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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Not sure if this is GO HOME GO TRANSIT, YER DRUNK or YOU HAD ONE JOB!


GO Transit obviously fired the hamster and hired a gerbil. Also, the copyright info should be updated - just a suggestion, folks.

I do not know why these denial emails (here's one from early December) tend to repeat the "YOU HAVE BEEN DENIED AND WHY" several times. It reminds me of that movie, The Rainmaker, where a woman reads a letter from her insurance company in court after repeated requests for coverage were denied. There's a line in the letter that reads, "You must be stupid, stupid. stupid".

You know, this part.



I don't think there's an actual list of what instances qualify for a refund. I consider it akin to winning the lottery or spinning the Booster prize wheel in Candy Crush Saga. I think there's a big wheel where each wedge has a claims reason and the claim guarantee underwriters gather in a circle and spin it to determine ineligibility; where there are only two small wedges that actually qualify, so it's not a fair division of reasons either.

I bet it looks something like this.


TELL ME I'M LYING!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you're right with the wheel.

The problem is they have the deciding power of if it qualifies or not.

I'm fighting one. We were delayed because of signal problems. I submitted it and got rejected because of weather. Bs. They never said weather. So now they say I need to write a letter to fight it. Which I shall do. Wish me luck.

Anonymous said...

So it's bad when it stops on the purple wedges?

C.J. Smith said...

I've made claims for switch and signal and been approved each time. It's the only instances I've been eligible for. If there are others, I am not aware.

Anonymous said...

I've got 3 refunds so far in February. Your fare increase at work. All signal problems.

Mark chow said...

Can we have an independant, arms-length party determining whether a certain trip qualifies as a refund.

Why is GO transit determining whether a refund is warranted. Would you want the Fox to guard the henhouse.

Anonymous said...

I work for GO. This is totally not true but you made a bunch of us laugh and I'm not in that department so I can laugh. I am sure they are not impressed with your perception of how they determine claims eligibility but hopefully someone realizes the email part needs improvement. I'm cringing because it's very unprofessional and GO is better than that. You know we're better than that!!!

C.J. Smith said...

Oh I totally know you're better than that! I blame Metrolinx.

Pete Campbell (former Bombardier employee and Crazy Train Lurker no more!) said...

You forgot Polar Vortex on that wheel of yours.

Four Seasons said...

That reminds me, during the big flood last year, GO wouldn't refund the penalty charge because I wasn't able to tap-off at the end of the trip. My trip was 8 hours long, way over the 2 hour travel window.

C.J. Smith said...

Talk about adding further insult to injury...

Bicky said...

From the FAQs:

Q: What delayed trips are eligible for a credit under the GO Train Service Guarantee policy?
A: The GO Train Service Guarantee means that a GO fare credit will be available to train passengers for trips that arrive at their destination station 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The fare credit applies to delays within GO’s control; trips eligible include those delayed by:
•equipment, signal, or switch problems
•railcar door issues
•train traffic
•blocked tracks due to freight or VIA trains
•construction or maintenance

Q: What delays are not eligible for the GO Train Service Guarantee?
A: We do our best to be on time, but sometimes outside factors delay our trains. Delays caused by emergency investigations, on-board emergencies, pedestrian incidents, track obstructions and extreme weather are not covered by the GO Train Service Guarantee.

Delays caused by the following will not be eligible for the Service Guarantee:
•when the “GO Transit Adjusted Winter Storm Schedule” plan is in effect
•when the on-board yellow emergency strip has been pushed
•trespassing and pedestrian accidents
•police investigations on the corridor
•Welland Canal right-of-way for passing ships
•previously communicated service adjustments

I'd have posted earlier but haven't figured out how to copy and paste on my phone. *sigh*

Anonymous said...

Ah, "The great GO Transit delay roulette wheel" I'm sure it's always a pleasure to spin that thing whenever a customer complains.

C.J. Smith said...

