Ware Online Forum

Reply ID 20

I was on the 18:07 to Broxbourne where I was hoping to meet up with the 18:24 Hertford service. Having left Liverpool Street at 18:35 we pulled into Brimsdown and went no further. Our driver informed us that we were likely to stay there for several hours as the overhead cables had been pulled down at Cheshunt. He reckoned WAGN wouldn't get around to organising coaches for us for a least an hour and we would be best to 'make our own way home' Well, I have no idea where Brimsdown is other than it is North of London and South of Ware. Brimsdown station is unmanned so there wasn't anyone to ask and the pub next to the station wasn't the sort of place I fancied going into on my own! Eventually several of us set off on a mile hike to Green Street Green where we got a very warm, crowded 279 bus to Waltham Cross and then another bus to Ware. There seemed little our driver could do as he was as uninformed as us. He had a mobile that he used to talk to the driver of the train infront but he didn't seem to have any contact with WAGN/Railtrack so that he could get concrete information. Being dumped in Brimsdown is not an experience I would like to repeat - especially after dark - as it looked a little scary! I arrived home at 21:00 - hot and hungry. Still, the 7:42 was on time this morning and it had all 8 carriages. Fingers crossed for tonight although I quite fancy seeing Ponders End up close now so maybe....

Reply ID 39

When i read the Mercury on line on Friday regarding Monday night's fiasco, i immediately phoned WAGN (aptly standing for "we aint going nowhere") to protest about the "invented" story of people jumping from the Hertford East train to the Broxbourne train, and whilst i was on the phone i asked why we were not given 8 carriages in the evening - to which he replied that the rolling stock had been vandalised and probably by disgruntled customers! Not surprising really I suppose. I told him in no uncertain words that what was written in the Mercury was a pack of lies and that it had happened and I, as were the whole overcrowded train, witnesses to it. I stayed on the train which went into Ware shortly after they had stopped boarding people onto the Broxbourne train. I have emailed a complaint (which keeps bouncing back probably because their server has so many complaints). Lucky you if you were seated on the 17:54 from Liverpool Street, i,as were many others, were standing for near on 2 hours in that heat. What makes my blood boil was there wasn't even an apology! Then this Monday, well, what can I say? When are they going to get their act together and sort out this service is what I would like to know.

Reply ID 44

I too was very disappointed in WAGN's lack of apology on Tuesday last week. I even began to wonder if I dreamt the whole thing as there was no mention of the fiasco anywhere. To give WAGN some credit they do usually put up a poster saying how sorry they were but it was Railtrack's fault whereas last week there was just silence. Having now read the Mercury articles which state that coaches were laid on for passengers I am a little peeved to say the least. I appreciate I had a good deal being on a very empty train rather than the overcrowded 17:54 but I know that no coaches made it to Brimsdown to pick up passengers we had to make our own way home. I think because WAGN management never have to deal with us directly they are very complacent. The poor staff at the stations are the ones who get to take our flack when generally they are not at fault. I sometimes wonder if we shouldn't organise a march on WAGN headquarters just so they can see what a bunch of angry commuters actually looks like and deal with us face to face. I notice that WAGN's headquarters are in Cambridge - perhaps that explains why their trains always get priority over the Hertford Loop line which is treated as a second class citizen and always the first to suffer in a crisis.

Reply ID 123

I have read with interest all of the mails that have been flying around concern the WAGN service. I too was on the 5.54 that fateful evening, I was so incensed with the failure to have a back up plan or an apology, I wrote to both the Mercury and WAGN. After the email was quoted in the following Fridays Mercury, along with the statement from Mr Bashford where he called the commuters liars, I phoned up and spoke to the chap. He says the Mercury journalist took the quote from three different statements made by himself, and he in fact did not have any report of the incident (Head of Communications is his job title), and had commented without fact. After three or four emails, I got back the classic quote 'From now on we will not comment until we know the facts'. Head of communications indeed. Having spoken to him, I felt that as my name was mentioned in this article, plus the delay, I was entitled to compensation. I was offered �25! Wooo I hear you say. Of course I told them that it may cover the taxi home, but what about the damage of the article, the experience and the cost of the ticket. It took 4 weeks to respond to the original email I sent, I finally got a reply, but for them to reply to that (I had a direct email rather than a complaints address) I have to wait four weeks again. Nice to see the customer service department works as well as the rest of the company. The Health and Safety executive are in fact investigating the incident. I am not normally too bothered, but the handling of the incident stinks. Not even an apology. I urge you all to apply for compensation, if they have to give out at least �25 to every one involved, then it will start to hurt them.

Reply ID 128

Matt, they sent me a cheque for �25 too, so I'd urge otheres to write in too if they were affected. They also sent me a �5 token off my next monthly pass although I'm not 100% sure why; I've lost count of the times I've complained this year for their terrible service. S :)

Reply ID 171

I did not receive a voucher, If you did get that for the disruption on that night, then I can complain to the london user transport committee, as they must give everyone the same. The will come down on them like a ton of bricks, are you sure the voucher was for the power cuts?

Reply ID 178

Matt, don't think it was for THAT evening, no, think it was for something else, as I said, I've lost count the number of times I've complained to them. Today the 8:12 arrived at Liverpool St 25 minutes late! but couldn't be bothered to complain. :( Edited by - SDArcy on 10 Oct 2002 13:30:27