Complimentary Refreshments on FGW 1st Class

[moonrakerz]

If I travel from Westbury (Wilts) to Paddington on a 1st Class ticket, I get free coffee and bikkies on the train.
If I do the same journey via Bath Spa (quite legal routing !) the journey from Westbury to Bath is on Standard Class only rolling stock. However, there is a trolley service available on this train - can I claim my complimentary refreshments on this train ?

The FGW website says:- "Complimentary refreshments throughout your journey"
I have a First Class ticket for the whole journey and the fare is the same on either route.

Anyone come across this before ??

 

[mrcheek]

The FGW website is wrong, or at least, misleading.

They will not give you anything for free on the journey from Westbury to Bath. (unless it gets delayed by about 2 hours, which is usually when they start giving everyone free drinks.....)

 

[TEW]

The catering on the Portsmouth-Cardiff route is operated by Rail Gourmet (even though the staff wear FGW uniform and everything is FGW branded) and they don't carry the complimentary FGW items, which are different to those products which can be sold. In the Summer when the 158 air con breaks down the trains are loaded with the complimentary bottles of water though.

 

[Squaddie]

Why are so many people on this forum obsessed with the "freebies" in first class?

 

[Aictos]

Why are so many people on this forum obsessed with the "freebies" in first class?

Well apart from moaning, it's one skill that us Brits can beat the rest of the world at, lol!!!

 

[moonrakerz]

Why are so many people on this forum obsessed with the "freebies" in first class?

Not "obsessed" - just asking a relevant question. Surely someone who complains about this is the one who is obsessed ??

 

[Greenback]

It's a reasonable enough question! Why buy a drink and a snack at the station if you will get them on the train? On the other hand, knowing that comp refreshments may not be available for that journey means that the passenger can then buy in advance, meaning they don't go hungry or thirsty!

 

[Timbertool]

Not on FGW but I travelled XC from Cheltenham to Manchester on Sunday afternoon. First class virtually empty - Standard heaving all of the way. Man with teh trolley camped in Coach F and I tried to walk through - 5 minutes I got halfway through Coach C and gave up (twice). So i had to go without my freebies and was parched by the time I got to Manchester as hadn't packed anything!

Typical of XC in my view - always find XC never have enough capacity.

 

[Flamingo]

Read further down the page, to where it says

Please note, complimentary refreshments are subject to availability and there is no catering on services between London Paddington and Oxford which start or end at Oxford.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=60

Also, it does specify that "Customers travelling in First Class", and you are in Standard class if you are on the unit from Bth to Wsb (regardless of what the ticket says)

Sorry...