thetrainline.com

Kavanne

southwesttrains.co.uk won't add on these extra charges.

MarkyMarkD

Thetrainline.com hasn't made money since it was established. Not surprising given that initially they were absorbing all the delivery costs and (often) giving extra discounts.

Just because a business starts trying to make a profit, rather than a loss, isn't a justification to slag them off.

The train operator-managed websites are slightly different. Even if they are managed by thetrainline.com behind the scenes, they are run as a service by the train operators and obviously using their online service cuts down the queues at their ticket office - benefits which aren't worth anything to thetrainline.com.

As others have said, don't agree to something and then complain about it. Do your research first!

JasonLVC

Virgin Trains and National Express Trains are the two co-owners of thetrainline.com and so these are both established train companies and whilst this subsidiary may not make a profit, the parent holding company (Qjump) made over £5m last year. So the 'benefits' to thetrainline is that every penny earnt is contributing to their co-owners profits, which are one and the same.

Clearly, thetrainline has simply established itelf as the market leader and then introduced arbitary charges to exploit customers who know of no other websites. I doubt charging 50p extra will bring them back into the black.

GWT is a good website and have used in the past and so is the recommendation to the OP in future.

sockospice

Virgin and National Express sold thetrainline to a private equity firm in 2006

pinkshoes

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Thetrainline.com hasn't made money since it was established. Not surprising given that initially they were absorbing all the delivery costs and (often) giving extra discounts.

Just because a business starts trying to make a profit, rather than a loss, isn't a justification to slag them off.

The train operator-managed websites are slightly different. Even if they are managed by thetrainline.com behind the scenes, they are run as a service by the train operators and obviously using their online service cuts down the queues at their ticket office - benefits which aren't worth anything to thetrainline.com.

As others have said, don't agree to something and then complain about it. Do your research first!

A bit harsh!

I had bought tickets from thetrainline.com just a month before (which I would count as research!), and wasn't charged for using my debit card, nor for the postage. I was just venting (and certainly not slagging them off!) that they've suddenly added all these charges. I'd gone through the whole process of finding the tickets, filling in all the details, and then right at the end, it sprung up all these new charges.

What was I supposed to do? Go onto another web page, and go through the whole buying ticket process just to see if they do or don't charge? Not worth it in case my lovely £12 tickets disappeared, as they often do. :rolleyes: (the cheapest ticket is now £74...)

I shall use FGW's site in future, as it doesn't charge. And this vent is a warning to everyone else who is planning on buying train tickets that the T&Cs from thetrainline.com have now changed.

pinkshoes

chuckley wrote: »

u marked the T&C's in order to book the tickets then complain??? yet were happy for them to charge the 50p?

LMAO. there were other options. like your local train station, other booking webites, e.t.c

And I will know for future not to use thetrainline.com! I have so far saved 4 people from having to pay their new booking fees, so that'll do me!

Going to the local train station would cost £2.80 on the bus, and I wasn't aware that other sites would be any different.

but LMAO too that you seem to know other sites don't charge, and yet just 7 days previously, you'd advised someone to use thetrainline.com :eek: You don't work for them by any chance, or have shares?!?!:D

JasonLVC

sockospice wrote: »

Virgin and National Express sold thetrainline to a private equity firm in 2006

Odd, looking at companies house earlier today and pulling off a copy off last years accounts, it still shows Virgin and National as being major shareholders.

Thanks for the update anyway.

I see that the CEO of thetrainline investment holdingis ltd also Finance Director of Virgin, West Coast and Crosscountry Trains!!. Looking a bit deeper I can see the holding company lists Richard Branson(!) as a contact.

Peter999_2

thetrainline is now owned by Exponent Private Equity, see :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetrainline

MarkyMarkD

JasonLVC wrote: »

Virgin Trains and National Express Trains are the two co-owners of thetrainline.com and so these are both established train companies and whilst this subsidiary may not make a profit, the parent holding company (Qjump) made over £5m last year. So the 'benefits' to thetrainline is that every penny earnt is contributing to their co-owners profits, which are one and the same.

Clearly, thetrainline has simply established itelf as the market leader and then introduced arbitary charges to exploit customers who know of no other websites. I doubt charging 50p extra will bring them back into the black.

GWT is a good website and have used in the past and so is the recommendation to the OP in future.

I'm not sure where you get the £5m profit from. But Trainline was sold in 2006 for £163m (or £168m depending where you look). £5m is scarcely an adequate return on £163m.

chuckley

pinkshoes wrote: »

And I will know for future not to use thetrainline.com! I have so far saved 4 people from having to pay their new booking fees, so that'll do me!

ur like those people that complain about ryainair card & baggage, e.t.c charges even thought u are told throughout the process of ordering... then pay and come on here ranting n raving about being 'robbed', yet u tick the t&c's... i remember sum1 sayin 'but u have to click it in order to pay/go ahead.

Going to the local train station would cost £2.80 on the bus, and I wasn't aware that other sites would be any different.
ever thought of walking?!

but LMAO too that you seem to know other sites don't charge, and yet just 7 days previously, you'd advised someone to use thetrainline.com :eek: You don't work for them by any chance, or have shares?!?!:DI advise ppl of loads of places... whats ur point?! i aint bought off them for about 2 years... mainly coz i dont advance book anymore and can get a walk on YPR saver rtn discount for only a lil more than an advance 'specific time n dates' ticket, or buy at local station at same advance price if i used that option.

Again its another case of folk complaining coz ur told before hand... what u dont know dont hurt u... what next?? the metro, london lite and the london papaer are free?? LOL!