[25-08-2008] 22:25 Mallow Tralee

[Jferb]

Got the 20:00 from Heuston. On arrival at Mallow, we were unceremoniously bundled onto a minibus. The really annoying thing though is that there was no warning of this before boarding at Heuston, on the train to Mallow, or even in Mallow station itself! The end result of which, most passengers had crossed over to platform 3 before anyone realised what was going on! Of course, no member of staff was on hand to proffer any apology or explanation. . .

Question I have is is there any comeback for passengers in such cases? I remember when the track was being upgraded several years ago, whenever a bus-transfer between Mallow and Tralee was necessary, IE would (sometimes) hand out travel-vouchers for a few quid as compensation for the inconvenience. More times you had to go hunting for a staff-member to get your voucher. . .

[Mark Gleeson]

No comeback I'm afraid, seat reservations don't apply on the Kerry line and I assume you where less than 1 hour late.

They clearly knew there wasn't going to be a connecting train, you should have been told. The staff clearly are going into hiding to avoid the wrath of the passengers. Thats not on.

Obviously there was another cancellation last night or this morning as a result as well

[Jferb]

Oh, so if there was a bus substitution on a journey (or part thereof) where you had reserved a seat, you'd automatically be entitled to the 100% refund?! And would that apply even if signalled in advance (e.g. Kildare Route Project engineering works)?

On another note, my seat reservation on the Cork-Mallow leg wasn't on the display above the seat and somebody else was sitting there when I arrived. Naturally, as the train was quiet, I just sat elsewhere. As I've not normally booked online (prior to the €16 promotion!), I've not taken much notice of this before, but is this failure common on the Mk 4's? And I presume it's just due to staff laziness??

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Jferb

Oh, so if there was a bus substitution on a journey (or part thereof) where you had reserved a seat, you'd automatically be entitled to the 100% refund?! And would that apply even if signalled in advance (e.g. Kildare Route Project engineering works)?

That depends on who you talk to in Irish Rail

If you book and at the time no bus substitution is shown and you end up on a bus as a result of a breakdown, engineering works etc, you did not have access to a seat of a similar standard as per the charter. That said customer services will refuse the refund. You can appeal, your mileage will vary

Originally Posted by Jferb

On another note, my seat reservation on the Cork-Mallow leg wasn't on the display above the seat and somebody else was sitting there when I arrived. Naturally, as the train was quiet, I just sat elsewhere. As I've not normally booked online (prior to the €16 promotion!), I've not taken much notice of this before, but is this failure common on the Mk 4's? And I presume it's just due to staff laziness??

Staff laziness, the IT setup is robust, two separate ways to download the information and a final manual notice system, it typically gives more trouble Cork Dublin than Dublin Cork, staff really don't care about reservations.