I was beginning to get inundated with requests for somewhere for readers of this blog to post their experiences of ATW.
TBH, I couldn't work out how to do it here (!), but I've set up a Community on Facebook and would love to hear your stories.
Here's the link - see you there!
https://www.facebook.com/ATFails
Showing posts with label Arriva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arriva. Show all posts
Sunday 16 November 2014
Monday 10 November 2014
Infamy! Infamy! They've All Got It In For Me! Wales Online Get Onboard Our Push For Better Customer Service!!!
Following a brief chat with Alicia Melville-Smith, this article was published on WalesOnline!
Blog views went from roughly 89/90 a day to 1,700 in 2 days!!
And, AND, I heard someone mention it on the train this morning (when the train eventually turned up)!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/frustrated-commuters-arriva-trains-fails-8070065
Blog views went from roughly 89/90 a day to 1,700 in 2 days!!
And, AND, I heard someone mention it on the train this morning (when the train eventually turned up)!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/frustrated-commuters-arriva-trains-fails-8070065
Dropping the "C" Bomb on Lisvane
I'm trying to think of something less reliable than the 0759 from Lisvane to Cardiff.
And I'm struggling!
When you've been getting the sort of publicity that ATW have been getting for the past couple of weeks, you'd think the one thing they'd try to get right would be Monday morning.
But no. Today they drop the "C"-bomb on us.
0759 Cancelled.
On the positive side, if the last few months are anything to go by, we should now at least get a train for the next 9 days! (Yes, I do know probabilities don't work like that - but give me something to cling to, please!!).
We arrive at Queen Street, finally at 0839 - 28 minutes late.
Chance of refund: slim.
Although the queue to get a ticket is pretty long:
And I'm struggling!
When you've been getting the sort of publicity that ATW have been getting for the past couple of weeks, you'd think the one thing they'd try to get right would be Monday morning.
But no. Today they drop the "C"-bomb on us.
0759 Cancelled.
On the positive side, if the last few months are anything to go by, we should now at least get a train for the next 9 days! (Yes, I do know probabilities don't work like that - but give me something to cling to, please!!).
We arrive at Queen Street, finally at 0839 - 28 minutes late.
Chance of refund: slim.
Although the queue to get a ticket is pretty long:
Time of leaving Station 8:45.
Chance of refund: increasing.
Thursday 6 November 2014
It's 90 Minutes. It's David against Goliath. Winner Takes All. But it's not the FA Cup.....!
Well, last night I got to spend 90 minutes Lynne Milligan, Arriva Trains Wales's Director of Customer Service.
The battle lines were drawn in the ghetto of the John Lewis Espresso Bar.
Lynne paid for the tea (no sugar), and this wasn't to be the last time I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
As the Underdog, I set my stall out early. In typical FA Cup 1st Round style, I needed to take an early lead against the Giant:
1-nil - An unplanned ambush.
I told Ms. Milligan about a scene I witnessed in that morning at Cardiff's Queen Street station.
While there's improvements going on, ATW have moved in a small army of blue-uniformed "Customer Service Representatives" to check tickets.
As mine has relocated to the Land of the Lost Sock, I now have to queue to buy one.
There was only 4 of us in the queue. A lady in front being served. Me. And two other souls behind me.
The lady in front completed her transaction and moved on to give one of the blue-clad army her ticket.
As she passed, I noticed him at first smile, then snigger, then laugh, and then tell his mate "She's just given me the 'Return'. She'll never get home tonight".
He didn't, however, call the unfortunate lady back and give her her ticket back.
Horriffic.
I pointed out to Ms.Milligan that it can't just be me. It can't just be that when I'm somewhere, something bad happens. I made her realise that this sort of thing MUST happen, almost every minute, of every day.
And I asked her how she felt about that.
By the lack of response, I think she was winded.
All I had to do now was hold on to my lead!
We moved onto my missing season ticket:
Would they be replacing it? No.
Would they be refunding me for the remaining 3 months? No.
Did I have any hope of convincing her otherwise? No.
Basically, they can't afford to either refund, nor replace it. It would open up an option to the fraudulent-types out there.
Some unscrupulous soul could buy one, and sell it.
They could then pay a tenner, get another and sell it.
Repeat ad nauseum.
I can see her point.
1-all. A worthy equaliser.
What I didn't see coming was while I was sorting out my Defence, I was hit with another quick sucker-punch!
The Giant took the moral lead on about 25 minutes.
I brought up the topic of the non-customer-centric policies, namely: no refunds to Season Ticket Holders.
She was prepared.
It was straight off the Training Ground.
