Train rating system!

[isthia]

hi!

I am pretty new and joined my first train in December. I just got my envelope yesterday and was a bit sad that I had been sent several (7) expired coupons (I am very grateful for many great coupons that I'll make good use of). I posted the following on the train forum yesterday but didn't get a reply. Does anyone have any advice?

Hi everyone!

I was very excited to get my envelope today

While I did get some great coupons (yay!), I also got a number of expired ones (7). I don't want to be ungrateful, but since this is my first coupon train I'm not sure

1. Why I got expired coupons and
2. What (if anything) to do or say about it....

Advice please! Thank you

[MamasitaDonna]

Thank you everyone for posting here; I am about to board my first train and really want to do it right. The comments here are helping a bunch.

[angelacakelady]

I am new and will have to learn more about this coupon train stuff

[mrsfreeman]

if a train is not derailed, sent timely, $ for $ or more replaced, but a few rules were not followed, is that enough for a negative rating? is a conductor required to try and work with the "offender" before giving negative feedback? i didnt notice a train rule saying no go coupons or websavers. i am told i put some in....could be, i do alot of trading. but feel its pretty unfair to be slapped with a negative over it. oh yeah, and bashed in public too...

[peachblush]

.

[mrsfreeman]

i can't ask a question about ratings in the rating section? as far as i can read, the negative trade rating is for people who did not pass on the train at all....i find it unfair, and i wont let it go, its MY trade rating that will be affected. i have a right to enquire into this process.....i am a union worker by trade, and i am not the kind of person to take something like this laying down. i have not mentioned anybody by name in any thread, except the original one. many people have asked similar(although not the exact same) types of questions in this thread. i read the whole thing looking for my answer before i posted. as i have said before, i have a right to enquire. bottom line.

[Jezebel]

if a train is not derailed, sent timely, $ for $ or more replaced, but a few rules were not followed, is that enough for a negative rating? is a conductor required to try and work with the "offender" before giving negative feedback? i didnt notice a train rule saying no go coupons or websavers. i am told i put some in....could be, i do alot of trading. but feel its pretty unfair to be slapped with a negative over it. oh yeah, and bashed in public too...

generally the conductor should work with the rider to try to wprk things out before giving a neg rating BUT they are not required to depending on the rules they stated for their train ....for example if it is a posted rule * no save.ca coupons or you will get a neg rating* and you put in save.ca coupons well you knew the consequence before you put in the coupons and chose to ignore the rules..

[mrsfreeman]

generally the conductor should work with the rider to try to wprk things out before giving a neg rating BUT they are not required to depending on the rules they stated for their train ....for example if it is a posted rule * no save.ca coupons or you will get a neg rating* and you put in save.ca coupons well you knew the consequence before you put in the coupons and chose to ignore the rules..

"choose to ignore the rules" ? people make mistakes. life happens. thats pretty harsh if you ask me. i've never been so beaten up over a simple mistake in my life!!!

[Tinkerbella]

"choose to ignore the rules" ? people make mistakes. life happens. thats pretty harsh if you ask me. i've never been so beaten up over a simple mistake in my life!!!

Wow, I hope you can work this out. Contact Sally, I think she will help you

[Tinkerbella]

generally the conductor should work with the rider to try to wprk things out before giving a neg rating BUT they are not required to depending on the rules they stated for their train ....for example if it is a posted rule * no save.ca coupons or you will get a neg rating* and you put in save.ca coupons well you knew the consequence before you put in the coupons and chose to ignore the rules..

With all due respect, why should a conductors rule cancel out the SC official rating rule? A lot of ppl rely on coupons to get by and to have a bad rep due to one mistake is not only unfair, but is contradictory to what this community is supposed to be about.

[Jezebel]

"choose to ignore the rules" ? people make mistakes. life happens. thats pretty harsh if you ask me. i've never been so beaten up over a simple mistake in my life!!!

I didn't mean to sound so "harsh" as I have NEVER given a neg rating because mistakes were made on a coupon train.... perhaps "chose to ignore " were the wrong words I more like meant for example..I ran a Food Only Train and recieved it back with pet and cleaning....so someone didn't follow the rules ....but a few wrong coupons added by mistake...well yes life happens and ppl make mistakes...I am truly sorry if I came off harsh and hurt your feelings.

With all due respect, why should a conductors rule cancel out the SC official rating rule? A lot of ppl rely on coupons to get by and to have a bad rep due to one mistake is not only unfair, but is contradictory to what this community is supposed to be about.

I am unsure what to say as I see many conductors putting in whatever rules they feel like...I haven't been running trains lately since they seem not to come home...but even then I 99% have never left the last rider where the train was last recieved a neg rating since I don't know how/why it never came home....

I think there should be one set of rules for all trains but not everyone agrees with me and I do check to see what kind of ratings have been left by the conductors as I certainly do not want to get on a train where should it get lost I may get a neg rating !!

I am sorry once again if I didn't properly explain myself and came out sounding so harsh...

[mrsfreeman]

I didn't mean to sound so "harsh" as I have NEVER given a neg rating because mistakes were made on a coupon train.... perhaps "chose to ignore " were the wrong words I more like meant for example..I ran a Food Only Train and recieved it back with pet and cleaning....so someone didn't follow the rules ....but a few wrong coupons added by mistake...well yes life happens and ppl make mistakes...I am truly sorry if I came off harsh and hurt your feelings.

