Thalys Customer Service
Mar 1, 2014, 7:49 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 12
I understand where you are comming from MHG but our issue is with the unnessasary long delay in Brussels ( 5 minutes from the station ) , as a former international tour guide the organization or lack there of was pitiful .
I am familiar with Brussels and know where the metro bus depot is ( travel time depending on traffic approx 30 min maximum ) and at that time of day thier would be a surplus of busses along with drivers who would be able to do a simple shuttle from where we were back to the station , how would I know this I can already hear you say , simple I am a supervisor in a metro bus depot here at home and to do this only would take a phone call and busses would be sent to that location within 10 minutes .
Access would have been easy ( we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus ) thier was no reason or excuse for not at least trying to remedy the problem , not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station only to wait yet anther 45 minutes for a replacement engine to be coupled up becuase nobody had organized the repacement engine to be ready apon our arrival ( these trains couple up / decouple literary by the push of a button , within seconds ) .
Now I know that they have thier policies and procedures to follow but from we stood inclueding all the other very , very annoyed passengers there was no reason why we had to be there and the fact that they did not lift a finger to help any passengers just shows that Thallys is ony concerned with the bottom line and the passengers are only an annoying distraction for them , this became very obvious in Paris with the huge line up at the info counter where everyboby was basicaly told to go away " we don,t want anything to do with you and we are not going to help you all out in any way " .
Thats where are gripe is , it,s not rocket science on how to solve the problem my 15 year old nephew worked this one out by himself and his without giving him any hints on how to do it so what does that say on the capability or rather lack there of from Thallys .
I am familiar with Brussels and know where the metro bus depot is ( travel time depending on traffic approx 30 min maximum ) and at that time of day thier would be a surplus of busses along with drivers who would be able to do a simple shuttle from where we were back to the station , how would I know this I can already hear you say , simple I am a supervisor in a metro bus depot here at home and to do this only would take a phone call and busses would be sent to that location within 10 minutes .
Access would have been easy ( we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus ) thier was no reason or excuse for not at least trying to remedy the problem , not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station only to wait yet anther 45 minutes for a replacement engine to be coupled up becuase nobody had organized the repacement engine to be ready apon our arrival ( these trains couple up / decouple literary by the push of a button , within seconds ) .
Now I know that they have thier policies and procedures to follow but from we stood inclueding all the other very , very annoyed passengers there was no reason why we had to be there and the fact that they did not lift a finger to help any passengers just shows that Thallys is ony concerned with the bottom line and the passengers are only an annoying distraction for them , this became very obvious in Paris with the huge line up at the info counter where everyboby was basicaly told to go away " we don,t want anything to do with you and we are not going to help you all out in any way " .
Thats where are gripe is , it,s not rocket science on how to solve the problem my 15 year old nephew worked this one out by himself and his without giving him any hints on how to do it so what does that say on the capability or rather lack there of from Thallys .
Mar 1, 2014, 11:16 pm
#17
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Schwetzingen (Heidelberg), Germany
Programs: BA, SK, Accor, Carlson Rezidor
Posts: 394
I understand where you are comming from MHG but our issue is with the unnessasary long delay in Brussels ( 5 minutes from the station ) , as a former international tour guide the organization or lack there of was pitiful .
I am familiar with Brussels and know where the metro bus depot is ( travel time depending on traffic approx 30 min maximum ) and at that time of day thier would be a surplus of busses along with drivers who would be able to do a simple shuttle from where we were back to the station , how would I know this I can already hear you say , simple I am a supervisor in a metro bus depot here at home and to do this only would take a phone call and busses would be sent to that location within 10 minutes .
Access would have been easy ( we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus ) thier was no reason or excuse for not at least trying to remedy the problem , not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station only to wait yet anther 45 minutes for a replacement engine to be coupled up becuase nobody had organized the repacement engine to be ready apon our arrival ( these trains couple up / decouple literary by the push of a button , within seconds ) .
Now I know that they have thier policies and procedures to follow but from we stood inclueding all the other very , very annoyed passengers there was no reason why we had to be there and the fact that they did not lift a finger to help any passengers just shows that Thallys is ony concerned with the bottom line and the passengers are only an annoying distraction for them , this became very obvious in Paris with the huge line up at the info counter where everyboby was basicaly told to go away " we don,t want anything to do with you and we are not going to help you all out in any way " .
Thats where are gripe is , it,s not rocket science on how to solve the problem my 15 year old nephew worked this one out by himself and his without giving him any hints on how to do it so what does that say on the capability or rather lack there of from Thallys .
