I’m usually the one of the first people to strike out when V/Line commits one of its usual operational-come customer service disasters.
Regular commuters will have heard every excuse in the book – usually at the expense of the what the real cause of the problem is. They either don’t tell commuters what is going on, or make stuff up. Organising contingent action when something goes wrong is usually a haphazard exercise in futility.
On the way home last night, my train simply sailed past my stop. Myself and the other 100-150 people who usually get off this service at North Geelong stood in doorways, looking at each other with puzzled expressions.
Did the driver think the service wasn’t to stop at North Geelong last night?
Well, in the entire Geelong timetable there are only five services a week that pass through the station without stopping, and those are all intercity Melbourne-Warrnambool-Melbourne services.
So drivers should be used to stopping at North Geelong.
We all waited with bated breath for the excuse.
Upon reaching the next station – Geelong – everyone who was hoping to get off at North Geelong were ushered quickly onto another service about to depart for Melbourne.
Once we reached North Geelong, everyone’s favourite station master at North Geelong – (David) – made an announcement “apologising for the inconvenience” and publicly declaring it a “stuff up”.
Finally.
Finally someone at V/Line with the guts to say “we screwed up” – a pleasant change.
So, everyone else at V/Line take note – this is how to do real customer service.
With honesty.