We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Virgin complaint - am I wasting my energy?

Jmoo
Posts: 361 Forumite


This was my first experience travelling to Birmingham today, and my first experience going via London Euston and travelling on Virgin Trains. The outward train journey wasn't the best - they wouldn't allow me through the ticket barrier at the advertised time I booked and there was an argument between the customer service desk and those on the barriers.
It was the return journey though that was the most stressful and costly. I had purchased advanced first class tickets as it was a work trip they were funding. I realised that the event I was attending was further away from the train station that I expected so I had to buy another advance ticket from Birmingham to London.
I was boarding from Birmingham International instead of New Street which is further down the line. I got the train at 2.31pm and it wasn't until an hour later that someone checking the tickets said my ticket wasn't valid. Apparently I needed the 2.35pm train leaving the same station, going to the same location, and leaving the same platform just 4 minutes later. Apparently a different operator runs those trains. I explained my ignorance and how the confusion had arisen and how it was my first time travelling to Birmingham and I had even got a second ticket after buying an advance ticket from Virgin for two hours before.
But no luck, she whacked another £45 on my bill and I had to essentially pay a third time for the journey. It seems Virgin won't budge on this which I think is a shame, and will probably leave me out of pocket because it was my mistake, not my work's fault. These mistakes happen, and I would have hoped they could recognise that but it seems so far they're adamant they will do nothing.
What was frustrating was others with advanced tickets who had boarded late were getting away with it, but because the one I showed the conductor first had the wrong provider in small print I was the one caught out. Am I wasting my breath calling on their 'award-winning customer service' to try to assist me?
It was the return journey though that was the most stressful and costly. I had purchased advanced first class tickets as it was a work trip they were funding. I realised that the event I was attending was further away from the train station that I expected so I had to buy another advance ticket from Birmingham to London.
I was boarding from Birmingham International instead of New Street which is further down the line. I got the train at 2.31pm and it wasn't until an hour later that someone checking the tickets said my ticket wasn't valid. Apparently I needed the 2.35pm train leaving the same station, going to the same location, and leaving the same platform just 4 minutes later. Apparently a different operator runs those trains. I explained my ignorance and how the confusion had arisen and how it was my first time travelling to Birmingham and I had even got a second ticket after buying an advance ticket from Virgin for two hours before.
But no luck, she whacked another £45 on my bill and I had to essentially pay a third time for the journey. It seems Virgin won't budge on this which I think is a shame, and will probably leave me out of pocket because it was my mistake, not my work's fault. These mistakes happen, and I would have hoped they could recognise that but it seems so far they're adamant they will do nothing.
What was frustrating was others with advanced tickets who had boarded late were getting away with it, but because the one I showed the conductor first had the wrong provider in small print I was the one caught out. Am I wasting my breath calling on their 'award-winning customer service' to try to assist me?
0
Comments
-
This was my first experience travelling to Birmingham today, and my first experience going via London Euston and travelling on Virgin Trains. The outward train journey wasn't the best - they wouldn't allow me through the ticket barrier at the advertised time I booked (Do you mean the train was running late?) and there was an argument between the customer service desk and those on the barriers.
It was the return journey though that was the most stressful and costly. I had purchased advanced first class tickets as it was a work trip they were funding. I realised that the event I was attending was further away from the train station that I expected so I had to buy another advance ticket from Birmingham to London. (Sorry - don't fully understand this - do you mean you had to purchase an additional advance single to London from a different Birmingham station because the original return wasn't valid from the station you were returning from?)
I was boarding from Birmingham International instead of New Street which is further down the line. I got the train at 2.31pm and it wasn't until an hour later that someone checking the tickets said my ticket wasn't valid. Apparently I needed the 2.35pm train leaving the same station, going to the same location, and leaving the same platform just 4 minutes later. Apparently a different operator runs those trains. I explained my ignorance and how the confusion had arisen and how it was my first time travelling to Birmingham and I had even got a second ticket after buying an advance ticket from Virgin for two hours before.
But no luck, she whacked another £45 on my bill and I had to essentially pay a third time for the journey. It seems Virgin won't budge on this which I think is a shame, and will probably leave me out of pocket because it was my mistake, not my work's fault. These mistakes happen, and I would have hoped they could recognise that but it seems so far they're adamant they will do nothing.
What was frustrating was others with advanced tickets who had boarded late were getting away with it, (How do you know this?) but because the one I showed the conductor first had the wrong provider in small print I was the one caught out. Am I wasting my breath calling on their 'award-winning customer service' to try to assist me?
I'm presuming you don't travel by rail very much. Unfortunately the structure of rail tickets/pricing in this structure is a right mess if you aren't familiar with it.
I'm no expert but one of the key things to remember is that Advance tickets are only valid on the service you've bought them for. You bought a ticket to London for the 2:35 but you got on the 2:31 which was also run by a different operator. I know it makes no sense but that's the way the system has been designed. (EDIT: actually it does make sense from the rail companies' POV but it's not customer friendly).
As regards your fellow passengers who boarded late, there could have been certain circumstances where their Advance tickets may have been valid on a later train. (eg Virgin had cancelled the earlier train they were booked on etc.)
