LNER Exchanges

[47271]

Quick question on this.

It's a long time since I've tried to change a ticket via what used to be the VTEC website.

It used to be the case that if you wanted to cancel and change then you could use the value of the existing booking to buy the new one, plus the cost admin fee of course.

I've just been in tonight and it seems that I now need to buy a new ticket first, in other words pay them more, enter the reference for the new booking, and then they make the exchange.

Did this come in when they changed the VTEC site, I'm not terribly impressed by the arrangement?

 

[Hadders]

It happened VTEC ditched Webtis and moved to their current web booking provider.

 

[island]

If you would like to just pay the difference and fee rather than pay and wait for the refund, your local staffed station will be only too happy to help.

 

[Romilly]

Returning to the OP's original question, there is no longer an "exchange" as such. As the OP says, first you have to buy the new ticket you want. Then you have to cancel your original ticket. Then LNER refund the original ticket less a £10 fee. If your original ticket was in paper form and you have already collected it from a ticket machine, you have to post it back to LNER in Crawley before they initiate the refund. But so far I have found this to be a relatively speedy process.

 

[westv]

It's all to make things simpler for passengers and to reduce confusion.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Returning to the OP's original question, there is no longer an "exchange" as such. As the OP says, first you have to buy the new ticket you want. Then you have to cancel your original ticket. Then LNER refund the original ticket less a £10 fee. If your original ticket was in paper form and you have already collected it from a ticket machine, you have to post it back to LNER in Crawley before they initiate the refund. But so far I have found this to be a relatively speedy process.

It’s even quicker now

 

[47271]

Many thanks everyone

So, given that all you do online is submit the new booking reference and get no immediate resolution, this means that every request has to be looked at by a member of staff, whereas the old system was self service other than it relied on the replacement ticket getting mailed out?

I can't see how that's better for anyone. Okay, they get a bit more revenue short term in that the new ticket has to be paid for, but the labour costs must be way higher? Before they were able to collect a £10 fee and the customer did all the work themselves!

I've just remembered why I don't use this site for anything other the bookings I must make by it.

 

[westv]

At least you don't need to post anything back with Print@Home tickets.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Many thanks everyone

So, given that all you do online is submit the new booking reference and get no immediate resolution, this means that every request has to be looked at by a member of staff, whereas the old system was self service other than it relied on the replacement ticket getting mailed out?

I can't see how that's better for anyone. Okay, they get a bit more revenue short term in that the new ticket has to be paid for, but the labour costs must be way higher? Before they were able to collect a £10 fee and the customer did all the work themselves!

I've just remembered why I don't use this site for anything other the bookings I must make by it.

Are you sure you don’t get an immediate resolution? The system has changed in the last couple of days. Are you sure it isn’t automated

 

[47271]

Are you sure you don’t get an immediate resolution? The system has changed in the last couple of days. Are you sure it isn’t automated

Well, if it has just been automated the robot must've gone off for the Bank Holiday as soon as it got the job. Last night it said it would get back to me within ten days!

 

[Wallsendmag]

Well, if it has just been automated the robot must've gone off for the Bank Holiday as soon as it got the job. Last night it said it would get back to me within ten days!

That’s the automated response for a manual review lol

 

[47271]

That’s the automated response for a manual review lol

He he, I'll let you know what the robot says when he gets back from his hols.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Seriously though we switched on some new features this week.

 

[Romilly]

That sounds like good news - I look forward to testing the new features next time I have to change a booking on the LNER website.