While what is described below is a very personal customer experience issue; one in which there are several critical points where Greyhound could have turned a bad situation into a pleasant one. Had compensation or assistance been made, I would have been open to giving Greyhound a second chance.
These are the failure points and the potential remedies that would have satisfied me. Greyhound offered none of these.
- Greyhound bus is late. > No problem, that happens, no remedy needed.
- Bus driver decides to skip scheduled stop. > Transport passengers to alternative stop. Guarantee pick up.
- Five hours passed since scheduled departure (on a 3-hour trip) > Provide food voucher or free return trip.
- Passengers facing potential overnight stay > Pay for local hotel, provide food vouchers.
- Passengers can now get a ride from parents > Refund tickets.
- Parental complaint on Twitter > Respond within 24 hours.
- Parental complaint on website > Respond within 24 hours, not 7 to 14 days.
Below appears a description of how Greyhound committed a massive customer experience failure >>>
This is my HAPPY 18-year-old daughter, with her first Greyhound bus ticket, about to take her first long-distance (versus local metro) bus ride home from college. She’s 4 hours from home and the bus is perfect solution to get her back and forth, so this could have been the first of many, many tickets purchased over the next two years. BUT….
To make a long story short. The bus was an hour late, ok. The bus broke down and would be even later, ok – kinda expected that from Greyhound.
But then the bus driver, who was radioed twice that he had three (3) passengers waiting for pickup in Zanesville OH, decided to make up time on his schedule and simply SKIPPED Zanesville. Failed to pick up my daughter and her two girlfriends as it was getting late … and they were alone in a city they did not know.
They were an hour away from their rural college and three hours from Pittsburgh. I could go get them, but after an important event I was at. While the woman in Zanesville was friendly enough, Greyhound provided little compensation or assistance.
Eventually, with the assistance of another friend (NOT Greyhound) they made it to a different bus station where they could pick up a 10 pm bus (maybe catch it, there were no guarantees from Greyhound that bus would definitely stop) and get to Pittsburgh. This did happen, and they did make it home safe – at 1:30 in the morning… but …
Greyhound put my daughter and her two girlfriends in a very dangerous situation – all to make up 30 minutes on a schedule? And they offered very little assistance and recourse in the situation… even refused to refund the tickets if I did make it out there to pick them up. What could/would happen to young adults using the service who do not have parents who could possibly pick them up?
I understand buses run late. I understand schedules can get really behind. But what I don’t understand is how a scheduled bus can bypass customers with purchased tickets just to make up time on a schedule.
This was the first time we tried Greyhound, had it been a good experience we likely would have used Greyhound for additional trips to get our daughter back and forth to college in OH. Now we realize that we can’t trust that our daughter will be safe in Greyhound’s care and will not use their service. Greyhound has missed out on a lot of potential future business to save 30 minutes on their already behind bus schedule.
As I’ve complained about this to friends, I’ve heard really great things about Megabus… I guess Megabus can thank Greyhound for a new customer 
PS to add insult to injury…
1.) Twitter complaint on Friday night remains unanswered.
2.) Submitted official complaint on Greyhound website today. Automated message assured me that customer assistance request will be answered within 7 to 14 days!
Will append when, IF, I ever hear from Greyhound.
Article copied from my community sharing blog, #CX_Fail located at bit.ly/e8zbaM.
