This sign greeted me at a Sydney train station last week:

Be heat smart on the train this summer.

We know that it can become hot on the train in summer. At Cityrail, we want you to enjoy your trip and be as comfortable as possible, so please take note of these summer travel tips:

• If you do feel unwell, don’t get on a train. Ask a member of staff for help.
• If you are on a train and feel unwell, get off at the next station, where help can be called upon more easily.
• Always carry a bottle of water with you.

Here’s my translation:

Because Sydney’s hot in summer and we haven’t air-conditioned some of our trains, using our service may lead to heat exhaustion. You sort it out.

Telling the truth to your customers is essential. Knowing, however, that you have a serious problem and ignoring it won’t win you any new customers. Cityrail should fix their problem and provide advice in the interim::

Every train in our fleet will be air-conditioned by 2009. In the meantime, we apologise that some of our trains can be hot in the summer -please take these precautions:

• If you do feel unwell, don’t get on a train. Ask a member of staff for help.
• If you are on a train and feel unwell, get off at the next station, where help can be called upon more easily.
• Always carry a bottle of water with you.

Do you force customers to sort out your problems? If you don-t know the answer to a customer’s problem, can your customer help you solve it? Where problems are endemic, can your customers help you prioritise your solutions?