Have you ever been trapped in a train tunnel for an extended period of time?

I travelled back from Paris once and should have been home by 9pm with a house move taking place the next day.

I finally got home at 8am the next morning with no option than to drink a coffee and keep going.

As a regular user of the Eurostar, I've experienced the good and the bad of the service. At its best, Eurostar is the most convenient train service for cross-channel travel.

I've missed trains because the timetable has been changed without great notification. I've been stuck in tunnels and held up just by the tunnel and each time, I put up with it because there is NO alternative. The ferries just don't get you there quickly enough.

Six Eurostar trains were trapped in tunnels on Friday and Saturday, causing huge concern and discomfort to travellers - and services are still not back to normal.

My nightmare delay was caused by that old classic, leaves on the line.

And I'm fascinated that Eurostar has been able to make modifications overnight to help trains cope better with 'unprecedented weather conditions' as they have been described by senior officials.

Surely a company that deals in travel can start making these arrangements, if they cannot be implemented permanently, as soon as weather conditions deteriorate?

Thousands of Christmas travellers are now seeking alternative ways of getting to or from France and it has done nothing for Eurostar's reputation.

For those who have used the modernised ferry services, it may not be as quick but it is a positive alternative and this weekend's experience may have put some people off Eurostar for good.

The communications undertaken by the train company has left much to be desired.

From what I have seen, it has taken two days for spokesmen to speak concertedly to the media and therefore the travellers to let them know what's really happening - and that just isn't good enough.

It is imperative that any company that relies on customer service - and Eurostar certainly does - has a robust and flexible communications plan which is implemented as soon as any issue arises.

That should include speaking to passengers regularly, updating via the internet, Twitter, Facebook and conventional media to reassure current and future passengers and their families of what is going on.

In this Web 2.0 world we live in, they have failed to make great use of Twitter to keep people updated, while some customers have tweeted about being left in the dark, literally and metaphorically, without information.

Whether it is true or not, Eurostar gave the impression that they did not have a plan or any idea what to do and that is why there was a delay in updating the public on developments and comprehensively as they should have.

It is often said that it is not a crisis but how you are seen to be handling it which can shape your standing in the public eye.

Eurostar's failure was not to have problems caused by the weather.

It was a slowness to speak to everyone about the challenges they were facing, even if they did not have the answers immediately, to show an urgency to deal with them.

As it is, Eurostar has not even appeared to be in control and certainly not done all they could to look after those who have been so desperately inconvenienced by the delays and technical problems.

By jumping straight to a compensation message, they have suggested that throwing money at people will alleviate any lingering frustration and reluctance to use the service in future.

Coherent, regular communications updates to the general public and directly to those concerned would be far more effective.

Showing you care immediately, even when things go wrong, is the key to success in the world of communications.

Eurostar will not suffer in the long term, but a thorough review of their crisis communications strategy is essential to prevent this sort of thing happening again.
 
 
As a child, Ferrari were a brand that held a huge amount of mystique for me.

The magical designs of their cars, the power of their engines…they were synonymous with the Italian romance with cars.

When Michael Schumacher started winning Formula One championships at Ferrari, I could only drool at the mastery of his talent, the single-mindedness and drama of his success.

Of course, there were times when it would be easy to question whether he took gamesmanship and ruthlessness to a new level, but no one can doubt the talent of the man.

But, despite their superiority in recent years, it seems a shame that Ferrari have resorted to a schoolyard communications policy which will win them few friends.

Following the injuries suffered by Ferrari driver Felipe Massa recently, Schumacher was drafted in to replace him and applied to undertake some testing to get used to the car before the next race.

This contravenes F1 rules and, to me, seems crazy, since practice appears to be imperative to maintain efficiency –don’t footballers, tennis players and every other sportsman and sportswoman practise daily?

It seems that Ferrari’s application for an exemption to this testing rule was blocked by the Williams F1 team, along with Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

I cannot speculate about their reasons for objecting –and it can be argued that the rules should be maintained for everyone, regardless of team or status – but the same fate befell Jaime Alguersuari, when he replaced Sebastien Bourdais at Toro Rosso last month.

I can understand Ferrari’s frustration with the rules, their frustration with the objections from other teams, but, given their status as one of the legendary teams of F1, this was not a time to start whining about not getting their own way.

For those of you who didn’t see Ferrari’s statement, it read: "Guess who opposed the test? A team that hasn't won anything for years and yet didn't pass over the opportunity to demonstrate once more a lack of spirit of fair play.

"Just for the record, the Scuderia Ferrari had given its approval to let Alguersuari test, but it seems even in this instance someone decided to stick to the precise wording of the regulations."

Ferrari condemn themselves with their reference to the “precise wording of the regulations”, which, while common sense would say there should be some flexibility for exceptional circumstances, are put in place for a reason.

Ferrari would have been so much wiser to make a statement saying that they were disappointed with the ruling but respect it.

They could then add that they would invite the FIA and F1 chiefs to look into proving for some flexibility in the rules for forthcoming season.

This would allow them to maintain the moral high ground and not drag themselves into petty squabbles which tarnish the sport and has ultimately tarnished their reputation.