Thankfully my daily commuting days are nearly behind me as I prepare to move to the country as Worst ScotSnail are raising train fares in the Strathclyde area by around 5%. This means that a peak time return from Irvine to Glasgow will rise from £9.00 to £9.45 which means that in the event of the trains running to schedule my return commute will cost me 13.5p per minute. In comparison my future twice weekly return journey from Perth to Glasgow will work out at 10.85p per minute.
Question to Worst ScotSnail - why are you ripping off commuters on the Ayrshire line?
Showing posts with label ScotRail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ScotRail. Show all posts
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Three more years of Worst SnotRail
Ah the Gnat Government, don't ya love 'em? NOT!
It's been announced that First Scotrail have had their franchise extended by another three years and without any prior consultation with anyone. It seems that First (sic) will be handing £70 million back to the "Government" as part of the stitch up, sorry, deal.
The STUC have been critical of the move saying that it was "hugely disappointing".
First Scotrail were fined £473 519 last year for failing to meet standards.
At least I'll not be commuting on a daily basis by rail when I move to Kinross-shire and for that relief much thanks.
It's been announced that First Scotrail have had their franchise extended by another three years and without any prior consultation with anyone. It seems that First (sic) will be handing £70 million back to the "Government" as part of the stitch up, sorry, deal.
The STUC have been critical of the move saying that it was "hugely disappointing".
First Scotrail were fined £473 519 last year for failing to meet standards.
At least I'll not be commuting on a daily basis by rail when I move to Kinross-shire and for that relief much thanks.
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
First Scotrail passenger rip-offs worsen!
Bloody First Scotrail! back in December I emailed them to complain that it was 75p more expensive to buy a through return ticket from Irvine to Edinburgh than it was to buy a return from Irvine to Glasgow and one from Glasgow to Edinburgh. They eventually responded saying that "our Research and Pricing Manager is aware that there are anomalies in the system, such as these fare anomalies, which we have inherited. we are working to remove these, however this process takes time." So they admit they are aware of the anomaly.
Today I forgot and bought a through return from Irvine to Edinburgh for tonight's Conference Committee meeting. I thought £17.20 seems quite a lot. Then I worked out that if I had made the journey using the two returns as detailed above that it would have cost me £16.15. Those chiseling gits have ripped me off for another 30p. This is quite simply an outrage as they are aware of the problem but rather than fix it they make it worse.
So First Scotrail, what lies are you going to tell me this time?
Just for information: of the 27 posts I've put onto this blog in 2008 5 (almost 20%) have been complaints about the railways.
UPDATE: I've now discovered that they charge £2.05 more for a standard open return from Irvine to Aviemore than they do if I were to buy returns from Irvine to glagow and from Glasgow to Aviemore. Another swindle.
Today I forgot and bought a through return from Irvine to Edinburgh for tonight's Conference Committee meeting. I thought £17.20 seems quite a lot. Then I worked out that if I had made the journey using the two returns as detailed above that it would have cost me £16.15. Those chiseling gits have ripped me off for another 30p. This is quite simply an outrage as they are aware of the problem but rather than fix it they make it worse.
So First Scotrail, what lies are you going to tell me this time?
Just for information: of the 27 posts I've put onto this blog in 2008 5 (almost 20%) have been complaints about the railways.
UPDATE: I've now discovered that they charge £2.05 more for a standard open return from Irvine to Aviemore than they do if I were to buy returns from Irvine to glagow and from Glasgow to Aviemore. Another swindle.
Thursday, 24 January 2008
A worst for First Scotrail
It's being reported today that First Scotrail are rated as the worst performing UK rail franchise when it comes to customer service - why does that not surprise me in the least? Primarily because I use them to commute from Irvine to Glasgow 5 days a week and travel from Glasgow to Edinburgh and back at least twice a week.
In January services outwith Strathclyde saw their fares rise by an inflation busting 4.8%.
Passenger Focus reports that throughout the UK only 45% of passengers believe that rail fares are value for money and that only 35% believe that rail companies deal with delays to their satisfaction.
Figures relating to First Scotrail:
20% drop in satisfaction since autumn 2006.
31% feel that toilet facilities are inadequate.