I'm quite paranoid about checking and double checking train tickets. with Advance tickets it's important to make sure you get on the correct train - it will show the departure time on the ticket. If you get on the wrong train it can become expensive - as you've found out. Where I live there's only one operator, but you need to check that too. It all ought to be on the ticket.
Having said that, if I were you I'd contact Virgin CS - you may get somewhere or you may not.
(EDIT: Just to add, I think you did absolutely the right thing by paying for the third fare without argument. If you had refused things could have become a bit difficult. I understand the best advice is to pay any additional or penalty fares there and then, and then to argue the toss with the train company afterwards - if you think you have reason to do so).0 -
I was just so confused I was a bit stunned that there had been another train four minutes later. I've tried to keep it courteous, end of the day it was my mistake, but a mistake was all it was. They do make it sound like you're trying to cheat the system!0
-
It sounds like you booked a slow service, operated by West Midlands Trains, rather than one of the Virgin Trains services. It's annoying but Virgin are not in the wrong, you didn't have a valid ticket for their train.0
-
Yup, advance tickets only valid on the train they're booked for. And if your ticket specifies a certain train operator then it's definitely not valid on another operator's trains. It has been this way ever since privatisation in 1997.
They usually repeat this ad nauseum on this route at every station, urging people to check their tickets are not "West Midlands trains only" tickets.
I'm afraid you probably need to take this as an expensive lesson.0 -
I was just so confused I was a bit stunned that there had been another train four minutes later. I've tried to keep it courteous, end of the day it was my mistake, but a mistake was all it was. They do make it sound like you're trying to cheat the system!
As well as checking and double-checking the details on your ticket, you also must keep an eye on the departure boards to understand which trains are leaving when. It can be very confusing at large stations where (1) there may be up to 100 departures listed, (2) there may be "fast" and "slow" trains leaving within a few minutes of each other, and (3) some departures may be delayed. But with an Advance ticket you still must get on the right train.
I agree with Boris and Iammy82 that it is you at fault here (through no fault of your own except not knowing what you were doing), but if you don't ask - you don't get. It depends how valuable your time is to you.0 -
I was boarding from Birmingham International instead of New Street which is further down the line. I got the train at 2.31pm and it wasn't until an hour later that someone checking the tickets said my ticket wasn't valid. Apparently I needed the 2.35pm train leaving the same station, going to the same location, and leaving the same platform just 4 minutes later. Apparently a different operator runs those trains. I explained my ignorance and how the confusion had arisen and how it was my first time travelling to Birmingham and I had even got a second ticket after buying an advance ticket from Virgin for two hours before.
But no luck, she whacked another £45 on my bill and I had to essentially pay a third time for the journey. It seems Virgin won't budge on this which I think is a shame, and will probably leave me out of pocket because it was my mistake, not my work's fault. These mistakes happen, and I would have hoped they could recognise that but it seems so far they're adamant they will do nothing.
I've had a look on the timetable and I can't find those exact trains but, around the times you quoted, off platform 4, there was a 14:40, followed by a 14:45 service, both to London Euston.
The first service (14:40) was a Virgin Trains service and the second service (14:45) was a London Northwestern (West Midlands Trains) service.
I'm guessing that you got on the first train, whereas your ticket was for the second service. As has been pointed out, Advance tickets are only valid on the specified service and there are a number of reasons for this.
Perhaps, in this case, the most significant reason would be, if your ticket was for the second service, then London Northwestern (West Midlands Trains) would have received all the money that you had paid for your ticket, whilst you then travelled on the first service, for which Virgin would have received no money, until they charged you for your new ticket.
I agree, with the earlier comments, that for a non-regular rail user, it must seem somewhat confusing but, I'm afraid the complicated fares system is one of the direct consequences of privatisation, and each 'attempt' by the Government to 'simplify' the fares system just makes it even more confusing.
If my assumptions, about which tickets you held and which service you travelled on, are correct, then you'll just have to put it down to experience. If, however, my assumptions are incorrect, please come back with more detail and I'll see if that makes a difference.0 -
If you only had to pay an extra £45, that seems like she actually did you an enormous favour and only charged you the difference between the price of the cheaper train you paid for and the more expensive one you caught.
What she should have done if she thought you'd made an 'honest mistake' was make you buy a whole new first class single ticket for the train you were on.
If she thought you knew full well that you were on the wrong train and were trying it on, she could have reported you for prosecution. Even settling out of court would likely to have been a substantial three figure sum.
The ticket makes it crystal clear that you must be on the right train; that's the trade off you make for getting a cheaper ticket.
Rather than complain about her, thank her.0 -
I dont understand the basis for the complaint, you got on the wrong train.0
-
Fair enough, well sorry for asking. That's almost £50 I didn't have and that I won't be compensated for by work. I just feel sorry for others in that position who aren't all commuters like yourselves.0
-
No need to apologise for asking. By asking you get the answer
You don't need to be a commuter to read what what the ticket says!0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.4K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.3K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.8K Spending & Discounts
- 244.4K Work, Benefits & Business
- 599.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.2K Life & Family
- 258K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards