East Midlands Trains

[Jezston]

Bollocks.

Left my cycling shoes on the train the other day. Put them in bag in my rucksack while I was travelling back from London, took the bag out of my rucksack and put it under my seat while I was looking for something in my rucksack, and forgot to pick it up when I arrived back at Nottingham. *Facepalm*

Nottingham was the final destination of the train, so surely the staff would have found them and handed them in to lost property?

Did they ****.

Just realised over the last two years I have left 5 items on the train in tired stupidity. Two pairs of (cheap) fingerless gloves, a (cheap) bottle, a (cheap) pair of glasses and now a not so cheap pair of Shimano shoes. Despite on more than one occasion actually alerting train staff to the fact I left the items there while the train was still en route (i.e. got off the train, train leaves, get myself together then realise I've left something on it so immediately go to customer services) and them saying they'd get right on to it, NEVER EVER have any of my lost property been recovered. When the train is still running the reason is usally they couldn't get hold of the driver or any staff at any of the stations on the route. WTF?

Yeah I know it's my fault for leaving the stuff there, but do EMT possibly just not give a flying shoot about lost property? Do cleaning staff go through the train at the end of it's journey and just chuck EVERYTHING they find away because they can't be arsed dealing with handing it in because the lost property office closes at 5pm?

I found an Atlas someone had left on the train yesterday and tried to hand it in. Had to talk to three members of station staff before anyone was interested in so much as taking it off me, and then I reckon they probably just binned it as there is NO lost property office at Derby station.

I had another issue with them last week where I couldn't get a ticket I bought printed at a machine - staff's immediate reaction is just to get defensive and come up with any excuse not to give you a new one, and every time you counter their excuse with rationale they just come up with another one ("we can't give it to you without ID" 'ok I have my passport here' "ah oh well yeah but the banks won't let us print the card" 'what have the banks got to do with printing the card?' "ah yeah but it's actually a third party company who issue it because it was the trainline you used, right?" 'no I booked my ticket directly with you?' "yeah but yeah but" etc etc) - eventually after they ran out of arguments they have agreed to refund the £50 I then had to spend to get a new ticket ... which I am still waiting for.

(when I had the exact same issue with the machine - wrong card - at London Bridge, FCC just gave me a new ticket, no questions asked)

East Midlands Trains, since taking over Midlands Mainline just seem to have adopted an attitude of absolute contempt for their customers. Of course I can't use anyone else because they have a monopoly on trains for the east midlands to london and run the stations! Try to make a complaint and you get the same defensive, rude and out of their way to be unhelpful.

Now I'm going to jump up and down and bang my fists.

Thanks!

Rant over

 

[meenaghman]

I'd send a note to Vince Cable. He was all talking about customer service and spivs and competition and capitalism the other day...copy the transport minister, your MP and head of East Midlands trains. No use complaining to us here.. start narking with people who can affect the situation.. never know you may get some response.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I'd send a note to Vince Cable. He was all talking about customer service and spivs and competition and capitalism the other day...copy the transport minister, your MP and head of East Midlands trains. No use complaining to us here.. start narking with people who can affect the situation.. never know you may get some response.

+1 - the workers have been "empowered" but have no authority

Just a little tip - I'm getting forgetful and when I travelled with the kids I always did a look around everywhere before leaving. You never know what kids do with stuff. Now I use that method for myself..

 

[hackbike 666]

When the train is still running the reason is usally they couldn't get hold of the driver or any staff at any of the stations on the route. WTF?


1) Why should the driver worry about your lost property when his single most important task is driving the train (safely) and not worrying about your lost property?

2) Whenever I find stuff on the train I always hand it in...This includes mobile phones...laptops and in general rucksacks/bags being left on the train resulting in (yet another) security alert...

3) If you are so unreliable that you leave stuff on a train (and I know I would be) then try and keep it in your vision if possible (I do)...I never leave anything in the luggage rack or under seats myself and don't ever remember leaving any stuff.....(apart from in the cab)...(and I never got that back)

4) If the driver had to worry about every piece of lost items left on a train (day after day) I reckon the train would be even later then what it normally is....What do you think the train driver does when he is in the cab....Also don't you think the guard has other duties to attend to?

5) It would be a mugs game to steal lost property (if you are suggesting that) on a train as all the trains I work on have CCTV as well as most if not all of the stations.

Perhaps you should visit a lost property office to see how much space is taken up by lost property items...(including bikes)

Are you surprised rail staff are on the defensive with the constant slagging they seem to get all the time?

I don't get it too bad but I have seen some shocking behaviour towards my guards/station staff on some trains/platforms including spitting and assault.

 

[Arch]

When the train is still running the reason is usally they couldn't get hold of the driver or any staff at any of the stations on the route. WTF?


1) Why should the driver worry about your lost property when his single most important task is driving the train (safely) and not worrying about your lost property?

