Virgin weekend first

[BlueFox]

I'm travelling from Carlisle to Euston on Saturday, on an Advance ticket.

I've just received an email from Virgin, saying:

"Get that First Class feeling for £15 pp
Bluefox, we’d hate for you to feel First Class FOMO on your London Euston trip. So if you fancy a taste of the high life, just find an unreserved seat in First Class when you board, and when the Train Manager does the rounds let them know you want an upgrade."

It links to a web page, that says a Carlisle to Euston upgrade is £25

So which is right?
If I show the email when I get on the train, will I get the upgrade for £15?


I think what might be confusing their system is that I'm changing from one Virgin train to another at Crewe, so maybe the price they're offering me is a Crewe to Euston upgrade. The email just says "Your trip to London Euston", there's no mention of where the trip starts.

 

[_toommm_]

A quick peruse over to BRFares suggests £25 is right - I suspect the split may have confused it if you booked separately:

http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=CAR&dest=EUS

As for the email, I doubt theres anything you'd be able to do in the first instance when paying on board. As I'm sure you can imagine the ability to make up prices isn't something guards can do contrary to some people's opinion on here I guess you could take it up with VTWC with the ability for it to be misconstrued.

 

[BlueFox]

I suspect the split may have confused it if you booked separately:

I didn't book separately, it's one ticket. There's a change at Crewe because it's quicker that way, as my first train goes via Birmingham.

 

[robbeech]

As I'm sure you can imagine the ability to make up prices isn't something guards can do contrary to some people's opinion on here

Try getting a change of route excess from a Northern guard and come back to me on that one

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does it say "for £15", or "from £15" which would be correct? Or "for £15*" with * being "if you're doing a short journey"?

£25 is correct.

 

[BlueFox]

Does it say "for £15", or "from £15"

It says £15.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting. I think that's a mistake rather than a promotion, but I suppose you could push it and see? Perhaps with their Twitterers?

 

[6Gman]

Their website also quotes a £20 (or was it £25?) upgrade for Manchester to Glasgow. How does that work? Via Crewe?

 

[_toommm_]

Their website also quotes a £20 (or was it £25?) upgrade for Manchester to Glasgow. How does that work? Via Crewe?

Says £15 on BRFares. Via Crewe is rather circuitous, but the only way to do it on pure West Coast.

 

[Wallsendmag]

i think this may be an offer to selected customers operated by Trainline.

 

[BlueFox]

i think this may be an offer to selected customers operated by Trainline.

I bought the ticket from Virgin, not Trainline.
The email doesn't say it's an offer. And if it's for selected customers, how will the on board staff know that I'm one of the selected ones?

I've just checked back on a previous journey, and they sent me an almost identical email a few days before travel, but it said £25. The difference on that occasion was that my journey was all on one train, without the change at Crewe.


So it looks like a problem with their system, they're offering me an upgrade for half my journey, but not telling me that.

 

[BlueFox]

I've contacted Virgin via their website, I'll post their response, if I get one.

 

[RAPC]

The way the upgrade emails work is that they take the destination correctly in the copy, but the system calculates the fare based on one of the legs.

Have had similar upgrade emails from Preston and points north and when there is a change, it offers £15, with the correct amount on the direct service.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've contacted Virgin via their website, I'll post their response, if I get one.

It'll be weeks. I'd ask Twitter if you want something now.

Does sound like a mistake.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I bought the ticket from Virgin, not Trainline.
The email doesn't say it's an offer. And if it's for selected customers, how will the on board staff know that I'm one of the selected ones?

I've just checked back on a previous journey, and they sent me an almost identical email a few days before travel, but it said £25. The difference on that occasion was that my journey was all on one train, without the change at Crewe.


So it looks like a problem with their system, they're offering me an upgrade for half my journey, but not telling me that.

You are aware of which company operates the Virgin website?

 

[BlueFox]

You are aware of which company operates the Virgin website?