I am familiar with Brussels and know where the metro bus depot is ( travel time depending on traffic approx 30 min maximum ) and at that time of day thier would be a surplus of busses along with drivers who would be able to do a simple shuttle from where we were back to the station , how would I know this I can already hear you say , simple I am a supervisor in a metro bus depot here at home and to do this only would take a phone call and busses would be sent to that location within 10 minutes .
Access would have been easy ( we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus ) thier was no reason or excuse for not at least trying to remedy the problem , not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station only to wait yet anther 45 minutes for a replacement engine to be coupled up becuase nobody had organized the repacement engine to be ready apon our arrival ( these trains couple up / decouple literary by the push of a button , within seconds ) .
Now I know that they have thier policies and procedures to follow but from we stood inclueding all the other very , very annoyed passengers there was no reason why we had to be there and the fact that they did not lift a finger to help any passengers just shows that Thallys is ony concerned with the bottom line and the passengers are only an annoying distraction for them , this became very obvious in Paris with the huge line up at the info counter where everyboby was basicaly told to go away " we don,t want anything to do with you and we are not going to help you all out in any way " .
Thats where are gripe is , it,s not rocket science on how to solve the problem my 15 year old nephew worked this one out by himself and his without giving him any hints on how to do it so what does that say on the capability or rather lack there of from Thallys .
... just tried to add some background infos.
Thalys seems truly a bottom line operation.
IMHO Thalys is run like Ryanair - the difference being that Thalys sells tickets on average at a higher price level in relation to other train operators.
Mar 2, 2014, 2:00 am
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
Access would have been easy ( we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus ) thier was no reason or excuse for not at least trying to remedy the problem , not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station only to wait yet anther 45 minutes for a replacement engine to be coupled up becuase nobody had organized the repacement engine to be ready apon our arrival ( these trains couple up / decouple literary by the push of a button , within seconds ) .
we were right next to a suburban street that could have easily taken an articulated bus
not sit there for 2 hours watching other Thallys trains go past before they discovered that the train was damaged ( 2 hours to discover damage , that should have taken a matter of minutes to determine ) and then spend another 30 minutes trundling in reverse back to the station
And the next problem is not every Train can Stop at all Stations. The have pay a fee for and the security is the next problem.....
Mar 2, 2014, 11:50 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 12
I see what you are trying to get across ToGo but there would have been no need for anyboby to jump off the train , In a locker next to or nearby the exit door there is a fold up set of steps with hand rails that is used for just situations ( at least that we have on our trains here ) it kind of looks like a miniture version of fold up steps on a small business jet , so it would be that simple , a few steps to the ground and your there , no fuss and quite safe .
The suburban street was no more than 5 meters away with no fence or obstruction plus the ground was level and firm .
The replacement driver was hanging around for quite some time before we eventualy moved of and the maintance / engineering staff and supervisors were on scene in less than 20 minutes so why the 2 hour delay and if you are right and it took them 3 hours to arrange another engineer to line up another engine then must be truely a shoe string operation .
It,s was disapointing really , it spioled what was till that point a great vacation and although we would concider another vacation in Europe train travel would be out of the question .
The suburban street was no more than 5 meters away with no fence or obstruction plus the ground was level and firm .
The replacement driver was hanging around for quite some time before we eventualy moved of and the maintance / engineering staff and supervisors were on scene in less than 20 minutes so why the 2 hour delay and if you are right and it took them 3 hours to arrange another engineer to line up another engine then must be truely a shoe string operation .
It,s was disapointing really , it spioled what was till that point a great vacation and although we would concider another vacation in Europe train travel would be out of the question .
Last edited by peterl; Mar 2, 2014 at 11:57 pm
Mar 2, 2014, 11:55 pm
#20
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 12
Hi MHG , Like the comment on Ryanair , I have heard some wild storys about them but have never had the experiance of flying with them , how ever in my time as a tour guide I could tell you a few about Air France .
Apreciate the back ground info , always good the get feed back like that , no offence taken and hopefully none given as I can get a bit abrupt and worked up at times .
Apreciate the back ground info , always good the get feed back like that , no offence taken and hopefully none given as I can get a bit abrupt and worked up at times .
Last edited by peterl; Mar 3, 2014 at 12:01 am
Mar 3, 2014, 1:04 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Schwetzingen (Heidelberg), Germany
Programs: BA, SK, Accor, Carlson Rezidor
Posts: 394
Hi MHG , Like the comment on Ryanair , I have heard some wild storys about them but have never had the experiance of flying with them , how ever in my time as a tour guide I could tell you a few about Air France .
Apreciate the back ground info , always good the get feed back like that , no offence taken and hopefully none given as I can get a bit abrupt and worked up at times .