An Annual Season Ticket effectively gives 2 months-worth of free journeys to the holder (unless he loses it!). Buy 5, Get One Free. Twice.
She pointed out that that's a pretty good deal. Unless you lose it. Twice.
She also pointed out that the Valley's lines are both already loss-making. They can't afford to refund. And there is no way they're going to adopt the approach of "It's good for the customer, so we'll do it anyway", like ASOS have done with their proactive refunds.
She was on the front-foot by now, and stepped up with a "refunds are built into the costs as we factor in service levels".
I fought back with a "you just manipulate the stats for your own good", but it was too little, too late. There was no pulling this one back.
2-1 down.
I re-grouped at the interval, and made a tactical change. Out came the props.
"Let's revisit the topic of manipulating the statistics" said I.
The main performance indicator that Arriva Trains Fails pointed me towards previously were these: http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Performance/
They say that 97.7% of ATW's Valley's Line trains were punctual (arrive at their destination within 5 minutes of the advertised time) in the last 4 weeks.
However, Ms. Milligan herself admits that the vast majority of these trains are virtually empty during the day.
So, almost nobody cares that the one-thirty-whatever arrived in Penarth with a few seconds to spare.
But ATW can count it as being as valuable as all of the ram-packed-full rush-hour trains.
Useful.
Especially when there's no-one around to see it.
When a tree falls in a forest and no-one's around, does it make a noise?
And it's even more convenient that they don't have to publish the stats for the stations that people actually use (Queen Street and Cardiff Central) as they're not the final destination.
With the pressure mounting on ATW, I pushed for the equaliser with a few maps I'd prepared in true Blue Peter style!
First this:
Is this unreasonable?
I'll let the reader decide when shown this:
This is the section shows the first 2 stops of my train, seperated by 1.1 miles (if you had to walk it in the 21 minutes that Google estimates).
ATW gives itself 2 minutes for this section.
That's right.
Twice as far.
Three-times as quick.
Is it coincidence that the last half-a-mile is covered in the timetable at less than 0.1 miles per minute, when the rest of the journey is 0.5 miles per minute?
Personally, I don't think it is.
At the 'normal' speed the train should complete the last stage, it should take 1 minute.
ATW have "added in" (for want of a better phrase) an extra 5 minutes leeway in their favour so they can met their targets.
In effect, they can arrive at Penarth 10 minutes later than it could have arrived (the 5 mins they're allowed and the 5 minutes they've generously given themselves) in order to meet their targets.
And what happens?
Ta-da!
97.7% success rate!
It was clear to see, despite Ms. Milligan's half-hearted attempt to answer these points, that I'd pulled back her lead.
2-a-piece!
You want more?
I'll give you more!
I could taste blood and it wasn't the JL tea.
"If only you would publish the performance stats of the trains people actually use. That'd be useful. And it'd be good for the customers" I continued.
Ms. Milligan pulled an email chain from her bag. She'd asked a manager within Customer Services to find the stats for the 0759 from Lisvane for the last 2 months. The manager had forwarded it on to their MI team with the request accompanied by "Lynne is meeting with an unhappy customer..."
The reply that came back began: "I'm not surprised he's unhappy! ...". Good of her to come clean with that!
Apparently, 77% of the time my train is on time. This is "on time" in their ATW-friendly definition.
But it also means that more than once a week, it isn't.
11% of the time it's Cancelled, or Part-Cancelled. Part Cancelled means it just went past the in-between stations without stopping.
That's once a fortnight!
They also said, in this 2 month period, the trains had been a total of 186 minutes late (their late, again).
That's more than 3 hours!!!
Slightly different to the 97.7% they publicise.
I suggested that ATW make the stats for individual trains journeys available to the public.
She liked this idea, especially as it would allow them to communicate that they know something's wrong and they're going to do x, y and z about it.
She gave me her word that she would go away today and try to make this happen.
3-2!
Using the "making things public" stance, I segwayed seamlessly into the "Your letter from last week" topic.
I told her I despaired at the use of "leaf fall season".
I pointed out that this is obviously ATW jargon and that 'real people' call it Autumn.
She visibly crumbled.
I think at that moment she felt the same as I did when I read that I couldn't get compensation for my season ticket almost 2 weeks ago!
There was no comeback.
There was no argument.
There was an acceptance that I was indeed correct, and an assurance that no ATW communication WILL EVER contain the phrase "leaf fall season" again.
And I can take full credit for that!
She also said my earlier emails were the reason for the release going out!
Boom!
4-2!!
Get in!
Was there time for a 5th?
At this point, Ms. Milligan brought up the "Passenger Panel".
