Dear First Great Western ...

[Serial_Apologist]

I've always avoided them, but recently I found I'd asked to have pre-booked tickets delivered that way, by mistake. The machine refused to accept my credit card as identification even though I'd used it without problems just before and did again afterwards.

Fortunately the Virgin Trains office was able give me the tickets. Just as well it was open.

Indeed - and worth bearing in mind whenever BBC news manages to catch vox populi complaining about "passenger inconvenience" whenever staff strike in defense of ticket offices, which are now closing down left, right and centre.

[Lordgeous]

Bloody machines! Some months ago I booked in advance a return ticket for a friend. On the morning of travel i dashed in with my credit card (parking hell!), two tickets were disgorged which i dashed back to give to my friend, but after I'd left she discovered that there was only one actual ticket (outbound) and the second bit of paper was just a receipt! I'd never used the system before and obviously had no way of proving that I hadnt received the return ticket and was just trying to scam a refund. An expensive mistake!

[Dave2002]

Bloody machines! Some months ago I booked in advance a return ticket for a friend. On the morning of travel i dashed in with my credit card (parking hell!), two tickets were disgorged which i dashed back to give to my friend, but after I'd left she discovered that there was only one actual ticket (outbound) and the second bit of paper was just a receipt! I'd never used the system before and obviously had no way of proving that I hadnt received the return ticket and was just trying to scam a refund. An expensive mistake!

Best to practice on cheap tickets with the machines first. Usually you get 3 pieces of card for a return, or perhaps 4 if you also use the machine to get a car park ticket. That's an outward ticket, a return and the receipt. At some stations, if you go in the morning there might be staff to help if the ticket machine doesn't behave as you expect, but quite often, by mid afternoon, any possibly helpful humans may have left.

[teamsaint]

Good advice Dave.

Those interested on trains in the West might enjoy this site.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/

If you think the guys on the FoR3 forum are into niche stuff, try THIS lot for size .......


Incidentally, the new Transwilts 8 trains a day service is running at over 3 times projected numbers.

Which just proves how nice a day out to Melksham on the train can be.......

[gurnemanz]

Incidentally, the new Transwilts 8 trains a day service is running at over 3 times projected numbers.

Which just proves how nice a day out to Melksham on the train can be.......

I've never had a day out in Melksham. If I wanted to use this line for that purpose, I would have to catch a bus to Swindon and pick it up there. After about half an hour to 40 minutes I would be travelling back through the town where I started, whose station was closed by Dr Beeching. I might just as well have gone by bus in the first place - free of charge on bus pass.

[teamsaint]

I've never had a day out in Melksham. If I wanted to use this line for that purpose, I would have to catch a bus to Swindon and pick it up there. After about half an hour to 40 minutes I would be travelling back through the town where I started, whose station was closed by Dr Beeching. I might just as well have gone by bus in the first place - free of charge on bus pass.

Perhaps a move to Westbury would help you travel arrangements?

direct train services all over the place INCLUDING the new Transwilts service to all points North East Wilts, and one day potentially a reopened (Royal) Wootton Bassett station.

Happy days !!

[gurnemanz]

one day potentially a reopened (Royal) Wootton Bassett station.

Happy days !!

Not holding my breath on RWB station re-opening. A day out in Salisbury might be attractive.

[Sir Velo]

the new Transwilts

Not to be confused with the Trans-Siberian among great railway journeys eh?

[Dave2002]

Referring back to the original - we did get a refund in vouchers for our problem journey to Scotland. However, there are a few snags - which we are working around. The vouchers were sent to us by East Coast.

1. The denominations of the vouchers are quite high. For example, with a £20 voucher I could buy a ticket for £9.50 - but no change is given, so a loss of £10.50.
In our case you might argue that would not be a loss, but would simply not represent full compensation. In ff's case having vouchers which do not always equate to the full value of the money which was paid out is inexcusable.

2. Buying tickets on-line can be cheaper than buying tickets in a station - though this does depend on various factors. East Coast mentioned that I could return my vouchers to them, and have the value assigned to my East Coast account, which could then be used for on-line ticket purchases. Just a bit of extra faff, plus another stamp.