Apreciate the back ground info , always good the get feed back like that , no offence taken and hopefully none given as I can get a bit abrupt and worked up at times .
Ryanair is fine if things go "normal"
Only as soon as anything irregular happens passengers are f.....
The points that you refer to are very true.
You did not even mention the (legal) trouble that starts when a passenger gets injured during evacuation !
(as a side note: we are getting closer every year to some of the absurd court cases they have over there in the US of A - it´s just that compensation payments have not -yet?- reached absurd dimensions here in Europe )
And finally trains in Europe are not prepared for stops outside of stations - like they are in the U.S. (due to non-existence of platforms at many stops "somewhere" in "the middle of nowhere"!)
It is true that due to streamlined operations among train operators there is indeed very limited back-up with engines (even more so with drivers) to help out at short notice nowadays - not just in Belgium.
We have the same problems here in Germany - and I guess France would be similar !
Additionally:
There are compensation "rules" in effect in European countries (I´m not sure whether in all of them but I guess so as it may be mandated by the EU) but they may vary significantly.
As said before there are no regulations that cover the whole of Europe.
... and it certainly becomes more tricky if a train journey is international.
I have to admit I have no clue which regulations would be in effect in such case:
1) The country where the interruption/delay occurs ?
2) Home country of the operator ?
3) The country where the ticket was bought ?
4) The country where the train journey started/ended ?)
Last edited by MHG; Mar 3, 2014 at 1:14 am
Mar 3, 2014, 2:36 am
#22
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
I have to admit I have no clue which regulations would be in effect in such case:
1) The country where the interruption/delay occurs ?
2) Home country of the operator ?
3) The country where the ticket was bought ?
4) The country where the train journey started/ended ?)
1) The country where the interruption/delay occurs ?
2) Home country of the operator ?
3) The country where the ticket was bought ?
4) The country where the train journey started/ended ?)
To get any compensation its necessary to have one Ticket and thats are much more expensive...
Mar 4, 2014, 11:21 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 12
I suppose that we can discuss the fine details of what happened or should have happened till the cows come home but that would be futile and a waste of this thread so I guess it is a lesson learned - don't travel on the Thallys again .
MHG , great to see we are on the same page so to speak and ToGo I guess we have to agree to disagree on the matter ........... enough said .
Thanks to all that made a controbution .... peterl
MHG , great to see we are on the same page so to speak and ToGo I guess we have to agree to disagree on the matter ........... enough said .
Thanks to all that made a controbution .... peterl
Apr 4, 2014, 4:30 am
#24
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 215
I second the assumption that making your claim to Thalys on the base of misconnecting your next train from Paris to somewhere in Normandy will be 100% fruitless. Anyway you had 2 seperate tickets with 2 different operators.
However, you may consider to chase Thalys for the delay. For a delay of more than 2 hours they offer 100% refund of the ticket price in the form of a voucher
Since you declare not to use their services anymore, you may like to take a cash refund. Only 50% but better than nothing.
Here is what their website says about their compensation policy:
Thalys vouchers
For any Thalys delay equal to or greater than 30, 60 or 120 minutes, or more, we offer compensation in the form of Thalys travel vouchers (valid for 12 months), except in cases of force majeure, equivalent to 20%, 50% or 100% of fares respectively.
Reimbursement by bank transfer
Customers who wish to receive compensation in cash will receive, except in cases of grounds for exemption, starting from the 60th or 120th minute of delay, 25% or 50%, respectively, of the fare price by bank transfer. (No compensation will be paid for sums under €4.)
However, you may consider to chase Thalys for the delay. For a delay of more than 2 hours they offer 100% refund of the ticket price in the form of a voucher
Since you declare not to use their services anymore, you may like to take a cash refund. Only 50% but better than nothing.
Here is what their website says about their compensation policy:
Thalys vouchers
For any Thalys delay equal to or greater than 30, 60 or 120 minutes, or more, we offer compensation in the form of Thalys travel vouchers (valid for 12 months), except in cases of force majeure, equivalent to 20%, 50% or 100% of fares respectively.
Reimbursement by bank transfer
Customers who wish to receive compensation in cash will receive, except in cases of grounds for exemption, starting from the 60th or 120th minute of delay, 25% or 50%, respectively, of the fare price by bank transfer. (No compensation will be paid for sums under €4.)
Apr 8, 2014, 5:25 am
#25
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 12
Hi abeyro , Thanks for your reply , unfortunatly your assumption was not quite right , allow me to clarify things for you .
