Flipping Trainline

RichyRich

Just booked tickets to Newcastle on thetrainline, paid for them then realised that I might have booked to the wrong Newcastle (i.e. Under Lyme as opposed to Upon Tyne), so rang their so-called "customer services" team and tried to explain the situation to the gentlemen in what I believe is an Indian call centre. Firstly he wanted my address, I told him the first line of my billing address and the first line of my shipping address (they differ as my debit card is registered to uni and I want my tickets to go home), he then asked me to confirm my entire address, I asked him which one and he said delivery. So I confirmed my delivery address including the "DO NOT REDIRECT" line that I'd added (cos he was getting arsey already) and he started questioning why I had "Do not Redirect" in my address, I told him so that the people back home don't send it on to me down here (I don't want them to) and he questioned why I did it for a good five minutes on an 0870 number, saying I could just ring the people back home and tell them not to redirect it (or, just as easily, perhaps, I could put "Do not Redirect" on the envelope, saving me a phone call and not having to have everyone at home open my mail to determine what is train tickets and what is anything esle?) :mad: then, then, asked if there was anything else he could help me with! As if I'd ring him up just to give him my name and address!

Anyway I asked him whether I'd booked to NUT or NUL and he said "we only have one Newcastle on our system" - er, that doesn't help does it? I explained there are two Newcastles in England and I needed to know I was going to the right one. His reply? "Some people call it Newcastle some people call it Newcastle upon Tyne, it's the same place". YES I KNOW THAT THAT'S WHY I'M RINGING YOU BUFFOON!

It went round in circles for ages, I still don't know if if the tickets for the Newcastle in the North East or the Newcastle in the Midlands.

Can anyone help? If NUL doesn't have a train station then I'm pretty sure the train will be going to NUT. If it does, do Virgin Trains go to NUT, cos its a Virgin TRain from Leeds to NUT. I always thought GNER went to NUT, which is why I thought it best to check.

Sorry to bang on like this

Rich

executiverocker

gner and virgin goto the same place i guess. It sounds like newcastle upon tyne tho from looking

scroogey

Virgin trains definitely go to Newcastle upon Tyne, I see them everyday!
Although annoying their website used to deny it when I wanted to book a cheap ticket back to Edinburgh.
I Checked the Virgin map and I can only see us up north on it.
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/travelling_with_us/our_network/default.aspx

juno

My sister once printed out directions to "Newcastle", except she got directions to a Newcastle in Wales instead of the one she wanted!

RichyRich

Oh great there's three Newcastles? LOL

Okay well I'm guessing that my ticket is to the northern Newcastle, I'll check my ticket when it comes through.

I was a bit perturbed though because Newcastle (Upon Tyne)'s station is called "Newcastle Central" and my booking just says "Newcastle". Virgin Trains map doesnt show that it goes to either other Newcastle, so I think I'm fairly safe.

Cheers guys
Rich

hjb123

When you book the tickets it would give you the times etc did it?

Check the times etc on https://www.nationalrail.co.uk and check it is the right newcastle that way

Hope it is!

Sooler

If it just says 'Newcastle' then it ought to be vailid for any of them, can't see how they could argue it wasn't.

Does this mean you could buy a ticket for the nearest one and travel to the farthest one.

Newcastle Australia even!

CIS

Check the right newcastle ;-)
http://www.multimap.com/map/places.cgi?client=public&lang=&advanced=&keepicon=true&quicksearch=newcastle

It could be worse, you could have booked your holidays to new york or quebec, both only a few miles from newcastle

sockospice

Virgin don't stop at NUL (I'm not even sure if it has a station), so I'd say you've definitely got a ticket for the North East Newcastle.

RichyRich

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to the right place!

I should be more careful in future (not that the web site was any help), but still you'd have thought thetrainline customer services would know where the bloody trains go :mad:

cheers
rich