Richard Parry.

[Laurie Booth]

He probably started out wanting and intending to be approachable. That was before he discovered what a cranky, blinkered, irrational and self-obsessed lot us boaters are. I expect he's changed his mind now.

100_7316 by Laurie Booth, on Flickr

BCN Challenge 2015

[bassplayer]

Sorry but I think you were out of order for writing to the CEO about a routine matter of administration. You should follow the normal channels and only use a letter to the CEO as a last resort, certainly not a first resort. What would happen if everyone followed your lead and addressed all correspondence to the CEO? You are perhaps not as important as you think you are.

If you do follow the right channels and get nowhere it's perfectly reasonable to try the CEO directly.

 

...and anyway a CEO is no more important than anyone else either...

[Maffi]

Good idea when is he having his next boaters meeting?

 

After the last debacle in Birmingham I doubt Mr Parry will ever have another boaters meeting!!!

Edited June 12, 2015 by Maffi

[dor]

Don't know about getting a response from the CEO, I'm struggling to get a response from Customer Services. They seem to ignore everythng then have an answering session every couple of weeks or so.

 

In my working days such poor staff wouldn't have lasted ito their second week.

Edited June 12, 2015 by dor

[cotswoldsman]

Don't know about getting a response from the CEO, I'm struggling to get a response from Customer Services. They seem to ignore everythng then have an answering session every couple of weeks or so.

 

In my working days such poor staff wouldn't have lasted ito their second week.

Are you the right type of customer?

Customer Service does seem to e going backwards, a simple request for a copy of sightings that used to come by return or certainly within 24 hours is now advised by customer service as taking 40 days.

[bassplayer]

Are you the right type of customer?

Customer Service does seem to e going backwards, a simple request for a copy of sightings that used to come by return or certainly within 24 hours is now advised by customer service as taking 40 days.

CRT should be fined £25 per day if it takes over 48 hours...

[jenlyn]

CRT should be fined £25 per day if it takes over 48 hours...

Lol. Greenie

[matty40s]

CRT should be fined £25 per day if it takes over 48 hours...

I'm sorry, this should be an extended administration charge, CRT don't do fines.

[jenlyn]

He probably started out wanting and intending to be approachable. That was before he discovered what a cranky, blinkered, irrational and self-obsessed lot us boaters are. I expect he's changed his mind now.

I recognise and admire the fact that you have come clean.

Hopefully the healing process will not be a long one

[zenataomm]

If you do follow the right channels and get nowhere it's perfectly reasonable to try the CEO directly.

 

...and anyway a CEO is no more important than anyone else either...

 

Quite right .... however their hourly rate indicates it's not best use of their time. They're being paid to decide executive issues and be responsible for implementing them successfully, not joust verbally with The Hoi Polloi.

The clue is in their job title. They are however responsible for anything they have delegated downwards.

[jenlyn]

"My door is always open for two way conversation", is what Mr Parry once stated.

Now it seems to be slammed shut and firmly locked. I guess the conversation can only be continued if it's his way.

[bassplayer]

 

They are however responsible for anything they have delegated downwards.

Exactly. So if things go wrong they need to know about it. How many CEO's get fed up with the wool being pulled over their eyes by scared staff.

 

The customer (yes, that's what us boaters are) is often the first to blow the whistle on bad practices and corruption within an organisation. It's up to the CEO to decide how important the business (and their reputation) is to them.

 

Hopefully Richard is one of the good guys. You get good and bad at all levels!

[cotswoldsman]

 

Quite right .... however their hourly rate indicates it's not best use of their time. They're being paid to decide executive issues and be responsible for implementing them successfully, not joust verbally with The Hoi Polloi.

The clue is in their job title. They are however responsible for anything they have delegated downwards.

Ummm CEO is just another Americanism that has crept into British Companies. What we have in CRT is a CEO who reports to the Trustees but very little below that would instill any confidence.

I am sorry but Richard put himself up as the man of the people. Every press release from CRT carries a quote from him.

[dmr]

100_7316 by Laurie Booth, on Flickr

BCN Challenge 2015

 

 

"cranky, blinkered, irrational and self-obsessed !"

Well that's you off the Christmas Card list Laurie (as only two of the above apply!)

