Staff: the best & worst

[Bellwater]

What has rail staff travelling on other companies TOCs got to do with Mardy Enthusiasts being denied access to a platform by barrier staff?

 

[Philip]

Rail employees should not just jump on a train if there isn't a existing agreement between the two companies, it's a unoffivial gentlemen's agreement that you find the guard and ask before boarding.

That's just my 2p, by doing that I've never had any problems with guards in fact most have been warmly welcoming to me.

That's what I do and I've never had a problem either except for this London trip I did. On the way there I asked the train manager and he said I needed a priv ticket which costs abouts £60 (so **** that!). Tried the next train and the T.M was fine with it. On the way back the two barrier staff at Euston didn't even let me go through to ask the guard. Again tried the next train and the barrier guy checking just happened to be the guard for that train and he was fine with it. (It's worth saying he was based at Piccadilly so may have had a bit of bias!)

 

[313103]

I have not met any Northern managers - but I agree some of the staff are truely rude and disgusting ! I don't spot nowadays but have a natural love for trains and some of the staff are very rude indeed.

I was on a train and this red faced guard was literally shouting at an elderly customer " what is it that you don't understand a ticket is not valid a T.I.C.K.E.T comprehende ? the old person was crying and the guard was so worked up - has anyone seen this guard ?

Cheers

Paul

Of course as a decent member of the traveling public, you reported the incident to Northern Rail and your currently awaiting a response from them.
If your answer is yes the matter will be dealt with, if you haven't why are you telling us on here who cant do nothing about it.

 

[Daniel]

What has rail staff travelling on other companies TOCs got to do with Mardy Enthusiasts being denied access to a platform by barrier staff?

Just what I was thinking.

The said I needed a priv ticket which costs abouts £60 (so **** that!).

So think about us lot who don't have PRIV's, and have to pay full fare?! If £60 is the PRIV then the full is £240, I know what I'd rather pay!

 

[Philip]

I have not met any Northern managers - but I agree some of the staff are truely rude and disgusting ! I don't spot nowadays but have a natural love for trains and some of the staff are very rude indeed.

I was on a train and this red faced guard was literally shouting at an elderly customer " what is it that you don't understand a ticket is not valid a T.I.C.K.E.T comprehende ? the old person was crying and the guard was so worked up - has anyone seen this guard ?

Cheers

Paul

How do you know what the situation was? How do you know the elderley customer wasn't trying it on and the guard was explaining they couldn't do whatever it was with the ticket?

I work in a booking office and one of the things that really ****es me off is customers who are queuing having a go at the way I'm dealing with a situation which has nothing to do with them.

 

[badger1badger]

All

Great comments

I have of course reported the incident and the elderly person was not trying it on as he is my father

Please don't berate me for pointing something out

Cheers

Paul

 

[Daniel]

No matter what the situation, if you've got a customer simply crying, theres no need for you to be shouting at them =/

 

[jon0844]

I have of course reported the incident and the elderly person was not trying it on as he is my father

Why not explain the whole situation, as I fear this one of those situations where a thread will go on for months with the drip feeding of new/additional information to counter any arguments.

I find it hard to believe how you originally wrote about someone as you did, when it turns out to be your own father!!

I was on a train and this red faced guard was literally shouting at an elderly customer " what is it that you don't understand a ticket is not valid a T.I.C.K.E.T comprehende ? the old person was crying and the guard was so worked up - has anyone seen this guard ?

Sorry, something sounds very fishy to me.

 

[ukrob]

I have of course reported the incident and the elderly person was not trying it on as he is my father

Of course he is - that is why you let it get to the stage of the guard making your own father try whilst you watched doing nothing.

 

[313103]

All

Great comments

I have of course reported the incident and the elderly person was not trying it on as he is my father

Please don't berate me for pointing something out

Cheers

Paul

Why not be clear in the first place that you already had reported the matter to Northern Rail, that way you wont antagonise others and wont get a response like the one you got from me. You also wont get others berating you either.

The matter will be dealt with and the Conductor will either face disciplinary action or at the very least retraining in Customer Service.

 

[the sniper]

Of course he is - that is why you let it get to the stage of the guard making your own father try whilst you watched doing nothing.

I find it hard to believe how you originally wrote about someone as you did, when it turns out to be your own father!!

Sorry, something sounds very fishy to me.

Very, very, fishy to me... :?

 

[Greenback]

The first post indicates that the poster witnessed an unpleasant scene and gave no info about the circumstances.

