[Technology] Victorian train companies

[Gwylan]

......and not a word of praise for the booking clerk who spent a long time trying to sort out the problem for you, and eventually succeeding through his/her persistence. Victorian levels of customer service thankfully still with us it seems.

That's a fair point, although I certainly praised him at the time. His name was Daniel and he performed heroically, I could tell he was just as frustrated as I was with the system.

I'm also thinking of writing to SASTA pointing out the shortcomings in the system but praising Daniel's patience and helpfulness

 

[Ernest]

Tickets by mobile, tickets that you can print yourself, tickets accessible through passwords ... that's for starters.

But my real gripe is that if you have a system where there's station to station transfers why does it require two phone calls to get a fax number. Why can't there be a system where every station's phone,fax and email address is made available to railway staff? It basically took an hour to send a fax, that's bonkers.

But you forget we have a fragmented railway, in the old days the SILK system could have done what you needed in minutes as it was all centrally accounted for. Now it is akin to going into Sainsbury's to pay for your daughter's groceries in Tesco.
You have a problem but you want to blame others for the time it took to help you rather than blame them why not just thank the people who helped you out

 

[timbha]

....... hope your daughter is ok

 

[Gwylan]

But you forget we have a fragmented railway, in the old days the SILK system could have done what you needed in minutes as it was all centrally accounted for. Now it is akin to going into Sainsbury's to pay for your daughter's groceries in Tesco.
You have a problem but you want to blame others for the time it took to help you rather than blame them why not just thank the people who helped you out

This was the SILK system - the clerk said he hadn't done one for years. And, as I said, I thanked the bloke profusely for his trouble.

 

[Ernest]

This was the SILK system - the clerk said he hadn't done one for years. And, as I said, I thanked the bloke profusely for his trouble.

So why not put a post up of thanking someone for going out of their way to help you instead of moaning about the time it took

 

[Billy the Fish]

It must be hard for them to modernise when the unions go on strike every time they implement any sort of automation. Why have a computer system when you can employ 4 highly paid staff to send faxes and make phone calls.

 

[theboybilly]

But you forget we have a fragmented railway, in the old days the SILK system could have done what you needed in minutes as it was all centrally accounted for. Now it is akin to going into Sainsbury's to pay for your daughter's groceries in Tesco.
You have a problem but you want to blame others for the time it took to help you rather than blame them why not just thank the people who helped you out

Exactly - there was no incompetence from the staff, they got a result with the tools they are provided. Yes modern technology would have got a faster result but the ticket office staff deserve some praise here

 

[Gwylan]

So why not put a post up of thanking someone for going out of their way to help you instead of moaning about the time it took

Because it's a waste of my time. From my first conversation with LNER to checking with my daughter that she has the ticket took the best part of three hours. If she'd come back by coach, I could have booked a ticket with National Express and have it sent to her mobile in a couple of minutes. The fact that the clerk was really helpful doesn't disguise that the ticketing system is bloody awful.

Rail companies aren't alone in this. I've got to spend time with Virgin Mobile this afternoon to activate a new SIM, something else that should be possible without too much hassle. The last phone call I had with them took 40 minutes, it's no wonder that the UK is so unproductive.

Rant over

 

[Eeyore]

But you forget we have a fragmented railway, in the old days the SILK system could have done what you needed in minutes as it was all centrally accounted for. Now it is akin to going into Sainsbury's to pay for your daughter's groceries in Tesco.
You have a problem but you want to blame others for the time it took to help you rather than blame them why not just thank the people who helped you out

I do recall the system being better once. Many years ago my little sister was stranded at a station and I sorted out a ticket for her in minutes. This was the 1990s. Not sure why it is different now.

 

[Ernest]

Because it's a waste of my time. From my first conversation with LNER to checking with my daughter that she has the ticket took the best part of three hours. If she'd come back by coach, I could have booked a ticket with National Express and have it sent to her mobile in a couple of minutes. The fact that the clerk was really helpful doesn't disguise that the ticketing system is bloody awful.

Rail companies aren't alone in this. I've got to spend time with Virgin Mobile this afternoon to activate a new SIM, something else that should be possible without too much hassle. The last phone call I had with them took 40 minutes, it's no wonder that the UK is so unproductive.

Rant over

But the waste of time occurred because your daughter got stuck without money or a ticket so she is the one that wasted your time not the railway clerk who did their best to help you

 

[Gwylan]

But the waste of time occurred because your daughter got stuck without money or a ticket so she is the one that wasted your time not the railway clerk who did their best to help you

Well yes, this has been pointed out to her. But there's no reason why the rail companies have to have such an archaic system

 

[Hiney]

We had to get one of our children home from Cornwall by train a few weeks ago.

We went on the GWR website, booked the ticket (about £30 for Bodmin Parkway to Southampton) and the ticket was downloaded onto his phone. He showed it on the train and there wasn't a single scrap of paper generated for the whole journey.

What was incredible, was that if we had waited until the day of travel, the cost was £125, for the SAME JOURNEY.

 

[Beach Hut]

Well yes, this has been pointed out to her. But there's no reason why the rail companies have to have such an archaic system

So a company helps you stranded daughter I would dread to think what would happen to any company that actually did something wrong given your issues with the help you got

BTW what is the admin fee for a SILK these days, it was £10 when I did them a good 30 years or so ago

 

[Gwylan]

So a company helps you stranded daughter I would dread to think what would happen to any company that actually did something wrong given your issues with the help you got

BTW what is the admin fee for a SILK these days, it was £10 when I did them a good 30 years or so ago

As I have said twice now, I have no issues with the help I was given. But just because I'm grateful for the help I was given doesn't mean that I shouldn't be annoyed with the archaic system. As Hiney has just pointed out, there's no reason why train tickets can't be downloaded onto a mobile, this is 2018 not 1918.

SILK is still £10, so inflation hasn't hit there yet.

 

[Springal]

So a company helps you stranded daughter I would dread to think what would happen to any company that actually did something wrong given your issues with the help you got

What is wrong with questioning the systems in place? It is a very valid point. Technology is a powerful tool that has embraced many areas of business. Sadly the rail companies seem to have not embraced this.

 

[Beach Hut]

What is wrong with questioning the systems in place? It is a very valid point. Technology is a powerful tool that has embraced many areas of business. Sadly the rail companies seem to have not embraced this.

So new rolling stock, ticketing systems, Customer Information Systems etc is not new technology these days ?

 

[Gwylan]

So new rolling stock, ticketing systems, Customer Information Systems etc is not new technology these days ?

Have to organise tickets by fax is not embracing new technology

 

[Springal]

So new rolling stock, ticketing systems, Customer Information Systems etc is not new technology these days ?

Oh yes new rolling stock that often displays the wrong or no information. Ticketing systems that do not update for the time of day and will try and sell you a peak ticket at a time where it is impossible to arrive in London before the peak period. Customer information systems that will often be selective in what it displays when there are problems. I.e vanishing trains to try and hamper a delay repay.

Oh speaking of Delay Repay, 20 days to review a claim - sure that could be automated... Look at where the taxi industry, airlines etc are now and then tell me the railway industry has kept up

 

[happypig]

Well yes, this has been pointed out to her. But there's no reason why the rail companies have to have such an archaic system

There's your problem. With a single organisation overseeing all rail travel then they might well have modernised by now but when there are several franchises, all of whom are in it for a short term profit rather than long-term responsibility, none of them will take on modernising a system that might only work with thier "bit" of the network.

So it's John Major's fault really, for selling off the railways.

 

[Beach Hut]

Have to organise tickets by fax is not embracing new technology

But it is helping someone stranded and offering a service, more than some transport companies would do.

I doubt a taxi driver would have driven her all that way if the fare was to be paid at the other end.........