The ^327 rail ticket from Bath to Northallerton

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

It does seem a ridiculous price, if you didn't go via London you could have gone First Class for a cheaper fare!!

Can I suggest contacting National Express East Coast regarding this, as First Great Western has no say in the price of the ticket as it was set by National Express.

[grahame]

Nick - thank you SO MUCH for signing up and 'correcting the record' - delighted to have you here, although I know you won't be using the train much in the future  so won't become one of our regulars.

I was instrumental in setting up this forum because of the utter farce of elements of the rail system in the wedge to the west of London - First Great Western territory.  Some - but not all of it - relates to a ridiculously complex fare system with so many oddities in it which brings the whole system into disrepute and leads to some fares being quoted which are, to say the least, grossly unfair.

I've been "caught out" too.  I've asked for a return, but been sold a single (42 pounds return v 41 pounds single!), and I like to think I'm not "stupid" either. I've been lied to (and the rules tell the staff to lie) when I asked for the "cheapest way to get to Chippenham on the next train".  I've been offered the 75 pound direct fare from Swindon to Salisbury (there are 2 trains a day) rather than the one's that's rather less that a half of that if you make a longer journey and change at Bath ...

It's my contention that rail fares should be fair and easy to understand, which patently they are not.  Unless you have a degree in railway fares, or you're paid to spend time learning all about them (which by definition, railway staff are!), you've not got a hope of not getting caught out occasionally by a corrupt system.  I saw you on TV. And I thought "there, but for the grace of God, go I"

An afterthought.   I was talking to someone who had visited Poland recently, and made a train journey there.   When he booked hsi return ticket, he asked about the conditions on the return. "It's just a return ticket" said the clerk "that's what we sell - you can come back when you like - why should it be otherwise?" ... why, indeed!

[TerminalJunkie]

If you only want to complain about the amount you were charged, you need to contact National Express, as First Great Western don't set the fare for the journey you took.

If instead you want to complain about the ticket you were sold, you can complain to First Great Western because - unless you insisted on travelling via London - they did not sell you the cheapest ticket for your journey.

The staff at the ticket office should have advised you to catch the 0628 to Cardiff, changing at Bristol Temple Meads (15 min connection) for the 0700 towards Edinburgh, and changing again at York (19 minutes) for the 1141 towards Newcastle which would have got you to Northallerton at 1200. This would have cost ^99.80 (Off Peak Returns are valid on any train after 0500 on this route), and they ought to refund the difference.

If you don't get anywhere, follow up the complaint through Passenger Focus. Don't let them get away with this.

[Timmer]

Hmmm maybe I should revise my comment that travelling at peak times can be expensive. ^99.80 is a pretty good price for travelling so early in the day. The ^327 question is why was this fare not offered as its by a permitted route?

[Btline]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for putting the facts straight.

DO travel by train in the future, as not all prices are that bad.

Try and buy online in advance (even just 1 day), and you can save lots of money.

Use nationalexpresseastcoast.com - the best booking site.

Seeing as you took the journey by rail, did you enjoy it? was it relaxing? did you get a lot of work done? These are the main benefits of rail travel.

[smokey]

Return from B Parkway appears to be <^100, even first thing in the morning. 

Now would that be Bodmin or Bristol Parkway?

Expect it's Bristol as I doubt it's less than a ^ton on the Hind from Bodmin.

[John R]

Maybe in the context of the article and thread the answer is obvious?

[dog box]

Nick ..if you did not state that you wished to travel via london, The Ticket Office should have sold you the cheapest ticket avalible to suit your needs, they clearly did not, and you should take this up with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Customer services,{pm me with address and i will gladly forward you a form }
as for the price this is clearly of epic proportions but as others have stated its set by NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast), comparing rail travel in Holland and the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) is not really a comparision as the UK government sees rail travel as something they dont wish to contribute too and  they want they paying passenger to cough up more.
Yes rail ticket pricing is a minefield in this country , but if you are prepaired to do a bit of research you can get some good deals.
^327 is a lot of money, but its far from being the most expensive Ticket out there, its the way the system works and speaking to newspapers sorts nothing out at all

[IndustryInsider]

as for the price this is clearly of epic proportions but as others have stated its set by NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast)

Which in the grand scheme of things makes no difference whatsoever - if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were responsible for setting the fare it would be the same/similar. What strikes me as the key fact is that a fare of less that ^100 (avoiding London) was available, and should have been quoted.

[IndustryInsider]

comparing rail travel in Holland and the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) is not really a comparision as the UK government sees rail travel as something they dont wish to contribute too and  they want they paying passenger to cough up more.

It IS a comparison though. And compared with Holland (and most of Europe), we compare very badly. The average punter doesn't give a toss about the politics - a train is a train is a train!

[dog box]

We do compare badly ,but whose fault is that?

[NICK]

Thank you all for your courteous replies

I have to say the past couple of weeks have been a real education me, and the more posts I read the more angry I get. I thought they hung Dick Turpin but it appears he^s alive and kicking, and has changed his name to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

To find out that I was lied too by not one, but two members of First Great Western is a bitter pill to swallow! I insisted on four or five occasions to both members of FGW staff that there must be a cheaper alternative. And on every occasion both members of staff said that to get to Northallerton by 12:30, I would have to go via London! I am struggling to believe that two members of FGW made the same mistake by accident? I am of the opinion that FGW need to seriously look at the way in which they train there staff!

I believe that Industry Insider has knocked the nail on the head. I am an average punter, and I don^t much care for politics. All I want to do is get from A to B as cheaply as possible. Whether that is by car, bus, train, plane or horse and cart.

I think you have to make comparisons to Europe, because if you don^t you will never know how you are performing or how you can improve. As an average member of the public I cannot understand how I can walk into a station in Holland and by a rail ticket for a 18 euro^s and travel 120 miles. It is so simple and so easy. We should hold our heads in shame if we cannot offer a similar service in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

To answer your question Btline. I did enjoy travelling by train, it was relaxing and I was able to get some work done. However, if I am to be encouraged to use the train again, I need the flexibility to turn up on the day and pay a reasonable fare. I don^t mind paying a little extra for arriving on the day BUT, it has to be proportionate.

Who is too blame? FGW, National Express, the government. I don^t know. But until someone in authority gets a grip of the situation, rail travel for people like myself, will have to be used as a very last resort.

On pure financial grounds I^m not a convert yet. Maybe one day, who knows?

Thanks again for your comments

Nick

[Ollie]

I only really have a few words for this,

This is a very disappointing story. It would be interesting to know what went wrong here.

As some of you on this forum know, I like to sit on the fence sometimes, so I will point out that nobody except Nick and my colleagues at Bath Spa really know what was actually requested and how the actual conversation went.

I'm not saying Nick is making up his events of the story, more of a it would be nice to hear it from the other side, so whoever sold him the ticket.

[NICK]

Ollie

My requirements for travel that day were made very very clear. Bath Spa to Northallerton! Standard return! Arrive by 12.30! Cheapest!

Also I believe FGW^▸ (First Great Western) refusal to reply to three emails speaks volumes.

Hey, I'm over it now. I have learnt my lesson and I will move on. I will probably keep my eye on this forum though. As I said earlier it's an education!

Nick

[Ollie]

Who are you e-mailing?
If it's customer services they have an obligation to reply to you.