The Trainline . . great until it goes wrong.

The_Salad

I have used the trainline for sometime and until now have had no problems. They now charge postage for tickets so I thought, I know, I'll try having the ticket sent to my smartphone as I have the Trainline app on it. Ordered the tickets no problem, but they did not arrive to my Smartphone. So the following day I start a "chat" with the helpdesk which I assume is in India, they are not very helpful and simply tried to send the mobile ticket again to my phone with no success. If you have ever tried these "chats" when you need help they can be quite painful as you wait for a reply. So, as I'm waiting for my responses I decide to check out the trainline website myself and eventually come across a page that say Windows phones are not supported for mobile phone tickets . . . . arrrrggghhh!!

I have a Smartphone, I have the Trainline app on it and they let me order a mobile phone ticket . . . . :mad:

Very annoying, especially when there is absolutely nowhere to make a complaint to the trainline, hence my rant on this page. Thank you.

Voyager2002

I disagree that they are great... their transaction fees are excessive and their customer service has always been poor (I recall waiting a week for a reply to an email, and the reply showed a lack of understanding of the issue).

You can buy tickets for exactly the same fare directly from the websites of the companies who run the trains (I usually use FGW). You can collect your tickets from the station using a self-service machine, thus avoiding postage charges.

Kite2010

Agreed, tickets can pretty much always be purchased for less from the TOCs direct, without payment of additional fees for card payments. Some charge for postage, but all (bar Crosscountry) allow for free collection from a ticket machine.

yangptangkipperbang

Kite2010 wrote: »

tickets can pretty much always be purchased for less from the TOCs direct

Due to the Government regulation of rail ticket fares/sales it is not possible for a third party seller to undercut the TOCs. Individual TOCs additionally have the capability to offer "special" deals - usually for tickets that will be used solely on their own services.

I really don't understand why ANYONE deals with the trainline :huh::huh:

Kite2010

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

Due to the Government regulation of rail ticket fares/sales it is not possible for a third party seller to undercut the TOCs. Individual TOCs additionally have the capability to offer "special" deals - usually for tickets that will be used solely on their own services.

I really don't understand why ANYONE deals with the trainline :huh::huh:

Because of advertisements promising upto X% savings, some customers don't compare with buying direct for less