To think if I book disabled assistance for my son on the train that it should be in place?

[Elderflower14]

Every time I book it something goes well. He is deaf and autistic. He needs help getting on and off the train and leaving the station.
Today he was assisted on to the train. He got to his first destination. No one there to meet him. Took him ages to find someone.... They hadn't been notified. Apparently they got the email but as the first station hadn't rung them they didn't go to the platform... 🤔
They did offer to walk him through the shopping centre to the next station.. He managed to get on the tube and off at the next station. He found someone at the next station and facetimed me. I told the man where he was going and he quite rudely said "Platform 2" I had to ask him to take ds to the train.
Coming back he got to the station. They had no record of the disabled assistance!! They were very helpful though and put him on the train....
He's currently on the tube heading back to the next station. The lady is supposed to be ringing the next station to say he's on his way... He's having Mcds first... Well deserved I think... Why offer the service id it falls apart every time he travels? I would love a glass of wine but I'm on antibiotics!!! 😔 😔 😔 😔

well WRONG WRONG

It worked well when I booked it but it was cross country not tfl, we had to give 48 hours notice.

That is so poor. Do you think it’s worth complaining or would they not act upon it?

YANBU! Totally crap service, good on your DC for finding their way!

This was cross country. South East and South West trains.
The irony is that they rung me in Thursday to say the original destination station was unmanned so I cancelled and rebooked to a manned station....!!! 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔

I complain every single bloody time. The one time they went above and beyond I did write a letter praising them so I am fair!!

Definitely tweet them, they'll be very responsive. I hope you're off the antibiotics soon, so you can have that glass of wine - he definitely deserves the Mcdonalds!

It's awful. I regularly travel up and down the east coast mainline and the amount of people who have booked assistance that are just left in their seats panicking because they are at the station they need to get off at is shocking.

That sounds so frustrating and rather scary too.

The only thing train companies seem to understand is money, they should be made to give a significant sum in compensation to customers with disabilities when they don't provide the assistance booked.

That sounds pretty shambolic. How stressful for you and your son.

It’s bad enough that everything needs to be pre booked so no room for spontaneity or error for it then to fail when planned.

Hope he enjoys his McDonald’s

Last year one of the named companies more or less abandoned him in London. His phone ran out of battery so he couldn't type what he wanted. When he tried to tell the guard he had da booked, he was told rudely to get on the train. This was 10pm. He got home at 11.30pm no one to get him off the train. He had to walk back through a unlit underpass under the station. I wouldn't have been comfortable doing it let alone alone him bless him. When I rang to complain the woman told me she didn't suppose he looked disabled. For once my gast was so flabbered I didn't reply!!! 😡 😡 😡 😡

Now heading for the shopping centre. The guard is taking him to the concierge. He needs to go to CPW house for a phone cable!

☺

Dear lord he doesn't look disabled! Wtf! They obviously need more disability training and better procedures. Keep complaining. Are there any passenger organisations and/or disability charities you can contact who might pick up the pressure to make changes? What about contacting your MP?

Are there any organisations around who might be interested in taking up a class action on this? Rail companies need to get their bottoms into gear, it's outrageous that this keeps happening.

Ditto assistance at airports.

They seem to have zero understanding of the Equality Act.

It gets worse. Got to the last station. No record of him needing assistance! Guard put him on a slightly earlier train. I have now logged official complaints with both companies. I have personally spoken to the guard on the traon who has assured me he will be met off the train!!

YANBU. It's dangerous to offer a service like that and not deliver it.

That's awful. Unfortunately a story I've heard many times . On a practical note, it might be worth him carrying a power bank of he's relying on his phone for communication and assistance?

Disabled access on trains is utterly appalling. I think a lot of it is down to the infrastructure and lack of funding, but it's really terrible. I've been on trains before where someone has reserved a wheelchair space, only to arrive and find out it has been double booked. The attitude was incredibly dismissive. There needs to be some serious changes - am sorry you keep having to deal with this.

It might be worth getting in touch with Tanni Grey-Thompson (via twitter or her email is on her twitter profile) she’s been sharing her experiences of assisted travel and collecting others. I think she’s been raising them with someone pretty high up too.

Jesus. Not acceptable at all. Definitely complain. But unfortunately it sounds like that won't make much difference

He does normally but he forget it that one time. His cable broke today hence a visit to CPW house.
He nearly ended up going to the wrong place just now as was in wrong part of the train!

YANBU

Wow I'm shocked and I agree with PP who said it is dangerous to offer a service for the disabled and not provide it.

I thank you for formally complaining. You are an angel for other families who may go through the same thing at a later time, but hopefully won't have to if these companies learn that discrimination against the disabled is not OK. Thank you ❤️