I THOUGHT you might be interested in the attached response from the Oxford Bus Company following a complaint about one of their services running early which caused me to miss it and incur the cost of a taxi fare to get home.
They freely admit they were at fault, but it’s the ‘small print’ in their terms and conditions which surprised me: “The Company does not guarantee that any service will operate, or that accommodation will be available onboard any particular journey as any advertising material or notice indicates.
“The Company will not be liable for any loss, damage, injury or inconvenience which may be sustained by any person through the alteration of departure times, or through suspension, withdrawal, cancellation or deviation of any vehicle or service, or through the lack of accommodation, detention, delay, early running or want of punctuality or through the display of any incorrect or misleading destination information.”
I don’t think I’m wrong in paraphrasing this as ‘we can do whatever we like and it’s your problem’.
Doesn’t strike me as very good customer service or is that what you get when you put companies who have shareholders to please in charge of running public services? Be especially cautious when, like me, you have paid in advance for travel via a ‘Key’, as they could decide to stop running the service (s) you have paid for and render that Key useless to you.
DAVID FOGDEN, Lime Road, Oxford
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here