I have seat reservations already - can I change the seat numbers?

[TSR :D]

Without having to pay £5 admin fee as it wasn't really my fault in the first place?

What happened was that I asked for an airline style seats facing towards the direction of travel. When I was given a reservation tickets, I was assured that these seat numbers was correct after asking about them because the ticket clerk seemed to be clueless.

I checked seat numbers, the train seating map proved that they have gone and reserved seats that were 100% opposite to what I asked for.

 

[Qwerty133]

No one can guarantee the direction of travel. Are you sure that you're not looking at the wrong kind of train, as more than one kind is used on a lot of routes.

 

[BestWestern]

I'm sure that the relevant customer services department will be able to sort you out with some preferred seats.

 

[andrewkeith5]

Without having to pay £5 admin fee as it wasn't really my fault in the first place?

What happened was that I asked for an airline style seats facing towards the direction of travel. When I was given a reservation tickets, I was assured that these seat numbers was correct after asking about them because the ticket clerk seemed to be clueless.

I checked seat numbers, the train seating map proved that they have gone and reserved seats that were 100% opposite to what I asked for.

So you got table seats? How is that possible!? I always ask for table seats and never get them! (which usually ends up in me not using the reservations and sitting in the unreserved table seat / table seat in the unserved coach anyway!)

 

[LexyBoy]

Is this definitely going to be a busy service? If not I'd save the hassle and just grab a suitable seat when you get on.

So you got table seats? How is that possible!?

Apparently by requesting airline seats

 

[TUC]

One of the annoying issues with online booking systems which I wish they'd fix is that when you have requested a table/aisle seat etc, but it hasn't bern able to fulfil your request, this is not flagged up by the system. To say nothing of getting on the train and finding unreserved seats of precisely the kind you requested and that the site said were not available!!

 

[westv]

One of the annoying issues with online booking systems which I wish they'd fix is that when you have requested a table/aisle seat etc, but it hasn't bern able to fulfil your request, this is not flagged up by the system. To say nothing of getting on the train and finding unreserved seats of precisely the kind you requested and that the site said were not available!!

It's a pity that all TOC sites aren't as helpful as EC.
Are we likely to lose that when the franchise changes?

 

[hangus78]

One of the annoying issues with online booking systems which I wish they'd fix is that when you have requested a table/aisle seat etc, but it hasn't bern able to fulfil your request, this is not flagged up by the system. To say nothing of getting on the train and finding unreserved seats of precisely the kind you requested and that the site said were not available!!

I've noticed that if you pass in a lot of different requirements e.g. Aisle, facing, table and quiet coach then NRS seems to just plainly ignore some of them even when seats are available that satisfy all of the requirements. So it presumably has some sort of limit to how many preferences it can handle. The booking engines won't know this as they just get back a seat number and won't know which requirements have actually been satisfied.

 

[Chapeltom]

I always select forward facing, window and table seat, for the plug socket on TPE & VT. 80% of the time I end up backwards and on 390s, have ended up in C39 on roughly half of my journeys, often in both directions! Needless to say, I just get on with it as I always end up at the table

The 'computer' struggles to get preferences correctly, no matter how far you book in advance. I almost always book advances on the first day of sale and almost always end up backwards!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Forwards/backwards is the one that the computer generally can't deal with, because on most TOCs they don't know which way will be forwards and which way will be backwards. This is the case for TPE, XC and the 221s on Virgin, among others.

It's frustrating that you can't change the seats on most booking websites, because half the time you know the seats you've been given are rubbish. If you try and change prefences and change them back you end up with the same seats as before. Very annoying. They seem to fill the carriage from one end, I've been known to accidentally create a reservation on one website to get another website to change the seats.

 

[ASharpe]

East Coast are good provided you don't have the last Advance ticket in a tier.

I would really like to just be able to say which seat I want instead of what my preferences are. I almost always want B51 when going to/from Leeds - exceptions on summer morning services. But going through the change seat tool isn't that difficult I suppose.

 

[yorkie]

Without having to pay £5 admin fee as it wasn't really my fault in the first place?

It's £10, but there's not enough information to answer you.

Where did you book the ticket, and which Train Company are you travelling with?