38% think that their response to delays is unacceptable.
34% say that parking at stations is not up to scratch.
29% say that station facilities are below par.
20% agree that there are not enough luggage facilities on trains.
This is really quite a damming indictment of the company. Mary Dickson, Scotrail MD has commented: "We must improve the way we deal with train delays, regardless of the cause. In particular we need to keep customers better informed."
Yes Mary, indeed you do and you need to do a whole lot more besides. Have you considered having six carriage trains on the Ayrshire line when popular flights are arriving at Prestwick airport? Have you considered offering hassle free rebates to travellers whose journeys are disrupted? Have you considered ensuring that all carriages are heated in winter? Have you considered going along to Political Party Conferences to explain yourselves?
I won't hold my breath.
In January services outwith Strathclyde saw their fares rise by an inflation busting 4.8%.
Passenger Focus reports that throughout the UK only 45% of passengers believe that rail fares are value for money and that only 35% believe that rail companies deal with delays to their satisfaction.
Figures relating to First Scotrail:
20% drop in satisfaction since autumn 2006.
31% feel that toilet facilities are inadequate.
38% think that their response to delays is unacceptable.
34% say that parking at stations is not up to scratch.
29% say that station facilities are below par.
20% agree that there are not enough luggage facilities on trains.
This is really quite a damming indictment of the company. Mary Dickson, Scotrail MD has commented: "We must improve the way we deal with train delays, regardless of the cause. In particular we need to keep customers better informed."
Yes Mary, indeed you do and you need to do a whole lot more besides. Have you considered having six carriage trains on the Ayrshire line when popular flights are arriving at Prestwick airport? Have you considered offering hassle free rebates to travellers whose journeys are disrupted? Have you considered ensuring that all carriages are heated in winter? Have you considered going along to Political Party Conferences to explain yourselves?
I won't hold my breath.
Thursday, 10 January 2008
First Scotrail mess up yet again!
Really not feeling right with the world today and it's all because of other people.
yesterday I had a wasted day waiting in the house for a heating engineer who neither appeared nor had the common courtesy to contact me and let me know he wasn't going to arrive.
This morning I had to stand on a wet and windy railway platform waiting over an hour and ten minutes for a train to Glasgow. I can understand and appreciate that trains can break down and that points can fail and many other good reasons for trains to be cancelled or delayed. what I simply cannot understand is First Scotrail's utterly appalling customer service. In the time I waited at the station two trains were cancelled and the third was delayed, yet there was one single solitary announcement over the tannoy and although the delays were updated on the electronic screens we also got a message saying that there was a fault on the system and the information appearing was not correct. Bloody shambles! I wonder how useful the Citylink or Stagecoach bus services to Glasgow are?
yesterday I had a wasted day waiting in the house for a heating engineer who neither appeared nor had the common courtesy to contact me and let me know he wasn't going to arrive.
This morning I had to stand on a wet and windy railway platform waiting over an hour and ten minutes for a train to Glasgow. I can understand and appreciate that trains can break down and that points can fail and many other good reasons for trains to be cancelled or delayed. what I simply cannot understand is First Scotrail's utterly appalling customer service. In the time I waited at the station two trains were cancelled and the third was delayed, yet there was one single solitary announcement over the tannoy and although the delays were updated on the electronic screens we also got a message saying that there was a fault on the system and the information appearing was not correct. Bloody shambles! I wonder how useful the Citylink or Stagecoach bus services to Glasgow are?
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
ScotRail's response
On the 19th of December I contacted First ScotRail to ask of them why a return from Irvine to Edinburgh was 75p more expensive than purchasing a return from Irvine to Glasgow then one from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
Their letter dated 20th December didn't actually arrive until the 4th of January and provided no great enlightenment:
"our Research and Pricing Manager is aware that there are anomalies in the system, such as these fare anomalies, which we have inherited. we are working to remove these, however this process takes time."
That's about the total substance of their response. They didn't admit that they were aware of this particular instance, didn't explain why the anomaly existed in the 1st place, and gave no hint as to when things would be changed. Ho hum, great customer service as usual - not.
P.S. Blogger's spellcheck facility offers Scrotal as an alternative to ScotRail!
