Customer service my arse Part 2
 

So as usual I made the trek to Abbey Street to get my rail only monthly ticket and an intercity ticket, Abbey Street take plastic and normally no queue its lunchtime so I'm nearby

Arrive no queue

First
Guy asks me for what day, Its a monthly ticket, next month

He then has to consult a manual to get the ticket code, fair enough, he then tries to print the ticket on any one of 3 different types of ticket stock and each fails since ticket stock must match the type, I show him last months to help

No apology or explanation he heads off to to the back office, so fair enough he is gone to get a box from store
Returns and opens a desk drawer without saying a word and pulls out a duplicate ticket book and starts to scribble
At this point I realise that I am not being issued a ticket but a docket which can be exchanged for a ticket somewhere else ie useless and requires more hassle and queuing and ain't much good if faced with a turnstile exit (ticket also valid on certain buses)
So I refuse on the basis of he can't issue the ticket I asked for, I'll go elsewhere
Guy now argues that since the ticket has been issued (not printed) I have to take it, yeah right you cant provide me with the ticket (I still have my credit card in my hand and you ain't getting it)
I'm off to Connolly (for no other reason than to prove the point) ......

I kept the head and vacated building, I won. Clearly a multiple failure of training and management of supplies

Chap in Connolly efficient and tickets issued quickly guy didn't even have to double check the station id for Thurles so fair play to you sir

Written complaint goes out later

I went to the same lovely people in Abbey street a few months back. I was using the European section to book tickets in Italy. They asked me had I tried the internet!

I've never had trouble before the odd time the clerk would have to go for the book for the id for Seapoint and I'd say 129

This guy just sat there in full knowledge of what he was doing and didn't take the few seconds to say

I've checked the store we are all out of the ticket type, very sorry about that we dont get many people here looking for that ticket type you can head over to Connolly and they should be able to deal with you, I can ring ahead to make 100% sure

Not ideal but way better than my situation

I went in there before to get my annual train ticket. whoa it's like a set for reeling in the years, when rte just went to colour..

Nowadays I buy my annual train and bus ticket off those friendly dublin bus people....

So, if they're useless at issuing annual tickets and useless at international tickets, what do they actually do?

Maybe that's why the travel centre in Cork closed down...

Dont get me started on that lot in there! just spent a week in england on a britrail pass.....all very nice except for the hassle i kept getting off various ticket checkers. Abbey street told me they cant issue britrail passes any more but they could give me a voucher that i could exchange in england for a real britrail pass. All very well but for one minor problem........

Britrail passes cant be issued in england for the simple reason that you cant buy them there so they dont have the necessary equipment. I suspected this at the time of purchase and even mentioned it to the girl at the counter but she said theyd been doing it for 4 years it should be fine.

Obviously it wasnt as i found at 8am in leeds station the morning after the staff there had a long confused confusion when i presented my voucher. Theyre solution was that i just used my voucher as a pass (complete with "not valid for travel" stamped on it) and hope for the best. So thats what i did....resulting in the aforementioned ticket checker hassle and other fun events.

Ok rant over il just go back to using the BTA office like ive always done at least they know what theyre talking about!

Dont get me started on that lot in there! just spent a week in england on a britrail pass.....all very nice except for the hassle i kept getting off various ticket checkers. Abbey street told me they cant issue britrail passes any more but they could give me a voucher that i could exchange in england for a real britrail pass. All very well but for one minor problem........

Britrail passes cant be issued in england for the simple reason that you cant buy them there so they dont have the necessary equipment. I suspected this at the time of purchase and even mentioned it to the girl at the counter but she said theyd been doing it for 4 years it should be fine.

Obviously it wasnt as i found at 8am in leeds station the morning after the staff there had a long confused confusion when i presented my voucher. Theyre solution was that i just used my voucher as a pass (complete with "not valid for travel" stamped on it) and hope for the best. So thats what i did....resulting in the aforementioned ticket checker hassle and other fun events.

Ok rant over il just go back to using the BTA office like ive always done at least they know what theyre talking about!