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Why do people still use Trainline.com?

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RJ

RJ

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Mitch in Notts said:
I had told him to buy off peak returns on the day of travel as advances weren't worthwhile for the journey they were making. Unfortunately his Missus panicked when looking at fares and seeing only '5 tickets left' and bought them - for the wrong day - with the trainline - my mate managed to get a small refund by transferring them to another ticket - again singles. They actually spent £97 on tickets (lost £15) including fees when an off peak return for two Ilkeston to Skegness would have cost £79.40. Sadly people unfamiliar with the rail ticketing system often get ripped off.
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The best thing to do in this instance is ask someone who does know their way around for help.

Online booking sites are simply a means to buy a ticket if you know what you are doing. They are not designed to be an intuitive, educational experience for those who are new to it. If you don't know enough about the system and don't seek quality guidance, you're likely to end up paying more than you need to.
 
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trainophile

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I've just been reading a discussion on moneysavingexpert.com started by someone whose trains were cancelled due to the extreme heat last week, and on trying to obtain a refund from Trainline has been advised to return his tickets to them by Recorded Delivery, which he is expected to pay for himself.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=6030277

Not sure if I am supposed to c&p part of the actual text in the thread, but I'm not doing so in case there's some other rule about copyright - please advise if required.
 
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route:oxford

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trainophile said:
I've just been reading a discussion on moneysavingexpert.com started by someone whose trains were cancelled due to the extreme heat last week, and on trying to obtain a refund from Trainline has been advised to return his tickets to them by Recorded Delivery, which he is expected to pay for himself.
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But he doesn't have to. He can stick a second class stamp on them and they'll probably get there.

He could even hand deliver them himself, send a courier, ask a mate to drop them by.

I've bought mine from a TOC during disruption and been advised to use recorded delivery. The tickets cost £300 - I would have sent them back recorded whether I'd been advised to or not. I also took a colour scanned copy of them.
 
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ainsworth74

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At the risk of being sentenced to immediate flogging I will confess to using the Trainline App when I need tickets on the day of travel. My reason for doing so is that it's by far and away the best UI of any of the app that I've ever come across in terms of it's clarity and ease of use. I like that it remembers my card details so all I have to do is enter the three digit code off the back (which is easily memorised). I also like that it seemingly offers e-tickets (proper one's not the silly ones that require "activation") for the majority of journeys and ticket types available. If I need a ticket on the day of travel (for which there's no booking fee) then it's my go to app as none of the TOCs or other retailers have produced anything close, in my view, to the Trainline's app. I also tend to use it to avoid being issued loo roll ticket stock by guards or even from those ticket offices that have been infected by the same dross as many guards are now stuck issuing.

If I'm buying in advance then I will avoid the Trainline app or website like the plague due to fees and use a TOC website (currently TPE for the most part thanks to the mixing deck still being available with right link).
 
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Djgr

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It's called branding and marketing. Since when do consumers behave rationally?

(A more detailed answer is that there tends to be a general belief that TOC websites only offer their own tickets, Trainline may be seen as easier to use and its name certainly has high levels of awareness, particularly when consumers might not even know the TOC for their journey)
 
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PeterC

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Djgr said:
It's called branding and marketing. Since when do consumers behave rationally?

(A more detailed answer is that there tends to be a general belief that TOC websites only offer their own tickets, Trainline may be seen as easier to use and its name certainly has high levels of awareness, particularly when consumers might not even know the TOC for their journey)
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Seems logical for a member of the public to expect a TOC's site to only sell its own tickets if they haven't been told different.
 
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PeterC said:
Seems logical for a member of the public to expect a TOC's site to only sell its own tickets if they haven't been told different.
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Absolutely agree-and clearly Trainline has benefited massively from this.
 
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route:oxford

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trainophile said:
The point is that he shouldn’t have to incur any expense, even the price of a second class stamp.
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So, just to clarify...

If I'd bought my Advance rail ticket from GWR at Oxford Station, and my train was cancelled, you'd expect GWR to pay for my bus fare into Central Oxford and back to get a refund?
 
maniacmartin

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If you buy the ticket from a ticket office and are due a refund, you can post t to customer services at the same TOC that runs that ticket office if it is not practical to make another visit in person.
 
LNW-GW Joint

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PeterC said:
Seems logical for a member of the public to expect a TOC's site to only sell its own tickets if they haven't been told different.
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Not helped by signs like "Virgin tickets not accepted" at stations.
The TOCs don't like to promote ticket interavailability, even when they are.
 
bb21

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sheff1 said:
I don't use Trainline but they, and other online retailers, will certainly sell fares that my local booking office "can't" sell.

