Farewell to GNER

[Trojan]

cnosni wrote: Trojan wrote: cnosni wrote: Trojan The platform staff will not have just shut the doors with you stood on the platform,the despatch procedure would have started about 30 - 45 seconds before the doors actually closed (this is an average time) Safety on the railway is not a handshake and a smile so comparisons to your particular vocation are irrelevant,once      This is a particularly patronising remark. I can only assume from its tone that you too would have behaved in the same way as the GNER platform staff at Wakefield that day.You obviously have only a superficial knowledge of selling. Sure it doesn't hurt to be pleasant (something else the GNER staff could learn) but selling is about providing the customer with the goods or services he requires, when he requires it at a price that satisfies both the vendor and buyer. That way customer satisfaction is achieved and hopefully a customer will be retained. What happened at Wakefield that day certainly alienated this customer.The high price of the ticket was explained to me as I stated "if you turn up at the airport and buy a ticket for your flight on the day of your flight you can expect to pay top dollar" I accepted this argument. However, if you turn up at the airport pay top dollar for your ticket you are entitled to expect that the flight will be held until you are aboard, and that the doors are held until you are. I think you will agree that the protocol for aeroplane doors is just as strict (if not more so) as that for passenger trains. That was what annoyed me. That and the patronising hectoring tone taken by the GNER platform staff.

[cnosni]

Trojan wrote: cnosni wrote: Trojan wrote: cnosni wrote: Trojan The platform staff will not have just shut the doors with you stood on the platform,the despatch procedure would have started about 30 - 45 seconds before the doors actually closed (this is an average time) Safety on the railway is not a handshake and a smile so comparisons to your particular vocation are irrelevant,once      This is a particularly patronising remark. I can only assume from its tone that you too would have behaved in the same way as the GNER platform staff at Wakefield that day.You obviously have only a superficial knowledge of selling. Sure it doesn't hurt to be pleasant (something else the GNER staff could learn) but selling is about providing the customer with the goods or services he requires, when he requires it at a price that satisfies both the vendor and buyer. That way customer satisfaction is achieved and hopefully a customer will be retained. What happened at Wakefield that day certainly alienated this customer.The high price of the ticket was explained to me as I stated "if you turn up at the airport and buy a ticket for your flight on the day of your flight you can expect to pay top dollar" I accepted this argument. However, if you turn up at the airport pay top dollar for your ticket you are entitled to expect that the flight will be held until you are aboard, and that the doors are held until you are. I think you will agree that the protocol for aeroplane doors is just as strict (if not more so) as that for passenger trains. That was what annoyed me. That and the patronising hectoring tone taken by the GNER platform staff. Oh dear,this is just silly now.Not only do you assume i have a superficial knowledge of selling but you are also wrong that an aeroplane would be held for you.Firstly i was in retail,as a salesman for a leading high street electrical retailer from leaving school until my late 20s.Secondly when you purchase a ticket last minute for an aeroplane it is for a particular flight and that flight only,if the check in for this flight is closed then you cant get a ticket,the comparison made by the person in the ticket office is that it is more expensive to buy a ticket last minute,same as an aeroplane but with the difference that the ticket you purchased allows you to travel on any train (with certain limitations ie saver and business saver tickets),as opposed to a cheapo ticket which is for specific services.If you had bought a ticket for a flight in advance,and you were late,the plane would not be held for you,you would not be allowed to check in,simple as that.The job of platform and all safety critical staff is two fold (though thats putting it simply),dealing with customers and helping them,and dealing in safety critical issues such as train despatch.When a safety critical procedure is underway then at that particular point customer service becomes a secondary isssue.As i have said,it is different totally to selling,and as someone who has extensive knowledge in sales and retail management then i believe that i am able to make an informed judgement as to whether customer care in selling can be compared to customer care on the railway.If this person was rude to you then it does not mean all staff are the same,that is stereotyping and is a dangerous path to take,im sure that all sales people would hate to be seen as the rip off door to door double glazing reps.Well this is definitely my last word on the subject,frankly i tried to explain to you what was probably going on at the time of your various incidents to try and see if you could see how possibly the negative experiences you have suffered were not in fact as much bad customer service as being a meeting between the outside world and the "Railway",which i have found to be a completely different world.Lets see if we can have some pleasant posts between each other about secret Leeds.

[Trojan]

[quotenick="cnosni"][quotenick="Trojan"][quotenick="cnosni"] Trojan wrote: cnosni wrote: Trojan Not only do you assume i have a superficial knowledge of selling but you are also wrong that an aeroplane would be held for you. Well your -post about smiling and handshakes certainly gives that impression. As for the aeroplane, if your name's on the list of passengers then yes it would be held.However, I seem to have been subjected to this diatribe because I had the temerity to criticise GNER. I used to travel by train much more in Br days, and never had treatment like I got from GNER. I've travelled with Virgin, Northern Trains, Arriva, First Great Western, and Midland Mainline and never experienced anything like the three episodes I've quoted of my treatment by GNER. As I say there were other more minor failures but I'll pass over them.Do you really think that I've made it all up? Do you really think that I'd complain on here (which after all will make no difference at all) if I didn't feel justified. I say again Good Riddance GNER. Hopefully the new company will be better. They couldn't be any worse. As you say they may be the same people, but perhaps under different management they'll get their act together. I too will now cease to post on this subect.

[dsco]

Eek! Well that's that sorted then...Thread closed for the good of everyone involved!dsco