Negotiating With Greyhound

Tuesday, August 04, 2015

After my late morning session with VIA rail I find a WiFi spot and settle down to interrogate Greyhound about Coburg.

I find www.Greyhound.ca and try to act like a potential customer booking a trip to Coburg. The web site confuses me because there are two Toronto departure points, neither of which seems related to the Coach terminal at Bay and Dundas Streets in downtown Toronto.

Nor does it recognize “Coburg” or “Coburg, ON” when I type that in as my destination.

After ten minutes I look for the contact number 1-800-661-TRIP (8747) and fire up Ye Olde Trusty Cell-Phone. An automated voice system called Gracie (or it could be “Gray, see?” leads me though a menu system that has nothing at all to do with customer enquiries about struggling to get a grip on the system, but I club her to death with repeated blows of the zero and hash keys on my cell phone and reach a calm-speaking guy at the other end who can’t help me to navigate the web site. He says I should contact the local office directly and gives me the number 416-594-1010, which I dial.

416-594-1010 is, of course, a recording which tells me to look for whatever I want on the web site www.Greyhound.ca or dial 1-800-661-TRIP (8747) id I want to speak to an operator.

At this point I send them an email and am now waiting for an automated response telling me that my email is very important to them and that they will reply before Sol explodes into Red Dwarf stage.

Enterprise rent-a-car is beginning to look very attractive, but that defeats the purpose of these exercises which is to explore Toronto’s Surroundings by Public Transit.

Aug 4

Christopher Greaves cprgreaves@gmail.com Aug 4 to Canada.info

Hello.

Is there any number I can call to get help from Greyhound?

I went to the website www.greyhound.ca but couldn't get it to recognize Coburg Ontario as a destination.

So I phoned the 1-800-661-TRIP (8747) and struggled with Gracie.

Finally escaped her clutches and spoke with a real live human who gave me the number in Toronto 416-594-1010.

I called that number and got a recording that told me to try:-

(a) the web site or

(b) 1-800-661-TRIP (8747

It was the lady at the Grey Line desk in Union Station suggested I call Greyhound, but so far neither your web site nor telephone service seems very helpful.

I had been hoping to see parts of Ontario by traveling by bus to outlying cities and then traveling back to Toronto.

I know I can get some places by VIA rail and GO Transit, but I had thought that Greyhound would provide a better variety of service.

Thank You; Chris Greaves

Aug 18

Info, Canada Canada.Info@greyhound.ca Aug 18

Dear Customer:

Thank you for your message and your interest in Greyhound. We sincerely apologize for the delay.

In reference to your question,

The indicated department that will further assist you with your request is

the Greyhound Fares & Schedule Department. They can be contacted directly

at 1-800-661-TRIP (8747) at anytime.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again or by phone at, 1-800-661-TRIP (8747). Please include this e-mail with your response.

Sincerely, Ruben Fierro, Customer Care Analyst

Aug 19

Christopher Greaves cprgreaves@gmail.com , Aug 19

Hello,

I think you didn't understand my original message (reproduced below).

I did call the 800-number back on August 4th when I had a question.

They referred me to 416- which is a voice-recording which referred me back to the 800-number.

Now you tell me to call the 800-number.

I was considering traveling with Greyhound to explore Ontario this summer and fall, but it seems to be near-impossible to get help.

Am I the only potential customer who has trouble with your web site?

Aug 21

Info, Canada Canada.Info@greyhound.ca Aug 21

Dear Customer:

Thank you for your message and your interest in Greyhound. We sincerely apologize for the delay.

Regarding to my system we do not have service in Cobourg, ON the nearest location will be Peterborough, ON

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again or by phone at, 1-800-661-TRIP (8747). Please include this e-mail with your response.

Sincerely, Ruben Fierro, Customer Care Analyst

Aug 24

Christopher Greaves cprgreaves@gmail.com 3:12 PM

No further questions.

My problem is with your web site; the 800- and 416- numbers just make it worse.

I have found an alternative way of getting where I want to go.

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