National Express East Coast grump

lullabellea

I booked tickets for myself and my two kids (3 & 5) online on Saturday. When the ticket confirmation came through I immediately checked the seats as I was worried that the seats weren't together. I called the web help who confirmed that they were indeed all over the place and that I could go to the nearest ticketing office where they would change them so we could sit together, or if not they would give me a refund.

So this afternoon I went to the nearest ticketing office - who couldn't do it. I then drove to another station 7 miles away who would only do it if I paid for each seat change. I explained that I wasn't prepared to pay extra for something that wasn't my fault and that I simply wanted to be able to sit with my kids - when I booked the tickets it stated clearly that there was one adult and two kids. He called web support again who claimed I had never called them in the first place and told him to tell me to call customer services.

So I drive all the way home and call customer services: who say that by clicking the terms and conditions I have agreed that I will indeed have to pay if I want to change my booking. I then ask why I was told I could sort this out at my local station - which wasn't true, and why I wasn't told that it could cost me extra. I then check that I could have a refund - to be told I couldn't, that the person who had given me this information was incorrect.

I then tried to get them to allocate us seats together but they couldn't do it either! Their advice was just to get on the train and find some seats close to each other. So that's me, two small kids, a buggy and luggage boarding what will be a busy train during the easter hols hoping to find some seats all together on a six hour train journey - one that I had actually booked reserved seats for in the first place.

I'm mad. I've wasted half a day going to various stations and spoken to three different people on the phone only to be left with the option of maybe finding seats on the day... or not. I truly would rather have cancelled the tickets but the first person I spoke to was clearly deluded on that issue.

Worth an email to somebody terribly important at national express? (I work for a national TV station, which means they'll at least read it) Or just resign myself to a crappy, stressful journey, chalk it all down to experience and travel by car next time????

:mad:

Livingthedream

You could try this page;

http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/About-us/Contact-Us/

Make sure you use your works (TV companies) email address in the email, I would put the emphasis on your children's security 'that they won't be with their mother for the journey etc etc 'how bad this would look for NXEC if something was to happen' etc etc.

However, knowing NXEC (like Virgin trains) they will delay there answer until after you've traveled anyway to to avoid any legal issues, but you have nothing to lose in complaining and everything to gain and hopefully you might catch them on a good day and they might sort something out for you.

RichyRich

I would definitely write to them, but NXEC's customer service department is shockingly bad. It took them until last week and several referrals to Passenger Focus to sort out a problem I had last summer!

National Express Customer Relations

Freepost RRZG-ZZZX-LKXK
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 5DN

lullabellea

Thanks guys. I am going to fight them on it - now searching for an email address... At least I have the chief exec's name.

RichyRich

NXEC email addresses are initial.surname@nationalexpress.com ...

RichyRich

Customer relations: c.relations@nationalexpress.com

RichyRich

Managing Director: David Franks

lullabellea

I've found out that David Franks has been replaced by Susan Goldsmith but a google has shown that some company emails are lowercase.surname@national.express.com. I hate those no name ones like c.relations@nationalexpress.com. You never get an answer, or you get an automated one and then ignored for several weeks...months... etc

I'll try them both. I'm still mad about it because it means that their online ticketing system can allocate you tickets all over the bleeding train if it wants and there's no recourse - except if you pay. Which is just money grabbing. Plus I hate the "comptersaysno" attitude of these companies.

Its the overnight Scotrail service for me from now on.