It's a focus group of ATW customers that meet to discuss performance, change, successes and failings.
She said there is a long waiting list to get on the Panel, but would like to personally invite me to be the next member!
Obviously, I accepted.
A chance to voice the concerns of the masses to the people that matter was too good to turn down!
I'm hoping that this blog now becomes a conduit for me to pass on the sentiment that the customers of ATW are feeling.
The bonus - which was then explained to me - is that members of this Panel get free ATW travel!
5-2!
Game over!
See you in the 2nd Round!
I'm not on the Panel yet, but I will be soon.
And I really want to hear what's happening across the rest of the rail network.
And if we get through the 2nd Round, then the 3rd Round will see us in a position to take on the Premier League outfits......!
But let's take each game as it comes, eh?
Thanks for your continued and on-going support!
Now, please SHARE!!!
The battle lines were drawn in the ghetto of the John Lewis Espresso Bar.
Lynne paid for the tea (no sugar), and this wasn't to be the last time I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
As the Underdog, I set my stall out early. In typical FA Cup 1st Round style, I needed to take an early lead against the Giant:
1-nil - An unplanned ambush.
I told Ms. Milligan about a scene I witnessed in that morning at Cardiff's Queen Street station.
While there's improvements going on, ATW have moved in a small army of blue-uniformed "Customer Service Representatives" to check tickets.
As mine has relocated to the Land of the Lost Sock, I now have to queue to buy one.
There was only 4 of us in the queue. A lady in front being served. Me. And two other souls behind me.
The lady in front completed her transaction and moved on to give one of the blue-clad army her ticket.
As she passed, I noticed him at first smile, then snigger, then laugh, and then tell his mate "She's just given me the 'Return'. She'll never get home tonight".
He didn't, however, call the unfortunate lady back and give her her ticket back.
Horriffic.
I pointed out to Ms.Milligan that it can't just be me. It can't just be that when I'm somewhere, something bad happens. I made her realise that this sort of thing MUST happen, almost every minute, of every day.
And I asked her how she felt about that.
By the lack of response, I think she was winded.
All I had to do now was hold on to my lead!
We moved onto my missing season ticket:
Would they be replacing it? No.
Would they be refunding me for the remaining 3 months? No.
Did I have any hope of convincing her otherwise? No.
Basically, they can't afford to either refund, nor replace it. It would open up an option to the fraudulent-types out there.
Some unscrupulous soul could buy one, and sell it.
They could then pay a tenner, get another and sell it.
Repeat ad nauseum.
I can see her point.
1-all. A worthy equaliser.
What I didn't see coming was while I was sorting out my Defence, I was hit with another quick sucker-punch!
The Giant took the moral lead on about 25 minutes.
I brought up the topic of the non-customer-centric policies, namely: no refunds to Season Ticket Holders.
She was prepared.
It was straight off the Training Ground.
An Annual Season Ticket effectively gives 2 months-worth of free journeys to the holder (unless he loses it!). Buy 5, Get One Free. Twice.
She pointed out that that's a pretty good deal. Unless you lose it. Twice.
She also pointed out that the Valley's lines are both already loss-making. They can't afford to refund. And there is no way they're going to adopt the approach of "It's good for the customer, so we'll do it anyway", like ASOS have done with their proactive refunds.
She was on the front-foot by now, and stepped up with a "refunds are built into the costs as we factor in service levels".
I fought back with a "you just manipulate the stats for your own good", but it was too little, too late. There was no pulling this one back.
2-1 down.
I re-grouped at the interval, and made a tactical change. Out came the props.
"Let's revisit the topic of manipulating the statistics" said I.
The main performance indicator that Arriva Trains Fails pointed me towards previously were these: http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Performance/
They say that 97.7% of ATW's Valley's Line trains were punctual (arrive at their destination within 5 minutes of the advertised time) in the last 4 weeks.
However, Ms. Milligan herself admits that the vast majority of these trains are virtually empty during the day.
So, almost nobody cares that the one-thirty-whatever arrived in Penarth with a few seconds to spare.
But ATW can count it as being as valuable as all of the ram-packed-full rush-hour trains.
Useful.
Especially when there's no-one around to see it.
When a tree falls in a forest and no-one's around, does it make a noise?
And it's even more convenient that they don't have to publish the stats for the stations that people actually use (Queen Street and Cardiff Central) as they're not the final destination.
With the pressure mounting on ATW, I pushed for the equaliser with a few maps I'd prepared in true Blue Peter style!
First this:
Which shows ATW gives itself 6 minutes for my train to complete the last half-a-mile of it's journey. Google says you can walk it in 10 minutes.
