Avanti website booking error

[MKB]

Today, we're travelling from Nuneaton to Heathrow. Because I booked when Amex were doing 5% cashback on Avanti purchases, I booked on the latter's website.

I bought a Nuneaton to London Z1-6 Advance for two adults with a Two Together railcard travelling on LM for £6.60 each. But when I collected the tickets today, they are marked as being to London Z1 only.

You can't even select Z1 only on Avanti's website; Z1-2 is the fewest zones the website offers when you type "London Z". I can replicate doing a dummy booking for 8 November at 16:35 which still has two Advance tickets for £13.20 to either Z1-2 or Z1-Z6, but not to Z1.

The tickets are each a £2.00 premium on the NUN-EUS Advance price. If we try using them to get to Heathrow, presumably they won't work the exit barriers and we're going to be dinged for a new ticket.

Checking the confirmation email, I notice it only mentions Zone 1, but Avanti's emails are often very glitchy, so that hadn't worried me. In the past, when there has been a disparity between what I booked and what the Avanti email said, the paper tickets have always been correct.

 

[clagmonster]

There is a £6.60 fare from Nuneaton - London Zone U1, see:

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

The equivalent fare to Zone U6 would be £8.10:

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

Seems there has been an error with the Avanti website.

I can't see the tickets as they are being accepted at the Heathrow gateline, indeed I can see a potential penalty fare or report for prosecution which would cause unnecessary hassle.

If you could go to the Avanti booking office at Euston, with both your tickets and booking confirmation showing you had thought you had paid to Zone 6, although I wouldn't hold out much hope that they will be able to do much. Alternatively, you could pay an Underground fare to Heathrow by other means then seek to reclaim this from Avanti. It is a tricky position - I can't see a way out that won't guarantee being hassle free.

 

[MKB]

Several weeks after submitting a complaint to Avanti, including screenshots showing how to replicate the error, they've written back to say the mistake is mine. Either they didn't read what I wrote, or they are deliberately playing stupid.

 

[Merseysider]

Reply asking them to escalate it to someone who’s not a complete moron someone else to review the case. If that fails, you should contact Transport Focus.