May be of general interest

[StrollerEd]

just rec'd this in response to a follow-up request for an answer to a 'complaint' I sent by email on 27 May (10 days ago):

We thank you for your email.

Due to the various concurrent infrastructure and other issues beyond East Coast's direct control recently, East Coast's Customer Relations team are working as quickly as possible during this difficult time to bring our response times back in line with normal practise (5-7 working days). All correspondence received is appropriately assigned and handled in date/time order from the day it was received into the department.

Even with additional staff and extended working hours, the huge levels of correspondence received is taking time for our staff to make chronological progress.

Currently, East Coast Customer Relations are today processing the following dates of correspondence received in to the office:

Delay Repay Applications/Submissions - 28th May 2011

Emails - 22nd May 2011
Letters - 20th May 2011

This response is merely to advise that we have received your initial correspondence and will duly respond to it as soon as we possibly can. Under normal circumstances our aim is to respond to correspondence within 10 working days. (Please be aware that Royal Mail can take up to five working days to deliver post anywhere in the UK). We are currently back within this 10 working days and looking to reduce this quickly, forthwith.

We thank you for your patience and understanding whilst we address the issues of our many customers.

Regretably it looks as though East Coast are on the back foot. I wish it were otherwise as I would not only like a reply but also I would like them to revise their new catering policy which generates disturbance in the First Class area and deters this traveller from Edinburgh from using the train to London.