D6130
Established Member
That could have been embarrassing if you were on a late-running Virgin train!I have been mistaken for Richard Branson a couple of times on trains....does that count?
That could have been embarrassing if you were on a late-running Virgin train!I have been mistaken for Richard Branson a couple of times on trains....does that count?
Yes, for commiseration!I have been mistaken for Richard Branson a couple of times on trains....does that count?
I forgot to mention...not being mistaken in this case, but the night the bridge near Carlisle went down in floods I got stuck at Preston for a considerable period of time, and found that the staff had completely lost control of the situation, with probably 500 people stood outside waiting for buses which existed but were in very short supply, and others walking round the station looking lost. A bit of RTTing found that the last Barrow was still running, so by walking around shouting that out (to the dislike of quite a few staff, it seemed) I got a good few passengers to Lancaster (it went out full and standing, though I don't think anyone was left behind) who might have got stuck otherwise.
In the end I got put in a taxi to Edinburgh, probably to get me out of the way
The whole thing was so incompetent that I stung VT for a good £300 or so worth of Delay Repay over the period of disruption, as I had a load of tickets booked up front for several weeks' travel, all of which were eligible for full refunds. The RTVs were used for work travel as work had paid, but it was one of those cases where I'd probably not have claimed as it wasn't the railway's fault and to avoid the moral question of what that should be used for, but it was *so* badly handled I wanted to give them a financial whack for having to do their job for them.
I did write them a detailed letter about it alongside the Delay Repay claims, but unfortunately it didn't get read and a standard response was issued.
Used to happen to me quite a lot when waiting for friends at Wimbledon, except I was always in casual clothes (jeans/shorts depending on weather).I was once waiting for someone outside the Thameslink gateline at St Pancras while wearing a suit and in the space of about 10 minutes I had at least 3 people walk up and ask questions. Such a range too: where's platform 9¾? Where are the Kent trains? Is this ticket valid?
Admittedly I could answer two of the three...
I've had similar when I was wearing a purple t-shirt and grey trousers in Doncaster (probably didn't help) when I was approached by a lad asking me 'ere mate, d'you work 'ere? When's next train t'Retford?' Looking bemused I pointed out checking the timetable on platform 1 and also checking the screens for the next one. He pointed out that he couldn't read a timetable either. Luckily I found a member of staff and pointed him in their direction.Think I've mentioned it on here before, but I was once mistaken for East Coast staff whilst on a rover and waiting for my first train of the day at Doncaster. Possibly might've been the purple jumper, grey jeans and (slightly lighter) grey trainers that made people think "he's dressed in colours a bit a bit similar to those of the trains we're catching, so he must be staff"
There's one (or was) who was hi vised up with shirt and rucksack at Huddersfield bus station. Whether Metro, who own the bus station, cottoned on to this unoffical person acting as a supervisor I don't know but my mate had dealings with him being patronising to anyone who challenges the rucksack bloke.There's an unofficial member of "bus station staff" who hangs around the bus stops outside MKC doing that sort of thing, he's fairly harmless and quite helpful to people given the lack of official provision. I guess potentially a greater danger on the railway than on what is little more than a set of slightly fancy bus stops on a road, though, and as the "bus station" is a public road not a lot that could be done to stop him even if they wanted to.
I've done something sort of not too dissimilar myself in that I used to put timetables up in my local bus shelters until the Council started doing it themselves. Even got a message of thanks graffitied on one once, which was nice.
Not really ‘not staff’ as I am but as I worked for a non-operational department I am taking the liberty! In the early 90s working for the Civil Engineers Dept in the days where you undertook site visits by train if you could, I was stood at Darlington station in Orange waterproof coat, drenched, when I was approach by a passenger and asked ‘Is that the train for Teeside?’ Trying to be polite I asked where in Teesside as it’s an area not a place and the response was ‘just Teesside’. After a few minutes I pointed them to a Saltburn train figuring they would sort themselves out! From that point I’ve always held a good level of respect for front line staff.
I am of average height only, but several times I have reached goods from the top shelf in a food store for people who could not stretch that high. Seems very discriminatoryWhen ‘incognito’ I’m never asked for help at a station (although my spidey-sense has the ability to spot a confused traveller at fifty paces, and perhaps I offer help before I’m asked).
However I’m asked for help by customers of Sainsbury’s roughly once a month!
I am of average height only, but several times I have reached goods from the top shelf in a food store for people who could not stretch that high. Seems very discriminatory
Supermarket policy is always to keep some staff presence on the shop floor to avoid this and assist such customers (e.g. don't have breaks all at the same time)
Sorry, asking customers not to help others? I like to browse and compare products, read the small print, maybe put back what I do not want, might take ten minutesVery often the high shelves carry signage asking customers not to do it themselves even if they can reach. I still do, though.
The top shelf, at least in some supermarkets, seems to take cartons of products that are left without the fronts torn off so you can't get the products out, presumably to simplify restocking when they don't all fit on the shelves below.Sorry, asking customers not to help others? I like to browse and compare products, read the small print, maybe put back what I do not want, might take ten minutes
Trouble is, food stores just have too many products