16.40: The service V/line doesn't give a Sh#t about.
16.40 again was reasonably full last night, but more or less on time, making it an almost normal week for once.
However 'Cooper' has reported that according to the V/Line Customer Service line person that he speaks to on a regular basis, those travellers on the 16.40 service should expect many cancellations after the Commonwealth Games finish today.
Why? well, because the 16.40 service is the 'easiest' to cancel (due to the fact it only stops at Nth Geelong, Geelong & Sth Geelong). Cold comfort to the 300 or more people that catch the service.
I think most people don't mind if a train is cancelled (well much anyways) but what gets people hot under the collar is not finding out until you actually get to the platform when at times the information is known well in advance.
Again 'Cooper' posed the question to V/line Customer Service "why don't you update your website with the information about the 16.40 being cancelled so people don't rush down expecting a train there" ... apparently even though they know at times as early as 14.30 that the 16.40 is not run, they wont update the website because it is "too much effort".
Ok, this is my rant now ... I work in IT, I know for a fact it is not that hard to update a website. Why have a website that has an area specifically for bulletins/news/customer information if its TOO MUCH EFFORT to keep your customers informed!!!
Even when calling at 3.00pm or 4.00pm and specifically asking the V/Line Customer Service line if the 16.40 is running, Cooper has been given the run around.
In this technological age of Internet/Sms & mobile technology, V/Line is left far behind. What are their senior management doing about it? What is our State Government doing about it? A well thought out solution to inform customers as early as possible assists people in being inconvenienced!
So the end result is they'd rather allow people to arrive and stand around until someone remembers to make an announcement or write on a whiteboard.
As an added thought, why aren't V/Line running the new 'Vulture' Trains on the 16.40? Surely these Very Fast Trains, should be running on an express service like the 16.40 ... oh I dunno, because maybe they will be able to do the journy in 40 minutes or so?? but no, instead lets do the opposite to logic and run the Vulture trains on STOP ALL STATION services, so y'know ... they can never actually go fast.
However 'Cooper' has reported that according to the V/Line Customer Service line person that he speaks to on a regular basis, those travellers on the 16.40 service should expect many cancellations after the Commonwealth Games finish today.
Why? well, because the 16.40 service is the 'easiest' to cancel (due to the fact it only stops at Nth Geelong, Geelong & Sth Geelong). Cold comfort to the 300 or more people that catch the service.
I think most people don't mind if a train is cancelled (well much anyways) but what gets people hot under the collar is not finding out until you actually get to the platform when at times the information is known well in advance.
Again 'Cooper' posed the question to V/line Customer Service "why don't you update your website with the information about the 16.40 being cancelled so people don't rush down expecting a train there" ... apparently even though they know at times as early as 14.30 that the 16.40 is not run, they wont update the website because it is "too much effort".
Ok, this is my rant now ... I work in IT, I know for a fact it is not that hard to update a website. Why have a website that has an area specifically for bulletins/news/customer information if its TOO MUCH EFFORT to keep your customers informed!!!
Even when calling at 3.00pm or 4.00pm and specifically asking the V/Line Customer Service line if the 16.40 is running, Cooper has been given the run around.
In this technological age of Internet/Sms & mobile technology, V/Line is left far behind. What are their senior management doing about it? What is our State Government doing about it? A well thought out solution to inform customers as early as possible assists people in being inconvenienced!
So the end result is they'd rather allow people to arrive and stand around until someone remembers to make an announcement or write on a whiteboard.
As an added thought, why aren't V/Line running the new 'Vulture' Trains on the 16.40? Surely these Very Fast Trains, should be running on an express service like the 16.40 ... oh I dunno, because maybe they will be able to do the journy in 40 minutes or so?? but no, instead lets do the opposite to logic and run the Vulture trains on STOP ALL STATION services, so y'know ... they can never actually go fast.
posted by vlinewhinger at 9:11 am
4 Comments:
I've just come across your excellent blog by accident, thanx for the laugh.
And when I say laugh, I mean that's all one can do when facing the incompetance of Vline. Unfortunately I'm forced by circustance to endure the Geelong-Melbourne train as well, been doing so for nearly 2 years.
My gripes in summary:
1. paying $71 for a weekly to Footscray up from $61 last year, yes a 'cpi' increase. Hell, I don't mind paying more, if the trains were on time and I got a friggin seat to sit on!
2. Being asked for my ticket after standing inbetween carriages almost every day for a week. "I'll show my ticket, if you show me a seat" doesn't seem to work...
3. weight challenged people (how pc!)
4. LATE, LATE, LATE trains !!
5. Cancelled trains without warning.
6. The hot day and Friday curse
7. Geelong carpark..aargh!
8. The "in the interest of passenger safety, please ensure the platform is available before alighting..blah blah". Hey, once per trip is enough, I aint deaf and stupid!
Did I say summary? I'll stop there, I'm sure most of this has been covered already. Anyhow, keep up the good work, I think I'll have a look at your blog regularly from now on...for a laugh.
mr anonymous you sound like a right nob.
"I think I'll have a look at your blog regularly from now on...for a laugh."
i am glad you see it as funny.
i have heard that the vlocity trains will not be put onto express services due to safety concerns
from anonymous,
Mmmm, 'a right nob' eh.. Well, I don't think I've been called that before.
Anyhow, where did I say that I thought Vline was funny? I find the Vline experience excruciatingly frustrating like most frequent travellers. All I'm saying is that at the end of the day, all you can do is laugh. Not funny ha ha laugh, but an exclamation of utter helplesness, of mutual suffering and distain towards a system that obviously treats its customers with contempt or at best bumbling incompetenance.
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