Advance Ticketing Nonsense 2

Legacy_user

I have just got off the phone to GWR about Advance ticketing. I have received some very cheap return tickets from Great Malvern to London. Outbound we travel via Birmingham, and on our return we travel back via Oxford.

When I looked at the tickets, the outbound ticket gives a VTWC connection from Birmingham to London but no outbound train time from Great Malvern to Birmingham.

I thought that my question to GWR was a simple one but I was wrong. My senior logic was that as the ticket only specified the VTWC connection then the train from Great Malvern was clearly unspecified and we were free to travel at whatever time we wished. At first, CS suggested that the conductor would know if we took an earlier train (to give us more time in Birmingham rather than a 20 minute rush) as it was specified on the ticket. When I said that there was no caveat on the ticket re the Great Malvern to Birmingham leg, I was told that the conductor would still know and I would be fined. When I asked 'how would he/she know?' I was told that the conductors know the times of all connections, and it would show when they scanned the ticket barcode: there is no ticket barcode. Eventually, they admitted that they really didn't know why the ticket had no specified train on it for the first leg of our journey but they would recommend that I travel on the train that I thought that I had booked to avoid the REMOTE possibility that I would get fined.

dggar

Hengus wrote: »

I have just got off the phone to GWR about Advance ticketing. I have received some very cheap return tickets from Great Malvern to London. Outbound we travel via Birmingham, and on our return we travel back via Oxford.

When I looked at the tickets, the outbound ticket gives a VTWC connection from Birmingham to London but no outbound train time from Great Malvern to Birmingham.

I thought that my question to GWR was a simple one but I was wrong. My senior logic was that as the ticket only specified the VTWC connection then the train from Great Malvern was clearly unspecified and we were free to travel at whatever time we wished. At first, CS suggested that the conductor would know if we took an earlier train (to give us more time in Birmingham rather than a 20 minute rush) as it was specified on the ticket. When I said that there was no caveat on the ticket re the Great Malvern to Birmingham leg, I was told that the conductor would still know and I would be fined. When I asked 'how would he/she know?' I was told that the conductors know the times of all connections, and it would show when they scanned the ticket barcode: there is no ticket barcode. Eventually, they admitted that they really didn't know why the ticket had no specified train on it for the first leg of our journey but they would recommend that I travel on the train that I thought that I had booked to avoid the REMOTE possibility that I would get fined.

It looks like you're complaining about the lack of knowledge on the part of the Customer Service dept. Not about advance Ticketing.


I would suggest you post a question on this forum
http://www.railforums.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=105


you will get the correct answer there.

System

dggar wrote: »

It looks like you're complaining about the lack of knowledge on the part of the Customer Service dept. Not about advance Ticketing.


I would suggest you post a question on this forum
http://www.railforums.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=105


you will get the correct answer there.

Thank you: that’s helpful. I am not complaining per se just trying to ascertain what the actual travel restrictions are. My title could have been better worded.

KeithP

You can use any suitable train.
Spend some time in Birmingham if you want to.

System

KeithP wrote: »

You can use any suitable train.
Spend some time in Birmingham if you want to.

Sadly, not according to GWR Customer Services who were adamant that I stood the risk of being fined if, for convenience sake, we took an earlier train to avoid having to dash around New Street Station.

KeithP

Hengus wrote: »

Sadly, not according to GWR Customer Services who were adamant that I stood the risk of being fined if, for convenience sake, we took an earlier train to avoid having to dash around New Street Station.

GWR Customer Services are wrong.

System

KeithP wrote: »

GWR Customer Services are wrong.

I would be slightly more charitable and put it down to a lack of knowledge/training. Your link to the Rail Forum has given me the re-assurance that I needed, so thanks again for that.

KeithP

Hengus wrote: »

KeithP wrote: »

GWR Customer Services are wrong.

I would be slightly more charitable and put it down to a lack of knowledge/training.GWR Customer Services

For whatever reason, they gave out wrong information.

Hengus wrote: »

Your link to the Rail Forum has given me the re-assurance that I needed, so thanks again for that.

Not my link.