Great Western Coffee Shop

attached to this post. Too long to quote.

Well it would be but it's loo big (just) to be allowed - can we up the allowance just slightly? Need 630Kb...

Good grief ... how long is it going to take to read 630kb!

Limit increased for you, Chris  ;)

Thanks - it's not that many pages.....attached to this post

Would have thought harmonisation across old operating units in terms of compensation could have been achieved. Possibly awaiting Delay-Repay in new 'proper' franchise, if it ever comes.

If you search the FGW web site under Passenger Charter it takes you to here:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Customer-services/Passenger-Charter

The only reference I can find for a pdf of the charter gives you the 2010 edition. Not very helpful as I received a complaint about a disabled person not being able to get one of the seats identifed for disabled travellers. They were travelling on last Friday's ultra over crowded 15.51 to Hanborough and the disaable person had to sit on the floor from Reading to Oxford and relied on their spouse to help them get up. Apparantly a young traveller occupying o0ne of these seats refused to give it up fopr the disabled traveller. The new charter identified specifically mentions by Chris specifically mentions a card that disabled people can carry, something that I was unaware of until reading this.

Hmmmm.. if you download the 2013 version it quotes the customer service number in more than one place as 03457 000 125 rather than 08457 000 125.  Certainly from my phone the 0345 number doesn't work.

Hope that's not a typo. It'll be an expensive reprint!

Andrew - you can get the application form for the disabled card has been around a while now - it's one of the customer wins that the Customer Panel obtained. You can also apply for a disabled scooter permit on the same form that is used to show Train Managers that your scooter is of a size that they can carry.

One would've hoped that the DfT insisted on Delay Repay for this franchise extension. I wonder why it wasn't included?

Virgin Trains moved over to Delay Repay after their franchise was extended.

I was fearing they would, so am happy they haven't.  I'm likely to get a 5% discount at the year end, which I was expecting to disappear if they had switched. Does anyone know how the transition has worked at other TOCs?

The discussion which developed into changes to 0845/0870 numbers has been moved here - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=13054.0

It seems likely that the 0345 number quoted in the FGW Customer Charter is/will be correct shortly.

I am glad that FGW is using an 0345 number and not as some businesses are doing and changing to an 0344 or o844 number. Many home phone suppliers now included 0845 and 0345 numbers in their inclusive calls package whereas 0844 is an expensive extra on top of your call package.

0344 and 0345 numbers are equally cheap. All 03 numbers cost the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers. It is 0844 and 0845 that are expensive.

All mobiles and landlines with inclusive calls always include at least calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers.

A very small number of landline packages include 0845 calls and the number is set to reduce to zero once users have to declare the Service Charge. The call price for all 084 and 087 numbers will be clearly seen as being expensive when compared to the call price for normal 01, 02 and 03 numbers.

It is 03 numbers that are universally cheap. This will become ever more obvious as time goes on.

If FGW had made a public announcement at any time before the end of last week about their forthcoming new 0345 telephone number, they would have been seen to be pro-actively reducing the cost incurred by customers in calling them for help. They failed to take that opportunity.

On 13th December 2013, BIS published the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Payments) Regulations 2013 which bans the use of 084, 087 and 09 numbers for customer service helplines for advice, complaints, refunds, renewals and cancellations from 12 June 2014.

Even if FGW become the first major transport company to get a press release out stating their intentions, they'll now only be seen as "just another company that reduced the cost of calling them only when forced to do so by legislation". I don't think they realise how great a PR opportunity they have missed.

Well on the 10th of December this is how Twitter Team Responded when I queried an 0844 Number... ::)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VTXYVxCPuaM/Uq4WW6EeToI/AAAAAAAABa4/-x8RbpP7bvs/w440-h330-p/FGW.png)

The "saynoto0870" web site gives the following advice:

First Great Western        0844 556 5605   - 01752 675640    -    ONLINE TICKET CUSTOMER SERVICES - tell operator you are calling from abroad and cannot dial 08 numbers from abroad - they will transfer you IF YOU ASK NICELY! :) If not ask to spk to a manager! :)

Yes I am familiar with the saynoto0870 website. A most excellent one at that ;D

The other excuse that works is some phone systems in offices block all outbound 08 number calls including 0800 and 0808 numbers (Free from a Landline). A company I used to work for had such a restriction in place which was enabled in error when a technician tried to stop an inbound 0845 number and accidentally enabled this annoying restriction.

I can relate to that. I tried to block 118 to stop people calling directory enquiries. Only snag was it also blocked 0118 -  the code for Reading.

The only saving grace was the office was in Reading so people didn't need to dial it often!  ;D

Someone, somewhere, is still tinkering:

0345 7000 125

20 Oct 2013 - NU

15 Dec 2013 - "You have successfully connected to the ported-in test-announcement on the Energis network",

31 Dec 2013 - "This number is no longer in service".

Now you see it ... (0345 number mentioned four times, 0845 number mentioned twice)
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/AboutUs/CustomerServices/PassengerCharter/Passenger_Charter_October_2013.ashx (http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/AboutUs/CustomerServices/PassengerCharter/Passenger_Charter_October_2013.ashx)

Now you don't ... (0845 number mentioned six times)
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/AboutUs/CustomerServices/PassengerCharter/Passenger_Charter_2013_nov.ashx (http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/AboutUs/CustomerServices/PassengerCharter/Passenger_Charter_2013_nov.ashx)

A development!

https://en-gb.facebook.com/FirstGreatWestern/posts/10151870336806806

"contact our customer services team by either calling us on 08457 000 125 up to 22:00 tonight 20 January 2014 or on 0345 7000 125 from 07:00 Tuesday 21 January 2014 onwards"

And another:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Customer-services/Contact-us

The web link shows the following contact phone number:

Web Sales Support    Email us or call 0844 556 5605

I think 0844 is premium phone number that should not be used to provide support for FGW sales. Surely it should be an 03 or freephone number?

The main FGW number is now 0345 7000 125 replacing the matching 0845 number. The new 03 number is charged at the same rate as calling an 01 or 02 number and calls to it also count towards inclusive allowances on landlines and mobiles.
 
Calls to the 0844 number incur a 7p/min Service Charge which, if the number is retained, will have to be declared by 26 June 2015. However, Section 41 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Payments) Regulations 2013 applies from 13 June 2014 and this requires migration to either the matching 0344 number, or to a new 01, 02, 033 or 080 number. If an 080 number is chosen, an 01, 02 or 03 number must also be run in parallel until such time as calls to 080 numbers become free from all mobile phones. That's scheduled for 26 June 2015.

Likewise for the other 0845 number, calls incur a 2p/min Service Charge and the same declaration and migration rules will apply.