Avanti WC down the pan again

[Deafdoggie]

Does it? you seem to be tarring them all with the same brush.

I did say my original post was a sweeping generalisation. But the response was the same old justification. Never does anyone go "you know what, we didn't handle that well. Doing this instead would actually have been better. Well learn from it." They just keep doing the same mistakes over and over. Someone will doubtless now try to justify this by saying "how do you know it was a mistake?" And so we keep going round in circles with, as always, the customer at the bottom of the pile.

 

[800001]

And this single post sums up my point better than I ever could.

Not at all.
There is good and bad in all grades, in all departments.
Some will take easy decision, some will take a hard decision. however you just made a sweeping statement that all are bad

 

[Mcr Warrior]

They just keep doing the same mistakes over and over.

Wasn't a fairly well-known quote attributed to a certain Albert Einstein on this exact same sort of thing?

 

[Typhoon]

That’s disappointing. I have contacted TfL to complain and compliment staff several times over the last few years, and have received acknowledgements of both. Certainly agree with your first sentence, and for that reason I personally try to praise good service at least as often as I complain about poor. It’s pretty rare for an encounter with staff to fit into either category, to be honest.

I have never contacted TfL for that reason so I am pleased that just occasionally recording a positive experience might be acknowledged. I did have a discussion with a rail staff member when I asked for clarification of some details so I could praise another staff member. She thanked me and said that they never get any praise from management. It may be it just isn't being passed on.

This endless series of random cases of disruption and incidents on the WCML over the past seven weeks, not even all involving Avanti WC, doesn't seem to have a point.

I am sure I am not the only one on this forum who infrequently travels by rail outside of my region (I am mainly here for 'Buses and Coaches'). I have had two encounters with Avanti, neither positive, The contents of this thread convinces me that little has changed so I can adjust my travel plans accordingly (Chiltern get my custom), others might want to start out earlier/ use an alternative mode of transport/ take a different route/ not bother. Although this information will be somewhere, the first-hand experience by regular users is valuable. I would have thought the time to close the thread was when Avanti provide a reasonable service or lose the franchise.

 

[GordonT]

I would have thought the time to close the thread was when Avanti provide a reasonable service or lose the franchise.

Agreed. Especially as it's within a relatively recent timescale that their franchise was extended presumably based on their performance improving from dire to merely awful.

 

[MontyP]

Arrived at Euston at 14.10 today for the 14.30 to Glasgow, showing as cancelled on the board. Staff said to catch the 15.30 so I diverted to Starbucks to wait. Now checking the respective arrival times on RTT for my delay repay claim, it seems there was a last minute reinstatement of the 14.30 (which I obviously didn't hear in Starbucks!) and it left at 14.44. Every time I travel at the moment, the railway finds a new way to confound/befuddle/antagonise/annoy me!

 

[Mag_seven]

I think we are all now well aware of the problems that Avanti are having so I think this is now as good a time as any to bring this thread to a close.

thanks all