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- dmorgan05's review
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| Reliability | 6.9/10   |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness | 7.4/10 |
| Value for Money | 6.1/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 5.1/10 |
| Overall Rating | 5.1/10 |
By dmorgan05 on 19th Aug 2005
| Reliability | 9/10 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness | 9/10 |
| Value for money | 9/10 |
| Overall value | 1/10 |
 dmorgan05's recommendation | |
A lack of understanding on the part of your employees with how the website works and especially how one obtains a student discount in the first place.
Unclear, conflicting information given out to your customers concerning the use of the tickets and how to upgrade them.
Abrupt, rude and inappropriate behaviour on the part of the drivers when asked for explanations.
Demeaning language addressed to our nieces in public resulting in character deformation.
The probability that it is not the first incident involving these drivers.
I would like to draw your attention to a recent unpleasant episode involving my wife's nieces and two National Express bus drivers, on the service from Wellington to Heathrow on 17th August at 9:55 in Wellington, Somerset.
My wife's nieces had purchased tickets prior to departure over the Internet; one typical Adult ticket and one ticket they thought was a student ticket (No. ETP32277). This student ticket was acquired with the Student Identity card from East American University they thought. Unfortunately, when they presented these tickets on the day of departure to the National Express coach drivers, they were told (with due reason) that one ticket was not valid. This was all very well but neither driver could explain what the exact problem was with the tickets and simply rejected the tickets. My wife's nieces didn't understand what needed to happen to their purchased tickets to validate them and both drivers not only gave no understanding as to their predicament but were also, from the start, abrupt, unhelpful and very rude to the ladies. Obviously the heat and the time-delay had made them irritable.
Initially, they suggested the ladies get on the coach and upgrade their tickets to two adult fares in Taunton. However, when my wife's nieces requested more information and after the driver had made a phone call, the ladies were insulted publicly by being told that they were "frauds", and that they had committed fraud and should get off the bus. This was a very serious incident indeed and I explained to the drivers, who were very agitated by this stage, that this was unnecessary and that, as a teacher, I felt that they were handling the problem in a completely inappropriate manner. I also told the male driver, that he was very rude and that I didn't need an abrasive lecture about my character as well. I was quite worried at this stage that the drivers would drive off with the ladies luggage, which, I must add, I had loaded underneath the coach earlier for them myself. We fortunately managed to get the bags off the coach before the two drivers drove away leaving my wife's nieces as two very upset tourists.
Still not sure what to do with at least one or both of the National Express tickets, I drove the girls 15 miles to the Coach Station in Taunton. Here we received conflicting information with what we had heard from the drivers earlier. We were told that we could have upgraded the student ticket easily with cash on the original coach, but the sales representative in the Taunton Bus Station said she nevertheless couldn't do anything with the tickets bought over the Internet. The girls had to then turn around and purchase their tickets again. The employees in Taunton were at least pleasant about it all and told them that they would need to apply for a refund for their original tickets.
We have used the National Express coaches in the past but I must say we will now be thinking carefully before using them in the future.
The ladies feel it necessary now to contact the American Embassy in London after they fly home to America.
I have also forwarded this E-mail to the Tourist Board in order to bring this incident to their attention, especially since the tourist industry is suffering after the London bombings. Tourists, not only from America but elsewhere, will not be very happy with such poor treatment. I hope that this will be addressed efficiently and fairly.
Important, please be aware that:
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