Most ridiculous things that passengers complain about.

[stadler]

A lady on my Watford Junction to Clapham Junction train today has complained to the guard about him using the bell at each stop saying it was getting very annoying. She was on at Watford Junction and the guard used the bell at Watford Junction then Harrow & Wealdstone then Wembley Central then Shepherds Bush and then at Kensington Olympia she gets up and confronts the guard and snaps at him and tells him to stop ringing the bell and that she was getting absolutely fed up of hearing it at every stop.

She was sitting in the disabled area with a pushchair and three children. She was complaining to him that her baby was sleeping and the bell was getting very annoying. The laughable thing was that her other children were being very noisy and someone else down the other end of the carriage was watching videos out loud but this was her problem.

It is only four bells at every stop. It is so quick and not like a constant noise or anything. Just two from the guard and then two from the driver. She was lucky he was not using the cab and she was not sitting by there as then there would be ten bells at every stop. It is such a ridiculous thing to complain about.

He tried explaining to her that he has to use the bell as part of the despatch process but she was not having it and calling him disrespectful. He was perfectly polite. I think he did not really want an argument as he just walked off and used the other carriage for the remaining West Brompton and Imperial Wharf calls. So nothing happened after that.

But this has to be the most ridiculous complaint i have heard. I was a guard from the 70s and 90s and i never had any complaint as stupid as that. But i would be interested to hear of any other ridiculous things that you have heard passengers complain about.

 

[JGurney]

i would be interested to hear of any other ridiculous things that you have heard passengers complain about.

I overheard someone at Ravenglass (R&ER) complaining to staff that the train "didn't go all the way up the mountain". Perhaps they had imagined it was the Lake District's equivalent of the Snowdon Mountain Rly and would take them up Skafell Pike.

 

[Steve4031]

In the United States, the sleepers on some trains are right behind the engine. People complain about the whistle-blowing for the grade crossings. I can understand a non-rail enthusiast being annoyed. But I have heard railfans complain about this, too. I look at them and say you can't be a rail fan if you don't like the whistling.

 

[Gloster]

In the early days of the HSTs on the Western Region they had a day with absolutely no speed restrictions, so BR decided to use a non-stop to Chippenham (I think) service to have a go at getting the record for the highest ever average speed with a regular timetabled train. They did it and got to Chippenham seven minutes early: somebody then announced to the passengers that their train had just gained the record. Didn’t stop one woman complaining about how long they were waiting at Chippenham for departure time.

 

[mrcheek]

One fairly common complaint: The buffet being closed.

I recall one particular lady complaining that if she couldnt get a drink on a train, then the service should be cancelled.
I politely pointed out to her that as it was an evening departure from Paddington, the train was full and standing, as would every other train leaving at that time.
And that most people just wanted to go home

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I suspect Greater Anglia gets more than a few people complaining about platforms 10 and 10A at Stratford, although that's not their fault as a TOC.

Almost certain to be an unjustified complaint heading in to them after the ridiculous antics I saw yesterday, which must be among the most idiotic passenger actions ever anywhere...

The 17.17 from Liverpool Street to Clacton is one of the services booked to go into 10A; after riding it yesterday for a required 720 haulage I went down the passageway towards platforms 9 / 10 to return to Liverpool Street; as I got to the stairs for 9 / 10, a young couple came running down the stairs in a panic, reached the subway at the bottom of the stairs then looked around, heads turning, Tom and Jerry style. The man then pointed up the stairs in front of the ones they'd just come down and both ran up there at an Olympic pace...

Somehow, I think they missed the train...

 

[rg177]

A customer once rang demanding a refund for her ticket as it hadn't been checked, and by her definition, that meant it hadn't been used. No amount of reasoning with her managed to get through the point that travelling on a ticket constitutes using it.

 

[VioletEclipse]

In the United States, the sleepers on some trains are right behind the engine. People complain about the whistle-blowing for the grade crossings. I can understand a non-rail enthusiast being annoyed. But I have heard railfans complain about this, too. I look at them and say you can't be a rail fan if you don't like the whistling.

surely even non-enthusiasts would understand the need from a safety perspective, no? Surely it's what you expect as part of sleeping on a moving train

 

[Jan Mayen]

I've been known to complain about not having the option of buying a three course meal, served with a choice of wine & brandy.
Was it really that hard to do between St Erth and Carbis Bay?

 

[Trackman]

I remember a couple of tourists complaining about the engine noise on a class 156. Window hoppers were shut.
When the guard came to check tickets, they asked how to put in a complaint and they should sue their employers as it is damaging their ears. They were deadly serious.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I am torn between laughter and head-in-my-hands despair, at the self entitled attitude from some of the examples.
This thread is a brilliant commentary on human nature in the 21st century and I'm watching it with glee!

 

[Sun Chariot]

I remember a couple of tourists complaining about the engine noise on a class 156. Window hoppers were shut.
When the guard came to check tickets, they asked how to put in a complaint and they should sue their employers as it is damaging their ears. They were deadly serious.

Lucky they never had to travel in a tired NSE class 104 DMBS.

 

[GatwickDepress]

In the United States, the sleepers on some trains are right behind the engine. People complain about the whistle-blowing for the grade crossings. I can understand a non-rail enthusiast being annoyed. But I have heard railfans complain about this, too. I look at them and say you can't be a rail fan if you don't like the whistling.

