Complaining to train companies the best way!

malcomf

:mad:Heres an idea for anybody who hates complaining to train companies. :mad:

Have you ever been delayed only to be told, no we dont keep the complaint forms on the train . You can only get them at the stations, but your station doesn't have an office, and when you visit the next big station guess what they dont have any 'that day'.

Then guess what - you send the complaint in and never get a reply, or your money back, at most you get some vouchers, which you forget to use because you have a seasonal ticket and so as such you never actually travel to a point where you can use the annoying little green stubs of a voucher (for which they must be used in one journey!). So the vouchers rot until they go round the washing machine....



Well heres the get your own back, I did this one day; when I just could not be bothered to fill the form in, stick my tickets, try and get the annoying virgin one to close, then jam the oversized things into a mail box.

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* Heres the guts read this::

So here goes,

1. Every time you buy a ticket ask for a complaints form. In fact ask for more than one if its a big complaint. Everytime.
2. If asked what it is for, it is for complaining about delayed trains, and your concerned the one your going to get on will be delayed.
3. Then stick it together on the train.
4. Simply post the empty complaints form empty, when you get off!
5. Thats right dont waste your time actually filling it in and all the hassel. Post it and the others empty as you walk past a post box.

• So thats 5 empties per delayed train you get on.
• 10 empties if they cancel your train.
• If the ticket staff groan at you for asking for a ticket which is a hassel as they have to press more than one button, or good forbid you actually want some information.

You get to waste their time (without wasting your own) as every one of those empty envelopes needs opening! :T You keep somebody in a job, at the compaints department.


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Mix it up and have some fun, post empty complains forms for west midlands to virgin and vica versa....

I've had 4 delayed trains this week, and find it much more fun to post empties than actually complain!:rotfl:

It takes 10 seconds, to stick an envelope together, it cost the train company because its free post. Your supporting our postal service and in the end if they hate us that much they will bring service counters back at stations! Which can only benifit the service.

I'd be interested to here your comments, I'm sure there are people that will disagree, open for debate.

Zazen999

Wow, all this extra work they will have to do will surely put prices up. Genius.

malcomf

I'm in posting empties rules!

I can see the point. But put it this way, I'll send more empties for price increases too!

What about everybody sends 30 - each time prices go up.

Its a good rule, thanks. Genius :money:

On a more serious note. If you want to complain directly: London Midlands use a POX box free post number to hide from direct complaints. Their actual address is below, if you wanted to deliver your own empties or actual complaints ::

102 New street
Birmingham
B2 4JB.

dzug1

Sorry I disagree its a bad idea.

Well actually you may be saving the company money - they don't have to send you a voucher which ultimately they have to pay for

I find it much more fun to actually send the form in and get a voucher. Some TOCs have the form online to print off, or a letter with the information is just as good.

I'm a bit miffed I haven't been delayed more than a minute or two for months.....

esuhl

What I realised a long time ago, is that the train companies simply don't care. It makes no difference whether passengers are inconvenienced at all... Just as long as they still make profit for the shareholders.

Last Christmas, I was on a South West Train that was delayed by 5 minutes. No problem, but the connection - the last one of the day, was not held and consequently I was left with no money at a deserted startion in the middle of nowhere at 1am. It was a couple of degrees below zero and the wind was biting.

I complained, and was told, "So? There was a fatality. What do you expect?" The fatality, whilst tragic, was 30 miles away on a completely different branch, and my connecting train ran on time. Delaying it by 5 minutes would not have caused any obvious problems. I didn't even get an apology, let alone a refund for the £20 taxi fare (after going to a cashpoint), my wasted £12 train ticket, or the hour I spent wandering around the countryside trying to find a taxi.

Sadly, this is not a particularly unusual train experience. But I fear your "empty" protests may simply be a waste of paper. I wish I knew what the answer was.