Doh!!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Are VTEC the same? I may feel the need to complain if it's likely to result in some free RTVs!

Generally no - remember it's really Stagecoach East Coast Trains in all but branding.

 

[PeterC]

This is standard for all corporations and is by no means specific to railways. Pick a couple of keywords from the communication and trigger the appropriate off the shelf response.

 

[PHILIPE]

Replies by TOCs to complaints very rarely seem to give a direct answer but some waffle about policy. There seems to be a standard list of replies and choose which seems to be the best one for the situation.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Are VTEC the same? I may feel the need to complain if it's likely to result in some free RTVs!

Was wondering that! Seem's as if you send them an E-mail and you get vouchers, all you have to do is mention that the Class 390 you were on was dud and get some RTV's

 

[HowardGWR]

I suppose that's why folk are using twitter. With the newspapers basing most of their articles by just monitoring twitter, you can maximise the shaming process, but you will miss out on the vouchers, I suppose, and of course you won't achieve what you really wanted, which was something to be done.

 

[All Line Rover]

And if you are after a personal reply, be prepared to wait six months.

 

[a_c_skinner]

I've had similar with West Coast. Northern were best, a day's free travel after a minor complaint. Had a trip to Lincoln.

Mind you the subject of the complaint (train crew not selling or checking tickets on long, quiet sections of a journey) remains an issue.

Oh and if you want deaf and dumb response to complaints try BT.

Andrew

 

[lyndhurst25]

At least you got a response and some vouchers! I'm still waiting to hear from new Northern about a journey I made on 22nd May. A delay repay claim plus a complaint about a ticket office not opening on time. Has anyone actually recieved one of the new delay repay vouchers from new Northern yet?

 

[route:oxford]

I heard nothing until today when I got a two page generic letter, apologising for everything under the sun, explaining that they go the extra mile to satisfy their customers and attaching a £25 Rail Voucher for all the inconvenience I had suffered.

It's great isn't it?

Complaints = £lots.

I'm relentless with my complaints strategy these days aiming for at least one hotel night in 4 being refunded, complimentary upgrades on flights, clock-watch rail services and keep a keen eye for service failures by shops, banks, telecoms and other service providers.

Biggest outcome so far this year was £1000 each from three sub-prime financial service companies who used an agent (same one) to email me without having my clear and specific consent to do so.

 

[Hadders]

It's great isn't it?

Complaints = £lots.

I disagree.

The Virgin 'fob off' vouchers are all well and good but they do nothing to actually get to the root cause of the problem and fix it.

When I complain I try to be constructive and my expectation is that the organisation takes it on board and does something about it. This doesn't happen if all they do is send some vouchers and ignore the substance of the complaint.

 

[Khxds]

It's great isn't it?

Complaints = £lots.

I'm relentless with my complaints strategy these days aiming for at least one hotel night in 4 being refunded, complimentary upgrades on flights, clock-watch rail services and keep a keen eye for service failures by shops, banks, telecoms and other service providers.

Biggest outcome so far this year was £1000 each from three sub-prime financial service companies who used an agent (same one) to email me without having my clear and specific consent to do so.

You sound delightful.

 

[Scott M]

Generally no - remember it's really Stagecoach East Coast Trains in all but branding.

OT but why do they use virgin branding when it is 90% stagecoach?

 

[FQ]

How would a TOC send an RTV via E-mail then? If it is a print out one then wouldn't there be a risk of printing the same voucher again and again (unless there's a way to prevent this)?

 

[Drogba11CFC]

There's a variation on a well-known urban legend that was published in the letters section of Railway World back in the 1990s. A passenger with Virgin, so hacked off with the poor quality of the train, wrote a long letter of complaint and received a response promising to upgrade him to first class when he next travelled with them. However, as he went to throw the envelope away, he noticed a slip of paper in it...on which was written "send standard letter".

 

[47271]

The urban myth I subscribe to is this one.

In the early 1990s an InterCity Sleeper passenger wrote to Bob Reid, then Chairman of British Rail, to complain that he'd travelled from Edinburgh to London and found to his mortification that there were fleas in the bed.

