Re: [NSW] Indicator Board - Wrong Destination

["Dave Proctor" <thadocta@spambait.dingoblue.net.au>]

Chris Downs wrote in message ...
>"Inappropriate analogy" - nice statement, your justification is?

Inappropriate because consumer protection legislation insists that you
cannot be charged a higher price than what is advertised, regardless of any
mistake made by the retailer, so your situation would not arise in the first
place.

>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.

I have been waiting at stations where sometimes the manual announcements are
at a different volume to the automated announcements. It is quite possible
then that the announcement was made but you did not hear it (particularly if
you were on the train).

>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.

I used to regularly get the 1800 Sydney to Adelaide coach home to Parramatta
when I worked for Greyhound - Pioneer. Some drivers were clowns, and in
their welcome speech to the passengers, would say Brisbane, Canberra,
Melbourne - anywhere but Adelaide. It is surprising the number of times that
none of the passengers did not pick it up.

People who are used to hearing announcements stop listening, no matter what
the tone or volume of the announcement. I no longer listen to the pre take
off safety talk on aircraft, even if I am on an aircraft type I have never
been on before.

I would not be surprised if the people who were overcarried would fall into
that category.

>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?

Of course I do not disagree. But it is a fact that people who travel the
same route, day in, day out, do not listen to announcements. I know I don't,
anywhere in Australia, or even on the overseas systems that I am familiar
with. It is only systems I am unfamiliar with that I pay attention, and I
would suspect that at least 90% of the travelling public are the same.

Dave