Is this unreasonable?
I'll let the reader decide when shown this:
This is the section shows the first 2 stops of my train, seperated by 1.1 miles (if you had to walk it in the 21 minutes that Google estimates).
ATW gives itself 2 minutes for this section.
That's right.
Twice as far.
Three-times as quick.
Is it coincidence that the last half-a-mile is covered in the timetable at less than 0.1 miles per minute, when the rest of the journey is 0.5 miles per minute?
Personally, I don't think it is.
At the 'normal' speed the train should complete the last stage, it should take 1 minute.
ATW have "added in" (for want of a better phrase) an extra 5 minutes leeway in their favour so they can met their targets.
In effect, they can arrive at Penarth 10 minutes later than it could have arrived (the 5 mins they're allowed and the 5 minutes they've generously given themselves) in order to meet their targets.
And what happens?
Ta-da!
97.7% success rate!
It was clear to see, despite Ms. Milligan's half-hearted attempt to answer these points, that I'd pulled back her lead.
2-a-piece!
You want more?
I'll give you more!
I could taste blood and it wasn't the JL tea.
"If only you would publish the performance stats of the trains people actually use. That'd be useful. And it'd be good for the customers" I continued.
Ms. Milligan pulled an email chain from her bag. She'd asked a manager within Customer Services to find the stats for the 0759 from Lisvane for the last 2 months. The manager had forwarded it on to their MI team with the request accompanied by "Lynne is meeting with an unhappy customer..."
The reply that came back began: "I'm not surprised he's unhappy! ...". Good of her to come clean with that!
Apparently, 77% of the time my train is on time. This is "on time" in their ATW-friendly definition.
But it also means that more than once a week, it isn't.
11% of the time it's Cancelled, or Part-Cancelled. Part Cancelled means it just went past the in-between stations without stopping.
That's once a fortnight!
They also said, in this 2 month period, the trains had been a total of 186 minutes late (their late, again).
That's more than 3 hours!!!
Slightly different to the 97.7% they publicise.
I suggested that ATW make the stats for individual trains journeys available to the public.
She liked this idea, especially as it would allow them to communicate that they know something's wrong and they're going to do x, y and z about it.
She gave me her word that she would go away today and try to make this happen.
3-2!
Using the "making things public" stance, I segwayed seamlessly into the "Your letter from last week" topic.
I told her I despaired at the use of "leaf fall season".
I pointed out that this is obviously ATW jargon and that 'real people' call it Autumn.
She visibly crumbled.
I think at that moment she felt the same as I did when I read that I couldn't get compensation for my season ticket almost 2 weeks ago!
There was no comeback.
There was no argument.
There was an acceptance that I was indeed correct, and an assurance that no ATW communication WILL EVER contain the phrase "leaf fall season" again.
And I can take full credit for that!
She also said my earlier emails were the reason for the release going out!
Boom!
4-2!!
Get in!
Was there time for a 5th?
At this point, Ms. Milligan brought up the "Passenger Panel".
It's a focus group of ATW customers that meet to discuss performance, change, successes and failings.
She said there is a long waiting list to get on the Panel, but would like to personally invite me to be the next member!
Obviously, I accepted.
A chance to voice the concerns of the masses to the people that matter was too good to turn down!
I'm hoping that this blog now becomes a conduit for me to pass on the sentiment that the customers of ATW are feeling.
The bonus - which was then explained to me - is that members of this Panel get free ATW travel!
5-2!
Game over!
See you in the 2nd Round!
I'm not on the Panel yet, but I will be soon.
And I really want to hear what's happening across the rest of the rail network.
And if we get through the 2nd Round, then the 3rd Round will see us in a position to take on the Premier League outfits......!
But let's take each game as it comes, eh?
Thanks for your continued and on-going support!
Now, please SHARE!!!
Friday 31 October 2014
An update
So, a meeting is arranged for Wednesday 4th November at 5pm. I wonder how late she'll be?!! I'm expecting several indecipherable messages, followed by a last minute cancellation due to "leaf fall season". (That little beauty is going to stay with me for ever!)
There was no offer of assistance (in true Arrive Trains Wales style) in my quest for a second annual season ticket - but it has been added to the agenda.
If there's anything you want me to raise at this meeting, please comment below.
There was no offer of assistance (in true Arrive Trains Wales style) in my quest for a second annual season ticket - but it has been added to the agenda.
If there's anything you want me to raise at this meeting, please comment below.
Well, well, well!
And, as if by magic, THIS appears on the ATW website today!
Signed by the recipient of my frustrations!
My favourite bits are the "low rail adhesion" attributed to "leaf fall season".
