go Whippet

[yorkie]

Apparently go Whippet have been refusing to honour PlusBus tickets in Cambridge (is anyone able to 'Mystery Shop' to test this?)

Also, on their website they state:

http://www.go-whippet.co.uk/faq.php?faqid=22

"We cannot change where the bell buttons are fitted as that would be illegal - these are fitted where the regulations dictate and the law prevents more stop buttons being fitted on high backed seats."

Does anyone know are the laws governing bell buttons are located, as this sounds dubious.

Is it really illegal for them to change where the bell buttons are fitted, and is there a law against bell buttons being fitted on high backed seats?

Then there's this gem...

http://www.go-whippet.co.uk/faq.php?faqid=27

We take any complaint seriously and address any issues raised individually. For this reason we ask that such issues are sent in to us through the postal system as we find that emails can be inadvertently overlooked.

 

[Titfield]

The bell button answer is almost certainly correct because:
a) vehicles are certified and to make an alteration of a prescribed item in the certification would render the certification invalid
b) I am not sure if it is the Construction and Use regulations or the schedule that relates to DDA Compliance but there are regs as to how many and where bell buttons are placed. Not sure if it limits the number of bell buttons though or if there are rules about high backed seats and bell buttons.

The PCV MOT Tester manual may help but not sure.

It may be quite a task to find the specific reg.

Not exactly an impressive set of statements by Go Whippet!

 

[Deerfold]

Apparently go Whippet have been refusing to honour PlusBus tickets in Cambridge (is anyone able to 'Mystery Shop' to test this?)

I last used them in June. On that occasion they quite happily accepted my Cambridge Plusbus tickets on two journeys on Route C, one from the boundary of the zone.
And that was when the ticket was on offer at £2.

Then there's this gem...

http://www.go-whippet.co.uk/faq.php?faqid=27

At least they're honest about that...though I'd have thought it would be easier to automate an e-mail answering system than a postal one...

 

[Qwerty133]

I last used them in June. On that occasion they quite happily accepted my Cambridge Plusbus tickets on two journeys on Route C, one from the boundary of the zone.
And that was when the ticket was on offer at £2...

an offer that is still being advertised in the waiting room at at least one EMT managed station

 

[34D]

The bell button answer is almost certainly correct because:
a) vehicles are certified and to make an alteration of a prescribed item in the certification would render the certification invalid
b) I am not sure if it is the Construction and Use regulations or the schedule that relates to DDA Compliance but there are regs as to how many and where bell buttons are placed. Not sure if it limits the number of bell buttons though or if there are rules about high backed seats and bell buttons.

The PCV MOT Tester manual may help but not sure.

It may be quite a task to find the specific reg.

Not exactly an impressive set of statements by Go Whippet!

For vehicles with an Accessibility Certificate, bells are required every third row I think. Can be more than that.

There may be a height requirement for the saloon bells also.

The bell in the wheelchair space (which must make a different noise and visual display in the cab) has measurements (heights) to comply with.

Shoddy operator. I know their MD. He is very very odd.

 

[Mojo]

I haven't checked the stats, but isn't there a greater chance of a letter being lost in the post than an email being lost (caused other than by either sender or recipient error).

 

[Titfield]

Being an old cynic:
emails are very quick and easy to fire off
letters can take longer to create and require paper, envelope and stamp as well as being posted.

If a letter is required by the service provider, customers are far less likely to make the effort / take the time and trouble to write a letter thus the service provider receives far fewer complaints.

 

[jopsuk]

It's horrible when a cynic is right- the "no contact email" is very obviously designed to deter complaints.

 

[quarella]

It's horrible when a cynic is right- the "no contact email" is very obviously designed to deter complaints.

Not necessarily. Anti virus/spam software preventing emails reaching the "inbox" leading to further complaints about initial one not being received. I would also suggest that this will mean more the complaints received are likely to be more genuine and reasoned instead of the rant dashed off in the heat of the moment.

 

[Deerfold]

Of course you could accept complaints by phone.

I lived for 4 years in Trentbarton territory - I only had cause to complain twice despite catching a lot of buses but they took complaints by phone seriously and impressed me both times - out of hours they had a answerphone so one of my complaints was a little bit of a rant after the last bus had failed to stop for me, giving me a 30 minute walk home after midnight (at a time when I knew 1 student with a mobile phone and the nearest taxi rank was a 20 minute walk away).

They sent a letter of apology and a free day ticket. And kept me as a happy customer.

 

[Oswyntail]

Being an old cynic:
emails are very quick and easy to fire off
letters can take longer to create and require paper, envelope and stamp as well as being posted.

If a letter is required by the service provider, customers are far less likely to make the effort / take the time and trouble to write a letter thus the service provider receives far fewer complaints.

...and so the complaints are more likely to be serious, and the details provided better. Emails are too easy to fire off in the heat of the moment without any thought.

 

[causton]

I sent an email of complaint to Uno once after the bus turned up 15 minutes late, the driver then crashed into a bus stop (ok, clipped the wing mirror and knocked it off!) after being too busy chatting to a mate, so we had to make a diversion to the garage 5 minutes away to swap the buses over, then he got out at St Albans for 5 minutes to play with a friend's baby who he saw at the bus stop!

They sent me a full refund of my ticket in the form of a voucher to use... naturally by the time it arrived the fare had gone up by 20p! Such is life

 

[WillPS]

Trent Barton are very good. Back when I used the Rainbow 3 several times a week (back in 2006/7) I noticed that the specific fare I needed had gone up by 30p, rather than the 10p it was supposed to go up by, meaning Frio tickets on that journey were overpriced by £2. They sent me out a new Frio ticket free of charge (to replace a completely used one) when I pointed it out to them.