Tickets cost more if your station doesn't have a TVM

marmite1979

They allow advanced tickets to be collected at TVM's but not Booking offices.
With a Split tickets you will be shown advanced fares for stations you are travelling through. In my case Derby. But when booking on Cross Country website the choice I have is either £6.00 delivery, buy an off-peak on the day from my home station, or travel 36 miles to a station with a self-serve machine to collect them in advance.
How is this fair?
And why not allow tickets to be purchased and collected from all ticket offices?

elverson

What ticket are you trying to buy?

marmite1979

A split ticket, I cannot collect these from my station from both ARRIVA companies even though I have an ARRIVA station on my doorstep, the Train Station Booking Office options do not exist on ATW or XC website. (I have been able to collect Virgin Train tickets this way but I'd like to use XC as the Reserved Seats will be on XC. I do not have time to order tickets and attempt to collect at New St
This includes Off-Peak and Advanced

ehlo

Is this because the ticket office may not always be manned?

Are you able to use etickets as an alternative? Presumably you could also print this in case there are phone problems?

marmite1979

It is manned at the time I'm travelling & is open from 5:30 am until evenings its not the reason. The option is to pick from a station with a TVM or Special Delivery. Virgin trains offer the option to pick at a booking office even an ARRIVA one. ATW & XC do not offer this choice,

ehlo

https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/customer-service/faqs/ticket-information-purchasing-collection-and-delivery-season-tickets-and-railcards

According to this it should be possible to get this for £1 delivery as long as you book far enough in advance?

This also mentions etickets, as I've suggested?

marmite1979

Resolved Via Twitter:
You can select a TVM but still collect from Any Booking Office with the reference number and Card used to order.
Confirmed by ATW & XC
I use the XC Website to book as this allows me to pick my seats allowing me to insure I get the same one on each leg of the split when the split occurs on the same train.
This also means the fee charged by 3rd party Online Ticket sites is not included.
NR allows you to ''Basket Splits'' and then directs you to the Train Companies website of your choosing.

Voyager2002

Most tickets are available from any TOC rather than just the one operating the train you will use. I travel quite a lot on Cross Country and always buy my tickets from East Midlands Trains (because they give cash-back): can you not get all the tickets you require from Virgin?

marmite1979

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Most tickets are available from any TOC rather than just the one operating the train you will use. I travel quite a lot on Cross Country and always buy my tickets from East Midlands Trains (because they give cash-back): can you not get all the tickets you require from Virgin?

I wanted to access XC's seat selection as this is the service on which my ticket is split so I could sit in the same seat.

I have been stung by ''cash back sites'' before (Complete Save) and notice NRE offer this option at the point of being directed to the TOC's booking pages, it quotes £15.00 PM to use it and receive £15.00 cashback.

Voyager2002

marmite1979 wrote: »

I wanted to access XC's seat selection as this is the service on which my ticket is split so I could sit in the same seat.

I have been stung by ''cash back sites'' before (Complete Save) and notice NRE offer this option at the point of being directed to the TOC's booking pages, it quotes £15.00 PM to use it and receive £15.00 cashback.

Yes, seat selection is not so good on East Midlands, but to me that is a small price to pay...

I use the site TopCashBack and it works well for me (the other one with a good reputation is Quidco): very different from those rip-off businesses with (concealed) monthly fees.

marmite1979

I still use Nectar so book on Virgin Trains Website ( I wonder if 3rd party Websites collect their own when ordering on my behalf?)when their trains are part of the journey and for some reason they allow me to pick up from my home station run by ATW(ATW doesn't or any ARRIVA owned TOC).

This still penalises those who live away from a station without a TVM or booking office if their isn't the option of collecting off a guard on the train.
You may be able to arrange for the Guard to collect your pre-ordered tickets from their booking on point -usually a manned ticket station-for you and pass them to you onte train, or arrange for booking office staff to meet your train as it passes stops at the station.