Hi guys! New to this forum, always found it a very interesting place and decided to join and share my most recent experience with Virgin Trains to see what you all think about this situation.
I was traveling from London Euston to Glasgow Central on a Sunday afternoon on a train that departed at 1525 last week. I'm visually impaired so was with my uncle who was helping me get onto the train. I decided that I'd opt for the £15 weekend first class upgrade as I expected the train to be very busy due to the olympics. When we went into the ticket office and asked for the first class upgrade we were told that you could only get it on the train. I thought this was very strange especially reading all the stories about people getting penalty fares for thinking they could buy on the train when tickets should be bought beforehand etc.
We went to the platform and my uncle helped me find a seat in first class and then my uncle went to find the train manager to buy me the first class upgrade. The guard said that I could travel free in first class through to Glasgow which I thought was very nice of him. When I left Euston all was well when my ticket was checked no problems but that was soon to change.
When I departed Preston we were informed by announcement that train crews had changed and full ticket inspections would take place. When the new guard came through he checked my ticket asked why I was traveling in first on a standard ticket and I explained the first guard gave me permission. He explained he wasn't allowed to do that and he was required to charge me the suppliment and on this occasion he wouldn't take my details but warned me in future my details could be taken for an unpaid fare or possible prosecution. After I paid the £15 my tickets were replaced by another ticket which I believed to show the excess or something like that. I cant read the tickets but presumed that was that until I got to Glasgow.
When I arrived at Glasgow Central I tried to get through using my blind pass so i could retain my ticket as a receipt but the person there obviously knew my journey started before Carlisle and asked for my ticket for my journey before Carlisle I happily handed it over for inspection but asked if I could have it back for a receipt and he was insistent that keeping your ticket wasn't allowed and that he had to keep it from me. Due to having to make a connection I wasn't in a position to try and explain the situation I had just been through so I stood down and went through to carry on with my journey home.
My uncle wasn't too happy about what had happened when I told him and said he would contact virgin to complain on my behalf but the experience does make me ask questions about what should normally happen in this situation. Although I was perfectly prepaired and happy to pay for an upgrade, I'm not too happy at being promised a free upgrade and then not getting it later in the journey and being spoken to as if i'm deliberately trying to avoid paying the first class upgrade. So I have the following questions that you might be able to answer just in case a similar situation arises in future. I've been allowed free upgrades before on Scotrail on several occasions where guards stay the same throughout the journey and I've never had an issue. My questions are as follows:
Thanks in advance it will be interesting to see what others have to say about this.
I was traveling from London Euston to Glasgow Central on a Sunday afternoon on a train that departed at 1525 last week. I'm visually impaired so was with my uncle who was helping me get onto the train. I decided that I'd opt for the £15 weekend first class upgrade as I expected the train to be very busy due to the olympics. When we went into the ticket office and asked for the first class upgrade we were told that you could only get it on the train. I thought this was very strange especially reading all the stories about people getting penalty fares for thinking they could buy on the train when tickets should be bought beforehand etc.
We went to the platform and my uncle helped me find a seat in first class and then my uncle went to find the train manager to buy me the first class upgrade. The guard said that I could travel free in first class through to Glasgow which I thought was very nice of him. When I left Euston all was well when my ticket was checked no problems but that was soon to change.
When I departed Preston we were informed by announcement that train crews had changed and full ticket inspections would take place. When the new guard came through he checked my ticket asked why I was traveling in first on a standard ticket and I explained the first guard gave me permission. He explained he wasn't allowed to do that and he was required to charge me the suppliment and on this occasion he wouldn't take my details but warned me in future my details could be taken for an unpaid fare or possible prosecution. After I paid the £15 my tickets were replaced by another ticket which I believed to show the excess or something like that. I cant read the tickets but presumed that was that until I got to Glasgow.
When I arrived at Glasgow Central I tried to get through using my blind pass so i could retain my ticket as a receipt but the person there obviously knew my journey started before Carlisle and asked for my ticket for my journey before Carlisle I happily handed it over for inspection but asked if I could have it back for a receipt and he was insistent that keeping your ticket wasn't allowed and that he had to keep it from me. Due to having to make a connection I wasn't in a position to try and explain the situation I had just been through so I stood down and went through to carry on with my journey home.
My uncle wasn't too happy about what had happened when I told him and said he would contact virgin to complain on my behalf but the experience does make me ask questions about what should normally happen in this situation. Although I was perfectly prepaired and happy to pay for an upgrade, I'm not too happy at being promised a free upgrade and then not getting it later in the journey and being spoken to as if i'm deliberately trying to avoid paying the first class upgrade. So I have the following questions that you might be able to answer just in case a similar situation arises in future. I've been allowed free upgrades before on Scotrail on several occasions where guards stay the same throughout the journey and I've never had an issue. My questions are as follows:
- Is it really true that you cant buy a first class upgrade at a train station even though the NRCoC says you must do this?
- If you are allowed a free upgrade to first class, should you be given an additional ticket to suppliment the one you hold e.g. a zero fare excess?
- If the train manager is going to change, should this permission be communicated to the new guard from the old one and if so, how would that happen in such a quick time? What if the first guard forgets or is more worried about other things?
- Are you normally given a freash ticket or should you be given one that is in addition to your previous one? I was traveling on an advance so ticket had 2 parts but was only given 1 part after the upgrade transaction
- Does ticket gate staff have to collect tickets even when you ask nicely to retain them? I was told they have to be collected unless endorsed for compansation
Thanks in advance it will be interesting to see what others have to say about this.