Yes. But I'm a Virgin customer, not a Trainline customer. If this is an offer, its a Virgin offer, not a Trainline one. But it's clearly not an offer, it's a mistake.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Yes. But I'm a Virgin customer, not a Trainline customer. If this is an offer, its a Virgin offer, not a Trainline one. But it's clearly not an offer, it's a mistake.

I think you'll find that The Trainline is legally speaking your retailer...

 

[Bletchleyite]

The way the upgrade emails work is that they take the destination correctly in the copy, but the system calculates the fare based on one of the legs.

Well, that's an almighty stuff-up, isn't it?

They should turn it off if they can't do it properly. It must be causing arguments and resentment.

 

[Jonfun]

I have to ask, what's a First Class FOMO?

 

[matt]

FOMO =fear of missing out

 

[Journeyman]

I have to ask, what's a First Class FOMO?

Virgin's cheesy marketing makes me flinch every time I see it.

 

[Howard70]

I think you'll find that The Trainline is legally speaking your retailer...

that's incorrect, Trainline are a supplier to Virgin but Virgin Trains is the retailer if the ticket was bought on virgintrains.com

 

[Bletchleyite]

that's incorrect, Trainline are a supplier to Virgin but Virgin Trains is the retailer if the ticket was bought on virgintrains.com

Either of those things could be the case depending on precisely how it is legally set up (not saying you're wrong of course). You'd have to read the T&C to find out.

 

[philthetube]

I would sit in first, you should get at least one cup of coffee befort the train manager comes round, offer 15 or walk at that point. make sure you can produce the email.

 

[Westcoast-ting]

I would sit in first, you should get at least one cup of coffee befort the train manager comes round, offer 15 or walk at that point. make sure you can produce the email.

And risk a upfn for the full fare ???

Show the email, pay the fare asked, keep the receipt and take it up with customer relations.

 

[Starmill]

If I received this email I wouldn't have questioned it, I would have just taken them up on the offer quite gladly.

It would never have entered my head to think that they might charge me more if they specifically sent an email that said upgrade on your journey for £15.

In the unlikely event that the upgrade were only available at a higher price, I would probably try to point out up to three times that I was accepting an offer to upgrade that had been made to me by email. If that did not result in a £15 upgrade I'd be tempted to pay whatever sum we're being demanded, and then writing in to claim my refund of the difference and explaining how so unhappyi was with their service that this were allowed to happen.

And risk a upfn for the full fare ???

Why would any train manager issue a UPFN in these circumstances? To do so would result in no end of problems for them, no doubt.

 

[alistairlees]

that's incorrect, Trainline are a supplier to Virgin but Virgin Trains is the retailer if the ticket was bought on virgintrains.com

In fact Trainline are the retailer. You can see that in VT's T&Cs. It is unusual though; normally the TOC is the retailer. Most likely this has something to do with the origin of the Trainline - it was set up by Virgin Trains.

 

[Westcoast-ting]

Thinking a bit more logically, if you have agreed to pick up tickets / have them posted, then when the tickets arrive the weekend upgrades will state the stations there valid between. Ie carslile - Euston or Crewe - Euston.

 

[Westcoast-ting]

Why would any train manager issue a UPFN in these circumstances? To do so would result in no end of problems for them, no doubt.

Thinking a bit more about it the weekend upgrade would state either carslile - Euston or Crewe to Euston.

If the carslile to Euston was 15 then happy days the upgrade covers the journey.


If the upgrade was Crewe to Euston and the passenger boarded and claimed it was valid from carslile then I would be asking for the fare or details.

 

[Starmill]

If the upgrade was Crewe to Euston and the passenger boarded and claimed it was valid from carslile then I would be asking for the fare or details.

What on earth are you talking about.

The customer has been sent an email offering them a First Class upgrade on the journey they've booked. There is no difficulty in this whatsoever. Special offers by email are hardly unusual? VT and LNER have been known to send these frequently to customers who've booked with them, to promote goodwill, to generate some revenue and to increase the number of standard class seats available on their most heavily loaded trains. It's a win all round. It really does not require this level of discussion.