The one area where East Coast were not as helpful as they might have been was that one of us was travelling on a so-called loyalty ticket. They say it's in their rules that they won't offer compensation against such tickets, yet practically there is still a contract to travel. As far as I can see, they don't even return the reward points.

Otherwise the customer service from EC has actually been rather good so far.

[french frank]

That reminds me, Dave2002: I did write and got a reply to the effect that, as I had a railcard, they thought I would be able to use the vouchers. However, they were willing to issue a refund if I returned the vouchers.

By this time, however, I had already used the vouchers , having been summoned to a meeting in London. I pointed out that in my original letter I made it clear that I did not wish to pursue a claim, merely question their policy of issuing vouchers when they overcharged a customer, rather than immediately giving a refund. However, in order to book my discounted tickets using the vouchers, I had to make a separate journey by bus of more than an hour and a half, there and back, because I couldn't use them online to book. (They said I could have done it by telephone, but I hadn't been told that. And I'm not sure that it was the case.)

I added that my letter had been intended to be free customer feedback with an opinion of their customer service. I don't expect a further reply :-)

[cloughie]

That reminds me, Dave2002: I did write and got a reply to the effect that, as I had a railcard, they thought I would be able to use the vouchers. However, they were willing to issue a refund if I returned the vouchers.

By this time, however, I had already used the vouchers , having been summoned to a meeting in London. I pointed out that in my original letter I made it clear that I did not wish to pursue a claim, merely question their policy of issuing vouchers when they overcharged a customer, rather than immediately giving a refund. However, in order to book my discounted tickets using the vouchers, I had to make a separate journey by bus of more than an hour and a half, there and back, because I couldn't use them online to book. (They said I could have done it by telephone, but I hadn't been told that. And I'm not sure that it was the case.)

I added that my letter had been intended to be free customer feedback with an opinion of their customer service. I don't expect a further reply :-)

I saw the headings Dear First Great Western and Playing with Trains and in view of the Rail system in this part of the World and wondered if the threads might be merged!!!

[Dave2002]

I saw the headings Dear First Great Western and Playing with Trains and in view of the Rail system in this part of the World and wondered if the threads might be merged!!!

I don't really see why, the issues raised in the threads are different.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The First group also holds the Trans-Pennine franchise. Yesterday, i returned from my granddaughter's 3rd birthday party on a comfortable fast train from Kings' Cross to York, but there was a bus replacement for the York-Scarborough line. On the way out, I noticed a request to complete an online survey about this change. In the box at the end of the survey, I wrote the following:

"I am aware of the necessity to close lines in order to do essential engineering work when there is no practical diversionary rail route available. You provided a clean bus of the highest standard, and it was well-driven and punctual, with room for all passengers to be seated.
"Nevertheless, you completely ruined the journey by forcing all passengers to listen to Radio 2 throughout the journey. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND PRESUMPTUOUS. Anyone who wants to listen to music can buy an iPod and listen discretely through suitable headphones. 1st TPE does not inflict this aural menace on its train passengers. It should be no different when trains are replaced by buses. Incidentally, I was hoping someone would check my ticket, and was only going to show it on condition that the music be turned off, as it was breaching railway bylaws."

[cloughie]

I don't really see why, the issues raised in the threads are different.

I KNOW - I WAS PLAYING WITH WORDS AS WELL AS TRAINS!

[french frank]

Episode 3: Letter this morning, dated 25 November (Tuesday), thanking me for mine of 18 November (the previous Tuesday), and apologising for the delay in replying. I think it must be the automatically generated first paragraph as I would consider that a prompt reply.

It was from a third Customer Relations Adviser who understood I was querying why I had been sent rail vouchers. Checking on my original journey it was recorded that the entire journey was ticketed so they were not liable to pay compensation - hence the rail vouchers as 'a gesture of goodwill'. There was a reference to my having to 'purchase new tickets' but not that I had been made to pay twice for the ticketed journey because the ticket machine malfunctioned.

If I have any further questions I must not hesitate to contact them again. Shall I, shan't I? Shall I, shan't I? :-)