Virgin Trains are bunch of con artists IMHO. Be warned!

debsy42

No

I travelled with them at the weekend 1st class there and back for £67 and had wonderful service, would recommend them to everyone

DJBlu

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

How come you didn't have a driver waiting for you at the airport?

Other CEOS of multinational companies don't have to go by train.

Why shouldn't CEO's use public transport?

There are terms and conditions however these should be flexible enough on extreme circumstances to accommodate the customer.

Would this conversation go the same way if it was a family of 4?

Virgin are the main operator (if not the only one) of the Euston to Manchester run, so another operator isn't an option which they know.

sarah_elton

lufcgirl wrote: »

What train ticket costs £360?! Mine is £160 and thats North-East to South-West!

The only return to Manchester that costs £360 is a first class anytime ticket. Travelling in rush hour, yes it would have to be an anytime ticket (not an advance or off peak). Was the option of standard class not offered? This would have cost £230.

I fully support Virgin being tough on abusive passengers.

SweetPea73

I'm sure the Legal Department will be thrilled at being accused of 'conning' people.

Swearing on the Railway is breaking the Law, I should know, someone did to me , they got fined £60.

bunking_off

As others have said, Virgin can hardly be accused of conning someone out of £360 when a considerably cheaper fare could have been purchased...the OP could have also waited max of a couple of hours and got an off-peak return for £62. If they were desperate to travel 1st class, logical thing would be to buy an open single then book the return leg on-line as an advance at the earliest opportunity...again would have worked out at £200-odd.

I too have picked up fast tickets with just a name/address/code/not been asked for cc, but then again that was at more hospitable stations than Euston.

Whilst having some sympathy with the OP, ultimately they lost/forgot their card rather than Virgin, and once you lose your temper & start swearing...whether into the air or directly at staff...all good will is out of the window & you've had it. Perhaps it's me & I'm being unfair, but from the original posting where it was felt necessary to tell us (s)he is the CEO of a multinational company, I can sort of guess what their attitude to the front-line staff at Euston was like.

Part of the problem is that there's a complex web of Virgin Trains companies...the on-line ticket sales, in-station staff and actual train operating company operate independently using agreements that can be difficult to get over-ridden. My experience is it's worth trying customer relations on 0845 000 8000, grovelling & seeing if they'll do anything. They're based in Birmingham (I've found the Indian call-centre to be the worst example of its ilk for having a script that they will simply not deviate from) and I get the impression is a small-scale activity...I've been able to ask for people by name.

thescouselander

Yes

To be honest I think all the excuses offered up here in defence of virgin are total and utter nonsense. The OP could clearly prove they had bought a ticket and they could identify themselves and the fact that were the card holder.

What possible reason could there be to have such specific requirements to collect the ticket. There should be a backup system for dealing with people who cant, for some reason, produce their credit card.

If this were any other business the terms of the contract would probably be deemed unfair and not enforceable.

RichyRich

Yes

I concur with thescouselander.

Never mind, "You agreed to show your credit card" - what is the reason for this requirement? If it's so people can't just print out several copies of the same ticket then I'm afraid there are many other ways around this - the OP was more than forthcoming with whatever other ID they could have asked for, or VT could print a unique number that gets marked off for each ticket (much the same as megabus/megatrain) to prevent misuse - this policy is overly restrictive and staff were deliberately obtuse in helping the OP find a solution.

The situation is grossly unfair. Imagine if you booked a ticket today, 12 December, for travel in February, but your card expires on 1 January. Should it really be the case that you can't book your ticket (and thus have to pay a higher fare) until the new year?

Virgin are being ridiculous.

Don't expect much from their Customer Relations Department - they are shockingly bad - unless you are prepared to fight. Last time I had an issue with them it took the threat of court action to get them to budge (but I did, in the end, receive the requisite refund). If you write to them, send your letter RECORDED DELIVERY, otherwise they will claim they never received it. Send your cickets by all means, but make sure you RETAIN A COPY, else they will claim they never arrived. Number each point you wish to be responded to and DEMAND that they follow your numbering system, otherwise they will simply send you any old tosh and not answer your points. Ask them what is the purpose of requiring the original card - if it is merely fraud prevention it is the equivalent, in this case at least, of using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut - especially when you were so willing to provide ID.

I would be looking to get my £300 and odd quid back. Tell them so directly. Put it in BOLD and UNDERLINE it, otherwise they will tactfully skirt around that point. Give them 20 days to respond. If they don't, chase it up. Keep on top of them. After about 5 letters, you should be successful. I would suggest this is an overly restrictive term - it would certainly cost them more than £300 to defend in court, so threaten - and go ahead - with court action. Even if they defend it, you might even be successful.

Good luck with your crusade. Don't let the bar stewards grind you down!!!

chuckley

the point is, virgins system requires your card for verification. whether u agree with it or not (u ticked u agreed to it when u bought the tickets) is not even in play. u lost the card so therefore lost your ticket and u had to buy a new one... did they force u to travel first class?! NO u couldve got a standard ticket on the train for less than £100 (depending on where u were travelling).

they did not con you. you lost your card, POINT BLANK.

the fact ur a CEO makes no odds, and im guessing u used that line when complaining thinking u were the 'big i am'... we NO sorry u are not. the rules are for everyone.

thescouselander

Yes

chuckley wrote: »

the point is, virgins system requires your card for verification. whether u agree with it or not (u ticked u agreed to it when u bought the tickets) is not even in play. u lost the card so therefore lost your ticket and u had to buy a new one... did they force u to travel first class?! NO u couldve got a standard ticket on the train for less than £100 (depending on where u were travelling).

they did not con you. you lost your card, POINT BLANK.

the fact ur a CEO makes no odds, and im guessing u used that line when complaining thinking u were the 'big i am'... we NO sorry u are not. the rules are for everyone.

No, that is not the point at all. The terms of the contact could be deemed to be overly restrictive and therefore unfair - unfair terms are not allowed in contracts so why should the railways get away with it. You cannot just put arbitrary Ts&Cs in contracts that disadvantages one party, its simply not allowed (in law). This needs to be challenged IMHO.

brenda_p_a

No

If you have tried everything with virgin(or any train company) then maybe ask these to act as a go between


http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/