Now it turns out the victim was a close relation, and we still have no idea what the circumstances were.

It would have been far better either not to have mentioned it at all, or supplied all of the relevant information at the start.

 

[badger1badger]

hello, I agree this thread could go on and on so .............

this thread on my behalf is closed if others would like to continue no probs.

cheers

paul

ps looking down on a very cold wet Leeds station, hoping there may be a glimpse of any locomotive action tonight

 

[ukrob]

hello, I agree this thread could go on and on so .............

this thread on my behalf is closed if others would like to continue no probs.

Because you have been caught out.

What experience do people have of staff from the same TOC but from different regions (ie former TOCs), eg East vs West at Northern?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Because you have been caught out.

What experience do people have of staff from the same TOC but from different regions (ie former TOCs), eg East vs West at Northern?

Bpl and Man Vic guards tend not to use Northern facilities at Leeds

 

[Max]

hello, I agree this thread could go on and on so .............

this thread on my behalf is closed if others would like to continue no probs.

cheers

paul

ps looking down on a very cold wet Leeds station, hoping there may be a glimpse of any locomotive action tonight

Was there any particular need to tell us that?

 

[badger1badger]

hi

tell what ??

cheers

paul

 

[MidnightFlyer]

hi

tell what ??

cheers

paul

about the loco at lds, though i suspoect u knew that

 

[badger1badger]

yes we live in the appts above Leeds - apart from just hearing a london train coming in nothing else

 

[313103]

Because you have been caught out.

What experience do people have of staff from the same TOC but from different regions (ie former TOCs), eg East vs West at Northern?

Actually that is a very good idea, what i would like to know is what do people think of staff employed by other tocs particular in the London area.

The biggest problem that i have found is that when i do something wrong i get castigated even if the accusation is false, i was once accused of trapping a passenger and a small child in the doors so much so that 1 passenger said at ******** she wanted my details (she got what i am legally obliged to give her to which she was not happy with) and said she will be contacting London Overground then at ****** *** the alleged people who i traped in the doors said they were going to do the same thing. When i was interviewed by my manager my Safety Critical card was confiscated, i was told i was suspended until further notice, and that a visit from police was possible (assault would have been the charge) and that i was not allowed on railway property until i was brought back for possible investigation. On my part all i requested was the cctv off the train and station. To cut a long story short the evidence against me collapsed because the passenger reports were far fetched and the cctv evidence showed that no one was trapped in the train doors.
However i got no apology, spent five days suspended and had points put on my licence because the report (since withdrwan) was made by a member of the public

Yet if i do something over and above my duty, it occasionally gets a thank you from the passenger but more time it is just a shrug of the shoulder and of they go, whether letters of praise go to the company i do not know as we get no feedback.

 

[CarterUSM]

Actually that is a very good idea, what i would like to know is what do people think of staff employed by other tocs particular in the London area.

The biggest problem that i have found is that when i do something wrong i get castigated even if the accusation is false, i was once accused of trapping a passenger and a small child in the doors so much so that 1 passenger said at ******** she wanted my details (she got what i am legally obliged to give her to which she was not happy with) and said she will be contacting London Overground then at ****** *** the alleged people who i traped in the doors said they were going to do the same thing. When i was interviewed by my manager my Safety Critical card was confiscated, i was told i was suspended until further notice, and that a visit from police was possible (assault would have been the charge) and that i was not allowed on railway property until i was brought back for possible investigation. On my part all i requested was the cctv off the train and station. To cut a long story short the evidence against me collapsed because the passenger reports were far fetched and the cctv evidence showed that no one was trapped in the train doors.
However i got no apology, spent five days suspended and had points put on my licence because the report (since withdrwan) was made by a member of the public

Yet if i do something over and above my duty, it occasionally gets a thank you from the passenger but more time it is just a shrug of the shoulder and of they go, whether letters of praise go to the company i do not know as we get no feedback.

I have colleagues who have been accused of similar incidents subsequently being found not at fault. Not a nice thing to happen to anybody, pretty disgraceful how you can be treated in fact, by your company, not to mention an occasional passenger telling fibs or the like. Makes you sick to think how someone will twist an incident to admonish themselves from their own stupidity or actions.

 

[Bellwater]

Bpl and Man Vic guards tend not to use Northern facilities at Leeds

for good reason as Leeds messroom is a Craphole, and you get "stared" at if you've come from anywhere further than Skipton.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I agree to a point but as the professional employee - surely 'have a go at you' suggests that you're ready for immediate confontation? Maybe you should be initaially enquiring and advising enthusiast types - then if said individual gives abuse or ignores then rightly 'have a go'. My view is that as a rail employee the enthusiast should initially be given the benefit of doubt about the rules until your position / concerns are explained. Likewise, the enthusiasts should expect Rail staff to excercise their duty of care towards members of the public and not go on the defensive immediately - a grown up conversation would most likely follow in most cases. If not, then accept that Rail Staff will always have the high ground in the sitaution with the support of BTP is necessary; so try not to antagonise them - the job can be difficult enough as it is without supporters who should be on the same side winding each other up.

I didn't mean to have a go at someone as to initiate an argument as such, more a quick chat. Unfortunately in my experience with a number of people even a quiet chat seems to result in unnecessary hostility from the person I'm talking to - that's not just enthusiasts, a great number of people seem to think they are above the law.

 

[cyclebytrain]

In my experience with Virgin, in general the ex VWC staff are better than the ex VXC ones (hopefully that makes sense) with the Glasgow based staff better than the Preston based staff, who in turn are better than the London based ones... That's not to say any are actually bad; but there are a few Glasgow staff that really raise the bar (and one who's light years ahead).


The craziest complaint I've known a passenger make was when the bike compartment door on a Pendo was having problems I was waiting to get on and there was a bike to come off first. Dispatcher tried to open the door but it wouldn't until the third/fourth try. The other bike got off and I got on, the dispatcher closed the door and asked if I would tell the TM that the door was dodgy because they were at the other end of the train so there wasn't time to tell them at the station. All pretty straightforward I thought.

But apparently the bike that got off later put in a complaint that the dispatcher hadn't let him off the train and he'd been over carried. Errm OK..... I found out about this the next time I saw the dispatcher who asked if I'd back him up about what had happened if necessary (never happened -there's a CCTV camera that should have recorded everything anyway).

 

[networkrail1]

just found this video, havent a clue why these guys move the photters on as to me they wernt doing anything wrong.
Maybe someone else can come up with a reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTHk7EmahwM

 

[Greenback]

Teh staff werewearing Northern Rail logos on their hi vis vests, but from the look of them they appeared to be some sort of security team.

At least they were polite, which is little consolation in the circumstances! They also seemed quite sympathetic and didn't know the reason this 'instruction' had been given by the manager.

Maybe it was thought that the platofrm being quite narrow might lead to a safety issue? (I may well be clutching at straws here!)

 

[jon0844]

just found this video, havent a clue why these guys move the photters on as to me they wernt doing anything wrong.
Maybe someone else can come up with a reason.

Look at what they're wearing. If you or I put on such clothing, with the radios positioned where they are and everything else, we'd probably be done for impersonating a police officer. They're not even PCSOs are they!

Sadly, when they don their 'uniform' they think they've become a fully fledged police officer. Ironically, a real police officer who would have the actual power wouldn't feel the need to show off such power.

 

[CarterUSM]

Look at what they're wearing. If you or I put on such clothing, with the radios positioned where they are and everything else, we'd probably be done for impersonating a police officer. They're not even PCSOs are they!

Sadly, when they don their 'uniform' they think they've become a fully fledged police officer. Ironically, a real police officer who would have the actual power wouldn't feel the need to show off such power.

Not so sure about that, i've a few associates in the police that I know through various channels, and if you're not police, then you're nothing. One of them, a chief superintendent also once remarked to me, not too long ago that the general standard of applications now were from 'stupid wee lassies' and 'those with an over inflated ego'. His words of course, not mine. Make of it what you will.

 

[Greenback]

That's right - they reminded me of the city centre 'rangers' in Swansea, all hi vis yellow jackets, black trousers, radios, big bulky belts and looking exactly like police officers from a distance.

As their responsibilities include issuing fixed penalty notices for dog fouling/graffiti, and 'Preventing street crime by providing a highly visible uniformed presence in the City Centre' (from the Swansea Council website, I wouldn't be too surprised if some of the rangers went a bit power mad.

I have no problem with the concept of a ranger ensuring a city centre is clean and tidy, I jsut don;t see the need for them to be done up as quais police officers.

 

[leewoods60019]

in the enthusiast laws which I've read several times does not say anything about photography been banned! so why the guy got moved I have no clue, usually similar costumed workers are at york most time theres steam, and they just tell you to stay within the line and they don't mind then. And I wouldn't put up with this behaviour from the officers. Even if I was to get arrested I would stand up for my rights of photography and in the end they would look stupid