Help yourself

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March 24th, 2008 · 43 comments

Spotted by doppelfrog at London’s Paddington station…

related: Water, water everywhere

FILED UNDER: "customer service" · London · rhetorical question · warning · water · whiteboard

43 responses so far ↓

#1 anglophile

I feel the same about Minding the Gap. Maybe they could sort out a system where there’s less of a Gap, and then they wouldn’t have to repeat it over and over and over.

Mar 24, 2008 at 10:52 am rating: 90

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#2 Quite Contrary

Does it really say ’01? I think “irate passenger” is being too polite.

Mar 24, 2008 at 10:52 am rating: 90

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- #2.1 Katzndogz
  
  Good eye! but considering that the 1 is a little short ~~for a stormtrooper~~ it was probably a 7 and someone knocked it’s hat off.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 11:54 am rating: 90
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#3 zenvelo

wow, 7 years of passive aggressive resentment building up! no wonder the passenger is irate!

Mar 24, 2008 at 10:53 am rating: 90

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#4 bamBAM!!

The irate passenger went to the trouble of bringing his own dry erase marker to the train, or boat, which means he first had to go out and buy one. The act was premeditated, so, I don’t know where that leaves us…

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:08 am rating: 90

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- #4.1 Tyler
  
  I don’t know about you, but I always carry a dry erase marker, a sharpie, some post-its, and a pink gel pen with me at all times in case I need to respond to any type of PA note.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 11:26 am rating: 90
- #4.2 bamBAM!!
  
  Oh, my dad does that, but he’s fifty, and a disgruntled community college professor.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 2:06 pm rating: 90
- #4.3 Leeloo
  
  Yeah, I keep mine on a keychain. They’re little *and* effective!
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 4:59 pm rating: 90
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#5 Canthz_B

Maybe it’s Holy Water and the vicar cannot fit the station into his busy schedule.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:22 am rating: 90

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#6 Canthz_B

One would think they would take the hint and unlock the restrooms.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:25 am rating: 90

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- #6.1 Duh
  
  I just figured out your name. Dim or what?
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 1:02 pm rating: 90
- #6.2 bamBAM!!
  
  I don’t get it… That would have been really funny in the previous note, though. Like really funny. I’m serious. I don’t get it here, though.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 6:22 pm rating: 90
- #6.3 Ponytail
  
  Toilets ? On the Underground ? You have got to be joking. We’re not even allowed dustbins.
  
  Mar 26, 2008 at 7:24 am rating: 90
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#7 mere

it’s the iRate passenger. brought to you by apple.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:26 am rating: 90

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#8 claw71

No exclamation marks, no profanity and only the technical application of capitalization are evident in the response. The red ink would be a sign of rage but only if the author hadn’t gone to the trouble of using a dry erase marker. Use a Sharpie, next time.

I’m not saying that there aren’t any irate passengers, but this one is not so the committee to address the water leak on the top of the stairs concludes that this issue can be put off for another seven years.

Now who ordered lunch?

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:29 am rating: 90

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#9 Set To Evil

At least they are certain it’s water. If it were New York, they might need a different sign (knowwhatImean?).

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:47 am rating: 90

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#10 Sue Do Nim

How considerate of irate passenger to draw a line to before writing his reply. There will be no confusion for the color blind as to where the PA message begins.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:50 am rating: 90

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#11 unholyghost2003

In 7 years (or even 6mo) there has never been a bored metro employee or commuter who tidied up the caution note? I find that hard to believe.

The response was SHOCKINGLY polite I kept waiting to read “Buy a GOD DAMN MOP!” or “Puddles mean the terrorists win!”

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:51 am rating: 90

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- #11.1 hannah
  
  I now want to find an excuse to write ‘Puddles mean the terrorists win’ on a white board somewhere on the London Underground.
  
  Mar 25, 2008 at 4:51 am rating: 90
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#12 HR Wench

“Sort it out”. I love the British.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:52 am rating: 90

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#13 Wade

Upon closer inspection, the blue haze around the warning note makes me think that the writer made the mistake of using a permanent, rather than a dry-erase, marker and was therefore, despite some effort, unable to remove the note later.

So rather than replace the sign, they just left it there.

