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National Rail
Dr Pirate
Posts: 8,303 Legendary Poster
Fuck sake I hate them :mad: :mad: :mad:
I booked a ticket this morning from Enfield to Exeter, because I'm going to be visiting Renzo and Malteser Monkay the week after the london meet, I thought this would be simple...
I booked the ticket for the wrong date, after finding my error I thought it would be simple enough to ring them up, and change the date to the day before, apparantly not. I was on hold for HALF AN HOUR before anyone picked up, only to be told that I can't change the ticket because I wasn't the card holder (I booked it on my mums card). So I waited for mum to get home, and she rang them... Apparantly it would cost 10 pounds to change the date (even though the email i received said 5).
So I decided that 10 quid would be alright if I can just change the date, but apparantly trains dont travel from Enfield to Exeter, only every other day of the fucking week :banghead: .
I've just (not 5 minutes ago) booked a ticket on the day that I wanted, for exactly the same price, I've also applyed for a refund, but that will cost me 15 quid (despite yet again, the web site saying 10 pounds). All in all, avoid National Rail at ALL costs.
I booked a ticket this morning from Enfield to Exeter, because I'm going to be visiting Renzo and Malteser Monkay the week after the london meet, I thought this would be simple...
I booked the ticket for the wrong date, after finding my error I thought it would be simple enough to ring them up, and change the date to the day before, apparantly not. I was on hold for HALF AN HOUR before anyone picked up, only to be told that I can't change the ticket because I wasn't the card holder (I booked it on my mums card). So I waited for mum to get home, and she rang them... Apparantly it would cost 10 pounds to change the date (even though the email i received said 5).
So I decided that 10 quid would be alright if I can just change the date, but apparantly trains dont travel from Enfield to Exeter, only every other day of the fucking week :banghead: .
I've just (not 5 minutes ago) booked a ticket on the day that I wanted, for exactly the same price, I've also applyed for a refund, but that will cost me 15 quid (despite yet again, the web site saying 10 pounds). All in all, avoid National Rail at ALL costs.
Post edited by JustV on
0
Comments
You mean TheTrainLine, who are not a very good company at all. And nothing to do at all with ATOC.
Which is why you buy tickets from the station, who don't tend to charge admin fees. Although some discount fares are not changeable and not refundable at all. And they do at least check you put the right day in your computer.
I'm just pissed off at the utter incompetance of their staff. I've booked another ticket now, for the right date, And after this journey I shaln't be using their service again.
They're not, its a link:)
Actually, they did their job right. The T&Cs state there is an admin fee for changing bookings. Not their fault you put the wrong day in the machine, I'm afraid.
Very wise.
gner.co.uk are good, but the best bet is always to go to the station to book tickets. The staff there are much more helpful, because they're not either in Dingwall or Delhi.
also, I doubt gner will be able to deal with any of my train needs, seeing as I live in London =\
They always seem very expensive though. Use National Express instead, uncomfortable but a lot less dear.
They did.
£10 on the internet, £15 over the phone.
Sorry. It's all in the small print. It always is.
You are charged by these companies. You are not (generally) charged by the station ticket office. Which is why its better to queue, and get a decent service, than use TrainLine.
TrainLine are cretins, they managed to book me and the missus in seats three seats apart from each other. On both journeys. On two empty trains. Fnagrgghgh.
They do national tickets, and gner run to London anyway:p
Im going to make a trip to the station tomorrow. If not I might have to skip the lecture even if it is the 1st one of the term.
Because like, more than one company can operate the same route, and the tickets are valid on any route operator...
It's complicated, but basically they share it out depending on how many trains they run on a route.
Oh also if your not a total pauper often you can upgrade on great western from standard to first class for a fiver once your on the train - which is well worth it.
I thought you could do that too. Apparently not though. The rail companies are absolute garbage in all regions. They are shocking here in the north west too. The government can't work out why people still clamour to use the roads when we have a 'perfectly good public transport infrastructure' (quoting Mr Blair).
I'll tell you why Mr Blair. It's f*cking crap. No one will use any form of public transport over private vehicles while it is full of overcomplicated administration and so frustratingly unreliable.
You can buy any ticket from anywhere to anywhere at any staffed railway station.
Two singles can indeed be cheaper, as nearly all the TOCs do their bargain fares as two singles now, so you can always pick and choose the cheapest available fare.
You can upgrade on most intercity services, if you have certain tickets. You normally can't with bargain tickets.
The railways are actually quite good in urban areas, to be fair. Rural lines are shite, but hey, that's what its like. Why run trains when there's nobody there to catch it?
I am tempted to turn up at a station at peak time and decide to go on a journey to Wick or Thurso and watch the look on the face of the staff
I did similar to that in London. I wanted a ticket from Edinburgh to my home village in the Highlands and they thought I was taking the piss
Aww diddums.
That's how much things cost.
You could always try sitting on National Express for a fortnight...