Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Always there to help

If you've read my blog before, you'd know to read the subject heading with a sarcastic tone.

An acquaintance who is not a frequent BART user decided to take BART to a conference. He walks through the ticket gate with his ticket and realizes that he left something in the car. He asks the ticket agent if he can slip out to get something without having to repay. The ticket agent says there are sign that indicate no re-entry so there's nothing she can do.

The acquaintance asks again and the agent points to the sign and ignores him. In the end, the acquaintance exits and repays.

Now, we know there are rules and people need to follow them. But what makes this hard to accept is the fact that many suspicious characters, from homeless, to family of 4, bikers, friends of agents and performers slip through the side gate with or without the ticket agents' knowledge on an hourly basis and nothing is done about it. Yet, a paying customer who isn't a frequent BART rider, who asks to be excused, cannot???

I've seen exceptions made knowingly before so it is obvious that they have the authority to do that but they choose not to for this particular person. Why the double standard???

And of course, these ticket agents are just so useful and helpful when questions are directed at them. (not!) I've been given the pointing index finger before too to signs and maps. It's as if they can't speak??? I've also seen tourists been given the same attitude. That is a sure way to attract tourists to SF!

I'd like to see these ticket agents put in a bit more effort and enthusiasm into their job! We all know that they are well paid!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree 100%.

BART also needs improved signage in almost every station.

Anonymous said...

min wage greeters from closed Wal Marts would be more useful. I have been politely convenienced by agents when making the same request. It is a good measure of who should be retrained (re educated)

Anonymous said...

Once in a while I come across a good one but most of them are pretty useless and have an attitude. Or it is an inferior complex knowing that their jobs can be done by almost any body on the street. Most of them don't even look at the customers when they talk as if they are some gods..... yeah, may be from the DUMB bin.

Anonymous said...

To the 4th Anonymous:
You sound like you are a BART employee. How sad!

Anonymous said...

I hate BART. They are willing to screw everyone in the Bay Area (even people who don't use BART) in order to get what they want. They make more money than most of the people who ride BART to get to their own jobs, yet they are using their transportation utility to extort concessions from BART. Management raises fare prices every other week in order to afford the exorbitant compensations of their staff. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being threatened by ungrateful BART employees and eternally-increasing fares. Even if they don't strike, I'm going to find another way to commute to my job in SF from Oakland. I hope they strike and it ruins BART forever.

BARTSurfer said...

The lady who words in the afternoons at MacArthur is kind of cute and pretty friendly. They aren't all terrible!