Corporate culture: is it coincidence that First Great Western’s e-mails share the characteristics of their trains?

All in one neat package: an insult to the intelligence that cost too much to create and makes a lousy offer. Brilliant!

I live – as I may have mentioned a few times – in Bristol.

To go from Bristol to London you can drive – but try parking! Or you can take the bus, or go by train. I don’t drive – never have – and sometimes take the bus which is cheaper and almost as comfortable as the trains.

These are run by First Great Western, a name that insults the name of the great engineer Brunel, who created – among other achievements – Great Western Railways  – GWR.

GWR were the best of the old private train firms. First Great Western are among the worst of the new ones, though they have fierce competition from, for instance, Cross Country.

The First Great Western agency produce some pretty good and often pretty advertising – or, in this case, a pretty e-mail.

Good advertising may shade the truth, but it shouldn’t lie. It is a big mistake. And the better the advertising the worse the mistake. The same applies to emails, which are also advertising.

It is better not to advertise at all than run things which are stupid.

The offers in this email are rubbish. They tell you what you already know: that you can save by booking ahead. They also remind you how overpriced first class is. Very few people except those whose fares are paid by their employers can afford it.

And they remind you what s**t ordinary class is. A fair percentage of  the Great Western  toilets tend to be out of order. The ones that are left are smelly and falling to bits. Get on the train from London to Bristol at peak time and you’ll be standing for the first half hour – at least – whilst first class is almost empty.

No way to run a railway – and nobody with sense should remind me of it. And I might add if the government wanted or even knew how to get its finger out these profiteering rogues would be punished.

A similar piece of folly was on view at the cinema last night. I saw the new ad for the relaunched TSB – once clients of mine. The ad was good – except for one thing. I wager it was a pack of lies.

It said that the bank would go back to its roots and really help people. I will also wager they will do nothing of the sort.

Wise people would put their money, whether they run trains or banks, into improving their service. They should also pay their people more, who have a lousy time covering up for their employers’incompetence and greed.

And in the case of the bank, they should remember that this is taxpayers’ money – my money – they are p***ing away.

P.S. After writing this I had a dreadful problem with a ticket.  And I’d like to thank Joy – of First Great Western – who helped me out.