[Mark@Home]

Translink QLD. Useless.​

I had an appointment booked for this morning at 09:50 with my endocrinologist. I missed this appointment due to the southeast Queensland transport provider's gross incompetence.

When I got up, I took my daily blood sugar reading and added it to my daily blood sugar diary and weekly blood pressure diary. I e-mailed it to the hospital department and set off to get the train. According to Translink's timetable, I would have arrived 20 minutes early for the appointment. All hunky dory. But then, since it's Friday the thirteenth (December 2024)....

I missed the appointment, came home with my tail between my legs and emailed the diabetes clinic thus:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm afraid I won't be attending your clinic today. It is not my fault. The reason is worthy of my shortly-to-send snotogram to the new Queensland Premier, Crisis Fully.

I anticipated catching the 09:21 train from Wulkuraka to Ipswich. With just a 78 metre saunter from the platform I would have reached you twenty minutes early. Thanks to Translink's pathetic excuse of a railway, it all went downhill.

A fellow passenger somehow got wind of train cancellations and there would be a rail replacement bus in 30 minutes' time. Then a coal train went through, leaving us all wondering why the line was closed.

A bus arrived, but at the road outside the far side of the station from the Ipswich platform. By the time we all reached the stairs at the far end of the walkway, it left. EMPTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I rang the call button on the station and asked if they knew how to run a railway. This did not go down well and the woman was about to hang up when I asked why, if there were no trains, did she allow a coal train to run past us. She couldn't explain. I asked when the next train would be. She couldn't answer. Just then, a passenger train arrived FROM Ipswich. I told the woman all about this Trainy McTrainFace train and asked if she could use her skill and judgement to determine if it was indeed a train, a figment of my imagination - shared now with a dozen fellow disgruntled passengers - or was it, in her opinion, FAIRY F*****G dust? She c/wouldn't tell me when the next rail replacement bus would arrive or when it was anticipated that the next Ipswich-bound train might eventually deign to cross our paths.

So I have come home. I have come home to apologise to my favourite Walk-In Plaza Health people, for my failure to meet this appointment.

I cannot say this will never happen again but your records will show that I have never previously missed an appointment with you and have always been early. And cheerful. And pleasant. I don't know where that leaves us. Please don't think ill of me. I was an airline captain so I know the value of timely departures. And also of customer service which is why I got cranky with the Translink tossers.

But wait! There's more. Optus, Australia's second most shitty telecommunications provider decided I was not worthy of sending an SMS to the Ipswich Diabetes Clinic to warn them of my travel woes, nor would they let me telephone them. NOR would these digital delinquents let me 'phone my wife to ask her to contact the clinic on my behalf! I don't want a contract. Not after my battles with Carphone WHOREHOUSE in the UK and Charles Dunstone, their bastard CEO. I pay a year in advance and there are more than funds enough. I eventually, with just 1% battery on my iPhone, got through to Kirstin on FaceTime!!! She managed, while I was making my way home, to send Translink a snotogram - see the comment below.

Snotogram to Translink from my wife who commutes on Translink trains twice daily for work:

Information about service updates is beyond poor. Currently at Wulkuraka station, patrons have no idea whether to move to the platform or bus stop, and it’s a few minutes walk between the two. We wait on the platform and watch a bus go by. Move to the bus stop and watch a train go by. The station has no live updates about the situation, and the website is useless. Even planning this journey, it still told us that a train was due at 9:20 and any service alert is easy to miss. My husband will miss an important medical appointment and other patrons are in total confusion. This is not the first time this has happened…I’ve had a couple occasions on my morning commute where patrons have been left in total confusion when rail replacement is suddenly instigated. Wulkuraka station needs live service updates and rail replacement buses that wait for patrons to leave the platform to catch them. I am a strong proponent of public transport, but this lack of service disgusts me.

Surely Friday the 13th can't get any worse..........?

 

[Zemo]

However, there is a non-profit organisation set up in Queensland called TransitCare. Unfortunately, the name has connotations with Translink, but that doesn't matter if it works for you.
Look it up on the web.
They're brilliant!
I don't know whether they'd cover Wulkuraka, but it's worth a damn good try.
Good luck.

 

[Julie1946]

I know you must be frustrated and upset but you are adding to your troubles with your attitude to these companies and speaking to people In an aggressive way doesn’t get you any respect unfortunately except it agitates you more, maybe a more formal approach would work better than the aggressive rhetoric that feeling frustrated by the lack of communication from those responsible for your Friday 13th day would have got you a better response and not got you so hot under the collar, even as frustrated as you feel towards anyone , speaking respectfully gets a better outcome always.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Lucky you are not catching trains in Sydney !!

