Commuter charged TEN POUNDS to change a seat reservation

[whole diary]

[John R]

The definition of a commuter (Chambers) is someone who travels daily to and from work, so as D-M has already noted, it's not appropriate here.

Also, the passenger wasn't actually charged ^10 (as they didn't go ahead with the transaction), however, they were quoted ^10 to change the reservation.

What I find very odd is why anyone would go to the trouble of driving to the station to change the reservation purely for the philanthropic reason of ensuring that the table wouldn't be blocked for a family. Particularly when it would quite likely be reallocated to another single traveller as soon as the reservation had been changed. That doesn't ring true to me. 

Btline - you say this wasn't an article, but yet there is a quote verbatim from the "shocked commuter". So if it wasn't from an article, where did it come from?

Personally, I think there are more important issues to worry about than the cost quoted for an unnecessary and spurious transaction, so whether it's wrong or not, I'm not sure I care.     

 

[JayMac]

Don't like the terms and conditions that apply to the purchase and use of the ticket? Don't buy it.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

The seat reservation will state only valid with ticket number xxxxx unless by fluke the same price tier was available the charge would not have been ^10 but instead  ^10 plus the difference between ticket purchased and the cheapest available (unless upgrading to first prior to journey)but I don't see the issue with doing a seat reservation aslong as is the correct train and stapling the tickets together at no charge, you don't have to sit in the reserved seat? Just be on the correct train in the appropriate class, unfortunately with most services being very busy these days a seating preference is just that ... A preference not a guarentee

[vacman]

I have just spent 3 minutes reading all of this thread, thankyou BTline, 3 minutes of my life that i will never get back.

[Btline]

I still don't see why it should cost ^10 to alter a reservation that doesn't alter the ticket in any way. It could be done in several clicks and wouldn't even waste paper.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Could even be purchased from the station in the first place :-p ... I will get my coat

[Btline]

Could even be purchased from the station in the first place.

No - not if you want East Coast reward points.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Did the points come to more than ^10 in total 

[Brucey]

What's wrong with just turning up on the day and sitting in an unreserved seat?  And if there aren't any, then use your reserved seat.

And why does everyone think that table seats are for family use only during the school holidays?  A rather rude woman asked if I could move so her family could sit round a table.  She didn't seem to appreciate the papers spread across the table and laptop plugged in.  I refused on the basis that I had the seat reserved specifically so I could plug my laptop in.  Everyone (including other passengers) looked at me as if I was doing something wrong.

Perhaps time have changed, but when I was a little'un, travelling on public transport often meant sitting on any free seat next to a stranger.  Are children to be shielded from the travelling public these days?

(Sorry, rant over!)

[BandHcommuter]

What's wrong with just turning up on the day and sitting in an unreserved seat?  And if there aren't any, then use your reserved seat.

The unclaimed seat then appears to be unavailable to unreserved passengers, who are left to look for (often elusive) empty unreserved seats, or sit down and take a chance that the person who reserved the seat doesn't turn up.

I sometimes find this a to be an irritation when I (as a season ticket holder with no reservation) board a busy train (e.g. the 1945 from Paddington). I have to stand until after departure and then go and see which seats are unclaimed (and there seem to be an awful lot of them!)

I suppose the person who chooses not to take up their reserved seat could always remove the label to release the seat for use by other passengers, but that's probably against some rule or other.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Hence why some company's no longer offer reservations

[vacmanfan]

Yawn....

[Btline]

Exactly, this commuter will apparently just find their own seat, meaning the other one around the table will look reserved! You're not allowed to remove the card = fine.

[Southern Stag]

A fine never enforced, and providing nobody else's reservation is also on your ticket you aren't going to get in trouble for removing your own reservation.