Thanks Bicky.
I was too lazy. I really just wanted the prize wheel to be legit.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Bicky. The question now remains; what was the reason for the decline of my claim? Train ahead of us was having problems so we were delayed. Prest / GO says it was due to extreme weather, extreme weather, extreme weather......... - clear skies, no wind, no snow, no rain, maybe about -8 or -10. I'm not saying I've never gotten a refund, but declined many times when according to their website info (that you posted) they have declined me when the circumstances qualified. Random & arbitrary (or maybe intentional) in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

I was denied a claim because I had tapped on more than 15 minutes before the train arrived. I was taking the first train on the Milton line and tap on when I reach the station. Since there is no other possible train I could be on, I find it incredible that I was denied because of this.
But the customer service rep said those were the rules. I should have asked for a voucher at the station, but thought I could just apply online and I had already spent an hour sitting on the train before I got off and left

Their guarantee is such garbage, you can never claim it

Bicky said...

Well, I'd like to think they use the criteria I posted but some days they may spin the wheel.

I was denied because I tapped on more than 15 minutes before the departure time. How can I know this when they don't show the current time on the flippin' Presto machines???

I think I've submitted 4 claims. Two were approved, one denied and appealed (then approved) and the fourth I couldn't be bothered to appeal.

Anonymous said...

I've submitted probably a dozen claims since they started and all have been declined by the system for not matching my activity. the problem is, I have a default of Burlington to Scarborough and the system doesn't show my train. I attempt to select the delayed portion, which doesn't match my default trip. I don't transfer trains. They only show selected trains as options for these stations, not all.

Each time, I call customer service and have a paper voucher mailed to me. It's an awful system and a waste of my time. Prior to the gurantee I never once called customer service. If they are going to offer this program, gouge my fares and provide unreliable service damn straight I'm going to get what I'm entitled to. But the cost of the fare, call centre time, paper, postage... Makes you wonder what this electronic fare system is all about...

Oh, and the 5 day turnaround has been awful as of late. My claim submitted on Dec 14 was declined on Jan 2... Guess presto took a Christmas holiday too.

Anyhoo.. long time reader, first time poster. Thanks for the laughs ����:)

Ali said...

@Anonymous (4:22 PM)
Don't let the CSRs intimidate you with the "15-Minute Rule" even though there was only one possible train you could have boarded. Just dash off an e-mail to CustomerRelations@gotransit.com (cc Greg.Percy@gotransit.com) citing article http://bit.ly/1lEEsTz and demand prompt processing of an electronic credit to your account. Don't settle for their paper voucher nonsense. Stay calm and be relentless.


Anonymous said...

For those who were told they tapped on too early, I've been denied twice for that reason, and a simple phone call has sorted it out (I was told they had to "resubmit [my] claim from [their] end"). Not that this is an ideal solution, but it'll get you your money back.

Anonymous said...

I'm confusd. Is the wheel real?

cncndr said...

Round and round she goes, when she'll stop ? Nobody knows... I bet the decision gets out of hand when it lands on the white line. Dear GO Transit rider, your claim has been denied, due to our wheel of blaming shit on someone else stopping on the white line, please try your claim some other time. Sincerely Bathtub.

Mike

Anonymous said...

Lol. Yes very real.

Has anyone been getting emails a few days after you submi a claim saying your clam has been received? It takes days just to receiv it? Then the review period?

Michael Suddard said...

Question on Bicky's posting from GO's Q & A (I've edited the below).

Q: What delayed trips are eligible for a credit under the GO Train Service Guarantee policy?

A: The GO Train Service Guarantee means that a GO fare credit will be available to train passengers for trips that arrive at their destination station 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The fare credit applies to delays within GO’s control; trips eligible include those delayed by:
•blocked tracks due to freight or VIA trains
•construction or maintenance

Q: What delays are not eligible for the GO Train Service Guarantee?

A: We do our best to be on time, but sometimes outside factors delay our trains. Delays caused by..., track obstruction... are not covered by the GO Train Service Guarantee.

So if a VIA or freight train delays a GO Train, wouldn't that be something "obstructing the tracks?"

How about construction "Obstructing the tracks"?

Just wondering how big of a GO Train Metrolinx might try to drive through this loophole.

Anonymous said...

Why do we even need to apply for the refund? As a presto user, if the trip qualifies, then reimburse everyone. This whole application process is a big waste of time and money