Or "autumn" as it's annually known!
Like it's a surprise!
Perhaps I was right about "rocket science" in my earlier posts, and maybe I am smarter than I've ever thought (probably not possible!).
Fear not! These beauties are in the bank ready for my meeting with her!
I would like to think that in some small way, everyone that's read, shared, and (hopefully) laughed at this has helped!
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Signed by the recipient of my frustrations!
My favourite bits are the "low rail adhesion" attributed to "leaf fall season".
Or "autumn" as it's annually known!
Like it's a surprise!
Perhaps I was right about "rocket science" in my earlier posts, and maybe I am smarter than I've ever thought (probably not possible!).
Fear not! These beauties are in the bank ready for my meeting with her!
I would like to think that in some small way, everyone that's read, shared, and (hopefully) laughed at this has helped!
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Apology Letter Regarding Fleet Shortages, October 2014
Dear Customer
We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to our customers for any journeys you have made with us recently where the number of carriages we have provided has been fewer than normal. We’re also mindful that in some instances it has been necessary for a different type of train to be provided in order to avoid cancelling the service and this has meant that you haven’t experienced the usual standards of comfort on longer distance journeys. Our staff on the ground have been feeding back customer experiences from onboard the train and comments raised on our Twitter feed have also highlighted to us how frustrating this is for you.
A number of unrelated incidents have meant that we have been unable to deliver all our fleet at the right time and in the right place. Some of these issues have been caused by freight trains breaking down on our Cardiff to Manchester / Holyhead routes and this extensive disruption has led to us needing to re-start services with another train to avoid them being completely cancelled. The only way we can do this is by taking capacity from other local services, which then reduces the overall number of carriages allocated to each service. The disruption has also led to some trains finishing the day in a different location meaning they’re not in the right place the next morning and this affects the number of carriages and type of train that we can deliver at peak times.
In addition we have been unable to deliver all our trains to passenger services due to a combination of urgent maintenance or repairs to our fleet. Two of our Class 175 trains (used on longer distance routes) have been out of service for a number of weeks, one due to striking a tree on the line, but both these trains will be back in service from 03 November, greatly assisting capacity and comfort on longer distance journeys.
We have also had several services affected by low rail adhesion, which is caused by the leaf fall season when leaves are crushed onto the railhead making them slippery, and the majority of these trains operate our busiest services on the Cardiff local routes & Valley lines. This can cause the train to slide along the rails when the brakes are applied and result in damage to the wheels. If this arises we may have to take the affected carriages out of service to avoid damage to the track and further damage to the wheels. We then carry out the repairs as quickly as possible by ‘turning’ the wheels on a wheel lathe in order to get the train back into service, but in the meantime this will mean that some services run with fewer carriages than normal.
Please be assured that we are working hard on finding ways to reduce instances of us being unable to provide the required number of trains for service each day and we will keep you updated on our action plan.
Our apologies again for the frustrations you have been caused and we thank you for your patience in the interim.
Lynne Milligan, Customer Services Director
Matt Prosser, Engineering Director
Thursday 30 October 2014
I sense a torrent coming on...
Once again, thanks to everyone that's read, liked, shared, forwarded, tweeted, an whatever else, this blog.
I'm overwhelmed with the level of interest - almost 200 views a day at the moment - it's spurring me on to get this (soon to be THESE) Arriva Trains Wales policies overturned.
I'm not (yet) actively looking for examples of ATW sticking two-fingers up to the advance fare-paying public, they're just rearing their heads on their own at the moment!
Today, I'm giving you an advance viewing of the email that'll be dropping into Lynne Milligan's Inbox in the morning.
Enjoy, and thanks again!
Steve
Good morning Lynne,
I'm overwhelmed with the level of interest - almost 200 views a day at the moment - it's spurring me on to get this (soon to be THESE) Arriva Trains Wales policies overturned.
I'm not (yet) actively looking for examples of ATW sticking two-fingers up to the advance fare-paying public, they're just rearing their heads on their own at the moment!
Today, I'm giving you an advance viewing of the email that'll be dropping into Lynne Milligan's Inbox in the morning.
Enjoy, and thanks again!
Steve
Good morning Lynne,
They’re just like trains!
They really are!
No sooner does one
non-customer-centric policy that shakes me to the core arrive, but there’s
another one right behind it!
And I have to say, you’re very good at
them!
In a very untimely coincidence, this
week I’ve managed to lose my annual season ticket – the non-compensable one
that caused me to contact you in the first place.
Unfortunately, this is the second
time this year, and I have been informed that this means I can’t get a
replacement.
