Problem buying ticket at Glasgow Central today

[liam456]

Whats RUK?

RUK - RailUK forums
(I was referring to the fact that in the time it took me to answer your question, yorkie already did)

 

[talltim]

Whats RUK?

This forum

 

[liam456]

Well, I've just been to the Avanti ticket office at Glasgow Central and had no problems going through the process of buying that same £50 ticket for an itinerary from Glasgow Central.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is certainly a legitimate use for that ticket, but some staff do seem to like making rules up that don't exist.

If the trial is considered a success, presumably it'll be applied to other TOCs as well, and so the issue will go away.

 

[Wallsendmag]

It is certainly a legitimate use for that ticket, but some staff do seem to like making rules up that don't exist.

If the trial is considered a success, presumably it'll be applied to other TOCs as well, and so the issue will go away.

I'm fairly sure this problem will soon go away.

 

[TUC]

Been like that forever in BR days it was Scottish tickets in one and International tickets in the other. I take it you've never been to Leeds or Stevenage?

There isn't such split counters in Leeds-only ones for travelling today rather than another day.

 

[TUC]

Like others above, I'm still puzzled why you didn't purchase the ticket from a TVM (which doesn't excuse Avanti's error but would have been a simple way of getting your ticket.)

 

[Wallsendmag]

There isn't such split counters in Leeds-only ones for travelling today rather than another day.

So you haven't seen the @station TIS in the First Class Lounge then

 

[Bletchleyite]

Like others above, I'm still puzzled why you didn't purchase the ticket from a TVM (which doesn't excuse Avanti's error but would have been a simple way of getting your ticket.)

Depends if the TVM does tickets from another station. Though purchasing on your phone and collecting would work.

 

[route101]

Depends if the TVM does tickets from another station. Though purchasing on your phone and collecting would work.

Scotrail TVMs do , handy feature.

 

[route101]

It is certainly a legitimate use for that ticket, but some staff do seem to like making rules up that don't exist.

If the trial is considered a success, presumably it'll be applied to other TOCs as well, and so the issue will go away.

Bit like when i try to use a Glasgow to Edinburgh on a service via Cumbernauld and falkirk.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Scotrail TVMs do , handy feature.

As do LNER's including Advance

 

[route101]

As do LNER's including Advance

I checked at Central . I couldn't change origin on avanti machines but could on Scotrail TVMS . Managed to get the ticket on them , £50 single , would say this ticket is better on a return journey combined with an advance.

 

[General Zod]

I tried to purchase a single from Edinburgh to London for Wednesday being as the ticket in question with a railcard is £50 vs £99 from Glasgow to London, however they refused to sell me the ticket saying they have been told to only sell the more expensive ticket to ‘prevent fraud’! Is this correct?

Why are their staff doing this ? The Ticket is freely available on the Avanti website . The whole episode makes them look like a bunch of lemons. What are the chances of there being a restriction put in place in the very near future which prohibits a ' via Glasgow ' route on this ticket ?

 

[greyman42]

I would of thought that the reason their staff are doing this is because they have been instructed to do so by management.

 

[mmh]

I would of thought that the reason their staff are doing this is because they have been instructed to do so by management.

"Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence," or whatever the actual saying is. It's something close to that.

I'm reluctant to believe there's conspiracy with TOC management instructing staff to not sell things they have to, not least because if it were happening I'm sure somebody would have leaked that it was happening by now. If not to the press, than on here at least - there are enough rail staff on here, so why would that not have happened?

 

[sheff1]

I'm reluctant to believe there's conspiracy with TOC management instructing staff to not sell things they have to ...

The person you quoted referred to "management" rather than "TOC management".

It is not clear when the former becomes the latter, but I can state with certainty* that the 'station supervisor' at my local station (i) has management responsibility for the booking office & (ii) had instructed the booking office not to sell certain tickets.

* my certainty comes from the fact that said 'station supervisor' was happy to confirm both (i) & (ii) when questioned.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why are their staff doing this ? The Ticket is freely available on the Avanti website . The whole episode makes them look like a bunch of lemons. What are the chances of there being a restriction put in place in the very near future which prohibits a ' via Glasgow ' route on this ticket ?

Wouldn't surprise me if it gained break of journey restrictions, which as there's no return from Edinburgh would be a major loss of flexibility.

 

[TUC]

The person you quoted referred to "management" rather than "TOC management".

It is not clear when the former becomes the latter, but I can state with certainty* that the 'station supervisor' at my local station (i) has management responsibility for the booking office & (ii) had instructed the booking office not to sell certain tickets.

* my certainty comes from the fact that said 'station supervisor' was happy to confirm both (i) & (ii) when questioned.

I do hope therefore that someone makes a complaint about impartial retailing requirements being breached.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do hope therefore that someone makes a complaint about impartial retailing requirements being breached.

Depends on the TOC as to how seriously it is taken. I managed to get the booking clerk at City Thameslink to give me in writing with a booking office stamp and his initials that he was refusing to sell me an Off Peak Day Single to Bedford at a time when it was valid, so convinced he was that he was right. Having given up and purchased the Anytime Day Single (the barrier staff were seemingly similarly convinced, so I was never going to get in had I bought an Off Peak from the TVM) I sent a complaint including a copy of this to Thameslink customer services...and they never did anything about it at all, not even a refund. As the difference was about 50p I didn't really have time to pursue further, but this just demonstrates how some TOCs are just institutionally rotten.

Of course the solution to this sort of case, unless you've also got barrier staff blocking you as I did, is to purchase whatever you like online either as an e-ticket/m-ticket if you must or to collect from the TVM.

 

[Vespa]

Things like this pushes people onto cars.

Just like the days of British Rail in the 60/70s, it was actually easier to drive than deal with the Kafkaesque ticketing procedure and refund system of an ossified BR.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Things like this pushes people onto cars.

Just like the days of British Rail in the 60/70s, it was actually easier to drive than deal with the Kafkaesque ticketing procedure and refund system of an ossified BR.

I think there is a need to be fair here - this Edinburgh ticket is a trial of single-fare pricing, which if successful will be rolled out further (and if not it will be removed), and while it does represent a small loss of flexibility it absolutely is genuine simplification. So I think your point here is a little out of place.

That you can use it to save a few quid (OK, quite a lot of quid) going from Glasgow if you're actually making a single journey (if you're making a return journey, which almost everyone will be, there is no point doing this) is just a side effect.

 

[Vespa]

I think there is a need to be fair here - this Edinburgh ticket is a trial of single-fare pricing, which if successful will be rolled out further (and if not it will be removed), and while it does represent a small loss of flexibility it absolutely is genuine simplification. So I think your point here is a little out of place.

That you can use it to save a few quid (OK, quite a lot of quid) going from Glasgow if you're actually making a single journey (if you're making a return journey, which almost everyone will be, there is no point doing this) is just a side effect.

The systems needs to be simplified and clear, st the moment it seems there is a lot of duplication and no joined up strategy with different operators (and staffs) making it up as they go along.

That's customer obstructive rather than customer easy, it can get to the point where the customer will decide not to bother and drive instead and tell 20 other people as well as venting on social media reaching 200 more.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The systems needs to be simplified and clear, st the moment it seems there is a lot of duplication and no joined up strategy with different operators (and staffs) making it up as they go along.

That is generally true, but as I said this specific fare is a trial of a proposal which genuinely does constitute simplification, and it's just "collateral damage" that there happen to be some journeys from Glasgow for which it is useful.

Had the trial not been in place, it wouldn't exist in the form it does.