LNER - disposable mugs on hired in set

[sefton]

"First class passengers thought staff on the newly nationalised London North Eastern Railway were taking the biscuit- after claiming they couldn't pour tea into mugs.

The unusual reason given by staff was that they were not insured to pour the popular hot beverage into the mugs provided, so had to pour it into disposable cups.

Not only that, but LNER also revealed some staff are not trained to use the ovens on some trains, so they can only offer a cold buffet, according to The Sunday Times."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ff-refuse-pour-tea-mugs-class-passengers.html

What amused me was the official response from LNER -

A spokesman for LNER said its staff were insured to pour hot drinks and said the insurance comment from staff was likely 'sarcastic'.

They added: 'The crew are just probably not familiar with that train and so decided to use the disposable cups.'

Really that is better? Sarcastic staff who don't know how to pour tea into a mug. I would have stuck with the insurance story.

 

[High Dyke]

I wonder what they do at home, if they drink tea?

 

[Mag_seven]

"First class passengers thought staff on the newly nationalised London North Eastern Railway were taking the biscuit- after claiming they couldn't pour tea into mugs.

The unusual reason given by staff was that they were not insured to pour the popular hot beverage into the mugs provided, so had to pour it into disposable cups.

Not only that, but LNER also revealed some staff are not trained to use the ovens on some trains, so they can only offer a cold buffet, according to The Sunday Times."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ff-refuse-pour-tea-mugs-class-passengers.html

What amused me was the official response from LNER -

A spokesman for LNER said its staff were insured to pour hot drinks and said the insurance comment from staff was likely 'sarcastic'.

They added: 'The crew are just probably not familiar with that train and so decided to use the disposable cups.'

Really that is better? Sarcastic staff who don't know how to pour tea into a mug. I would have stuck with the insurance story.

What's the issue here? You can clearly see you get a much bigger serving in a disposable cup than you do in the ceramic mug.

 

[Warwick]

"not trained to use the ovens"
I wasn't trained to use the ovens (there are two) in my bungalow when I moved in but I found out how. Using an oven isn't rocket engineering.
I know people invariably say "......isn't rocket science but rocketry isn't science, it's engineering".

 

[AlterEgo]

A pathetic train company.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What's the issue here? You can clearly see you get a much bigger serving in a disposable cup than you do in the ceramic mug.

Waste. When Costabucks etc come out with “do you mind it in a disposable cup” when drinking in the correct answer is “yes, I do mind”.

 

[attics26]

A pathetic train company.

and a joy to work for ....................

 

[warriorofrovac]

This story is completely misleading. The service in question was a set hired from EMT and not one of our own sets, there are different rules around using EMTs equipment and facilities. Granted this could have been explained clearer by the staff, but equally the newspapers could have got the full picture before running this story. Bit surprised y'all are taking a Daily Mail article at face value.

 

[pt_mad]

What's hard to believe that staff havnt been trained in a certain thing so aren't able to do it?

With today's health and safety it's to be expected that instances such as this are going to occur very occasionally.

It's all well saying it's easy to 'work out' how to use an oven, but the fact is if the company procedure is you don't do it unless your trained and the training is recorded, then you don't do it end of. Otherwise you risk your job. You couldn't use an oven in a restaurant if you wernt trained on it.

It's the same with things like electric pallet trucks at warehouses. All they have is a go and stop button, but if you haven't had full training and aren't signed off competent then you don't do it. Otherwise you can expect the sack. It's not something confined to the rail industry by any means.

If people wernt wernt being sued left right and centre it might be different. As the 1960s and 70s demonstrated, but nowadays with the level of law and litigation it can't be any other way.

 

[Starmill]

Bit surprised y'all are taking a Daily Mail article at face value.

Luckily I didn't - although I was fooled by the quote that they were being 'sarcastic'.

Your explanation makes perfect sense (essentially they don't want the set returned with dirty cups), but saying that it's sarcasm does not!

 

[bnm]

"not trained to use the ovens"
I wasn't trained to use the ovens (there are two) in my bungalow when I moved in but I found out how. Using an oven isn't rocket engineering.
I know people invariably say "......isn't rocket science but rocketry isn't science, it's engineering".

Really?
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rocketry
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/amp/english/rocketry

 

[XCTurbostar]

Looking at the article, this is an issue because the staff weren’t trained to use the EMT catering equipment on a subleased HST.. my question to VTEC is whether this happens on every single service that EMT HST operates. I’d feel pretty bummed if I’d booked first class from Aberdeen to Kings Cross and there was no hot food because the staff haven’t been trained to turn a dial on an oven..

 

[sefton]

The reason I posted this wasn't because of the sarcastic response from the train crew, but I was amused at the lack of media training the LNER spokesperson had received.

 

[XCTurbostar]

The reason I posted this wasn't because of the sarcastic response from the train crew, but I was amused at the lack of media training the LNER spokesperson had received.

It’s laughable that they couldn’t provide a more direct response as to why this occurred. At the very least I would have expected ‘Another operator’ and ‘Lease’ to turn up in the statement.. it’s also pretty pathetic that the spokesperson also says ‘probably’ in they’re statement.. as if they’re doubting themselves. It’s their service, they should know!