To be honest, the way American locomotives blare their horns and bells all the time is very loud and incredibly annoying. I understand the safety reasons and importance of it, but I absolutely emphasise with passengers trying to sleep. Especially with how expensive some private rooms are.

 

[duffield]

I suspect Greater Anglia gets more than a few people complaining about platforms 10 and 10A at Stratford, although that's not their fault as a TOC.

Almost certain to be an unjustified complaint heading in to them after the ridiculous antics I saw yesterday, which must be among the most idiotic passenger actions ever anywhere...

The 17.17 from Liverpool Street to Clacton is one of the services booked to go into 10A; after riding it yesterday for a required 720 haulage I went down the passageway towards platforms 9 / 10 to return to Liverpool Street; as I got to the stairs for 9 / 10, a young couple came running down the stairs in a panic, reached the subway at the bottom of the stairs then looked around, heads turning, Tom and Jerry style. The man then pointed up the stairs in front of the ones they'd just come down and both ran up there at an Olympic pace...

Somehow, I think they missed the train...

Barring platform renumbering (very expensive and disruptive), Stratford could probably do with some extra special signs, something like a big red sign under the P10A sign saying "These stairs for P10A only NOT for P10, P10 is that way! >>" and vice versa. It is such a common assumption that P10 and P10A are on the same island or equivalent that it really needs people to be gently beaten over the head with the fact it's not true at Stratford!

 

[Bread & cheese]

A genuine complaint I received while working at a station: "That train left 2 seconds early!"

 

[Iskra]

To be honest, the way American locomotives blare their horns and bells all the time is very loud and incredibly annoying. I understand the safety reasons and importance of it, but I absolutely emphasise with passengers trying to sleep. Especially with how expensive some private rooms are.

I agree, 4 nights and 5 days of it along with the sleep deprivation in Coach class from New York to Emeryville, means I don’t find it a pleasant sound anymore! I didn’t complain about it at the time, but the horn pattern is excessively long and the frequency of it is extremely high. Still a good trip though.

 

[Calthrop]

In the United States, the sleepers on some trains are right behind the engine. People complain about the whistle-blowing for the grade crossings. I can understand a non-rail enthusiast being annoyed. But I have heard railfans complain about this, too. I look at them and say you can't be a rail fan if you don't like the whistling.

surely even non-enthusiasts would understand the need from a safety perspective, no? Surely it's what you expect as part of sleeping on a moving train

To be honest, the way American locomotives blare their horns and bells all the time is very loud and incredibly annoying. I understand the safety reasons and importance of it, but I absolutely emphasise with passengers trying to sleep. Especially with how expensive some private rooms are.

I agree, 4 nights and 5 days of it along with the sleep deprivation in Coach class from New York to Emeryville, means I don’t find it a pleasant sound anymore! I didn’t complain about it at the time, but the horn pattern is excessively long and the frequency of it is extremely high. Still a good trip though.

On this general discussion / varying points of view -- am reminded of the "business" concerning the "bad old days" in South Africa: when at least reputedly, standard practice on passenger trains was to put the coaches for "non-whites" up front behind the loco; and those for whites, toward the rear. Reasoning -- black people less important, so they were the ones who needed to put up with the noise and frequent whistling of the -- assumably steam -- loco; and in the event of an accident (regrettably, not all that rare on SAR): the front of the train, generally more likely to sustain damage than the rear -- so ... Have previously made a post re this matter, on the Forums: a very sensible reply was made, to the effect that now and again, long-distance passenger trains have to reverse -- so that at times, "Whitey" had, rather satisfyingly, to take his turn in the "hot seat": something that likely wouldn't occur to a non-railway-enthusiast -- from one of whom, I think I first heard the tale -- and until the post referred to, had failed to occur to me.

 

[Dr Hoo]

When I had responsibility for a BR telephone enquiry bureau (TEB) I had a call on an 'office' number from somebody complaining that the TEB was ex-directory.

I asked how he had got 'my' number - "I looked it up in phone book". I asked if he was using the [county] directory (not Yellow Pages), which he confirmed. I got my own directory out and turned up British Rail alphabetically. "Are you looking at Page xyz", I asked. "Yes." "What's on the opposite page?" "Err, there's a full-page advert entitled 'British Rail Telephone Enquiries'. How am I expected to notice that?"

 

[Mr. SW]

Some years ago, I was on Feltham Station when a middle-aged woman came in and complained to the booking office staff that the level crossing barrier had come down on her head, and what were they going to do about it.

(The LC has since being removed.)

 

[johntea]

A customer once rang demanding a refund for her ticket as it hadn't been checked, and by her definition, that meant it hadn't been used. No amount of reasoning with her managed to get through the point that travelling on a ticket constitutes using it.

A passenger on a train I was on the other day asked the guard to scan their ticket several times as they were shocked that the scan had revealed to the guard that their ticket had in fact already been used to pass through the barrier at the destination station several days ago! (Open return...)

The guard presumably knew after a bit they were perhaps 'trying it on' a bit but was incredibly patient with them regardless and eventually managed to sell them another ticket, funnily enough they asked for another open return

Not quite sure what the end goal was as even if they hadn't bumped into the guard on board they would have presumably got clocked at the ticket barriers at the destination station anyway but there you go!