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Chris from Nailsea
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« on: February 21, 2014, 21:42:32 » |
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From Wales Online: 'We won't serve you hot water without a tea bag in it': Bizarre stance of train staff
A commuter says she was refused a cup of hot water 'on health and safety grounds' and that the water would have to have a tea bag in it
Commuting can be stressful at the best of times ^ but one worker claims she was refused a morning cup of tea on her train due to ^health and safety reasons^.
Kelly Davies, 35, of Penarth, asked the First Great Western catering assistant from Cardiff to Bournemouth on Tuesday morning if she could have a cup of hot water ^ but she says she was told she would have to drink it with a tea bag for ^health and safety reasons^.
^The woman at the trolley said I would have to pay the full price of a cup of tea for the hot water ^1.90 ^ and said I would have to drink it with a tea bag,^ said Kelly, a PR▸ manager.
^I refused to believe it because it was just so ridiculous. I said, ^No it can^t be?^ And then she refused to serve me completely.^
Kelly wanted the hot water to have with her own decaf tea bag that she had brought with her. The train did not have decaf tea bags for sale.
^I was even willing to pay the ^1.90 for the water,^ she said.
But Kelly^s main concern now isn^t that she was deprived of her morning cuppa.
^What has bothered me more is how head office have dealt with it and how they weren^t willing to answer my questions properly,^ said Kelly, who got into a Twitter row with the train company about the incident she jokingly dubbed ^hot water-gate^.
Staff manning the First Great Western Twitter account said the issue was ^just an unfortunate reality of our wider auditing requirements^ and told Kelly she would have to email the company with her complaint.
But Kelly responded by tweeting: ^No, I want you to take responsibility. Why make me do more stuff? You can feed this back. It^s your company.^
A spokesperson at First Great Western said: ^Health and safety has nothing to do with it and we should have been more honest with the customer.
^While we are more than happy to provide free hot water for medicinal purposes or to warm baby food, we don^t provide hot water for customers to make their own tea on board our trains.^
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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JayMac
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« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2014, 21:51:27 » |
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The final sentence should have been the first answer. But with the additional comment that FGW▸ and Rail Gourmet are happy to take ^1.90 for some hot water. It makes me mad when staff quote non-existent 'Health & Safety' rules or law to justify either a commercial or company policy decision. And when you have a customer willing to pay for the hot water at the price said water would be sold with a teabag, it is even more bonkers. If there are 'wider auditing requirement' (whatever the blinking flip that means), then give the customer the teabag as well. I know of no auditing or bookkeeping requirements that state a teabag MUST be placed in the hot water for the transaction to be legal.  |
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2014, 21:54:21 » |
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Kelly wanted the hot water to have with her own decaf tea bag that she had brought with her. The train did not have decaf tea bags for sale.
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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JayMac
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« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2014, 22:09:45 » |
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In a similar vein, and at the risk of widening the debate, there's a Tea Room near me that has a sign on the door saying, "Due to Health and Safety and Food Hygiene laws, dogs are not permitted in the Tea Room. Except Guide Dogs."
Poppycock. Dogs (and for that matter, any domestic pet) are only barred by law in areas where food is prepared, handled or stored. That is, most usually, behind the counter, and/or in a kitchen. In public areas, where food is served, it is up to the individual premise management. Not the law.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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bobm
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« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2014, 22:40:42 » |
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Just returning to the original post. When did FGW▸ start running from Cardiff to Bournemouth?
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Ian01
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« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2014, 22:42:35 » |
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Sounds like yet another case of Jobsworth.
However, one pertinent question might be what would happen if the employee returned to base with the money for one more cup of tea than the number of teabags dispensed?
Perhaps the customer should have asked for a cup of tea but with the teabag served separately?
The comment about "auditing issues" likely refers to the suspicion that employees could sell cups of hot water and pocket the cash.
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JayMac
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« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2014, 22:45:56 » |
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As I said. Give her the teabag as well. Separately.
Or just throw it away.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2014, 22:51:24 » |
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A spokesperson at First Great Western said: ^... we are more than happy to provide free hot water for medicinal purposes or to warm baby food ...^
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Brucey
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« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2014, 22:54:41 » |
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Do the cups come with the tea bag already inside? I am fairly sure this is how they are supplied on SWT▸ trolleys when I've purchased my "slightly flavoured overpriced only just warm water" in the past, so it could be reasonable to say that the trolley operative should not be sticking their fingers in the cup to remove it.
Although if this were the case they could easily use a coffee cup which doesn't come with anything inside...
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John R
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« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2014, 00:00:51 » |
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Is it only me that thinks this is all just a storm in a tea cup?
"said Kelly, a PR▸ manager" "No, I want you to take responsibility. Why make me do more stuff? You can feed this back. It^s your company"
Clearly a very eloquent PR manager. I'd love to read some of her press releases.
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Lee
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« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2014, 00:04:06 » |
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Just returning to the original post. When did FGW▸ start running from Cardiff to Bournemouth?
Indeed. That must have been what all the frantic tracklaying I observed whilst drinking my recently teabagged cup of hot water outside the Green Park Express cafe with my dog for Health and Safety reasons was for. I did wonder... |
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Tim
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« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2014, 11:44:40 » |
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Sounds like yet another case of Jobsworth.
However, one pertinent question might be what would happen if the employee returned to base with the money for one more cup of tea than the number of teabags dispensed?
Perhaps the customer should have asked for a cup of tea but with the teabag served separately?
The comment about "auditing issues" likely refers to the suspicion that employees could sell cups of hot water and pocket the cash.
what kind of company trusts its employees so little that it pays another employee to count teabags? And what kind of company does the above and then kicks up a stink if the "teabag audit" reveals one extra bag - IN THE COMPANY'S favour? And what kind of company does all the above and then refuses to accept the explanation "she didn't want a teabag" from the employee. FGW▸ or rail Gourmet of whoever are making themselves look like idiots |
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Tim
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« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2014, 11:45:44 » |
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Do the cups come with the tea bag already inside? I am fairly sure this is how they are supplied on SWT▸ trolleys when I've purchased my "slightly flavoured overpriced only just warm water" in the past, so it could be reasonable to say that the trolley operative should not be sticking their fingers in the cup to remove it.
Although if this were the case they could easily use a coffee cup which doesn't come with anything inside...
or hand the cup to the customer and ask them to remove the teabag themselves |
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2014, 12:21:13 » |
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Sounds like yet another case of Jobsworth.
However, one pertinent question might be what would happen if the employee returned to base with the money for one more cup of tea than the number of teabags dispensed?
Perhaps the customer should have asked for a cup of tea but with the teabag served separately?
The comment about "auditing issues" likely refers to the suspicion that employees could sell cups of hot water and pocket the cash.
what kind of company trusts its employees so little that it pays another employee to count teabags? And what kind of company does the above and then kicks up a stink if the "teabag audit" reveals one extra bag - IN THE COMPANY'S favour? And what kind of company does all the above and then refuses to accept the explanation "she didn't want a teabag" from the employee. FGW▸ or rail Gourmet of whoever are making themselves look like idiots When I used to work for a multinational restaurant chain, we had to do full stock counts every Sunday, this even included individual tea bags, sugar sachets etc. this was mainly for stock and ordering, however questions were asked if were missing considerable quantities. |
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All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
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brompton rail
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« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2014, 12:40:22 » |
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However if I encounter a Trolley whose assistant tells me I can't have a hot drink because all the hot water from the urn has been used to supply cups of hot water only, I am going to be a little peeved!
Anyhow, if in doubt about getting a drink to your own recipe on the train, why not bring your own flask of hot water.
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