Warks
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- Oct 9, 2003
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I had the morning from hell on Tuesday. I fly VA1519 (SYD-TSV) about every month. It departs around 10am (was about 930am before but has been pushed back this year) and I catch the train to the airport. I leave with plenty of time usually, getting on the train at 710am usually which will see me walking into the terminal at about 830am if I'm lucky. I arrived at the station to see an empty train waiting in the platform, the XPT in the siding and lots of commuters standing around waiting for information. I won't go on about CityRail here but I was caught up in this:
Peak hour commuters left in chaos as CityRail | thetelegraph.com.au
Yes commuter chaos - I thought I could just take a train north and come down the North Shore line but trains were running super late that way. A replacement bus turned up and I got on that - with all the traffic it took a good 30 minutes to get to Epping. I thought I could get an express from there but of course they were also stuck. So I got a "shuttle service" to Chatswood where I would have to change. Once on the train I rang Velocity via the number on the card - I'd never done this before and struggled to negotiate the options, hanging up twice before I found the right path.
So then I got talking to the assistant and told her my plight (as a side note - you have to enter your Velocity number to get through but why oh why don't they have that in front of them on their screen, you have to tell them again.)
I was told on my fare I couldn't make any changes as it was less than 24 hours BUT as an act of goodwill - my story of commuter chaos must have been believable - she would see if she could get me on the next flight but I'd have to pay any difference. I gave thanks and the process was commenced - not easy on a very noisy train in a tunnel. She worked her way through it and I suddenly thought to tell her to save my details as the line could drop out - she said she'd add notes which was lucky as it dropped out a minute later.
I waited until I was out of the underground before ringing back. I got a different operator and she read the notes so continued the procedure. She'd got me off my flight and onto the next but had to put me through to 'priority' as she couldn't do all the changes - she said it would cost $116 to change fares. As she was putting me through we went into the tunnel to Wynyard and it dropped out again.
Anyway this is getting rather long - I gave up trying to ring again and got to the airport and tried my luck at the desk at the roadside entrance but had to go through to the service desk. After all that I still arrived about 15 minutes before my flight BUT as I'd been moved to the other flight I couldn't get back on in time!
I went to the service desk and they'd already had a stranded commuter come through so they knew my story. My assistant worked her way through it and as it was taking some time, told me to get some breakfast and she'd fix it. I came back later and she'd done it all and didn't charge me a cent. I was profuse in my thanks and was rather relieved.
So I still made it to TSV a couple of hours late but a lot better than not making it at all. Kudos and bouquets to all involved in a trying situation that was not of Virgin's making at all. I must now submit some positive feedback!
(Sorry for the long blah story, but it could have been longer!)
Peak hour commuters left in chaos as CityRail | thetelegraph.com.au
Yes commuter chaos - I thought I could just take a train north and come down the North Shore line but trains were running super late that way. A replacement bus turned up and I got on that - with all the traffic it took a good 30 minutes to get to Epping. I thought I could get an express from there but of course they were also stuck. So I got a "shuttle service" to Chatswood where I would have to change. Once on the train I rang Velocity via the number on the card - I'd never done this before and struggled to negotiate the options, hanging up twice before I found the right path.
So then I got talking to the assistant and told her my plight (as a side note - you have to enter your Velocity number to get through but why oh why don't they have that in front of them on their screen, you have to tell them again.)
I was told on my fare I couldn't make any changes as it was less than 24 hours BUT as an act of goodwill - my story of commuter chaos must have been believable - she would see if she could get me on the next flight but I'd have to pay any difference. I gave thanks and the process was commenced - not easy on a very noisy train in a tunnel. She worked her way through it and I suddenly thought to tell her to save my details as the line could drop out - she said she'd add notes which was lucky as it dropped out a minute later.
I waited until I was out of the underground before ringing back. I got a different operator and she read the notes so continued the procedure. She'd got me off my flight and onto the next but had to put me through to 'priority' as she couldn't do all the changes - she said it would cost $116 to change fares. As she was putting me through we went into the tunnel to Wynyard and it dropped out again.
Anyway this is getting rather long - I gave up trying to ring again and got to the airport and tried my luck at the desk at the roadside entrance but had to go through to the service desk. After all that I still arrived about 15 minutes before my flight BUT as I'd been moved to the other flight I couldn't get back on in time!
I went to the service desk and they'd already had a stranded commuter come through so they knew my story. My assistant worked her way through it and as it was taking some time, told me to get some breakfast and she'd fix it. I came back later and she'd done it all and didn't charge me a cent. I was profuse in my thanks and was rather relieved.
So I still made it to TSV a couple of hours late but a lot better than not making it at all. Kudos and bouquets to all involved in a trying situation that was not of Virgin's making at all. I must now submit some positive feedback!
(Sorry for the long blah story, but it could have been longer!)