What about the guard, sorry, train manager, or the bloke who runs the catering trolley, or the buffet? And all the staff at stations?

It's fair enough to be defensive about your job. But surely you don't believe that all train companies are running the very best customer service they could? Any company that deals with customers ought to make some effort to actually help them beyond the bare minimum of driving them from a to b. Seems they're happy to sell us overpriced crisps and foul tea at vast markup, but not put themselves out much in return.

I've never left anything on a train, and my experiences of customer service have generally been fine, even if the company and network structure sometimes seems to revel in making life difficult. But if Jeston's had this problem more than once, that suggests that something isn't working very well.

 

[Arch]

[QUOTE 1190298"]
Sound words from CC's resident train driver.
[/quote]

One of CC's resident train drivers, and apparently the grumpiest...

 

[hackbike 666]

One of CC's resident train drivers, and apparently the grumpiest...

No im sick and tired of being slagged off year in year out by people who's knowledge of the railways consist of reading The Sun...So im just giving the other side of the story.

So I have an opinion which you don't like which makes me grumpy in your own words...Fine..

I have worked for the railways for nearly 30 years so I am allowed an opinion and to stick up for my work colleagues who take all sorts of flak when it goes wrong...Some of these people are the most professional and dedicated in their work that I have ever seen..

 

[Jezston]

When the train is still running the reason is usally they couldn't get hold of the driver or any staff at any of the stations on the route. WTF?


1) (and 4)Why should the driver worry about your lost property when his single most important task is driving the train (safely) and not worrying about your lost property?

Sorry by driver I should have meant 'train manager' or whatever the title is. If I've left something on a train, and the train is still running, surely it shouldn't be a big deal to contact someone on the train to get them to grab it?

2) Whenever I find stuff on the train I always hand it in...This includes mobile phones...laptops and in general rucksacks/bags being left on the train resulting in (yet another) security alert...

3) If you are so unreliable that you leave stuff on a train (and I know I would be) then try and keep it in your vision if possible (I do)...I never leave anything in the luggage rack or under seats myself and don't ever remember leaving any stuff.....(apart from in the cab)...(and I never got that back)

Lesson learned. I always keep stuff about my person if I can. I remember as I put the bag under my chair I told myself "don't forget you've put it under the chair!". And then of course forgot I put it under the chair.

Perhaps you should visit a lost property office to see how much space is taken up by lost property items...(including bikes)

Weirdly, it seems East Midlands Trains lost property office is a shelf in the ticket office in Nottingham station. When I went in on Friday morn the woman I spoke to got up and poked about the shelf next to her that had a handful of items on it, and said no it's not been handed in.

Are you surprised rail staff are on the defensive with the constant slagging they seem to get all the time?

I don't get it too bad but I have seen some shocking behaviour towards my guards/station staff on some trains/platforms including spitting and assault.

Regarding my second issue of the ticket machine, I certainly didn't just go up to them mouthing off saying "gimme my effing ticket!". I was corteous and polite, just told them I had a problem with the machine and couldn't get my ticket I'd booked. Their response was not "how can we help you" but "how can we avoid doing anything to help you". It was proper computer says no type stuff. It was pretty much can't help won't help from the off, and any suggestion I made to try to find a solution was met by obstruction and obfuscation. They still maintain it wasn't their fault, but have refunded me anyway as a "one off".

I've had great service in the past from plenty of other train companies. The trains to work and back when I take it is run by CrossCountry and they are great. First Great Western have always been helpful, and GNER back when I was at uni I used a lot and they were always good. But I've had repeatedly bad experiences with East Midlands Trains. Ever since they took over from Midland Mainline they've just got worse and worse. Trains end up having less carriages, reservations get deleted, buffet cars are closed for most of the journeys and they no longer take cards. I don't know what's going on with them.

...

In better news, regarding my lost shoes I went into the station again this morning and spoke to someone who seemed to be in a fairly good mood. Turns out the train would have gone straight to the depot in Derby after my journey so hopefully some member of staff would have picked them up. However won't find out until Monday if they have, so if they don't turn up then I'll have to wait until the following Saturday before I can get some new shoes ride my bike! Wahh.

 

[hackbike 666]

Well I hope you get your shoes back anyway....Personally I hate finding stuff on trains because I have the hassle of handing it in...which can be a bit difficult when I have a six minute turn around in the rush hour....Normally I have to pass it on to the station bloke...I gave the mobile phone I found to the train fitter last time....

I don't think on my report it would go down too well I made my train late because I was busy handing lost property in...Esp nowadays as it's all about money and fines...