Their letter dated 20th December didn't actually arrive until the 4th of January and provided no great enlightenment:
"our Research and Pricing Manager is aware that there are anomalies in the system, such as these fare anomalies, which we have inherited. we are working to remove these, however this process takes time."
That's about the total substance of their response. They didn't admit that they were aware of this particular instance, didn't explain why the anomaly existed in the 1st place, and gave no hint as to when things would be changed. Ho hum, great customer service as usual - not.
P.S. Blogger's spellcheck facility offers Scrotal as an alternative to ScotRail!
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
A question to First ScotRail
As someone who regularly travels from Irvine to Edinburgh, usually with a stopoff in my Glasgow Office, I was rather perturbed to find out that it is cheaper to purchase a return from Irvine to glasgow and a return from Glasgow to Edinburgh than it is to buy a return from Irvine to Edinburgh. Cheaper by 75p in fact.
I have posed this question verbally to First Scotrail's "Customer Liaison Team" and got no satisfactory answer whatsoever. They have now booted my query upstairs and I await an answer. In the meantime I suggest that if this anomaly exisits on one journey it is likely to exist on others. I also must ask why they are ripping customers off in this manner?
Watch this space!
I have posed this question verbally to First Scotrail's "Customer Liaison Team" and got no satisfactory answer whatsoever. They have now booted my query upstairs and I await an answer. In the meantime I suggest that if this anomaly exisits on one journey it is likely to exist on others. I also must ask why they are ripping customers off in this manner?
Watch this space!
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Sleep stealing Scotrail
Like many others in my hometown of Irvine, I commute to Glasgow on a daily basis. The price is high (£127-50 a month) and the outward bound services rarely run to schedule in the mornings. This I can, and do, live with but their latest nonesense has me ready to blow a gasket!
Up until the Christmas and New Year break my normal morning train was the 08.17, a six carriage unit which has a scheduled arrival in Glasgow Central at 08.52, getting me into my office for 9am. Each and every time I have taken this train since starting back on the 8th of January it has been a three carriage unit. Now six carriages of passengers will simply not get onto a three carriage train and every time I have taken this train I have had to stand all the way from Irvine to Glasgow as have numerous fellow commuters. Indeed I have often seen it so packed that it must be a breach of health & safety rules and people are physically unable to get on at Paisley, which is the last stop before Glasgow.In order to avoid this discomfort I started taking the 07.59 service, which does have six carriages, but found it equally busy and usually have to stand all the way on this one too. To ensure that I can at least get a seat I now find myself taking the 07.43 each morning. By my reckoning that's two and a half hours sleep a week that First Scotrail owe me. Before anyone says stop moaning and go to bed earlier - I've tried it and it doesn't work. I'm a night owl and bed before midnight (for sleeping purposes) = insomnia.
The real point I'm making is that without a by your leave and without telling passengers, First Scotrail have reduced a service and breached their so-called Customer Charter, which states that passengers should not have to stand for more than 10 minutes.
Up until the Christmas and New Year break my normal morning train was the 08.17, a six carriage unit which has a scheduled arrival in Glasgow Central at 08.52, getting me into my office for 9am. Each and every time I have taken this train since starting back on the 8th of January it has been a three carriage unit. Now six carriages of passengers will simply not get onto a three carriage train and every time I have taken this train I have had to stand all the way from Irvine to Glasgow as have numerous fellow commuters. Indeed I have often seen it so packed that it must be a breach of health & safety rules and people are physically unable to get on at Paisley, which is the last stop before Glasgow.In order to avoid this discomfort I started taking the 07.59 service, which does have six carriages, but found it equally busy and usually have to stand all the way on this one too. To ensure that I can at least get a seat I now find myself taking the 07.43 each morning. By my reckoning that's two and a half hours sleep a week that First Scotrail owe me. Before anyone says stop moaning and go to bed earlier - I've tried it and it doesn't work. I'm a night owl and bed before midnight (for sleeping purposes) = insomnia.
The real point I'm making is that without a by your leave and without telling passengers, First Scotrail have reduced a service and breached their so-called Customer Charter, which states that passengers should not have to stand for more than 10 minutes.
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