This brought an equally mortified reply, stating that the scenario was unheard of and that a full investigation was being undertaken, vouchers, more vouchers etc etc.

This would have been fine but for the post it note attached to the reply that said 'SEND STANDARD FLEA LETTER'.

 

[Hadders]

OT but why do they use virgin branding when it is 90% stagecoach?

Virgin has a far stronger brand image and recognition compared to Stagecoach.

 

[Bletchleyite]

How would a TOC send an RTV via E-mail then? If it is a print out one then wouldn't there be a risk of printing the same voucher again and again (unless there's a way to prevent this)?

They post them, though LM certainly used to credit their online booking account as an alternative, I had a couple of these in David Whitley Twitter days.

 

[FQ]

They post them, though LM certainly used to credit their online booking account as an alternative, I had a couple of these in David Whitley Twitter days.

Ah, OK. Thanks for saying.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

Virgin has a far stronger brand image and recognition compared to Stagecoach.

and less toxic in certain quarters due to Beardy keeping quiet on certain 'moral' issues vs. Souter and his morally conservative and arguably pro-discrimination pronouncements...

 

[AlterEgo]

I'm relentless with my complaints strategy these days aiming for at least one hotel night in 4 being refunded, complimentary upgrades on flights, clock-watch rail services and keep a keen eye for service failures by shops, banks, telecoms and other service providers.

Been a while since I browsed these forums regularly. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Chrisyd]

I recently contacted Virgin saying that my log in stopped working, (I have had it for years and also use the App) I questioned if it was because my e-mail started with a number and if not, was it locked. (Basically every time I try to log in it brings up my details to update and then leaves me stuck on this screen). I said I nearly missed out on some cheap tickets.

Result - No contact for weeks (my friend booked the tickets so we didn't miss out) and then a cheque for £25 with a generic apology letter. A couple of days ago I tried to log in and the same thing happened so I am still unable to buy tickets via Virgin Trains website!

 

[AlterEgo]

There's a variation on a well-known urban legend that was published in the letters section of Railway World back in the 1990s. A passenger with Virgin, so hacked off with the poor quality of the train, wrote a long letter of complaint and received a response promising to upgrade him to first class when he next travelled with them. However, as he went to throw the envelope away, he noticed a slip of paper in it...on which was written "send standard letter".

It's a nearly 100-year-old legend, somewhat reassuringly. It's great that corporate BS was even a thing in 1927.

http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/bedbug.asp < a great read.

 

[Essexman]

I once wrote to praise Virgin Trains and got back a standard letter and £10 voucher.

Invariably response to a letter to a TOC is a standard reply that doesn't answer the question. I find that a second letter gets a partial reply. Sometimes I leave it at that, sometimes I don't!

Generally I'd rather action was taken to try to stop the problem happening again rather than them just send vouchers and do nothing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Generally I'd rather action was taken to try to stop the problem happening again rather than them just send vouchers and do nothing.

I would be happy with the complete abolition of all delay compensation if it would allow money to be spent instead properly reading and replying to complaints.

 

[route:oxford]

You sound delightful.

It's the duty of the service provider to deliver a service that delights the user, customer or passenger.

It's not the duty of the customer to accept what they are given no matter how awful.

Every time you allow a service failing to go un-checked or unreported, you are effectively condoning its repetition. The next person who suffers may not be quite so capable as you to sort things out for themselves.

 

[AndyPJG]

I recently contacted Virgin saying that my log in stopped working, (I have had it for years and also use the App) I questioned if it was because my e-mail started with a number and if not, was it locked. (Basically every time I try to log in it brings up my details to update and then leaves me stuck on this screen). I said I nearly missed out on some cheap tickets.

Result - No contact for weeks (my friend booked the tickets so we didn't miss out) and then a cheque for £25 with a generic apology letter. A couple of days ago I tried to log in and the same thing happened so I am still unable to buy tickets via Virgin Trains website!

My VTWC also freezes exactly the same. I'll simply let another TOC have my custom.

EDIT:-
Just tried my VTWC login on VTEC site, and it worked. Data protection issue?