Rude Railroads

From Russia Today:
"Cashiers at railway stations to become polite at push of button"

Moscow's railway stations are installing special buttons at ticket-offices in a bid to make cashiers more polite. When passengers push the button, their conversation with the cashier will be recorded. The recordings can then be used to assess any complaints. Such buttons have already appeared at the Yaroslavl Station. Local staff say the number of complaints has fallen. Cashiers are also currently being enrolled on special programs to teach them how to be more polite. Russian Railways are not the first transport system aiming to improve its customer service. The Moscow Metro is also training its cashiers to be friendlier. The staff have been given instructions telling them how to communicate with customers. Cashiers in the metro, just like those at railway stations, have a particularly bad reputation for being rude.

^ I have used both the Moscow Metro and the Russian Railroads and know exactly what the article means about their bad customer service. Even if there is a long line a cashier will randomly put up a sign that says they are "on break" or "at lunch" and simply leave. This new program is a step in the right direction in combatting poor Russian customer service. People (in any country) will use whatever little authority they are given. In Russia it seems to be more overt in usage. By recording the transactions and, if needed, using those tapes to discipline a cashier on poor service is a great way - along with training - to stop the decades old Soviet/Russian mentality of "I'm better than you because I have power." This program should be expanded to all train stations, metro stations, Post Offices, etc throughout Russia. It has been 20 + years since the Soviet Union collapsed and it's time the Russians learned that without people using the services those with a little power will be without jobs and it's up to the ordinary person to demand they be treated fairly - especially when they are paying for a service. ^

http://rt.com/news/prime-time/railway-stations-polite-cashiers-833/