Rude Customers

[Bohemian]

I am referring to passengers who have no regard or respect for other people on the same train they are travelling on. It was early December 2013 and I had just completed a 20 mile walk to Bristol. The train I had the misfortune to get on was standing room only at Bristol Temple Meads. I had no problem with that until we reached Filton Abbey Wood rail station.

A rather rotund business type pushed his way on, and then proceeded to force his co-workers on as well. He was shouting for everyone to move back, while talking on his mobile device constantly. I mentioned that I could not actually move, and he responded that there was plenty of room. He was still on his mobile device and looking out of the window at the time. Is this how train travel is on First Great Western?

The train had to terminate at Bristol Parkway as another First Great Western train had developed a fault at Cam & Dursley rail station.

 

[jopsuk]

I know it may sound sad, but there's really nothing remarkable about your tale in any way shape or form. It's not even a "tsk these days" thing.

 

[Bohemian]

I walk all over Britain and use rail to achieve my goals. This was the first time in 5 years I have ever had someone go out of their way to be awkward. It was also the first time I have used First Great Western. You can see my walks here. http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb383/BohemianBrummie/BIG MAP/2014.jpg

 

[455driver]

Is it typical of FGW? No it isnt!

Is it typical of a very small minority of Passengers? Yes it is!

 

[Squaddie]

It's typical of a small minority of people in general, not just rail passengers.

 

[Parallel]

I've had a few times when I've been on the train home from work and occasionally a group of loud teenagers with quite low self-awareness have got on and preceded to screech and shout about all their sexual habits, with really quite fowl language which I think it quite rude - Although I am not that bothered by it, people should respect that they are not sitting alone in a carriage. Thankfully, I usually have my headphones!

 

[drbdrb]

Meanwhile, the story from the other person...

My colleagues and I tried to get on a busy train, and as usual everyone had insisted on crowding round the doors rather than moving down the aisle.

I asked this skinny sweaty bloke with a big rucksack who was taking up a huge amount of room if he and the others could move further down, so my colleagues and I can could get on. However he refused quite dismissively, with no thought to how long we would be waiting for the next train.

Is this how train travel is on First Great Western?

 

[GodAtum]

Its lucky that passengers can show a piece of their mind, staff have to show "customer service".

 

[455driver]

Its lucky that passengers can show a piece of their mind, staff have to show "customer service".

Yeah and dont the 'customers' know it!

I wonder how many of the gobby ones would carry on in the same way if the staff were not in uniform/ at work?

 

[transmanche]

Its lucky that passengers can show a piece of their mind, staff have to show "customer service".

That's how it is in most industries...

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Is it typical of FGW? No it isnt!

Is it typical of a very small minority of Passengers? Yes it is!

IME, it's not a very small minority.......

 

[PeterY]

It's a shame such a tiny minority are rude etc in life as a whole but on the whole 99% of people are respectful. I hate the 1% :-x of awkward .........s

 

[yorkie]

IME, it's not a very small minority.......

depends where you are. Greater Manchester is definitely worse than Yorkshire, though West Yorkshire is worse than North Yorkshire...

 

[hairyhandedfool]

depends where you are. Greater Manchester is definitely worse than Yorkshire, though West Yorkshire is worse than North Yorkshire...

And compared to some parts of London (and the surrounding counties) Manchester is sedate.........

 

[aleph_0]

On the subject of 'customer service', I did witness a fun incident at Reading a while back. A suited commuter was loudly ranting at an admirably polite member of platform staff, I think about not being allowed to stand in the 1st vestibule.

A tall, well-built chap, who looked like he wouldn't look out of place at a heavy metal concert, interrputed and said to the commuter, "You, Sir, are a douche".

 

[transmanche]

A tall, well-built chap, who looked like he wouldn't look out of place at a heavy metal concert, interrputed and said to the commuter, "You, Sir, are a douche".

I know that word has been a popular insult in the US for years and seems to be catching on over here. But as it's the French word for a shower, I always think of Terry Thomas (or similar old-fashioned 'posh' actor) calling someone a 'shower'... a mild insult at best!

[youtube]9rtNUiYllnw[/youtube]

Skip to 33s for the action!

