Bus Éireann

Barbara McShane · 15-05-2006 5:13pm #1

The following is a letter of complaint sent to the relevant company, I'm intrested to know of similar experiences and their response to same.

Thanks

15th May 2006

Dear Sir/Madam,

I took a bus journey with your Company, Bus Eireann to Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday 13th May from Galway. It was a beautiful day and I was looking forward to appreciating the scenery. There were 2 bus changes. The change in Athlone to Longford was the worst journey I have ever taken and I have travelled through many poverty stricken countries. This journey made me ashamed to be Irish. There was vomit all over the floor on the driver’s side of the carriage at the centre of the bus and the air conditioning was not working. Only one of the ‘emergency exits’ in the roof could be opened and that took a good deal of force. There was no way they could have been easily or safely used for their intended purpose.

You have a legal duty of care to your customers to ensure their health and safety and this was not adhered to. The bus was parked for some time before it was boarded and obviously it was not inspected for even something as simple as garbage!!!! As I have said, the weather was very good and on this day it was particularly hot, children were crying and the older people were gasping. The stench of the vomit was sickening not to mention the bacteria that spread being inhaled by the full bus. And I paid €30 for health hazard!

I have included photographs of the vomit but at this point it had dried up, thereby further spreading bacteria into the air. I have been investigating your website and all I can say that none of it is legal, decent, honest & truthful as all advertising is legally bound to be, if you permit this type of journey. I overheard a man ask if there would be a toilet stop at Longford and a woman responded that it was evidently all right to urinate on the bus! In fact the entire bus was disgusting, ripped furniture, graffiti, dirty windows, stained fabric on the walls and baggage holders and the vents that emit the air conditioning were filthy where the damage had blown the them.

All I can say at this point is Shame On You, I will never use your service again and I fully expect to hear from you in relation to your proposed actions. I am emailing this letter but I am also sending you a hard copy and a copy is being sent to the Health and Safety Authority.

RedPlanet · 16-05-2006 9:10am

Sounds thoroughly disgusting.
Yet strangely unsurprising for Bus Eireann.

It'll be interesting to see if anybody responds.

Lambsbread · 16-05-2006 9:15am

I complained to CIE before because there was no seating on the train and i had to stand from Dublin to Limerick junction (2 hours). This was because the Limerick train was cancelled and passengers had to use the cork train or wait two hours (with no compensation), but thats another thread. Anyway the response i got back from them was a standard excuse with no real apology. I wouldn't expect much from Bus Eireann either

BuffyBot · 16-05-2006 10:23am

Am I the only one who thinks it's not all that well written? Too emotive, not enough "here's the problem, what are you going to do about it"?

popebenny16 · 16-05-2006 1:00pm

BuffyBot wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks it's not all that well written? Too emotive, not enough "here's the problem, what are you going to do about it"?

Yep, i agree.

2/10 Babs.

Shoot her.

cullenswood · 16-05-2006 1:09pm

I made a complaint to Bus Eireann recently and the response I got was excellent. I got a number of phone calls from the appropriate inspector who was very apologetic and listened to my problem and promised action, which took place almost immediately. I also received a letter of apology. It is all too easy for people to say "Typical Bus Eireann, you will hear nothing back". I have found the opposite to be the case.

popebenny16 · 16-05-2006 1:14pm

I remeber that, wasnt that about the gombeen bus driver? As far as I remember you got a fair bit of stick here

cullenswood · 16-05-2006 1:23pm

popebenny16 wrote:

I remeber that, wasnt that about the gombeen bus driver? As far as I remember you got a fair bit of stick here

That's the one! Bus Eireann were very helpful in that case, and the bus NEVER leaves early anymore!

popebenny16 · 16-05-2006 1:33pm

Excellent, it does work sometimes!!! Well done!

Litcagral · 16-05-2006 1:41pm

Lambsbread wrote:

I complained to CIE before because there was no seating on the train and i had to stand from Dublin to Limerick junction (2 hours). This was because the Limerick train was cancelled and passengers had to use the cork train or wait two hours (with no compensation), but thats another thread. Anyway the response i got back from them was a standard excuse with no real apology. I wouldn't expect much from Bus Eireann either

Isn't there something in the 'smallprint' that the purchase of a ticket does not guarantee a seat?

Lambsbread · 16-05-2006 2:40pm

Litcagral wrote:

Isn't there something in the 'smallprint' that the purchase of a ticket does not guarantee a seat?

You're right, you're not guaranteed a seat. Sorry for going off topic here, but my problem was that i arrived 20 mins before the train was due to depart. I was near the top of queue and 5 mins after the departure time we were told that the train was cancelled and we had to board the Cork train at another platform. The Cork passengers had already boarded the train so there were very few (if any) seats left. In the end it was like riding a train in stereotypical India. I mean there wasn't even any room to sit on the floor, we were squashed together standing up like dublin bus at rush hour.

Back on topic, Bus Eireann may be different to CIE, but all i got back was a "this was caused by a mechanical failure on the Limerick train, sorry for any inconvienience caused" standard reply. I wasn't looking for any refund or anything, just a sincere apology.

_Kaiser_ · 16-05-2006 2:57pm

BuffyBot wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks it's not all that well written? Too emotive, not enough "here's the problem, what are you going to do about it"?

Good on ya! Person bothers to follow up with a complaint rather than just bitch about it like so many do, then registers to post it here and get feedback, and you complain that it's not up to your standards of eloquence :rolleyes:

Fair play to the OP for taking the time to write to them I say. If more people followed suit (and not just in regards to the joke that is public transport) things might actually change in this country.

Let us know what response (if any) you get back..

BuffyBot · 16-05-2006 3:08pm

Person bothers to follow up with a complaint rather than just bitch about it like so many do, then registers to post it here and get feedback, and you complain that it's not up to your standards of eloquence

Not at all. Fair play to anyone who wants to submit a complaint.

However I do know, from my own experience of writing complaint letters to various organisations, and dealing with customer complaints in various companies that clarity and structure are everything in letter writing.

Hysterical/emotional/badly formatted/badly worded/badly structured/misdirected letters get less attention than well written ones. At the end of the day, a complaint is a business letter, and should be presented as such. By doing that. you're more likely to be taken seriously and get an appropriate response.

Genghis · 16-05-2006 3:08pm

BuffyBot wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks it's not all that well written? Too emotive, not enough "here's the problem, what are you going to do about it"?

The OP is entitled to express their concerns any way she wishes. FWIW I think it might just get a bit more attention than the formal sort of complaint.

Good Luck Barbara.

popebenny16 · 16-05-2006 3:40pm

Hysterical/emotional/badly formatted/badly worded/badly structured/misdirected letters get less attention than well written ones.

Well, ok. Would you like to help Barbara out? Enlighten us as to what parts of her letter fall under those categories.

BuffyBot · 17-05-2006 1:21am

What do I look like, a copy editor?

parsi · 17-05-2006 10:36am

BuffyBot wrote:

What do I look like, a copy editor?

This is the internet. Nobody knows what you look like.

(assuming that you're not really one of the Mr.Men of course).

popebenny16 · 17-05-2006 10:56am

What do I look like, a copy editor?

Dont know what you look like, but by god, I know what you sound like.

Bus Éireann

Comments