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Bag Searches
Random bag searches on the T again. It's pretty annoying, right, cops searching you without probable cause.

I'd like to speak up and voice my displeasure with this. I'd like to refuse to be searched. Maybe I'd like to "write to the top". Here's the problem with all of that, I don't think anyone at the MBTA cares. Before I go on let me get this out of the way. The T gets me to work safely, cheaply, relaxed and, for the most part, on time. I am not a T-basher. Yet I still don't think they give a damn. The impression I get from the MBTA, despite its stated mission, is that they're primary purpose is not to serve me. I do not believe they strive for on time trains and great customer service for the sake of providing a great service to the people of Massachusetts.

My impression of the administrators of the MBTA is that their mission is to get by, to not get yelled at by their boss and to not get in trouble politically. You see it filtering down to some, not all, of the employees you see everyday. Many, the majority, of T employees do their job well. But you can still see that "just do your job and nothing more" attitude in many employees. In a company that's committed to customer service that wouldn't stand. It's a political job, not a service job. It's a problem you have to worry about with monopolistic government services.
I really got the feeling that they don't care when I sent them a complaint back in....I believe it was 2002. I waited a half hour at the Haymarket stop for a D line train. In this time, three E line trains passed by. A response to my email blamed the cold and ice, yet three trains went by in the time I waited - all they had to do was switch the E to a D. Really not a problem, I see them do that all the time.

The second time I got that feeling was this year when I waited a half hour again for a C line train. When I complained on the website, I was informed that because there was no fare on my ride, I wasn't going to get a refund. I don't give a shit about a refund - I don't want to wait 30 minutes for a train.

I don't know why I've written all of this, except that the responses I've gotten when I've complained are crap. And more recently this past week when they blamed the consistent tardiness of the commuter rail trains on fallen leaves. As though leaves falling off of the trees in the fall is some brand new problem that hasn't been occurring in New England for hundreds of years. Please.

Posted at 10/15/2006 10:39:55 PM by Carol


All of this fits in with my impression of their service. Both times for you they came up with an excuse that covers their ass. It's the weather or a loophole in the rules that saves them from having to take the blame for bad service. A company that wanted to serve their customers wouldn't resort to tactics like this. They'd see that their service wasn't optimal and try to fix it. Instead it's yes, this was bad but technically it wasn't our fault so sorry, too bad for you.

Posted at 10/16/2006 8:39:15 AM by Jeff


 
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