That’s right. Arriva Trains
Wales expects me to write off the remaining £170 of credit that I had on the
ticket.
Just like that.
Wow.
Okay, I know that I have to take a
great deal of the blame for losing it in the first place – and the second
place, come to think of it – but is this really
the policy of a public service company?
When I first mislaid the original, I
berated myself for doing so only a couple of weeks in to the 12 months and £680
outlay.
I was relieved, however, to find out
that for the reasonable sum of £10 (or two Lisvane to Cardiff return tickets) I
could get a reprint.
I don’t recall that it was made clear
to me that this was a “One Time Offer” although, to be fair, it is
possible. At the time, this wouldn’t have bothered me as I had no
intention of losing it again.
But, despite my best endeavours to
live up to this self-promise, it would appear that “accidents can happen”.
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE. I kid you not, they actually can.
However, ATW don’t appear to
recognise that whether or not a customer has had a previous accident is a mutually exclusive event when it comes to calculating the probability of another accident occurring.
ATW seems to work on the theory that if it's happened once, the chance of it happening again is zero.
Now, I studied Mathematics. I specialised in Statistics. I even spent a few years teaching the subject. But this strain of the science has, until now, eluded me.
It appears that there’s a “2 strikes
and you’re out” rule that, even now, I’m struggling to find on the website.
When I asked the otherwise very
polite female ‘mushroom’ on the Helpline why this rule was in place she told me
“they don’t tell us why, they just tell us that’s what happens”. Helpful.
Kept in the dark and fed on s***.
You can check this, it was recorded for training and monitoring
purposes.
It’s not that I would resent paying
another £10 to recover the remaining £170 credit that was on the ticket – well,
I would a little, but that’s my problem – but it seems that this isn’t an
option that’s open to me.
Surely £10 would cover all the
administration and printing costs required to check my details – and if not,
you either need to pay the people checking the details less than £100 per hour,
or you need to speed them up a little.
Is this something that you would be
able to look into now please, or should we add it to the agenda for our coffee
morning?
Kindest regards
Steve
Wednesday 29 October 2014
A Personal Reply from the Customer Services Director of ATW
To be fair, I received this on Friday 24th October but missed it as it was in my Junk folder (not sure what that says really!).
It was sent to me, and Ian Bullock (CEO of ATW) only.
This is beginning to look quite promising...!
I don't think I've stated here what it is I'm campaigning for, so let me put that right now:
I want Arriva Trains Wales to accept that they are wrong about their "No compensation for Season Ticket Holders" policy.
I want them to withdraw that policy publicly and immediately, and I want them to compensate me for the lost time I experience when the service that I pay for in advance does not meet acceptable levels.
Let's see when we can meet for coffee...!!!
It was sent to me, and Ian Bullock (CEO of ATW) only.
This is beginning to look quite promising...!
Dear Steve,
Apologies for the delay to a response.
Can I suggest we meet for a coffee – it will be good to hear your views in person and I can outline the things we’re working on to improve our performance. If you let me know a couple of options that are good for you, I can check against my availability (I’m on leave now until Wednesday). If that doesn’t suit you, I’d be happy to catch up on the phone,
Have a good weekend,
Kind regards
Lynne
Lynne Milligan
Customer Services Director
I don't think I've stated here what it is I'm campaigning for, so let me put that right now:
I want Arriva Trains Wales to accept that they are wrong about their "No compensation for Season Ticket Holders" policy.
I want them to withdraw that policy publicly and immediately, and I want them to compensate me for the lost time I experience when the service that I pay for in advance does not meet acceptable levels.
Let's see when we can meet for coffee...!!!
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Just like the trains they represent: a LONG time coming!
A response!
Received 27th October 2014
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your recent correspondence to Ian Bullock, Lynne Milligan and Customer Relations. Ian and Lynne have read your email and I understand Lynne has also suggested a meeting with her to discuss the issues you have experienced. In the interim I thought it may be useful to respond to some of the concerns you raised in your original correspondence.
It is unfortunate that you experienced a compromised level of service last week. We have experienced performance issues; some within our control and some outside of it. Monday 20th October was a particularly challenging day for both us and our customers due to planned engineering works over-running. We are in ongoing discussions with Network Rail, who own the infrastructure and carry out the engineering work, to discuss how pre-planned engineering work can be improved to minimise the impact on our customers if an over-run occurs.
On Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd, due to unexpected train faults we did need to adapt our service to keep disruption to a minimum overall. This unfortunately affected our capacity levels too, which is why you experienced only 2 carriages on Tuesday. However this service does usually run with 4 carriages, and whilst I fully appreciate the frustration to customers if they are not able to board a train as planned, when things do go wrong, the regularity of our service means that only a short wait is required until the next train arrives. That said, I fully appreciate that this should not detract from the inconvenience any delay can cause to customers.
