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Confused about procedure for changing Advance tickets booked on TPE Website?

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gray1404

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Has anyone experienced the process whereby TPE now offer fee free changes to Advance tickets? I am trying to understand the process but cannot find clear information on the website.

Are you able to go online to change it or do you have to call them? If you are able to go online then I wonder if this forces you to use their new interface rather then their old mixing desk (which is better at bringing up cheaper TOC specific tickets)?

Will they simply refund you over the phone if you can demonstrate that you have booked another already? Also, I have heard it commented on that you have to do it 5 working days in advance and they have to send out an excess ticket? Do you need to send any tickets back to them during this process?
 
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ForTheLoveOf

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Has anyone experienced the process whereby TPE now offer fee free changes to Advance tickets? I am trying to understand the process but cannot find clear information on the website.

Are you able to go online to change it or do you have to call them? If you are able to go online then I wonder if this forces you to use their new interface rather then their old mixing desk (which is better at bringing up cheaper TOC specific tickets)?

Will they simply refund you over the phone if you can demonstrate that you have booked another already? Also, I have heard it commented on that you have to do it 5 working days in advance and they have to send out an excess ticket? Do you need to send any tickets back to them during this process?
The website indeed doesn't give much detail on the process. You select the booking in question in the "my bookings" section of the My Account page. There should be an objection to "Amend this journey". This will redirect you to a normal MixingDeck search, but with the origin, destination and passenger details pre-populated (and not editable).

You are sent out an excess by post, hence why you have to leave advance notice.

Similarly to CrossCountry, where I have had issues getting the replacement ticket I wanted, they have been happy to refund the ticket without quibble.
 

gray1404

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That's interesting. So they send you an excess in the post. Does that replace the original ticket or are you still required to collect that?

I might try this in future as if it gives you the full mixing desk then might be easier to find cheaper tickets. As I discovered yesterday the search options for an amendment are more limited on XC site.
 

Hadders

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Amendments to Advance fares on mixing deck are done as an excess fare with the excess coupon being posted out to you.
 

gray1404

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I've just been on the TPE site and it is very clear that £10 fee will apply. I didn't want to click on "search for trains" in case this effected the original booking. I had to select the ticket, then the reason (change of time/date) and would then had to have confirmed about £10 charge before clicking on "search for trains".

Now I logged into my account via the homepage of the TPE site so I am assuming it will then take me to the mixing desk interface for a change as opposed to staying on their new style site.

I would like to have a play around to see if I am still have to bring up certain TOC only advances when doing an amendment but I don't want to mess up my booking as it has not been collected from the TVM yet.

tpe1.png
tpe2.png
 
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ForTheLoveOf

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I've just been on the TPE site and it is very clear that £10 fee will apply. I didn't want to click on "search for trains" in case this effected the original booking. I had to select the ticket, then the reason (change of time/date) and would then had to have confirmed about £10 charge before clicking on "search for trains".

Now I logged into my account via the homepage of the TPE site so I am assuming it will then take me to the mixing desk interface for a change as opposed to staying on their new style site.

I would like to have a play around to see if I am still have to bring up certain TOC only advances when doing an amendment but I don't want to mess up my booking as it has not been collected from the TVM yet.

View attachment 57734
View attachment 57735
You should probably pick up the ticket first, but you are definitely no longer charged the fee. As with most of these things, there are out of date parts of the site that still erroneously refer to the fee.
 

gray1404

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I'll pick up the ticket first then have a play around with it. All the reservations for this advance are counted place so thee is no risk of reservations being cancelled as such. That way I still have the real ticket to travel with even if their online system does something silly.

If you do make a change to advances booked on TPE, as well as having to give 5 days notice for the excess to be sent out do you also: -

1. have to show the original ticket when travelling along with the excess or is it just the excess you need to show.

2. do you need to send the original ticket back to them if it has been collected

3. does it work the same way as XC that you buy a new ticket and get a refund of the original?

Thanks
 

ForTheLoveOf

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I'll pick up the ticket first then have a play around with it. All the reservations for this advance are counted place so thee is no risk of reservations being cancelled as such. That way I still have the real ticket to travel with even if their online system does something silly.

If you do make a change to advances booked on TPE, as well as having to give 5 days notice for the excess to be sent out do you also: -

1. have to show the original ticket when travelling along with the excess or is it just the excess you need to show.

2. do you need to send the original ticket back to them if it has been collected

3. does it work the same way as XC that you buy a new ticket and get a refund of the original?

Thanks
The excess is in relation to the existing ticket, and therefore you must show both tickets when travelling.

You do not need to return the existing ticket; you will need to keep this for when you travel.

You are charged only the difference (if any); all prices in the amendment search screen show the additional price payable (hence you may see some fares appearing at £0.00).
 

gray1404

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I collected the tickets no problems. When I went to see if it would let me change the tickets had 2 differing experiences.

The new style site would not bring up any journeys whatsoever so I could not make any changes - not even to a much more expensive site.

The old mixing desk site, which was the one I booked it on, however did bring up journeys and allow a change. HOWEVER, as well as not allowing the stations, passengers or railcard to be changed HOWEVER it ALSO kept and would not let me change a via point I entered when searching. This is a limitation as for the journey I have in question there are two valid routes. The default way the journey planner sends you then an alternative way. Sometimes are is only availability via one so it can be worth searching both. However, annoyingly when making a change you remain restricted on TPE to retaining the initial way you searched. (as any via or avoid points remain).

Both presented a message that a £10 admin fee would be charged but when it came to the old style site offering journeys it gave a price of £0.00 so wouldn't apply this.
 

lyesbkz

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Amendments to Advance fares on mixing deck are done as an excess fare with the excess coupon being posted out to you.

Is there no other process to amend an uncollected booking? I book Advance tickets for a family member who is abroad and collects them at the airport on their arrival to the UK. I can't post an excess coupon to the airport - am I just going to have to buy another advance ticket and forfeit the first booking entirely?

Plus, all of my bookings say "You can't amend or refund this booking" on the new TPE site, and on the mixing deck I can view details but see no option to amend. I'm not sure if this is something I'm doing, or there's a problem with the site.
 
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