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NickB
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« on: August 18, 2016, 09:53:58 » |
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Is anyone else finding it impossible to make seat reservations at the moment? I've been constantly pinging emails at the ' forward@firstgroup.com' address for the past three weeks (4 emails to date) and no one answers. Has everyone gone on holiday? I'd go to one of the meet the manager sessions to speak to someone in person but the website only lists dates up to July so thats useless too. |
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laird
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« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2016, 18:26:31 » |
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When I tweeted in to ask the same question I got the following "This email address is not currently active and reservations are currently unable to be processed via forward@firstgroup.com. Very sorry for this. At present reservations can only be made at your local Ticket Office or via 0345 7000125. The email address system is something that is being looked into by our customer relations teams with a view to having it reinstated at somepoint going forward. Apologies for any trouble this has caused you. There's no fee for seat reservations via any method that we offer. It's free to make a reservation at the Ticket Office and over the telephone." So I've tried dropping into the ticket office at Reading with my seat request, apparently though they will only do it one month at a time. Quite a reduction in customer service. :-( |
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didcotdean
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« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2016, 18:47:39 » |
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So Backwards rather than Forwards. If that e-mail is out of use then the last remnant of the former loyalty programme has finally gone.
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2016, 20:10:28 » |
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The problem with email is their current turn around time so best not accepting emails.
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All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
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NickB
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« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2016, 22:51:28 » |
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Thanks for the answers. That is absolutely astonishing.  GWR▸ continue to amaze me with just how bad a company can be run, and how hard it tries to hide from its customers. Astonishing. |
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2016, 23:02:04 » |
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Thanks for the answers. That is absolutely astonishing. GWR▸ continue to amaze me with just how bad a company can be run, and how hard it tries to hide from its customers. Astonishing. GWR are bad, but from experience they are one of the better TOCs▸ . If you want to see bad try Southern. They make GWR look exceptionally wonderful and good. I think we would all appreciate what we have a bit more if we lived somewhere on the Victoria Brighton line for example! |
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All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
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NickB
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« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2016, 00:33:08 » |
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Noted. Although I travelled on southern from 2001-2010 without major issue. Perhaps what I'm referring to is the fact that the reservations email address is still advertised on the gwr website, that an automated response telling me the address is no longer monitored, and that it is gwr's own insistence that forces me to have to make such reservations in the first place. It's that constant feeling of pillar to post that grates with me.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2016, 11:40:06 » |
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It's that constant feeling of pillar to post that grates with me.
Quite agree with you, Nick. Totally unacceptable and amateurish. |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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NickB
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« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2016, 17:57:55 » |
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So I called the gwr helpline number today to make my bookings as suggested in laird's post.
I got through to someone quickly, and they understood what I was trying to do. Unfortunately it then took 22 minutes to book 3 reservations, and as I had called to make 60 reservations I ended the call at that point as, extrapolated, I would have been on the phone for 10 hrs to make the complete booking.
Clearly this is a backward step for gwr and all mankind. The assistant revealed that 'call centre migration' was ongoing and no one has migrated the block booking software. Ho hum.
Having ended the call (ironically because I had a train to catch, I realised that I have only been given booking refs and not actual seat numbers. I guess that will be Monday's task to obtain these.
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2016, 18:23:13 » |
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So I called the gwr helpline number today to make my bookings as suggested in laird's post.
I got through to someone quickly, and they understood what I was trying to do. Unfortunately it then took 22 minutes to book 3 reservations, and as I had called to make 60 reservations I ended the call at that point as, extrapolated, I would have been on the phone for 10 hrs to make the complete booking.
Clearly this is a backward step for gwr and all mankind. The assistant revealed that 'call centre migration' was ongoing and no one has migrated the block booking software. Ho hum.
Having ended the call (ironically because I had a train to catch, I realised that I have only been given booking refs and not actual seat numbers. I guess that will be Monday's task to obtain these.
60 reservations in one go? Wow! Is this related to a season ticket? |
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NickB
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« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2016, 18:44:01 » |
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Yep.
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Ollie
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« Reply #11 on: August 21, 2016, 01:02:35 » |
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Clearly this is a backward step for gwr and all mankind. The assistant revealed that 'call centre migration' was ongoing and no one has migrated the block booking software. Ho hum. Unfortunately there is an ongoing issue with the account because of the migration from Intelenet to Capita, it is being worked on and I shall be chasing an update when I'm in the office on Monday. It may feel like a backway step at the moment, but I don't believe there is any intention to get rid of the service. Having ended the call (ironically because I had a train to catch, I realised that I have only been given booking refs and not actual seat numbers. I guess that will be Monday's task to obtain these.
If it's the ref with 2 letters then some numbers, feel free to message them over, I'm working 0600-1400 Mon-Fri and will be able to check what your seats are. |
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #12 on: August 21, 2016, 01:16:20 » |
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Thanks for your offer of assistance with this issue, Ollie.  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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NickB
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« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2016, 12:55:04 » |
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Thanks Ollie for your offer of assistance, and also for providing some background to the problem.
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Ollie
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« Reply #14 on: August 26, 2016, 13:20:26 » |
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Our IT team have started to transfer pending emails to an alternative email account so our customer relations team can start getting reservations sorted...unfortunately it's been down for a few weeks or so, so there is a bit of a backlog! But the process of getting back to people has started again.
Probably going to be a different email address going forward, but I've not had it confirmed yet what that will be.
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