I am unsure what to say as I see many conductors putting in whatever rules they feel like...I haven't been running trains lately since they seem not to come home...but even then I 99% have never left the last rider where the train was last recieved a neg rating since I don't know how/why it never came home....

I think there should be one set of rules for all trains but not everyone agrees with me and I do check to see what kind of ratings have been left by the conductors as I certainly do not want to get on a train where should it get lost I may get a neg rating !!

I am sorry once again if I didn't properly explain myself and came out sounding so harsh...

thank you for explaining. you seem fair, and like a very nice person. i am just frustrated with my current situation. which, i totally understand is partly my own fault due to my mistake and my reaction after. i'm just disapointed that all the work i have done to get where i am was for nothing...and again i am being dramatic, lol, i met some great people, and got some great coupons while i was here, i learned a lot, and i will continue to save with coupons for as long as i can!

[mrsfreeman]

urrrg

[bargain_hunter_lola]

As a conductor I think the problem lies in the sheer number of people making errors. I myself have had to sub in so very many of my own personal coupons (for vwt's) or deal with wrong coupons (on traditional trains) that it's quite annoying. I dont even run traditional trains anymore because of the errors, de-rails, etc. For VWT's, a lot of the time I dont even get a TY for adding in my OWN coupons to help out a rider. Lately it seems like a lot of people are in the mind set of I'm entitled to one or two mistakes - Everyone is human. For the most part I think conductor's realize everyone is human and mistakes happen, but when the errors are many or seem blatant (totally not even trying to follow the rules) then I can see why they would give a negative. Especially when the person is combative.

I myself, keep track of the "combative" people I interact with and never deal with them again. It's not worth the hassle. They make mistakes and then you're roasting for just bringing it up. Yes, SC is a friendly and supportive site but that goes both ways. I'm always more than happy to help out, sub in coupons, raok, answer questions, etc. Whatever I can do to help my fellow SC'ers but sometimes that is abused. I can't explain how happy I am when someone replies with a simple "my mistake, I'm sorry".

No one wants to receive a negative but what do you do? If you dont leave a negative to warn of a possible problem then if the person scams tons of other sc'ers or de-rails many trains, people are upset you didn't leave a proper truthful rating. Afterall isn't that what the rating system is for?

In summation, I'm not commenting on any one issue at all. Just my experience overall as a conductor. I'm not saying conductors should jump to leave a negative rating but they shouldn't be roasting for doing what they truly think is right. Rules are set for a reason, and riders know the rules when they join. Sally is the trading mod so if you (general you) have an issue, you should contact her directly and work it out.

[mrsfreeman]

As a conductor I think the problem lies in the sheer number of people making errors. I myself have had to sub in so very many of my own personal coupons (for vwt's) or deal with wrong coupons (on traditional trains) that it's quite annoying. I dont even run traditional trains anymore because of the errors, de-rails, etc. For VWT's, a lot of the time I dont even get a TY for adding in my OWN coupons to help out a rider. Lately it seems like a lot of people are in the mind set of I'm entitled to one or two mistakes - Everyone is human. For the most part I think conductor's realize everyone is human and mistakes happen, but when the errors are many or seem blatant (totally not even trying to follow the rules) then I can see why they would give a negative. Especially when the person is combative.

I myself, keep track of the "combative" people I interact with and never deal with them again. It's not worth the hassle. They make mistakes and then you're roasting for just bringing it up. Yes, SC is a friendly and supportive site but that goes both ways. I'm always more than happy to help out, sub in coupons, raok, answer questions, etc. Whatever I can do to help my fellow SC'ers but sometimes that is abused. I can't explain how happy I am when someone replies with a simple "my mistake, I'm sorry".

No one wants to receive a negative but what do you do? If you dont leave a negative to warn of a possible problem then if the person scams tons of other sc'ers or de-rails many trains, people are upset you didn't leave a proper truthful rating. Afterall isn't that what the rating system is for?

In summation, I'm not commenting on any one issue at all. Just my experience overall as a conductor. I'm not saying conductors should jump to leave a negative rating but they shouldn't be roasting for doing what they truly think is right. Rules are set for a reason, and riders know the rules when they join. Sally is the trading mod so if you (general you) have an issue, you should contact her directly and work it out.

i agree that if there is an issue, sally should be contacted, but if this is an issue, its a good idea to post in the thread, so the question can be answered for all to see, and therefore sally receives less PM's. she is a busy lady. generally people should try to work it out themselves before she is contacted. i agree with a lot of what you are saying, but it certainly works the other way too! if you are joining a train, check out the conductor and see if that is someone you really want to be working with. i both ride and conduct a lot of trains, and i, quite honestly, usually have wonderful experiences. and if i was giving someone a negative, especially someone who is a regular SC'er who has a great track record, i would expect a certain amount of "combat" from them. i agree a negative should be used if the person isnt showing up, hasnt passed on a train, or sent out an agreed upon trade. if somebody makes a mistake on a train i do not believe they should receive a negative. the closest i can find in this thread to a real SC rule, is that if the train makes it to the next rider, the person should get a positive... the rating system was designed, (as far as i can tell) to indicate if someone isnt making good on their trades. i feel some people abuse the trade rating system for their own agendas, which is wrong. and i would also like to put in, that as a conductor i have worked with a ton of great people, got great coupons, and dealt with very few mistakes (knowing that as a conductor, you are collecting a BP from each rider, and should be expected to deal with train problems as they arise. when i have received bad coupons, i had PM'd the rider, dealt with it privately, and generally received many thanks from greatful and bashful SC'ers. thanks for listening!