I've had great service in the past from plenty of other train companies. The trains to work and back when I take it is run by CrossCountry and they are great. First Great Western have always been helpful, and GNER back when I was at uni I used a lot and they were always good. But I've had repeatedly bad experiences with East Midlands Trains. Ever since they took over from Midland Mainline they've just got worse and worse. Trains end up having less carriages, reservations get deleted, buffet cars are closed for most of the journeys and they no longer take cards. I don't know what's going on with them.

They sound like they are short of trains...They don't make short formations for the fun of it or to upset the passengers...I've had a 4 car in the rush hour when I should have had eight and it's a nightmare...During the snow we must have had half the fleet out...They only have a certain amount of trains and if they break or whatever it is they are holed up in a depot and out of service..The reservations thing seems like it needs complaining about but I guess you have already done that...Buffet cars...we have a trolley service on ours....dunno who runs the buffets on East Midlands...Bit of a rough spell I know of a few companies which have gone through this before things are sorted out...

Who runs East Midlands now? I have a suspicion but have lost track...(boom tish)

Sorry by driver I should have meant 'train manager' or whatever the title is. If I've left something on a train, and the train is still running, surely it shouldn't be a big deal to contact someone on the train to get them to grab it?

I know for a fact on my company they contact the guard via pager but the guard need to have a working pager to get the message...I don't know what happens on East Midlands Trains...

 

[ufkacbln]

The shelf is easy......

At work our patients tend to want to get out a quickly as possible, (i hope it isn't personal) and often leave jewelery, belts, glasses and other things behind. If we have details, we phone them, or if we don't know which patient then we tend to keep it for a couple of days to see if they contact us

Then they go off to Security and the Lost Property System.

As a result we would have a few items to look through, as above.


The other thing is responsibility... and taking steps to ensure return. All my valuable stuff, including phones, helmets etc are marked up with Immobilise and it works!

 

[hackbike 666]

Reminded me...I must do a reward card for my wallet...I've lost that twice...once it was handed in at Stratford LUL which is strange as that day I was commuting in and it fell out of my bum bag which I didn't do up...I remember I was ill (and tired) on that commute....My left arm had swollen after I had been bitten or stung in Hong Kong....Someone found it in the road at a guess...Nicked the money (£90)...(fair enough) Then bunged it in the tube car park at Stratford and someone else handed it in....Gladly enough I got my cards and passes back which was great...LUL property office the big one in West London I think it was...

 

[Arch]

I know for a fact on my company they contact the guard via pager but the guard need to have a working pager to get the message...I don't know what happens on East Midlands Trains...

So, you don't work for East Midlands Trains. The whinge was about East Midlands Trains. Clearly, it wasn't you being moaned about. So no need to take it personally. If someone came on here and complained about their recycling not being collected properly, then unless it was the one forummite whose recycling I know I do collect, I wouldn't take it personally... In fact I'd just be happy that it wasn't me or my company mucking things up...

I've been on the customer service side of things, and I know some people get shirty for little or no reason, and that some people stay polite in the face of seemingly stupid inflexibility and poor service. I think Jezston's experience seems to fall into the latter.

 

[hackbike 666]

So, you don't work for East Midlands Trains. The whinge was about East Midlands Trains. Clearly, it wasn't you being moaned about. So no need to take it personally. If someone came on here and complained about their recycling not being collected properly, then unless it was the one forummite whose recycling I know I do collect, I wouldn't take it personally... In fact I'd just be happy that it wasn't me or my company mucking things up...

I've been on the customer service side of things, and I know some people get shirty for little or no reason, and that some people stay polite in the face of seemingly stupid inflexibility and poor service. I think Jezston's experience seems to fall into the latter.

I still feel it's my right to defend the railways as most of the time there is some sort of moan against the railways same old thing....ably backed up by the press as usual (who know f-all and can barely get the facts right) Leaf fall delaying trains being a prime example and snow in the traction motors...(oops must stop im starting to get technical now)...Im just trying to show how things are from the other side...A side that people seem to ignore...I reckon all companies work basically the same...although they seem to have a smaller lost property office,granted.

I dislike trains running late for whatever reason as it generally leads to grief...That's if you aren't driving up a platform where people are tapping their watches and clapping....

 

[cyberknight]

"Yeah I know it's my fault for leaving the stuff there, but do EMT possibly just not give a flying shoot about lost property? Do cleaning staff go through the train at the end of it's journey and just chuck EVERYTHING they find away because they can't be arsed dealing with handing it in because the lost property office closes at 5pm?

I found an Atlas someone had left on the train yesterday and tried to hand it in. Had to talk to three members of station staff before anyone was interested in so much as taking it off me, and then I reckon they probably just binned it as there is NO lost property office at Derby station."

They are probably in shock , most people would bin it or claim it as their own

 

[steve52]

honesty and morality have been stolen!!! guys if we demand more of ourselves then we have a right to demand more of others including the sevice we pay for, alsa this has to start at the top in europ as well as here , but im up for it if u are? what say you?