We always take notice of great service, as it fits with our core values and so serves as a good example for the D-kriptik team (and hopefully others as well). These stories are always relayed within our community, but we used to say this was off-topic for the blog. We now feel that was a naive view and ignored our non-technical values, so these types of posts will become a norm on this blog.
Anyway, here was my experience. I was on the 4:54Am EST Long Island RailRoad (LIRR) train out of Penn station to the Bablyon one morning last week on my way out to Huntington. I was supposed to transfer at Jamaica to the Huntington train, but, unfortunately, I fell asleep on the Babylon train.
(For those that don’t ride the LIRR to Huntington or other destinations, the LIRR has conductors on the trains that come around and check tickets. Under normal circumstances, a one-way ticket from Penn to Huntington gets checked twice, between Penn station and Jamaica station, and between Jamaica station and Huntington station. Generally, the conductor will punch (a hole in) the ticket once between Penn and Jamaica, and then punch and keep the ticket between Jamaica and Huntington. The reason for this is that the conductors need to keep track of how much of the ticket is used but cannot keep the ticket at that point because the legs of the trip might involve transfers, such as switching trains at Jamaica. Once you are on the final leg of the journey with no more potential for transfers, the ticket is normally kept by the conductors as it is all used up.)
Well, after we had passed Jamaica, the conductor came around for tickets again. When he woke me up, I asked if we had passed Jamaica and said I was going to Huntington. He said that was a problem as we already left Jamaica, so we chatted a bit. He came up with two options for me: check if I could find someone to pick me up at some station other than Huntington, or go back to Jamaica and change trains to Huntington. I chose to go back to Jamaica, so he wrote a note on my ticket stating what happened, providing some identifying information, and giving me the “OK” to ride back to Jamaica without having to buy a new ticket, which was great. He also said to try to stay awake, at least until I was on the Huntington train. Friendly, caring, and helpful.
So, I hopped off the train at Lynbrook and caught a train going back to Jamaica at around 5:30AM EST. The conductor on this train came around, saw my ticket, read it, smiled with sympathy at what happened, and then chatted with me about when the next train to Huntington would be leaving from Jamaica (“6:02AM or 6:12AM”), which was her next train as well. Again, friendly, caring, and helpful.
The wee hours of the morning, and they were friendly, caring, and helpful. I walked away feeling like I got something extra for my money. Now, that is customer service, and, as a core value of D-kriptik, when we see it in others, we feel a need to praise it. Bravo to the LIRR employees.
[...] A few days ago, I found myself once again traveling in the wee hours of the morning out to Huntington via the LIRR. This type of trip is normally uneventful and sleepy, but this one sparked some thoughts on security. [...]
To Whom It May Concern, I would like to praise all the cleaning men and women who work in the station. They all do a fantastic job on keeping the station clean. There is one lady that does a good job, I think her name is Shelia. Not only does she do the job that she is assigned to do, but she is very polite. I live in the Bronx, and on Sunday evenings, I come down to Penn Station to shop and look around. Before leaving the station to hop on a train to go back to the Bronx, I hang around in the station for a little while longer. And it’s probably at around 9:30pm or 10:00pm that I run into her. Should I not see her again, tell her to keep up the good work. And too; Thank the other cleaners for a job well done. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
[...] service experiences. So, here is some praise for the LIRR cleaning crew in Penn Station left in a comment. To Whom It May Concern, I would like to praise all the cleaning men and women who work in the [...]