Now that’s P/A.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:53 am rating: 90

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- #13.1 unholyghost2003
  
  I don’t think so Wade, there are finger lines through some of the letters. The blue haze can be caused by people ONLY dry erasing writing and never wiping down the board with a wet cleaner. The black smudge is probably permanent but the blue looks like dry erase.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 12:07 pm rating: 90
- #13.2 Wade
  
  You are most likely correct, unholyghost.
  
  Another possibility is that both notes have been in place since 2001 (Katzendogz foreshortened stormtrooper [see #2.1] notwithstanding).
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 12:14 pm rating: 90
- #13.3 unholyghost2003
  
  ooooh! taking the top off the 7 would be VERY PA ….
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 12:38 pm rating: 90
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#14 mmm

Who writes “signed”?? That is just plain weird. Use a dash or switch your font to curly swirly writing.

Mar 24, 2008 at 11:57 am rating: 90

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#15 Straightline

I, also, like to rate passengers.

Mar 24, 2008 at 12:52 pm rating: 90

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#16 secondsout

My first “word!” of the day. Awesome! I now feel like I’m accomplishing something at work.

Mar 24, 2008 at 1:13 pm rating: 90

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- #16.1 anglophile
  
  Congrats, second. An accomplishment indeed.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 1:15 pm rating: 90
- #16.2 Canthz_B
  
  Congrats, ‘sout!
  A nice, short acceptance speech too!
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 1:40 pm rating: 90
- #16.3 bamBAM!!
  
  yes, but it wasn’t OUR word of the day.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 6:24 pm rating: 90
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#17 secondsout

Underneath the irate passenger’s note, you’ll see the thing underneath that reads, “help yourself.” Perhaps there are instructions on where the mop and plumbing tools are, so that said irate passenger can take care of the maintenance. It’s co-op commuting, I guess…

Mar 24, 2008 at 1:16 pm rating: 90

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- #17.1 Izzy
  
  That’s for the Metro – Britain’s free weekday newspaper for commuters. Still, I guess you could use the Metro to mop up the water if desperate.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 2:03 pm rating: 90
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#18 GhostWriter

Reminds me of my old boss:

B: “Where’s my newspaper?”
G: “The paper’s not here yet”
B: “STOP the excuses!!”

Mar 24, 2008 at 2:19 pm rating: 90

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#19 GhostWriter

That black smudge looks like a running pig in a dress. Team Rorschach!

Mar 24, 2008 at 3:29 pm rating: 90

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- #19.1 Nina
  
  Nah, it looks more like Super Pig. Flying to the rescue of irate commuters the world over. Yay Super Pig.
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 4:25 pm rating: 90
- #19.2 Suhayla
  
  Isn’t that only if they’re waiting in line?
  
  Mar 24, 2008 at 7:47 pm rating: 90
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#20 Sarah

Team Irate Passenger. Come on. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Mar 24, 2008 at 3:53 pm rating: 90

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#21 bamBAM!!

Please Take Care is the way I say goodbye to my grandma. I always include the please cause I’m afraid she won’t listen to me.

Mar 24, 2008 at 6:26 pm rating: 90

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#22 Hubbers

I am so glad someone said this! The dude has a totally good point.

And why does it take 6 months to fix an escalator?!?!

Mar 25, 2008 at 6:27 am rating: 90

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#23 Ana

The London Underground is well know for its fuckedupness – puddles, train delays and stations closed due to mysterious fires.

PS: Brits are so polite, even when they are pissed off, they still don’t go really nuts (like americans would).

Go Brits!

Mar 25, 2008 at 9:31 am rating: 90

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#24 marcopuffin

The Underground makes many a strange twist in its routes to avoid plague pits (where they tossed the bodies during the Great Plague of 1665) that can’t be reopened for a thousand years. So given the sheer quantity of tortured souls the trains have to wend their way through, could it be that this apparently unmoppable puddle has a more sinister explanation?

Mar 25, 2008 at 3:39 pm rating: 90

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#25 Learn English

Ana I agree, this note is profanity and exclamation point free, but definitely gets the point across. Cudos “irate passenger”

Mar 25, 2008 at 6:43 pm rating: 90

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- #25.1 meh
  
  ‘Kudos’, learn English. But then it is Greek, not English.
  
  Mar 25, 2008 at 7:57 pm rating: 90
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