Monday 23 September 2013

Wheelchair access...

I did a test to find out if its possible to safely travel on the underground and to the Eurostar in a wheelchair.
The short version, its not possible. The longer version, the underground was very tricky to navigate in a wheelchair, other than the obvious people pushing you out of the way and jumping in front of you its basically a war zone. Most of the lifts are absolutely pointless, you travel around the other side of whatever station only to find out that taking the lift brings you back to where you was in the first place! (London Bridge tube service for example). The eurostar staff are untrained when it comes to dealing with wheelchair passengers and getting on the eurostar is very stressfull as they have to go and get a ramp to allow you on and its not always there! How weird. If you travel to Brussels your pretty stuffed. Most trains are very high and you will have to search for someone to help you get on. My advice if you are in a wheelchair or have very heavy luggage, leave an extra hour before the time you thought you could travel at. And be prepared for a hell journey.

Drunk on the Eurostar?

No problem! Drunk people who can hardly speak are being served alcohol on the Eurostar.
I see guys so drunk they went into the toilet and came out pissing on the floor they were so drunk (next to a scared child and her mother). Eurostar dont seem to care. Its all about the MONEY. They are paying customers, so what if they piss on the hallway floor, we got staff to clean it up! Who cares if they scare other customers, they will pay anyway. One thing I learned with eurostar is that its ALWAYS only about the MONEY, nothing else. They treat you bad and provide NO customer service whatsoever. They see you as having no choice, there is no other train service that will take you to Paris or Brussels from London, and visa versa. But we do have choice. Euro tunnel and planes. Eurostar is doing a terrible job in customer service its currently voted the worst train service ever in Europe.

Monday 16 September 2013

Rude African Staff London....

Just traveled on the London to Brussels line.....again. Standard Premiere customer with 1 luggage bag.
So used to going up and down so many times more than 100 times a year! 

There are allot of African immigrant staff working on the security check in. Thats not the problem, the problem is the level of rudeness they are used to in their culture as apposed to ours. 
They shout at you and frisk you down even where there is no need to. Several occasions I have been frisked and then asked for my travel card so they can use it! I have seen this on other customers also. 

Well my complain today is with one Female African staff. Because I was not smiling when I passed she picked on me asking me what my problem was in a very rude and aggressive manner.She then proceeded to ask me if I speak any English? 

Now I clearly look English so this was weird.Then shouted at me as I passed through the gates agresively shouting quote "You are have some problem". I am assuming she meant I have some problem because I wasnt smiling? Are they security staff there to help you, or are they authoritarian communist mood police? Have to say the sooner that member of staff is fired the better for eurostar. I was not the only customer distraught from her behaviour. She was clearly high on something.

May I point out, ALL (except Eurostar complaints team) of the other Eurostar staff are doing a bloody great job, giving above and beyond customer help well done.