24 Jul Coventry-Berkhamsted - inconsistencies between sites

[ashley84]

Hello,

I am trying to book some tickets between Coventry-Berkhamsted return, for 2 adults + 2 children on a family railcard, on 24 July. It is for a day trip so aiming to depart at 9-ish and leave at maybe 5-ish. We would prefer to have a flexible ticket although may use advance fares if there is a significant saving.

I'm getting oddly different fares from different websites. If I use the West Midlands Railways site, it tells me that the cheapest Off Peak return is £48.90, which tallies with what brfares.com says (2x £19.00 and 2x £5.45).

However, if I do the same search on Avanti's site, the cheapest return fare it offers is £116.30, and only shows options that involve some time on an Avanti train. I can force it to only show direct trains, which then offers me the WMR/LNWR only fares, but there are still discrepancies on the price - £67.65 for an off-peak return or £50.25 for a super off-peak return.

I was wondering if anyone knows the reason for this please? It has been a long while since I last booked some tickets beyond very local journies, but I was under the vague impression that in theory all sites should offer the same fares and see the same timetables?

Thank you for any help.

 

[30907]

I can't get anything but error messages from Avanti, sorry.

 

[alistairlees]

The Avanti website is rubbish, full of inaccuracies, and best avoided. Even for a simple journey such as London to Manchester - a route which you might think mattered to Avanti - it can't get things right: as well as direct trains, it shows unnecessary (no cheaper) itineraries via Sheffield, as well as completely incorrect itineraries via Grantham, including a tube journey on the itinerary, even though the ticket doesn't include a tube journey (so the customer would be rejected by London Underground staff, correctly).

You can get an Advance fare on the way out for £10.10, and a Super Off-Peak single (giving you flexibility) on the way back (but a bit later) for £23.50, total £33.60. That's pretty good. Try Railsmartr.co.uk for this.

 

[Watershed]

including a tube journey on the itinerary, even though the ticket doesn't include a tube journey (so the customer would be rejected by London Underground staff, correctly).

Incorrectly. If a customer is given an itinerary in conjunction with a particular ticket, the ticket is contractually valid on the stated trains. Even if not intended to be on the TOCs' end.

 

[alistairlees]

Incorrectly. If a customer is given an itinerary in conjunction with a particular ticket, the ticket is contractually valid on the stated trains. Even if not intended to be on the TOCs' end.

Of course. London Underground staff would doff their caps and accept it without question.

The issue here is not London Underground, but Avanti's poor booking engine.

 

[Watershed]

Of course. London Underground staff would doff their caps and accept it without question.

The issue here is not London Underground, but Avanti's poor booking engine.

I mean, we all know what the practical position is, but it doesn't mean LU are in the right.

As you say, the Pico engine underpinning Avanti's website (as well as c2c) leaves "something to be desired"

 

[ashley84]

Hi all, thank you very much for your advice! Glad to see I'm not missing something obvious!