Farringdon - Rudest Tube Station - twice running

[Deleted]

Hi there

Wasn't sure if anyone had seen this

Farringdon Rudest Tube Station - Two years in a row

I don't use Farringdon that much (at the moment) so couldn't comment as to how much truth there is in this.

Annie

[Tomcakes]

I've used Farringdon a few times, and never had any problems. Barbican on the other hand seems to have all sorts - a ticket clerk got in a mood with me because I tapped on the glass and interrupted his reading of the Sun

[Dmitri]

anniemole said:

Wasn't sure if anyone had seen this

Yes - here .

[owen]

Sorry but i have images of a tube station telling Chubby Brown jokes......
I'll get me coat

[Deleted]

dmitri said:

anniemole said:

Wasn't sure if anyone had seen this

Yes - here .

Oops sorry Dmitri - I just looked in the thread for Hammersmith & City before posting as I thought that would be the most obvious place for someone to have put it.

Incidentally I will be moving to a new job near Farringdon soon and one of my new colleagues said "I've used it a few times, and not had any issues. I think they might also be the most abused staff, as I've seen people yelling at them..."

[Chris M]

Sadly they aren't the only station staff that get yelled at. I've seen it at Kentish Town, Debden and North Greenwich.

[Deleted]

I've seen it all over the network, even stepped in to help a couple of times...

But many times I must say that it has been provoked more than it needed to. All an irate "customer" wants to hear are the words "i'm sorry" and "i can do this this and this to help you", but most of the time I hear something like "well that's your problem" or "there is nothing we/I can do".

As for Finsbury Park, I can't blame them to be honest, they definitely get the worst punters at times!

[Deleted]

I noticed in London Lite (or the freebie Evening Standard) that they felt the need to imply that Farringdon had the rudest staff combine-wide. However closer inspection made it clear they were the station to have recieved the most complaints in the borough of Islington (possibly because it is one of the busiest stations in Islington?).

They also felt the need to mention that 12 staff were sacked there recently for "drinking on duty". This was not station staff, but P-Way staff in the cabin in the sidings, (and werent there 5 of them?), and they were not caught in the act of drinking but stitched up because some empties were found in the loft and there was no proof of who they belonged to. Either way it's another example of outrageously biased, weighted and prejudiced reporting by that scumbag rag.

isnt this the same newspaper that followed Bob Crow's children around all day?

[Deleted]

The number of complaints received isn't a good indicator of the overall rudeness of staff at a location.

By default busier stations would attract more complaints - so KIngs Cross, Oxford Circus etc would top this poll on rudest stations.

However, the general role of station staff is mostly unknown outside the people who do the role. An example recently - Friday in fact, we had bad problems on 2 lines through our station PLUS some wally decided to vent their anger by stopping an escalator. Now we don't have any spare escalators, so we have to re-route people a different way. We can't ask them to wait the 2/3 mins to clear and re-start the escalator, as we'd all be in big trouble with the crowds. SO I'm down there (yep SS's DO leave the office) shouting at people to move to their left and walk down the stairs and turn left for another escalator. Customer approaches me and askes how to get to xyz street. I tell her to make her way to the WAY OUT and ask the staff on the barrier. She then became red in the face and demanded to know my name and I was the "rudest man " she had ever met! (she obviously doesn't get out ). I tell her to read it off my name badge which made her angrier. Now if (or when) she complains, does trying to control a crowd of 500 odd people make me a rude member of staff?

[Tomcakes]

vbn said:

But many times I must say that it has been provoked more than it needed to. All an irate "customer" wants to hear are the words "i'm sorry" and "i can do this this and this to help you", but most of the time I hear something like "well that's your problem" or "there is nothing we/I can do".

As I have said before, I doubt the Oyster system where station staff are told to give our a call centre number rather than actually help the passenger improves matters. It is very annoying for you firstly to be overcharged £4 because the system is screwy, and then be told "Not my problem, you must ring this number".

As for CS's example, I was once at a station we won't name, where the Piccadilly was suspended. It was only a few stations to my destination, so I asked an assistant how I might best get there - there was a bus, he didn't know which number, "But Steve over there does". Steve over there didn't know, but Dave on the other platform did, so I should ask him. Dave on the other platform thought it might be the number 42, or maybe the number 3.14, but he wasn't sure, but Ranjit in the information desk knew for sure... (in the end I had a wander around the streets and found the correct bus).

[Chris M]

It was an Oyster problem that led to the irate customer at North Greenwich yesterday. I don't know what the problem was, but the staff member had to say at least three times "Sorry, I can't do anything about it. You have to speak to the customer service centre."

How on earth the powers that be couldn't have forseen this I have no idea.

[Phil]

You also have to remember that some (stupid) folks don't carry ANY money with them, so if Oyster goes screwy they're stuffed.

Like a bloke 2 weeks ago when the fares went up. His from £1.40 to £1.50. When I asked for the extra 10p he said the hadn't got it - - and wasn't bluffing coz when I said the machine wouldn't allow the old fare and if I gave him a £1.50 the extra would have to come out of my pocket he stormed off muttering. Strange, but some people do that these days.

[Tomcakes]

It is, perhaps, unwise not to carry money with you - you never know when it may be needed. I usually keep a £10 or £20 in my wallet even if I'm not intending to buy anything, incase I suddenly need it.

However, I do remember when I was doing A levels and went to the local butchers which doubled as a sandwich shop. I'd got into the habit of taking the exact money for what I always bought. But then after being off for a week or two for exams, on returning I found that the price had gone up 20p. However, as I went there daily I agreed to bring the extra the next day. That wouldn't happen at Tesco or a large multinational shop!

In the case of your bloke, Phil, he should have read the notice saying "For the nth time this year, we're putting fares up here to pay for our cheap fares where we're competing elsewhere".

[Phil]

tombeevers said:

In the case of your bloke, Phil, he should have read the notice saying "For the nth time this year, we're putting fares up here to pay for our cheap fares where we're competing elsewhere".

Cynical to say the least! This is the first fare increase in a year, solely due to fuel charges, and most singles up by only 10p or so.

I always get a laugh from my passengers when they ask: my answer is along the lines of "this is solely to do with fuel charges - we haven't seen a penny of it in our wages!" Surprising how much muttering of agreement and sympathy it brings out!!

[Deleted]

Hi

The staff at Farringdon have clearly taken the "rudeness" report to heart and on Friday I saw a lovely message from them - pictured in my post below

Farringdon - trying hard not to be rude

If you work there, that made my evening thanks!

[Deleted]

Following on from their second 'rudest' title in February, they today had to unfortunately deal with a fatality on their station. Anyway, going back on topic now (as commented on the LU blog - link on the previous page of this thread), I noticed this letter was published last Tuesday by someone who clearly supports the staff there.