Missing VTEC tickets, replacements taking a long time to appear

[nitten_travell]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but here goes..

In mid-February I bought a Advance single tickets for a round trip from Sunderland to London with a TwoTogether card, through the VTEC website and opted to have them posted. Two days later they arrived but one of the four tickets was missing. I immediately called VTEC and eventually spoke to someone who sent a Declaration of Non-Receipt which I completed and returned that same day. The next day I received confirmation that it had been received.

That was on 21st February. Since thing I've not had any contact from the reissue team. I called VTEC a little while back and was brushed off ("next few days" or words to that effect). So I sent another email and was told that I'd get new tickets "closer to the departure date". This is all well and good but I actually need to post the tickets to someone else!

Is this the usual experience? It strikes me as odd that I have to wait for an undefined period of time for the resolution of something which was not actually my fault. I'd just like to have the tickets in my hand so I can pass them on.

 

[bb21]

I don't think any new ticket will be printed unless there was an error in the printing process. What tends to happen in such cases is you will be given an "authority to travel" in the form of either some email confirmation, or a letter faxed to your departure station. Not sure what Virgin's policies are but that is normally the preferred approach for the TOCs I'm aware of. Printing tickets again causes accounting discrepancies AFAIK.

 

[nitten_travell]

I don't think any new ticket will be printed unless there was an error in the printing process. What tends to happen in such cases is you will be given an "authority to travel" in the form of either some email confirmation, or a letter faxed to your departure station. Not sure what Virgin's policies are but that is normally the preferred approach for the TOCs I'm aware of. Printing tickets again causes accounting discrepancies AFAIK.

Thanks for your reply. Here's part of the email I received from VTEC support:

"Dear Dr nitten_travell,

As per our earlier conversation please complete the attached Declaration of Non Receipt form and email this back to [email protected] so that replacement tickets can be arranged. Once completed you will receive an email from our Re-Issue team with a replacement booking reference allowing you to collect your tickets from any station in the UK that has a self-service ticket machine facility."

Personally I'm not all that bothered if I get a new ticket, email, whatever. I just don't see how it can take VTEC so long! I just wondered if other folk have had a similar problem with missing tickets.

 

[bb21]

Does sound like it could have gone astray somewhere. When are you due to travel?

 

[nitten_travell]

The first week in June. I can only assume it fell out of a printer or something as three of the four tickets were in the pouch wallet thing that posted tickets come in.

 

[Skie]

When I got some tickets from VTWC they sent me someone elses mixed in with some of mine. Quick phone call and I had a fast-ticket reference for a fresh set of tickets.

It's contracted out to the trainline so shocking service is par for the course.