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No 1st class on ScotRail class 170

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AJG3

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I'm not sure how to proceed on this one; can anyone advise please:

Saturday 20th February; travelled on 1A50 from Inverness to Aberdeen. I had purchased in advance, via VTEC website, a 1st anytime day single with seat reservation. It turned out that the particular class 170 rostered had no first class. The guard wrote this on the reverse of the ticket with a note to that effect and told me I should go to the Aberdeen ticket office to get it remedied. This I did, only to be told by the ScotRail ticket office guy that since I purchased the ticket via VTEC, I had to refer to their website. I can't see an obvious way on the VTEC website how to proceed; can anyone advise please?

Many Thanks,

Andrew Gant
 
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Tetchytyke

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Write to ScotRail customer services, it's not a refund it is compensation for the lack of advertised first class.
 

47271

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You're not the first person to have been given the runaround on this by Scotrail - make sure you're not fobbed off with vouchers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33008010

It was also welcomed by Budd Shenkin and his wife Ann, two Californian tourists who were frustrated by the voucher system.

After paying for first-class tickets on a train from Inverness to Edinburgh last month, they boarded the train to find no first class available.

When they tried to get a refund at the ticket office, they were told they could only have vouchers - of little use to a couple only in the UK on holiday.

"They sold us seats that didn't exist - and then wouldn't give us our money back," said Ann, a retired lawyer.

But her husband Budd said he was pleased to see that good sense had now prevailed.

"Implementation is always an issue, however," he told the BBC.

"Nothing short of putting a credit onto the customer's credit card without a physical visit to the office should be acceptable."

After being approached by the BBC, ScotRail eventually agreed to refund their money.
 

gray1404

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You are entitled to the difference back between the standard and first class fare. Complain to Scotrail about this as it was their service operating without the advertised first class accommodation.

Are ticket offices meant to provide the partial refund on the spot in such circumstances once the customer has finished their journey?
 

AJG3

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Thanks for folks' replies to my query today.

I'll complain to ScotRail in writing and use registered/special delivery mail; that way they can't fob me off with the old "must have got lost in the post, guv" routine. With hindsight, I'm glad I got a seat reservation, and the guard wrote the headcode on the reverse side.

I'm planning to do the same journey again in a few months, but have taken the trouble to book it with ScotRail themselves, rather than another TOC website, hopefully pre-empting any possible buck passing, should the situation arise again.
 

gray1404

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If you like you could complain by email and attach copies of the tickets, that way you save the cost of having to send them by special delivery
 

cf111

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I got a cheque from First when this happened to me, so no RTV horror stories from me.
 

47271

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I'm not sure that they'd be any more likely to give you the refund at the counter even if you'd booked through Scotrail's own website, it would still need to be a written complaint.

I don't bother with First Class on Scotrail normally unless it's part of a through ticket and very good value. I don't get on with the small lurching carriage end compartments on the 170s.

The problem you experienced probably arises on one train in ten or twelve out of Inverness (this on the HML rather than to Aberdeen, but I can't see that there should be any difference), so as an occasional user you'd be very unlucky for it to happen again.
 

185143

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I'm not sure that they'd be any more likely to give you the refund at the counter even if you'd booked through Scotrail's own website, it would still need to be a written complaint.

I don't bother with First Class on Scotrail normally unless it's part of a through ticket and very good value. I don't get on with the small lurching carriage end compartments on the 170s.

The problem you experienced probably arises on one train in ten or twelve out of Inverness (this on the HML rather than to Aberdeen, but I can't see that there should be any difference), so as an occasional user you'd be very unlucky for it to happen again.
Although the 158 refurb is removing first class...
 

47271

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Although the 158 refurb is removing first class...
Don't start me on First Class on Scotrail 158s, they make the 170s look like the Orient Express! It's a point though, there's a couple of HML services booked as 158x2 rather than 170.
 

185143

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Don't start me on First Class on Scotrail 158s, they make the 170s look like the Orient Express! It's a point though, there's a couple of HML services booked as 158x2 rather than 170.
Aye, I agree! The Guard when I was coming back from Thurso (to Inverness) agreed that the only reason people pay for First Class on SR is for a plug socket. As the refurb gives USB power to all seats and random plugs to some tables, she said that she couldn't see it returning, especially as most IS 158s work services that don't carry First Class!
 

bb21

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Was the train advertised as having First Class?
 

cf111

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Aye, I agree! The Guard when I was coming back from Thurso (to Inverness) agreed that the only reason people pay for First Class on SR is for a plug socket. As the refurb gives USB power to all seats and random plugs to some tables, she said that she couldn't see it returning, especially as most IS 158s work services that don't carry First Class!

Quite a lot of the Inverness-Aberdeen services are 158 operated rather than 170.
 
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