Additionally we do have a journey check app, to keep customers updated with timely service information, and you can also sign up to free email alerts so you know in advance of an issue and can make an informed decision to amend travel plans if necessary. You can find further information herehttps://www.journeycheck.com/
We are also improving the information provided to customers at stations via the electronic customer information screens, and over the next few months you should see improvements in this area. You also outline that on-board staff did not apologise to customers on Monday 20th. Although this was a challenging day for all concerned, I am disappointed this was the case as our staff receive robust customer service training, and are expected to be empathetic towards customers in these situations and offer an apology where appropriate. Consequently I will be discussing this with our Head of Conductors.
Regarding our compensation policy, which I understand is what caused you the greatest concern. As you outline, we do not provide compensation for individual journeys made if using a monthly or longer season ticket. Customers who hold a season ticket benefit from discounted rates compared with daily rates, so instead our compensation policy outlined in our Passenger Charter entitles customers who have a season ticket of one month or longer to compensation, in the form of a discount upon renewal. This is applied if the overall performance of the service group on which customers travel falls below our published standards for punctuality or reliability (for information your service group is Cardiff Local and Valleys, somtimes also termed as ‘Valleys’). Our performance figures are published on our website http://www.arrivatrainswales.
You can also find a copy of our Passenger Charter at any staffed station, or alternatively please follow the link outlined here: http://www.arrivatrainswales.
I hope that my email outlines the reasons for the service you received last week, and addresses the concerns which you have raised. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise for any frustration you have experienced, and I hope that you find the proposed meeting with Lynne useful.
Yours sincerely
Angela Wetherall
Customer Relations Manager
Arriva Trains Wales
So, it seems progress is being made!
I look forward to hearing from the Head of Customer Services - I think I'll invite her to come to me...
It's all about the preparation now. Forearmed is forewarned.
Friday 24 October 2014
A second letter to Ian Bullock, CEO of Arriva Trains Wales
This follow-up was sent Friday 24th October 2014
Good morning both, and thank you for at least acknowledging - if not promptly replying - to my previous email. (You haven’t. Nobody has)
As you have shown such a keen desire to listen to the voice of your customer, I thought it only fair (TCF - Treating Chief execs Fairly) to update you on this morning travails - whilst still standing on the wet platform that I seem to be spending more time on, than at work.
The 07-late-again (0759 from LVT as it's referred to on the near-redundant timetable) wasn't even that today.
Cancelled.
Helpful.
Now there’s an idea: have you considered cutting timetables as a cost saving? And think of all the compensation you wouldn’t have to pay to those awkward people that continue to only buy their tickets daily or weekly…….
The 0814 was therefore, predictably, resembling more a sardine tin (a budget foodstuff, rarely seen in a Board Room buffet) on arrival than a method of commuting that is fit for a capital city.
So, having had one train not turn up, and one train that needn't have bothered turning up, I am once more in the position of being more than 30 minutes late again this week WITH NO HOPE WHATSOEVER of getting any recompense as I chose to give you a years’ worth of fares in advance.
Once again, can I express my gratitude for this policy.
Yours
PS
If you ever feel like experiencing what we go through each week, I will be stood on the LVT platform, near the “4 Car Stop” sign, from just before 8am for God-knows how long, each weekday. I’d be delighted to share my journey with some of you. Not too many, mind, we don’t get that many seats.
Good morning both, and thank you for at least acknowledging - if not promptly replying - to my previous email. (You haven’t. Nobody has)
As you have shown such a keen desire to listen to the voice of your customer, I thought it only fair (TCF - Treating Chief execs Fairly) to update you on this morning travails - whilst still standing on the wet platform that I seem to be spending more time on, than at work.
The 07-late-again (0759 from LVT as it's referred to on the near-redundant timetable) wasn't even that today.
Cancelled.
Helpful.
Now there’s an idea: have you considered cutting timetables as a cost saving? And think of all the compensation you wouldn’t have to pay to those awkward people that continue to only buy their tickets daily or weekly…….
The 0814 was therefore, predictably, resembling more a sardine tin (a budget foodstuff, rarely seen in a Board Room buffet) on arrival than a method of commuting that is fit for a capital city.
So, having had one train not turn up, and one train that needn't have bothered turning up, I am once more in the position of being more than 30 minutes late again this week WITH NO HOPE WHATSOEVER of getting any recompense as I chose to give you a years’ worth of fares in advance.