You can only redeem yourself by buying all of the beer at the next visit to Ma Pardoes.

 

...............Dave

[Laurie Booth]

 

 

"cranky, blinkered, irrational and self-obsessed !"

Well that's you off the Christmas Card list Laurie (as only two of the above apply!)

You can only redeem yourself by buying all of the beer at the next visit to Ma Pardoes.

 

...............Dave

But I bought the last lot at The Old Swan

 

Photo Proof

100_7365 by Laurie Booth, on Flickr

 

[zenataomm]

Any boss that says "My door is always open for two way conversation" is not displaying best business practice or is is liar.

Why?

Because they either have no realistic understanding of what the true demands of the job will be on their time or no intention of keeping the promise in the first place..

[rgreg]

Are you the right type of customer?

Customer Service does seem to e going backwards, a simple request for a copy of sightings that used to come by return or certainly within 24 hours is now advised by customer service as taking 40 days.

Maybe they're snowed under from people asking for irrelevant stuff

[cotswoldsman]

Maybe they're snowed under from people asking for irrelevant stuff

Why would it be irrelevant for a boater to check that the record held by CRT is correct?

[zenataomm]

Why would it be irrelevant for a boater to check that the record held by CRT is correct?

 

Because one person's priority isn't necessarily the next person's Key Performance Indicator.

[cotswoldsman]

 

Because one person's priority isn't necessarily the next person's Key Performance Indicator.

What rubbish you do spout. You really think when it comes to customer service that each task has a KPI. If I understand you right customer service only matters if it is attached to a KPI?

 

Because one person's priority isn't necessarily the next person's Key Performance Indicator.

What rubbish you do spout. You really think when it comes to customer service that each task has a KPI. If I understand you right customer service only matters if it is attached to a KPI?

[nicknorman]

If I understand you right customer service only matters if it is attached to a KPI?

Well I have some sympathy with Mr Z, customer service only matters if it's attached to a KPI - as far as the CRT employee is concerned! It's a bit like NHS targets, once you set them they become the be-all and end-all of patient care. Personally I would ban KPIs and expunge the acronym from the workplace but, like so many other things like the stupid phrase "going forwards" we inherited it from the USA at just about the time the USA had decided it was BS.

 

KPIs are a substitute for good judgement and common sense and as such reduce us all to the lowest common denominator of mindlessness.

Edited June 12, 2015 by nicknorman

[Tony Dunkley]

A couple of months back i wrote an important letter to Richard Parry about the legal position of one of my boats. I never received any reply. When I phoned to ask why, I asked to speak to his PA, who would not speak to me directly, but relayed messages through the customer service person. An odd and unprofessional way to conduct business I thought ? The letter was sent signed for and I know they received it. Everything was polite and above board from my end.

 

End result a total waste of time writing the letter, it just got passed back down the food chain. I didn't expect an invite to Parry's for dinner, but some kind of acnowlegement would have been nice .

 

My opinion of Mr Parry has gone down the toilet. What a worm.

 

Rant over.

 

Your experiences of giving Parry the opportunity to demonstrate the worth of his claims to being open and approachable are rather similar to mine. He initially responded to e-mails with some prime examples of issue ducking and double talk, and when it was pointed out to him that his answers were neither relevant nor factual, he instructed his staff to refer all future communications from me directly to their 'in house' solicitors.

I think if he genuinely wanted to be more closely involved with, and approachable for, all his boating customers he should be much more of a presence on the C&RT website . . . . . perhaps even a whole page with an appropriate and personally descriptive title . . . . the Richard Parry Site ?

Edited June 14, 2015 by Tony Dunkley

[kris88]

My impression of Richard parry, is that he is a glad handing politician. Like any other politician, he tells people what he thinks they want to hear. My concern would be what state are the waterways going to be in, when his term as ceo is over. The waterways where here before him and they will be here when he's gone, but what damage is he going oversee during his time in charge.

Regards kris

[onionbargee]

One thing is for sure, if a customer sends you an important letter, and you ignore it, your going to get a ton of bad PR on the internet.

[thunderbird]

What else did you expect of a railwayman? Boots erstwhile 'Blythe the scythe' has nothing on him!

Am hearing similar on fb and along the cut.

Not good.

Edited June 15, 2015 by thunderbird