Our claim is made on the basis that the delay after the incident was caused by Thallys is excessive and should have been handled in a far more professional manner than it was , the passengers did not have to sit in the train for 2 hours and then another hour limping back to the station and changing engines when all it would have taken was 2 aritculated buses from the nearby depot to transfer them back to the station ( 10-15 mins approx travel time and I know that this can be done as I work in the bus industry as a supervisor and have done this many times myself ) where the passengers could have taken one of the 2 other Thallys trains heading to Paris ( nether was anywhere near full ) that passed us while we were sitting on ours , not so much the missed train in Paris ( that was enevitible from the time the incident happened ) .
As for the refund , we did apply for the refund but were refused us on the grounds that the delay was not of thier making ( that still makes me laugh considering the 3 hour delay was entirerly of thier own making ) and therefore they were not liable to make a refund .
The thing that grated with me and my wife the most was the rude and indifferant way we were treated by Thallys staff even after repeated requests for information on what other train services were available for us to get to our destination we were totally ignored too the ignorant and rude staff at the Thallys info desk in Paris who basically told me to get lost for the want of a better word , and the Thallys train conductors that wouldn,t even let me back to were my wife was sitting with our bags on the arrival platform ( she didn,t want to stand in the massive que , total combined wieght of both bags plus carry on,s was 45kg ) she is not a musle bound wieght lifter and is in her 50,s , blind freddy could see that it was not possible for her to carry all those bags off the platform but of course Thallys didn,t care they wanted her to drag all the bags out by herself !!! ( as if !!! ) and refused to assist her !!! , they had no idea how close by this stage I was to exploding , I have never been that angry before after this kind of treatment we had to suffer all day and it scares me to this day as to how close I came , I never want to experiance that agian .
As a former international tour guide thier performance was excedingly lacking ( non existant realisticaly ) and would have made it easily onto my former tour companys blacklist .
Had they dealt with the situation professionaly instead of just sitting on thier hands there would have been no issue .
In closing I have to say that I do not have a short fuse nor do I get angry easily , I have a very even temperment ( my wife will attest to this ) and have the patientce of jobe ( you have to be in my current job and as a tour guide ) but the shear incompidence and arrogance of these people beggers belief and can,t be forgiven .
Hope this clarifys the issue for you ....... PS forgive the spelling mistakes , it is quite late here and i,m very tired ..... enough said ....... really !
... peterl
Our claim is made on the basis that the delay after the incident was caused by Thallys is excessive and should have been handled in a far more professional manner than it was , the passengers did not have to sit in the train for 2 hours and then another hour limping back to the station and changing engines when all it would have taken was 2 aritculated buses from the nearby depot to transfer them back to the station ( 10-15 mins approx travel time and I know that this can be done as I work in the bus industry as a supervisor and have done this many times myself ) where the passengers could have taken one of the 2 other Thallys trains heading to Paris ( nether was anywhere near full ) that passed us while we were sitting on ours , not so much the missed train in Paris ( that was enevitible from the time the incident happened ) .
As for the refund , we did apply for the refund but were refused us on the grounds that the delay was not of thier making ( that still makes me laugh considering the 3 hour delay was entirerly of thier own making ) and therefore they were not liable to make a refund .
The thing that grated with me and my wife the most was the rude and indifferant way we were treated by Thallys staff even after repeated requests for information on what other train services were available for us to get to our destination we were totally ignored too the ignorant and rude staff at the Thallys info desk in Paris who basically told me to get lost for the want of a better word , and the Thallys train conductors that wouldn,t even let me back to were my wife was sitting with our bags on the arrival platform ( she didn,t want to stand in the massive que , total combined wieght of both bags plus carry on,s was 45kg ) she is not a musle bound wieght lifter and is in her 50,s , blind freddy could see that it was not possible for her to carry all those bags off the platform but of course Thallys didn,t care they wanted her to drag all the bags out by herself !!! ( as if !!! ) and refused to assist her !!! , they had no idea how close by this stage I was to exploding , I have never been that angry before after this kind of treatment we had to suffer all day and it scares me to this day as to how close I came , I never want to experiance that agian .
As a former international tour guide thier performance was excedingly lacking ( non existant realisticaly ) and would have made it easily onto my former tour companys blacklist .
Had they dealt with the situation professionaly instead of just sitting on thier hands there would have been no issue .
In closing I have to say that I do not have a short fuse nor do I get angry easily , I have a very even temperment ( my wife will attest to this ) and have the patientce of jobe ( you have to be in my current job and as a tour guide ) but the shear incompidence and arrogance of these people beggers belief and can,t be forgiven .
Hope this clarifys the issue for you ....... PS forgive the spelling mistakes , it is quite late here and i,m very tired ..... enough said ....... really !
... peterl
Last edited by peterl; Apr 8, 2014 at 5:32 am Reason: spelling mistakes