 

[yorksrob]

To be fair to the bloke in the OP's tale, if the train is standing room only, it is IMO the duty of those already on the train to move down so that others can get on. If people don't hear, sometimes it's necessary to speak louder. Put it another way, the loud businessman may have been saving his more timid co-workers from an unnecessary additional wait on the platform. I know people talking loudly on mobile phones isn't the done thing, but I'd put it down to no more than a minor irritation.

 

[Muzer]

Indeed. Most of the time the people who genuinely can't move down are not the ones who the comment is directed at. Even if it looks to those people that there is no more room, there quite often is - as is easier to see from the outside than the inside of the train.

 

[455driver]

IME, it's not a very small minority.......

I thought I had better put that to stop the thread being filled with the usual "but you are anti-passenger" diatribe which normally follow anything I write about our wonderful passengers!

 

[plymothian]

I know that word has been a popular insult in the US for years and seems to be catching on over here. But as it's the French word for a shower, I always think of Terry Thomas (or similar old-fashioned 'posh' actor) calling someone a 'shower'... a mild insult at best!

If you really want to know... it's a contraction of douchebag, which essentially is what you administer an enema or vaginal cleanse with.

 

[westv]

As Del Boy would say
Bonnet de douche, bonnet de douche!

 

[fowler9]

I think it is a minority of people who are, pardon my French, tw*ts, sadly not a tiny minority. Unfortunately they seem to be the loudest, most obnoxious and ignorant so everybody notices them.

 

[rdwarr]

I think it is a minority of people who are, pardon my French, tw*ts, sadly not a tiny minority. Unfortunately they seem to be the loudest, most obnoxious and ignorant so everybody notices them.

Of course. Who do you notice in a carriage of 80 people? The 79 sitting/standing quietly and politely or the one shouting down his phone to show everybody how important he is?

I think it IS a tiny minority but they're high profile.

 

[Tetchytyke]

That sounds pretty normal for the Tube in a morning to be honest.

It drives me mad when people won't move down the carriage when there clearly is room, they just don't want to be too far from the doors. This is often the case, especially on First Capital Connect, and one needs to shout to ever get on a train.

But then it also drives me mad when you get some nitwit throw himself into the carriage when there clearly isn't room and never was room.

A couple of weeks ago I had someone yelling that I was a "fat ****" because I wasn't getting off a train quickly enough. He clearly had mental health problems, so here's hoping they don't find him in a ditch next week.

The joys of commuting, eh?

 

[Greenback]

I think some people are reluctant to move down because of a fear of being trapped and not being able to get off if they are stuck in the middle of a carriage.

Of course, we are all at the mercy of the person at the end of the line. If they don't want to move down, I can't move down. Unless it's a train with more standing room thans eats in the first place. And it's often impossible to see if there's much room for someone else to move into.

 

[anthony263]

I hate it when staff cram more people on.

I was coming back from London a year or two ago and there had been a large concert on in Cardiff so in the end the HST was rammed and there were a few of us in one carriage unable to get off at Bridgend because people wouldnt move.

We were able to get off at Port Talbot Parkway where one woman had a go at those who got on at Cardiff for not waiting for the next train and causing problems for passengers like her. In all credit to FGW taxi's were waiting to take us to Bridgend as it seems someone musrt have spoken to the onboard staff. I did see one person a few weeks afterwards who said they have written to ATW telling them off over the whle incident.

 

[GodAtum]

I was coming back from London a year or two ago and there had been a large concert on in Cardiff so in the end the HST was rammed and there were a few of us in one carriage unable to get off at Bridgend because people wouldnt move.

I think people also struggle to get off at Clapham Junction plat 10 as its rammed.

 

[yorksrob]

That's why they should give every ten people their own door

I can understand not cramming people on if it's a ten minute frequency, but in most places it could be quite a long wait.

 

[Bohemian]

Meanwhile, the story from the other person...

My colleagues and I tried to get on a busy train, and as usual everyone had insisted on crowding round the doors rather than moving down the aisle.

I asked this skinny sweaty bloke with a big rucksack who was taking up a huge amount of room if he and the others could move further down, so my colleagues and I can could get on. However he refused quite dismissively, with no thought to how long we would be waiting for the next train.

Is this how train travel is on First Great Western?

I can see it perfectly from another person’s point of view, but I would never get on a train demanding strangers do as I say.

 

[paulravuslante]

Please and thank you go a long way but sadly they're becoming less common.