This is a rant, but only in the rail industry could you get a helpline that, well, can’t help you. I lost my senior railcard when my wallet was stolen and tried to replace it a week ago but it was not sent. So I rang up the helpline number for senior railcards listed on the website and when I started explaining what happened, the lady said I would have to go to the website. But I had just tried that and it had logged me out, saying I was timed out.
So I insisted on giving my details, and rather reluctantly she put them into her computer. Yes, she said, you had made an attempt to pay but it had not gone through. That was news to me, as that had not been displayed on the computer, but I said could I pay by card now and you can send me the card.
No I couldn’t came the reply: ‘We cannot take card payments, we are just a helpline”. She must be used to angry callers as I did get rather heated saying this was impossible and utterly daft, but she held her ground – ‘we are only a helpline’. And senior figures in the rail industry wonder why it is such an Aunt Sally