Christmas/New Year peak restrictions

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

You may well be right that I won't get anywhere complaining about overcharging. The not caring attitude likely continues beyond those responsible for ensuring correct tickets are sold at the correct price and further up the chain of command.

And if we have a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Customer Panel member saying it's pointless raising issues of overcharging, then that is further evidence of a 'couldn't care' attitude.

So it seems that, complaining to FGW - pointless. Raising the issue with my Customer Panel rep - pointless. Taking the issue to Passenger Focus - pointless. If you're unknowingly (on your part, but most definitely knowingly on the part of FGW) overcharged, then tough titty it would seem. FGW will overcharge you simply because they can't be arsed to program their TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) to sell the correct ticket at the correct price over the festive period. Yet they can program their ticket office and online systems. There is simply no excuse for not doing likewise to the TVMs.

Forgive me for the following harsh assessment, but it really pisses me off that such attitudes towards customers pervade.

[ChrisB]

True, but that's a different discussion

It wasn't that many years ago that all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) used to charge full peak fares between Xmas & New Year. Passenger power finally saw the end of that. Wish all TOCs would see the light

[ChrisB]

BNM, your assuming that you are the first person to be raising these points.

I should have mentioned (excuse me, my mind gas been elsewhere as my mother died on Xmas Eve) that your valid points were indeed raised back when both Chiltern, and then FGW^▸ (First Great Western), finally saw the light and accepted a passenger view that it wasn't moral to be charging peak fares if they were running anything but a full weekday service.

So passengers won the concession, but after full discussion over making these concession fares available across all sales outlets, it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen. It was ticket office only originally. They've managed to get online sales right it seems at last.

As you know, all fares have sales codes attached, and TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) software uses these to determine which fares are valid at any particular time, so as not to sell them when they aren't valid.

The software is nowhere as comprehensive as that used by the websites, and without, I'm pretty sure, upgrading the TVMs innards, using similar large scale software can't happen.

For 3 or 4 days a year, whdn only a few TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) are offering the concession, the cost is prohibitive. Do we want the concession available across some methods, or possibly the removal of said concession (which would then meet your requirement, but be a backward step)

You might not think the latter possible, I do. It really is purely a concession. Most TOCs don't offer it. Those that do could easily face their customers down. They might insert the odd peak train (FGW already do). It would be very easy for those who offer to remove it, to be able to meet your demand.

[bobm]

On behalf of the admin/moderator team, may I offer you condolences on your loss ChrisB?  There is never a good time for these things, but Christmas is certainly a very hard time to experience a bereavement.

[Zoe]

They might insert the odd peak train (FGW^▸ (First Great Western) already do).

If some FGW trains are still classed as peak despite the lifting of the restrictions then it would have been helpful if this had been stated in Christmas/New Year leaflet.  Which trains are these?

[Brucey]

It's the same every year. No one has previously raised major complains.

I would suspect that 95% of passengers don't actually know the correct fare for the journey they make, therefore very few will actually know they have been overcharged and therefore complaints will be low.

[ChrisB]

Zoe - sorry, whT I meant is that some operators simply operate a Sarurday service (with the odd extra stop in some services (like SWT^▸ (South West Trains), Chiltern). Others like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) include the odd extra train in peak hours to soak up the few commuters. But all services run are not time restricted at all, meaning no peak fares

Appreciate the thoughts, Guys :-)

[Zoe]

If the ticket office is closed and the machine is only offering peak fares (due to the time), are you expected to pay the full peak fare and claim a refund or would an off peak ticket be sold on the train?

[ChrisB]

Buy on the train. There ought to be signage on each machine

[JayMac]

Out this morning. No signage on the machine at Filton Abbey Wood. 

[ChrisB]

That will definitely be taken forward

[lordgoata]

Thanks to BNM for (re)directing me to this thread as I couldn't find it before - just to say having read this thread, I asked my partner what tickets she had gotten from the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) on Monday-Wednesday between Christmas and New Year, and she confirmed they were all Anytimes. I said that she could have gotten Off-Peaks if I understood correctly, so clarified with BNM who confirmed that to be the case. There were no notices on the machine. We'll be contacting FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to see what they have to say.

I certainly don't have a good grasp on the train fares as I am sure I have indicated a number of times, but my partner even less so as she uses them much less frequently than I do. I do have to wonder just how many people travelled on the Anytime tickets during the de-restriction period. I am very much tempted to drop a note to our local magazine....

[sprinterguard]

I do have to wonder just how many people travelled on the Anytime tickets during the de-restriction period.

From the tickets I checked over the off-peak Christmas period, plenty....

[IndustryInsider]

Thanks to BNM for (re)directing me to this thread as I couldn't find it before - just to say having read this thread, I asked my partner what tickets she had gotten from the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) on Monday-Wednesday between Christmas and New Year, and she confirmed they were all Anytimes. I said that she could have gotten Off-Peaks if I understood correctly, so clarified with BNM who confirmed that to be the case. There were no notices on the machine. We'll be contacting FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to see what they have to say.

I certainly don't have a good grasp on the train fares as I am sure I have indicated a number of times, but my partner even less so as she uses them much less frequently than I do. I do have to wonder just how many people travelled on the Anytime tickets during the de-restriction period. I am very much tempted to drop a note to our local magazine....

Not good enough, is it! 

[Fourbee]

If the ticket office is closed and the machine is only offering peak fares (due to the time), are you expected to pay the full peak fare and claim a refund or would an off peak ticket be sold on the train?

I was expected to pay the wrong fare at the ticket office the other day due to ignorance of the rules and a refusual point blank to help further (not FGW^▸ (First Great Western) land mind). I would have used the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) but it was only showing selected fares.

I have raised the issue with the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s customer services. I could have also mentioned the apparent lack of the words "hello, goodbye, please and thank you" in this person's vocabulary but didn't want to dilute my point.

It's the attitude (as BNM mentioned) and contrary stance which really grates.