Once again, can I express my gratitude for this policy.
Yours
PS
If you ever feel like experiencing what we go through each week, I will be stood on the LVT platform, near the “4 Car Stop” sign, from just before 8am for God-knows how long, each weekday. I’d be delighted to share my journey with some of you. Not too many, mind, we don’t get that many seats.
A letter to Ian Bullock, CEO of Arriva Trains Wales
This letter was emailed on Wednesday 22nd October 2014:
Mr Ian Bullock, CEO of Arriva Trains Wales,
Mr Ian Bullock, CEO of Arriva Trains Wales,
I have been pushed over the edge this morning.
Usually, I’m a mild-mannered man.
From my role, I can understand that sometimes things go
awry, and I accept that as your company is trying to make improvements to the
rail network around South Wales that there will be some collateral damage that
impacts the fare-paying traveller.
That’s why, on Monday, when the 0759 from Lisvane was
displayed on the board as being 7 minutes late when I arrived on the platform,
I wasn’t overly concerned.
A sense of inconvenience came over me as this delay
increased to 15 minutes, but the board continued to inform me that the service
would be calling at Lisvane, Llanishen, Heath High Level, Cardiff QS and so on,
so not so bad really.
Imagine my surprise then, as the light at the literal end of
Caerphilly tunnel emerged, progressed towards us, and subsequently flew
straight past the stranded commuters!
I eventually arrived at Queen Street at 0845 – 34 minutes
later than your timetable states, having received no apologies from any on-train
staff.
However, the mild-mannered man that I am, I accepted that
“these things happen” and didn’t make a fuss.
Tomorrow is another day.
Indeed it was: Tuesday.
Tuesday highlighted to me that ensuring the most appropriate
rolling stock is in the right place at the right time, is of a similar standing
to rocket science.
Picture the scene: it’s just before 8am on a Tuesday
morning. You have a captive market for your product, demand is high as
it’s rush-hour, and consumers need your product so badly that they part with
their cash months in advance of receiving the service.
Incredibly, knowing that there are 15 stops between Rhymney
(the start of the service) and Queen Street, somebody at Arriva Trains Wales
considers 2 carriages to be sufficient during the peak travel times.
This is inexcusable. But at least this train stopped
to not let anyone on. I suppose I should be grateful for that
slight improvement.
Eventual arrival time at Cardiff Queen Street: 0835 –
24 minutes late.
Still no apologies from any members of staff.
Oh well, tomorrow’s another day….
And that brings us to today: Wednesday.
The 07-Late-Again from Lisvane was actually almost on time –
just 4 minutes late, sorry “delayed”.
Things looked good. I was happy. 4
carriages. 1 seat left, and I’m going to get to work less-late than had
recently become the norm.
Llanishen came and went successfully, and Heath High Level
arrived next.
Unfortunately this is where today’s troubles began.
After sitting at HHL for 5 minutes or so, we were informed
by a very apologetic member of the on-train staff that we were being held to
let another train at HLL through first.
A few more minutes passed and we set off. We were then
held outside QS for “platform clearance”.
Eventual arrival time at Queen Street 0831 - 20
minutes late, but at least the consumer and their inconveniences were
acknowledged. I suppose I should be grateful for that slight improvement
too.
But no, you weren’t finished there!
Having made it 3 for 3 so far this week, I felt I’d been
patient enough and sought out a wonderfully-named Customer Comment Form, as I
know this is the only way of claiming anything back for the atrocious
experiences this week.
Upon receipt of the Form, I’m greeted with this gem:
“No
compensation is payable for individual journeys made if using a monthly or
longer season ticket”
This, THIS, is what has finally broken me this week!
Congratulations Mr Bullock, you did it. You broke me.
In my various roles leading Customer Experience teams of
national companies, I’ve never come across something so anti-customer centric
as this single statement.
I don’t know how to respond.
I don’t know what to do with this declaration.
Are you seriously telling me that you’re satisfied for your
company to discriminate against its most loyal customers, the most frequent
consumers of its service, those that give you several hundred, if not several
THOUSAND of pounds a year, versus those that pay daily or weekly?
So, to summarise, just so we’re clear, this week:
- The service you’ve provided has resulted in me being late (by my definition, as in “not on time”) 3 times out of 3
- Although, I’d have only been late once (more than 30 minutes), and delayed twice by the ATW definition – not sure how my CEO would feel about this!
- You’ve provided insufficient carriages to meet the demand of your customers
- You’ve highlighted a policy that discriminates against your most loyal customer base
I look forward to your timely (whatever this means at ATW
Towers) response regarding these points, and primarily this policy.
Kind regards
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