 

[whhistle]

"not trained to use the ovens"
I wasn't trained to use the ovens (there are two) in my bungalow when I moved in but I found out how.

And if the person on board guesses, and ends up starting a fire that rips through the train and kills 80% of people... that's okay, no comeback on the person that guessed how to use the oven?
We don't live in that day and age anymore... unfortunately.

 

[Stampy]

Health and Safety gone mad....

Where I work (company that delivers mail and parcels, driven by a man with a black and white cat!!) - we've now been told that ALL drinks must be in sealable cups / beakers....

 

[Bletchleyite]

Health and Safety gone mad....

Where I work (company that delivers mail and parcels, driven by a man with a black and white cat!!) - we've now been told that ALL drinks must be in sealable cups / beakers....

I give that company at most 10 years to live; it will kill itself by way of its poor service (parcels division) and its own self-imposition of excessive regulation. I'm convinced it was privatised to "shape up or ship out" without the Government needing to take the flak.

 

[a_c_skinner]

The service in question was a set hired from EMT

That explains it better, it doesn't make it any less foolish.

 

[DarloRich]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ff-refuse-pour-tea-mugs-class-passengers.html

What amused me was the official response from LNER -



Really that is better? Sarcastic staff who don't know how to pour tea into a mug. I would have stuck with the insurance story.

sounds like a lot of stuff and nonsense. it seems everyone got their free cup of first class tea so what is the issue? Those of us in second class are able to drink our not free tea from a paper cup without any issues. Sometimes i even manage to dunk a kit kat!

 

[Bletchleyite]

And if the person on board guesses, and ends up starting a fire that rips through the train and kills 80% of people... that's okay, no comeback on the person that guessed how to use the oven?

If an oven is designed such that that will happen by way of a non-obvious failure mode (and not be contained adequately) it needs ripping out and scrapping. Ovens have been being made for years and for most of them the only way to achieve that (other than a fault) is to do something stupid e.g. forget you've put the food in, and even then they are designed to contain a fire to some extent until it goes out if the safest option of turn-off-and-leave-closed is selected (as most non-oil-based fires will).

 

[Bletchleyite]

sounds like a lot of stuff and nonsense. it seems everyone got their free cup of first class tea so what is the issue?

Apart from the waste, it just makes them look rather stupid.

 

[DarloRich]

Apart from the waste, it just makes them look rather stupid.

Cups are recycled these days (or should be!)

Did anyone suffer a lack of service? I suspect there is a very simple misunderstanding or wrongly judged comment behind all of this.

 

[Moonshot]

Cups are recycled these days (or should be!)

Did anyone suffer a lack of service? I suspect there is a very simple misunderstanding or wrongly judged comment behind all of this.

Its daily mail....I d be inclined to dismiss it as nonsense.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cups are recycled these days (or should be!)

They mostly aren't. Recycling cardboard-plastic laminate is quite difficult. It's much better to use reusable cups in the appropriate contexts.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43739043

 

[DarloRich]

Its daily mail....I d be inclined to dismiss it as nonsense.

Agreed - IF the story is I am sorry I cant give you a cup of tea you have paid for because of the wrong type of cup then we have a story. If the story is i am sorry I have to give you the cup of tea you have paid for in a disposable cup because we are on an odd train and i mistakenly feel i am not insured to serve you tea in the cups on this train then we don't!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agreed - IF the story is I am sorry I cant give you a cup of tea you have paid for because of the wrong type of cup then we have a story. If the story is i am sorry I have to give you the cup of tea you have paid for in a disposable cup because we are on an odd train and i mistakenly feel i am not insured to serve you tea in the cups on this train then we don't!

Much as I don't like the overuse of non-reusable cups, they made their own problem with this one - if they'd said "this train was hired in so we don't have any proper ones" I doubt anyone would have said anything.

 

[cactustwirly]

Looking at the article, this is an issue because the staff weren’t trained to use the EMT catering equipment on a subleased HST.. my question to VTEC is whether this happens on every single service that EMT HST operates. I’d feel pretty bummed if I’d booked first class from Aberdeen to Kings Cross and there was no hot food because the staff haven’t been trained to turn a dial on an oven..

Yes but EMT hire ins are rare, and unlikely to work up to Aberdeen.
However if this is the ex EMT Hull set, ie the one with 43075 & 43061. Then LNER have no excuse as it's their train, and the catering vehicle is identical to the other sets.

 

[Mikey C]

This was a Sunday Times story (quoted by the Mail)

How much training does it take to use a train oven? Using that as a justification just makes the railways look like a laughing stock to the general public

 

[DarloRich]

How much training does it take to use a train oven? Using that as a justification just makes the railways look like a laughing stock to the general public

right up until they scald someone or serve them a stone cold toastie.............................

 

[WelshBluebird]

Put it simply, by law, employers have to provide adequate training for any equipment that could be a safety risk to employees.
If you want to blame anyone for that, blame companies who took liabilities with employee safety leading to injuries and deaths.
In this case, if the equipment was different to what they have already been trained on, then I'd say, depending on the differences, it is pretty sensible to not use that equipment until the training has been provided.