Re: [NSW] Indicator Board - Wrong Destination

["Chris Downs" <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au>]

"Inappropriate analogy" - nice statement, your justification is?

Don't forget the problem arose because people listened to the announcement
and read the indicator board.    The announcement, both on platform and on
train, should have started with "Please note that the indicator on platform
2 has been changed.  This train does NOT go to Richmond...............".
This wasn't done.  The Lithgow platform announcement was made by the same
voice same tone etc. hardly an attention grabber.

Secondly, once the crew was aware that people were on the wrong train
(perhaps (?) not until after Blacktown) the train should have been stopped
at Doonside to allow the affected passengers to leave the train.  This
results in a possible repeat of the scenario at Doonside but the number of
boarders at Doonside is insignificant compared with those carried on from
Parra and again platform and on-train announcements are possible.

I was on the train and I heard the revised platform announcement.  It was
made after the train had stopped and the passengers had started boarding.
If that was all that was done it was too little too late.  Blame is
irrelevant here, getting passengers to their correct destination is what
matters.  As for an on train announcement I was near the lead doors and I
didn't hear one.  That's not to say it wasn't made but I did hear the train
now arriving at Penrith announcement some 25 or so minutes later.

I'm suspect of the notion that the passengers (at least 3 in the front of
the 1st car on a 6 car train) note that their train is not going to Richmond
just after passing Blacktown but would be deaf to multiple appropriately
addressed corrective announcements at Parra.  Selective perception in the
extreme and perhaps a tad masochistic.

And yes it's not just CityRail.  A Qantas flight attendant told the
passengers that our plan was landing in Mackay when it was actually landing
in Rocky the other day.  I agree that this would be a poor analogy as people
could not have been disadvantaged by the error but the announcement was
clearly corrected with an appropriate apology.

There's a need for a consistent and effective procedure to inform passengers
when an error is made, or do you disagree with this as well?

Chris


Dave Proctor <thadocta@spambait.dingoblue.net.au> wrote in message
884stt$sqk$1@news1.mpx.com.au">news:884stt$sqk$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> Chris Downs wrote in message ...
> >Blame the passengers (customers) - bad approach.
>
> Only when it is their fault - what did you expect them to do? Go up to
each
> individual passenger and ask them where they were going? They did all they
> could.
>
> >If a store announced over the PA numerous times that an item cost $5, I
> >picked it up and went to the counter, was focusing on pulling out my
money
> >at the checkout when a corrective announcement of $10 was made and I
found
> >later that I'd paid $10 and not $5 I'd be pissed off.
>
> Totally different situation, and a totally inappropriate analogy.
>
> >That's how these passengers felt.
>
> Then they should learn to listen to announcements. That is why they make
> them, to advise people of what is going on. If the passengers cannot be
> bothered listening to the announcements, then that is their fault.
>
> >As far as I'm aware no one went to any extra length to
> >advise that the indicator and announcements were wrong - an essential
step
> >(and a bare minimum) considering the timing of the correction after the
> >train had stopped at the platform.
>
> You yourself said that the board and announcement was corrected. Were you
on
> the train when this was done, or were you on the platform? If you were on
> the platform, how do you know the guard did not make an announcement? If
you
> were on the train, how do you know that the station staff did not make a
> manual announcement? How do you know that both were not done?
>
> >Most people are generally reasonable (shock horror disbelief) and will
> >happily live with a clear, comprehensive and timely corrective
announcement
> >(yeah they'll grunt and groan but only the ones with a tenuous grip on
> >reality go ballistic) rather than losing 5% of their day because they
> didn't
> >listen to a revised platform announcement that made no mention of an
error
> >or a correction (that's a good reason to lose it unfortunately).
>
> What a lot of rot.
>
> >The mind set that the passenger has it wrong and the attendant contempt
for
> >passengers is a significant problem for CityRail.
>
> And sometimes the passengers do have it wrong. You should have seen the
> doozies that I saw when I worked for QANTAS, Greyhound-Pionner, Deluxe
> Coaches and Bus Australia. Passengers are capable of getting it so wrong,
it
> is not funny. The passengers clearly got it wrong in this case. If the
> indicator and announcement was not corrected, then you would have a
point -
> but they were corrected, and announcements were made.
>
> >You only need see the
> >difference in passenger reaction when a delay occurs and an announcement
is
> >made (even if it can't advise the length of the delay) compared with the
> >frequent deathly silence that often accompanies a delay.
>
> Agreed there - some info (even incomplete info) is better than nothing.
>
> >Wow - this is almost as good as having a shot at Miranda Devine or Piers
> >Ackerman in the Tele's letters to the editor.  I'll jump off my soap box
> >now.
>
> As will I.
>
> Dave
>
>