Did you know they sometimes don't give the real reason for delays or will say signal failure when infact it's that someone committed suicide. I know this through two train guards, a train driver and someone who works with the signal box. There are at least one suicide on Sydney's rail every 10 to 14 days.

As for the phone it sounds like your actual phone. Do you update it ? Do you clear it?
Most times if you can't call out or send messages try turning your phone off and restarting it.

I think you were being a little harsh on everyone

 

[mylittletibbies]

Usually, I've found, if you bounce the ball at someone all that happens is that they bounce it back.
Letting your frustration out on someone who is only trying to do their job and not responsible for what is going on will achieve exactly what happened . Nothing.

 

[Jest]

I know you must be frustrated and upset but you are adding to your troubles with your attitude to these companies and speaking to people In an aggressive way doesn’t get you any respect unfortunately except it agitates you more, maybe a more formal approach would work better than the aggressive rhetoric that feeling frustrated by the lack of communication from those responsible for your Friday 13th day would have got you a better response and not got you so hot under the collar, even as frustrated as you feel towards anyone , speaking respectfully gets a better outcome always.

please take your comments and shove them elsewhere. this person had every right to complain.

 

[mylittletibbies]

please take your comments and shove them elsewhere. this person had every right to complain.

Lodge a complaint yes. Call people names and abuse them NO

 

[maxesmum]

I feel your pain,but gosh your letter gave me the best laugh in days! Brilliant! Thank you for that.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I feel your pain,but gosh your letter gave me the best laugh in days! Brilliant! Thank you for that.

At least his wife's letter was polite and to the point.
His comments on the other hand were totally rude and unnecessary. The language and name calling to the train station assistant who was not to blame in any way were appalling.
I fail to see what you find amusing, would you like to be spoken to in this manner.

 

[Morgans Orchard]

Being blind and have never had an drivers license in my life . I know how frustrated you felt . many times I have been waiting for so I would be early and they didn’t show up . I have rang taxis no show . I moved from Tasmania to Queensland and have bought unit close to all shopping drs etc. Is TransLink government owned or Private. I have a blind bus pass and in Tassie if I had a person accompany me neither of us paid . Up here I had to go to Brisbane on bus and train . I had to pay full fare but my carer was free.. Noticed in the budget on ABC news Liberal government , Tasmania is so far in debt they were planning on selling Public transport the uproar on that they soon backflpped . So is transport better run privately or government owned ?

 

[maxesmum]

At least his wife's letter was polite and to the point.
His comments on the other hand were totally rude and unnecessary. The language and name calling to the train station assistant who was not to blame in any way were appalling.
I fail to see what you find amusing, would you like to be spoken to in this manner.

I think you’re missing his point and the whole thing is a tongue in cheek finger point at a bad day. Yes,I found the whole thing amusing,no I wouldn’t like to be spoken to like that,however I’d hope to be able to answer simple questions about my job,too!

 

[mylittletibbies]

I think you’re missing his point and the whole thing is a tongue in cheek finger point at a bad day. Yes,I found the whole thing amusing,no I wouldn’t like to be spoken to like that,however I’d hope to be able to answer simple questions about my job,too!

Maybe she could answer simple questions about her job but didn't feel inclined to after being spoken to in such a derogatory fashion.
I wouldn't have answered him either if I was spoken to in that fashion. Good manners never go astray.

 

[Julie1946]

please take your comments and shove them elsewhere. this person had every right to complain.

Sure, but doing it in a respectful manner is better than going off on a rude rant and gets a better outcome, and thanks for your rude suggestion it is noted

 

[Zemo]

Hey, Mark@Home ... did you try TransitCare? Did you see my reply to you?

I'LL TRY AGAIN ...
Did you see my reply to you? Did you contact TransitCare?



Apparently you didn't ...

 

[Still Ebby]

I know you must be frustrated and upset but you are adding to your troubles with your attitude to these companies and speaking to people In an aggressive way doesn’t get you any respect unfortunately except it agitates you more, maybe a more formal approach would work better than the aggressive rhetoric that feeling frustrated by the lack of communication from those responsible for your Friday 13th day would have got you a better response and not got you so hot under the collar, even as frustrated as you feel towards anyone , speaking respectfully gets a better outcome always.

As the saying goes 'You catch more bees with sugar than vinegar'