matthew cole

One of the less famous Coles but probably distantly related to Old King and Nat King. Care about social & energy stuff. And views are mine.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@WestMidRailway Rather frustrating though when see the 1559 train leave Shrewsbury for Bham, with driver and train manager, but marked as out of use for passengers who have been sent to catch a bus…

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

⁦@CrossCountryUK⁩ - call me a pedant but the Humber is kind of quite a big thing to miss. It has a whopping bridge and everything. And the last time you could walk from Hull to Grimsby was in the ice age…

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@Pret @Sinead_Obeng Pre-COVID there was a fab coconut and quinoa porridge that was daily free …

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

At midnight I drove along the Severn to Bridgnorth & there was a strong sewage smell from the water. @stwater say there are no sewage works nearby & @EnvAgency say I can’t report it because I smelt it not saw it. Because it’s not reported it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

4/. And my sense here is that the process is deliberately hard work to avoid people getting what’s due and delivering additional margin for Avanti. It could be so much better.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

Sorry. A slight rant. Sometimes it seems like some companies really conspire to avoid doing what is right and in the consumer interest. Take @AvantiWestCoast for instance. My train was declassified so my Standard Premium seats weren’t available. I don’t mind about this.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

3/. And once the refund was approved they couldn’t credit my bank but had to send a cheque. Which took 28 days. And which I must now remember to pay in. Life doesn’t have to be this hard.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@WestMidRailway Hi. Lots of lots of people trying to get to Wolves on very full trains to catch the rail replacement buses. Any chance you could run the services you have cancelled as far as Wolv? Ten WMR carriages worth of people to squeeze into other services is a lot…

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@LT_customer1st Lynda your research programme is so invaluable to Fuel Bank … it allows us to do better explain the reality of the folk we support. And had allowed us to make change like never before. You are a superstar!

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@TheNewsAgents @GlobalPlayer @maitlis @jonsopel @lewis_goodall So I have had to stop my morning run to relisten to the observation that Thérèse Coffey is like Velma. And then my signal dropped. Ah, not Velma from Scooby Do but Thelma from Thelma and Louise.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

Highlight so far for my son on a college trip to Manchester to #ToryConference is that he was kind of interviewed by @jonsopel of @TheNewsAgents fame.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@LT_customer1st Wait until you are talking about university and student debt. And driving lessons in between.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@GMB @susannareid100 The PM was deaf to the situations that every day folk are dealing with. I wanted to feel that he got it but I just feel sad. My charity @fuel_bank can help Bill with energy for his park home. Please get in touch.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@GMB @susannareid100 the PM was deaf to what is happening to every day folk across the UK. I wanted to feel that he understood the challenges but I just feed sad. My charity @fuel_bank can help Bill with energy for his park home. Pl get in touch.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@AvantiWestCoast @SLYtheatremaker At Glasgow Central too the team have been fab… it’s a pity that you want to close the travel centre there because they are there giving a bit of calm in all of the chaos.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@Luke32011728871 @AvantiWestCoast Apparently you can stay on the same train if it's running ... @thetrainline flagged that they think the service may finish early in Birmingham and not travel to Shrewsbury.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

So the cheapest ticket on the same @AvantiWestCoast train tomorrow costs £100. No £88. No £57. All depending on which website you look at. Surely this disadvantages somebody and such huge variations aren't acceptable?

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@Luke32011728871 @AvantiWestCoast Not known to me, evidently, but surely this is wrong or must be consistently applied. Passengers should know that the price they are quoted for a public service is consistent across all online channels etc.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@AvantiWestCoast But it is Miles. 1816 leave Euston on the Shrewsbury train that arrives at Telford at 2031. Your ticket £100. A ticket from elsewhere is £57.

[matthew cole @CattyMole]

@Hasan24044699 @maitlis @TheNewsAgents @romankemp @GlobalPlayer It's funny but I thought the same. Grew up in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere in Yorkshire in the 80s but there were two youth clubs with folk who would teach you new stuff and would listen and give advice. I imagine no such provision exists today. Really Sad.