Advance Ticketing nonsense
However
Posts: 77 Forumite
Now that my three-year Senior Railcard is due for renewal, I give up on train travel. Virgin East Coast offer Advance Tickets KX to Aberdeen 24 weeks in advance. SouthWest Trains have a 12 week horizon. So I cannot book an advance ticket from Portsmouth to Aberdeen 24 weeks in advance. But who in their right mind commits half-a-year hence?
Virgin's email alert works only to a 12 week horizon - I've complained three times in three years now. Might as well have bawled into a bucket. Missing the release date by a few days meant a threefold increase in ticket price.
When I did do an enforced split-ticket by buying Virgin 20+ weeks in advance, I then found SouthWestTrains don't do AnyTime Return tickets, so I have to buy two singles: one Anytime Single out and one Offpeak Single back - except that I can only buy an outbound ticket at my local unstaffed station, not the return for some days later. Unless I do it online, except that I was at the flipping station on the day of travel.
I will not play the game any more. Not of splitting tickets, not of advance 'deals', not of jump-a-hoop here leap-a-hurdle there, not of late trains and no refund (five hours late at Kings X once, and although I got the refund eventually, Virgin LIED that their first attempt had got lost in the post - their system never printed it off in the first place).
Instead, I will drive, yes, all the way to Aberdeen (done it before enough times, will do it again), and to hell with the lot of them. And here speaketh a railway enthusiast. And don't even think about the hassle (and cost, in my case) of flying these days and then being scammed by scratch-phobic car hire companies.
And will tomorrow's new franchise for SWT make any difference? Of course not. Strikes being threatened already. Bye-bye railway.
Virgin's email alert works only to a 12 week horizon - I've complained three times in three years now. Might as well have bawled into a bucket. Missing the release date by a few days meant a threefold increase in ticket price.
When I did do an enforced split-ticket by buying Virgin 20+ weeks in advance, I then found SouthWestTrains don't do AnyTime Return tickets, so I have to buy two singles: one Anytime Single out and one Offpeak Single back - except that I can only buy an outbound ticket at my local unstaffed station, not the return for some days later. Unless I do it online, except that I was at the flipping station on the day of travel.
I will not play the game any more. Not of splitting tickets, not of advance 'deals', not of jump-a-hoop here leap-a-hurdle there, not of late trains and no refund (five hours late at Kings X once, and although I got the refund eventually, Virgin LIED that their first attempt had got lost in the post - their system never printed it off in the first place).
Instead, I will drive, yes, all the way to Aberdeen (done it before enough times, will do it again), and to hell with the lot of them. And here speaketh a railway enthusiast. And don't even think about the hassle (and cost, in my case) of flying these days and then being scammed by scratch-phobic car hire companies.
And will tomorrow's new franchise for SWT make any difference? Of course not. Strikes being threatened already. Bye-bye railway.
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Comments
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How do you know the price was three times more after the release date if you missed the release date by a few days?
Book Kings X Aberdeen when you can, then book Pompey London.
Can you fly?0 -
To daveyjp: Easy. By checking the fares for making the same trip three days later - in other words one hour after those tickets were released. Oh and I only go first class because the second class seats are unbearable - and before you ask, yes I did it, fool that I was, two years ago - same trains, probably same coach, with same seats. Never NEVER again. My back can't take it.
As for flying, on the way up you have to change at -- er -- Amsterdam taking 4h 30mins and on the way down you have to change at --- er -- Amsterdam with taking 5hr 55m. Cost £163. But I can get it cheaper if I wait in Amsterdam for 6 hours on the way out and 12 hours on the way back. Oh joy. The chimera of cheap flights eh? The facts bear no reality to the shouty adverts. Going from Heathrow is worse, overall timewise. Can I be bothered? No.
Chino
National Express. The only way is sixteen hours - and that has to be overnight! And arriving too late in the morning anyway. When I went to Pitlochry that was overnight too, for £9 and bang-on punctual: but the seats were searingly uncomfortable and it took 14 hours - so never ever again.
I'm too old to have any patience with all this. Decent car, cruise control, comfy seat all the way, I pick and choose where and when stop. I come and go when I want. No limits on luggage. I can change my mind, my itinery, my anything, no constraints. Many won't agree but they can lump it. I'm comfy and free, they're frazzled and non-refundable.
Grump over - and out.0 -
T
As for flying, on the way up you have to change at -- er -- Amsterdam taking 4h 30mins and on the way down you have to change at --- er -- Amsterdam with taking 5hr 55m. Cost £163. But I can get it cheaper if I wait in Amsterdam for 6 hours on the way out and 12 hours on the way back. Oh joy. The chimera of cheap flights eh? The facts bear no reality to the shouty adverts. Going from Heathrow is worse, overall timewise. Can I be bothered? No.
Those times in Amsterdam (for the cheaper tickets) are long enough to nip into town and have fun. I have done that once and it was a real bonus.
Have you looked at flights between Bristol and Aberdeen? When I lived in Aberdeen I found them to be cheap and convenient.0
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