Would I be an SC if...

[Noo_Noo]

I complained to Central Trains for making me stressed, annoyed, late for college and sometimes stranded on a number of occasions?

For those that don't know, or live outside the UK: The train system is privatised, and the general idea is that train companies compete against each other for better service and hence more of the customers.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work on a train track since each section of track can only have one company's train on it, meaning that they have no incentive to provide a good reliable train service to the town my college is in (Loughborough, Leics).

Over this past term I have dealt with cancellations both with and without even informing the passengers, trains arriving a good 20 minuites earlier than the timetable says, trains arriving late more often than on time, trains not even stopping at my station to allow me to get on, conductors not accepting my travel pass (that I paid £60 for and is from the county council), conductors being surly about me putting my cycle in the cycle rack, conductors being surly in general, and the state of the trains inside leaves somethign to be desired.
Anyway, does it seem like I'm moaning/ranting? I mean, this alone has probably taken a few months off of my life expectancy.

Also, I have a feeling that if I do make a complaint, it really wont improve anything, all that will happen is the letter will get thrown straight into the bin, or I may even get some vouchers for travel if I am lucky... How ironic, shall I bring my own de-stress kit?

[Rapscallion]

Well, I've no experience of the train service over here - not for some years, anyway - so I'm not in the best place to comment. However, what I do know is that if there is no complaint, nothing will be done.

I would make certain you can name times and places, rather than "Your employees are rude." If you can name specifics, they can trace it to a certain employee for the occasion. If you just say that they're generally shabby, they will probably just shrug it off.

Rapscallion

[Noo_Noo]

I would make certain you can name times and places, rather than "Your employees are rude."
Rapscallion

That I can do - I always get the 7:46 train so mentioning that would help?

[Rapscallion]

Dates would be good, as well as specific incidents. Feel free to mention the general level of apathy towards customer service, but you need to be able to pinpoint actual problems. Without those, they often cannot do anything other than send a standard letter in reply regretting that you didn't have the perfect journey they would like you to have had.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Rapscallion

[AirHostess]

OMG I HATE trains. Hate hate hate them. Have you ever travelled Arriva?

First Great Western is my local service...:censored:

I once wrote a long email and got a reply 2 hours later from a First Great Western man glossing over the issues raised.

I was once stuck at Bristol Temple Meads at 1am as the train had been very delayed, broke down etc So it was their fault and they wouldn't do anything! The next train was at 5:30am. The platform assistant at Shrewsbury told us he would phone ahead to Bristol and they'd arrange a taxi home for us. I no longer believe anything a rail employee tells me.

So yes, complain, the train lines deserve it! They rip us off with expensive, late, dirty, overcrowed, old trains. They are often late. The staff are almost always surly and rude. :rant:

State the time of train, destination and look on the staff name badges to get their names.

[Noo_Noo]

I've heard of Arriva trains, and not because of their great service...

It's kinda hard to get their names though, the one that was an arsehole to me was a big meathead of a bloke and didn't have a name badge on...

[Barefootgirl]

Yeah, the buggers have to wear their name badges, but often they wear them on the inside of their jackets. If you can't get a name you can do a dispassionate description of him, along with the train or station and the time of the incident, which will enable the train company to identify him.

Complain to Central Trains first (yes, i am laughing too as I write this, but bear with me...). If you were at a major station i'd say complain to Network Rail, but I don't think they run Loughborough. Then when you get no joy from Central trains, complain to your regional Rail Passengers' Committee http://www.railpassengers.org.uk/. Again, there may not be much they can do about your individual complaint, but you have no way of knowing how many other people are sending in identical complaints - and when they get enough of those, they can and will take action.