More generally, I don't know why people get upset about others using Trainline - it is their money and their choice ... much the same as someone who pays £1.65 for a bottle of fizzy drink at WH Smiths when they could get 2 bottles of the same drink for £1 at Poundland.
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Just consider your audience here for a moment. For some people it has to be black and white. Anything over and above basement prices and any deviation from the absolute cheapest must be evil.

So many things they did right in order to exist and flourish for this many years, their marketing, research, etc. They are, whether some people like it or not, at the forefront of whatever limited innovation there is in this industry.

The TOCs are, by and large, **** in their efforts in advertising available services from their own websites. Most are too engrossed in running their own special offers or ORCATs raiding to even bother giving the impression of caring for retailing other companies' products.

I still think they benefit hugely from the crazily complex fares structure we have in place, which once again is the doing of the industry itself, in conjunction with the DfT.

This is all in addition to many other things people already mentioned. If they provide something the market likes then so what people pay a small fee? All that investment has to be paid for somehow.

It reminds me of another much derided firm on this forum, Virgin, who are also popular in public opinion in stark contrast to what gets said in many threads on here.

I am no fan of either organisations, but accept that there are good reasons for their popularity with the general public. That is a concept I don't think some people can ever grasp.
 
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Djgr

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route:oxford said:
Why do people buy direct from the TOC when you can often get between 10-15% cashback at LOCO2?

Why do people buy direct from the TOC when you can often get between 5%-10% cashback by using your Visa or Amex Card at Trainline?

The only one I'd buy direct from is probably Virgin Advance tickets. There's always 20% off them one way or another.
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But you can generally get cashback via Quidco on TOC direct sites. I've used pretty much all of the TOCs over the years depending on who is giving.
 
Darandio

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172006

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That was my point back on page one of this thread. Trainline doesn't always show the cheapest fare. The links that I posted don't work anymore, that's why I posted the screenshots now.
As an aside, I just saw an ad for Trainline on RealTimeTrains. I don't think RTT's users need Trainline!
 
Darandio

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172006 said:
As an aside, I just saw an ad for Trainline on RealTimeTrains. I don't think RTT's users need Trainline!
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You saw an ad because it was related to your browsing habits. But you don't need it either! :lol:
 
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Jocques

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It's fine for me, it's easy to use and convenience is worth it. I use split ticketing if it's a tricky or expensive route though.
 
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Mark J

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James H said:
Yes, it is amazing how many otherwise sensible people completely fall for Trainline's marketing and believe that they are getting a better deal booking through then.
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The best deals are now through the ticket splitting apps that save you an absolute fortune, allow you to buy tickets and reserve seats too. On the Trainsplit App you can.
 
4

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I’ve been in Germany and Austria for the last few weeks and made a few journeys both within Austria and cross border Germany-Austria. I’m on holiday so not used to the best (cheapest) way of buying tickets. In general I have been comparing between Trainline, DB website and ÖBB website in buying tickets. My observations are:

1. I ‘trust’ Trainline as I know that I can get e-tickets while I may or may not be able to do that through DB or OBB websites.

2. Ticket pricing in Germany and Austria seems to be as complicated as in the UK with a whole range of different fares available for the same journey ! Eg Booking in advance / group discounts / railcard discounts available. Fathoming these out is tricky when you don’t know the system. Haven’t even tried split ticketing.

3. Ticket prices for the same journey have generally been a lot cheaper on Trainline than the OBB website / app. DB website prices are generally same as on Trainline.

4. None of the three websites appeared to offer the group discounts that were available on a day return for three adults from Zell am See to Salzburg when I booked in person at the station.

So my conclusion is that Trainline has a place in buying European tickets - trusted supplier though far from infallible. It always pays to get more than one opinion !
 
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tago

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My partner insists on using it because the GWR website is so utterly dysfunctional and dreadful, getting stuck in mid-booking (as it is right now).
 
TFN

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I used trainline for the first time in Europe travelling between Lille and Kortrijk. Very convenient in that scenario as the validation system in the mainland scares me, trainline gave me an e-ticket.

Back home though I use the TOC I travel with. SWR do e-tickets now so that's convenient for their services. For the other TOCs it's just on their relevant websites.

I stopped falling for the Trainline scam long ago however I can definitely see it's the most popular amongst business, leisure and foreign travellers!
 
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