If you were using East Coast and bought it on their website, you could do it online - at no cost whatsoever.

 

[TSR :D]

Thanks for informative replies. This is for one of those blockade buster train services from Virgin Trains between International and Euston.

The train I will be travelling with is supervoyager and they've mentioned that the 1st class always faces in the direction towards London, so either they're wrong or the ticket clerk is wrong (Also a VT staff) and he's already wrong on booking a table seat. There were some issues trying to book a ticket via High Wycombe. Their customer services aren't very good when compared to LM/Chiltern on Snow Hill line :/

I'm debating with myself on whether to complain or not.

 

[causton]

1st class does not necessarily always face towards London... there are tables of 4 in First Class...

 

[TSR :D]

I mean the coach at front end of the train going towards London is 1st class.

 

[Qwerty133]

I mean the coach at front end of the train going towards London is 1st class.

For these blockade busters id imagine direction of travel won't be set, as the service will be demanding and they'll probably be a lot of reversals taking place.
In fact I'd probably say get over it, as these services will be extremely busy and you're very lucky to get any seat let alone your preferred one.
As for complaining, just no.
Also, don't be surprised if you don't get on your booked service or a seat, as Virgin often use first come first served in these events as it's more important that everyone gets where they need to be, than you get your seat on the first train, and with the numbers travelling verses the number of trains it'll be virtually impossible.
All the above is written for if you are making a essential journey, and you aren't travelling to clear some rare track, because if it's the latter I seriously urge you not to as you doing that could prevent a genuine passenger getting where they need to be.

 

[TOCDriver]

I have always got seat H2 with Virgin if I have booked for travel up North in advance. That's the single person seat on the c390's. I have nearly always sat elsewhere if not a busy service and the TM hasn't bothered one little bit

 

[TSR :D]

That's my plan if I arrive early enough so it's not busy enough yet and sit on unreserved seat matching my requirements if I see one before the seats I reserved.

For these blockade busters id imagine direction of travel won't be set, as the service will be demanding and they'll probably be a lot of reversals taking place.
In fact I'd probably say get over it, as these services will be extremely busy and you're very lucky to get any seat let alone your preferred one.
As for complaining, just no.
Also, don't be surprised if you don't get on your booked service or a seat, as Virgin often use first come first served in these events as it's more important that everyone gets where they need to be, than you get your seat on the first train, and with the numbers travelling verses the number of trains it'll be virtually impossible.
All the above is written for if you are making a essential journey, and you aren't travelling to clear some rare track, because if it's the latter I seriously urge you not to as you doing that could prevent a genuine passenger getting where they need to be.

Of course, this travel is essential. We (there are two of us actually) need to reserve seats due to our medical issues. IMO it's not considerate of them to reserve a seat that are completely contrary to our requirements (we booked early enough to have plenty of unreserved seats available).

Anyway, the direction of travel may not be set in stone but instead of saying that, they said it will always be in that direction even when I mentioned about the weekend engineering works.

 

[bb21]

Unfortunately airline style seats do not have facing and backwards specification, AFAIK. I know you are supposed to be able to specify them, but I don't think the system works like that in my experience. There are three types of seats: facing, backwards, and airline. I don't think there is any further subdivision.

The problem these days is that with many TOCs (re)numbering all their seats in airline style, the facing/backwards designation is all over the place.

You might be better off swapping with a fellow passenger on the day.

 

[yorkie]

There's a few issues here.

1) There is no guarantee the set will be the 'correct' way round, though more often than not, it would be
2) Virgin Trains do not officially offer a "Forward" facing option for that reason. If any of their staff are guaranteeing forward facing seats, I suspect a complaint to Virgin would result in those staff being reminded not to offer this.
3) The admin fee would be £10, not £5, but Virgin Trains policy appears to be not to charge the £10 admin fee to change seat reservations. It sounds like you booked from a station, so if practicable I'd go to the station you bought the ticket from if you want to change it.
4) I'm not sure what "There were some issues trying to book a ticket via High Wycombe" means, but if you are asking if Route: via High Wycombe tickets are valid, they are indeed, and booking sites/systems should allow these services to be reserved on such tickets.