First Class full

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From the Daily Mail

Beach saunas, wild swimming, and a plush hotel in Devon - it was the perfect holiday retreat for Mariella Frostrup.

That was until the broadcaster encountered Great Western Railways, and was forced to spend a two-hour journey sitting on the train floor despite holding a first-class ticket.

Returning from a wellness retreat on Saturday, the 61-year-old presenter splashed out on a pricier ticket, but was met with a packed service from Tiverton Parkway, Devon to London Paddington and no seat.

Do I vaguely remember that if you don't get a seat in first you can claim your fare back, whereas in standard class it's "tough"

[Chris from Nailsea]

Do I also vaguely remember a previous Prime Minister having a similar experience? 

[TaplowGreen]

Do I also vaguely remember a previous Prime Minister having a similar experience? 

Which PM was that?

I do remember Corbyn getting a photo opportunity sitting on the floor of a "ram packed" train............and then it emerged that he'd walked past dozens of empty seats to get there 

[Phantom]

From the Daily Mail

Beach saunas, wild swimming, and a plush hotel in Devon - it was the perfect holiday retreat for Mariella Frostrup.

That was until the broadcaster encountered Great Western Railways, and was forced to spend a two-hour journey sitting on the train floor despite holding a first-class ticket.

Returning from a wellness retreat on Saturday, the 61-year-old presenter splashed out on a pricier ticket, but was met with a packed service from Tiverton Parkway, Devon to London Paddington and no seat.

Do I vaguely remember that if you don't get a seat in first you can claim your fare back, whereas in standard class it's "tough"

I will always remember standard class being full and being told my ticket was to travel and didn't guarantee a seat

[grahame]

I will always remember standard class being full and being told my ticket was to travel and didn't guarantee a seat

From Chiltern Railways but worded as if it applies to all TOCx

If you have paid for a First Class ticket and no First Class seats are available (or where a First Class carriage was advertised but not available), then you will be able to claim through the train company on which you were travelling for the difference in fare between your fare and a walk-up standard class fare for the same service.

Please note that occasionally a promotional or Advance First Class fare can be cheaper than the walk-up Standard Class fare and in these cases you may not be entitled to any money back.

[ChrisB]

Mariella said in her tweet that she had booked an Advance 1st ticket - I wondered what happened to her compulsory seat reservation, but got no answer. The celeb travellers never tell their full stories, do they Tanni?

[a-driver]

Mariella said in her tweet that she had booked an Advance 1st ticket - I wondered what happened to her compulsory seat reservation, but got no answer. The celeb travellers never tell their full stories, do they Tanni?

Potentially a short formed service, a 5 vice 9 or 10

[TaplowGreen]

Mariella said in her tweet that she had booked an Advance 1st ticket - I wondered what happened to her compulsory seat reservation, but got no answer. The celeb travellers never tell their full stories, do they Tanni?

Can't imagine why she didn't respond to you immediately.....especially given you're always so supportive of customers who've had a lousy experience! 

[grahame]

Mariella said in her tweet that she had booked an Advance 1st ticket - I wondered what happened to her compulsory seat reservation, but got no answer. The celeb travellers never tell their full stories, do they Tanni?

Can't imagine why she didn't respond to you immediately.....especially given you're always so supportive of customers who've had a lousy experience! 

By the nature of their professions, celebrities, sportspeople and politicians are out there / very much more communicative and much more likely to go public than the average passenger ... with the press much more  likely to publicise the case of someone who's know to their readership.  But that does not make these high profile people any more informed about how the rail system works (which I understand is quite complicated).  So the net result is often a bit of an odd or partial story that the typically well-informed members of the Coffee Shop can see may have more holes than a colander.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... the typically well-informed members of the Coffee Shop can see may have more holes than a colander.

That was darned good spelling for you, grahame! 

CfN 

[TaplowGreen]

Mariella said in her tweet that she had booked an Advance 1st ticket - I wondered what happened to her compulsory seat reservation, but got no answer. The celeb travellers never tell their full stories, do they Tanni?

Can't imagine why she didn't respond to you immediately.....especially given you're always so supportive of customers who've had a lousy experience! 

By the nature of their professions, celebrities, sportspeople and politicians are out there / very much more communicative and much more likely to go public than the average passenger ... with the press much more  likely to publicise the case of someone who's know to their readership.  But that does not make these high profile people any more informed about how the rail system works (which I understand is quite complicated).  So the net result is often a bit of an odd or partial story that the typically well-informed members of the Coffee Shop can see may have more holes than a colander.

That being the case, perhaps you'd like to tell us what actually happened in this case, and the specific details that Ms Frostrup has omitted?

I'm sure that shouldn't be difficult for one so well informed?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Gently, gentlemen. 

[TaplowGreen]

Gently, gentlemen. 

My apologies if appropriate, but the smugness, cynicism and attempts to discredit and downplay individuals experiences, entirely subjectively and based on nothing more than their "celebrity" is tiresome and cheap.

The digs at someone of the stature of Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson are particularly misplaced, especially given that even Hendy apologised for her experience.

Ironically, considering this forum, the way lousy experiences are brushed aside so casually is not untypical of the way in which the railway so often treats its customers, whether or not they're sprinkled with a little stardust, all are entitled to a level of respect which culturally is a real struggle for some.

[Ralph Ayres]

So often these complaints end with a comment about driving next time, as if there are never any problems on car journeys (written having cycled over a stationary M25 earlier today).  The railways - or at least some bits of them - do seem to be going through a particularly bad patch at the moment though.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ironically, considering this forum, the way lousy experiences are brushed aside so casually is not untypical of the way in which the railway so often treats its customers, whether or not they're sprinkled with a little stardust, all are entitled to a level of respect which culturally is a real struggle for some.

TaplowGreen: please note that none of us here on the Administrator / Moderator team on the Coffee Shop forum are railway staff - we have absolutely no remit to defend 'The Railways'.

We just want to see a good clean discussion of the facts of any situation, here on the forum, without it getting personal.

Chris from Nailsea.