Railway Touring Company

People expect the basics. Working lights and PA system, (both safety critical), clean windows, heating in winter, and vestibules that don't resemble Niagara Falls when it rains !

 

Absolutely spot on. Unfortunately the "Foggy Dewhirst" legacy lives on long beyond FSS.

 

I believe the outcome was a vocal forum member being banned from RTC's trains, or was this a different event ?

 

Another customer services masterstroke.......................NOT!!!!!!

 

People may be wondering why I am back posting now.

I did "The North Briton" and it was fantastic but I have done other charters since and found the customer service a massive let down. I was flicking through TripAdvisor and noticed RTC have a lot of "terrible" reviews - mostly deserved and it seems they make little effort to limit the damage or to learn from their mistakes. A lot is outside their control but by doing nothing at all they are doing damage to their own industry.

I work on the railway and may be assisting their customers as regardless of train operator (or 'charterer') railway staff assist railway customers. In previous years I have handled their front line complaints from time to time.

Finally, I notice that even though Network Rail have given notice for the change to the North Wales Coast Trains excluding Llandudno, the website has not been updated...

 

RTC isn't alone in 'unusual' customer service, as has been displayed by contributions from another Birmingham based operator on this forum recently, which IMHO got way too personal. RTC have operated some of the most intensive steam services over the last few summers, providing valuable income for loco owners and WCRC alike. I've never had a bad experience from them and have booked with them for the majority of my steam tours over the last few years, as they provide services from my neck of the woods at prices I can afford. Many of the grumbles on here stem from the poor quality of stock used on the trains. Perhaps we should ask why WCRC aren't investing the money they receive from these frequent trains into correcting these issues? I am not saying RTC are perfect, having experienced a trip by SRPS I realise now there is another and better way, but I don't believe the vicious attacks from a few on here are wholly fair either. People push SD as the shining example, but they are pricing normal folk like me out of contention, I am not willing to pay £100 for a steam tour, I'll pay £20 less and take the risk on the service thanks! I will be travelling with them over the summer and look forward to it, especially now they are offering a discount. Use them or lose them folks, there will be a massive hole to fill if they do disappear and no doubt people will be moaning then about no trips from their towns and way fewer steam services. Loco owners will have even greater difficulty balancing the books too. There is no doubt railtour companies need to up their game, but I don't think RTC are alone in that. I think this summer is going to prove tough, I'd rather companies realise that now and offer opportunities to transfer, than cancel trains at the last minute or worse still run at a loss and go belly up. That harms everyone in the business.

 

Speaking as I find, I've always been satisfied with RTC trips in UK. The £59 fare for Weymouth Seaside Express over a great line for scenery and gradients is pretty hard to beat these days. The Central Wales trip on 12 May was excellent and well worth the money.

I had a poor experience some years ago with a tour in France, but that's now water under the bridge! We should support an operator which has not been afraid to open up new ground.

 

That as maybe, but it is wise to remember your words are written for all to see, including them you are writing about.
the comments may pass the moderator / fair play test and stay on the site, sometimes against the toc, promoter etcs wishes if they fit the forum rules, or are true.

Moderators do not divulge personal details, but many users share enough about themselves that anyone can google and find them. As an IT consultant I will say some people share way too much information about themselves here! - if you googled one user here you will find all his family details, his and his families career and education, telephone, mobile and personal address... all by just googling his username !!!

At the bottom of this page you can see every member who read this page, of those known to the moderators .. It is fair to say There are more than a dozen steam support crew, both toc's and several promoters who have seen and read the comments in this thread.

Obviously the mods also get feedback from them, and if agreed / upheld sometimes comments are removed, but not always. Some of these users ask the mods to reply with specific information on their request wishing not to be in the bull pit directly. However Several members have also been "discovered" by promoters, owners, operaters etc.. who browse the forum looking to see who is saying what about them.

What I would reccomend is, if you have a legitimate complaint, phone the promoter first.
if you see a coach defect.. Note it down and the coach and share it.

By all means feel free to post here, but remember there can be a whirlwind to comments typed with a red face or after a few pints.

 

I learnt this the hard way on another forum (about my home town). I was fool enough to publish my real name in my signature ( some people accuse others of hiding behind user names & frightened to identify themselves. I can see why now). Anyway, somebody took exception to me for some reason & went to the trouble of searching me out, to the extent they found my photo on Facebook & published it on the said forum along with some very nasty remarks. Obviously the sh$t hit the fan on my behalf & I threatened to take the forum to court for deformation of character etc. The forum admin have now clamped down & have said any further repetition of such instances will result in an instant ban without warning. Needless to say I have removed my photo from Facebook & my real name from the forum.
No wonder people do not want to identify themselves.

 

If all of this is aimed at me, bring it on, i have NOTHING to hide, unlike some.

Having to change, or use a "fiction" based username defeats the idea of open debate, and if big brother comes knocking trying to beat you with a stick as you get uncomfortably close to the truth, which others know, but are unwilling to , then so be it.

All posts and comments i post are factually based.

However one question i would ask, do WCRC have a holding within RTC, if they did alot of things would now slot into place????

 

This was raised in Steam Railway by Tony Streeter after rumours that West Coast had recently taken a stake in RTC. He asked Nigel who said West Coast do not have a stake in RTC.

 

Thanks for that, dont really read the mags as such.

 

Guy Carr, I can confirmed that I have received, in the recent past and via a PM, a threat from someone within the industry who took exception a post of mine about the quality of service they give. While the threat was ambiguously worded it could have been interpreted as a threat of physical violence - at least our neighbourhood Police officer thought so when I showed it to him!

 

As the recipient of the above lifetime ban I can assure you that it is a dreadful thing to have to suffer under such a burden.

I don't have a conscience about linesiding any such workings as I can't contribute to their costs any more. I don't have to get up at four a.m. or go to bed at a similar hour. I don't have to travel in unheated unlit stock and I don't have to put up with getting something that I did not buy on a route I did not wish to travel. That's hard that is.

The comment about being identifiable also amuses me somewhat - The bleatings on here about hiding behind user names still arise - yet as John says - a quick Google finds out anyway.

That's why I'm just home from two days with real names found on a forum, made up of real warm human beings from right round the world, who meet up and have a real social life, right around the world - and have nothing to hide - unlike what happens if you Google "Melton North" - eh Mr Dobbing?

 

I Know we have had our differences of opinion in the past, however i feel sorry if somebody is dis-respecting you like this.

It just goes to show we are almost dealing with mafia types, who want to be impervious to complaint, and ready to think about physical violence to remedy their
beef!!!!!

Keep on posting your views, thats what a forum is supposed to do, i wont agree with everything you say, but on this subject you have my support.

 

Thanks, that means a lot.

 

I thought multiple accounts/identities on here was a forum no no anyway ?, I know of at least one person high up in a tour company (unrelated to RTC as far as I know) who has used at least two accounts on here in the past few years.

 

It is.

Sometimes it is better the devil you know....than ban them and don't know who they come back as. ( we haven't seen 5596 for a while eh ???)..
the mods have a list of duplicate id's and tools to detect them, Generally though, apart from a few most are responsible in their usage of them and light touch moderation is used.
( though there is one who debates and sometimes even argues with himself using his different id's, which entertains the mods knowing this is going on and only step in if his 7 id's start rounding on someone).

The thing is, if your planning a boxing match with a tour operator the referee can only try to ensure fair play, not defend It.
If your up for it and old enough to take the whirlwind if it comes.. :cheer2:go ahead make fire :target:, just be sure it's factual