Not happy. First time ever purchased tickets online via FGW and I get shafted.

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

They blocked both my cards as I was using the card for a transaction away from home, apparently I should inform them of this!

Nothing specific to Santander there, that's standard procedure for almost any bank, to reduce the risk of card fraud. A quick phone call to tell them that you're going away is generally prudent, otherwise they may well detect what to them is a flurry of abnormal activity on the account and temporarily block things as a precaution.

[JayMac]

Still not dropped of my account. Buggering up my weekend plans.

[johoare]

That isn't good.. 

Did you ask your bank if they could release the hold on your funds? or if not did you ask FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (the offshore department  ) if they could ask the bank for the hold to be released?

[JayMac]

Ping pong with me as the ball. 

Co-operative Bank have said they can't lift the 'hold'. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (aka thetrainline) say there is no outstanding authorisation. Can I get the two to talk to each other? Can I flip. 

Co-op have now said they will extend to me a temporary, fee free, overdraft, if the charge doesn't drop off overnight. Which is nice, but that only happened after a lot of pleading on my part.

Lesson learnt. Sorry FGW but you are not getting any more online transactions from me. If it's GroupSave then it's a station, anything else and I'm sticking to WebTIS and FGW can lose a percentage of the ticket price to East Coast.

[johoare]

Oh well... Where I work.. If we have complaints of this fashion.. we work our hardest to convince the banks to remove the hold (not that they always do).. Maybe FGW^▸ (First Great Western) isn't that good (ooh did I say that out loud?)

[Ollie]

will point out once again that the ticketing part of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Website is contracted to Trainline.

[johoare]

Oops sorry Ollie, I missed that .. OK i mean "maybe trainline isn't that good".. Either way FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should either be able to sort it out directly or be able to direct bignoesmac to trainline's customer support.. yes?

[Ollie]

im under the impression he has been speaking to them. But iirc number is 08703331778

[johoare]

Oh well.. Not as helpful as where I work then it seems.. :-(

[JayMac]

I have been talking to them. Through gritted teeth. I know the online ticketing and the ticketing customer support is contracted out to thetrainline, but the shop window is FGW^▸ (First Great Western), therefore it is FGW who are not going to get another online ticket sale out of me. I already know to avoid thetrainline.

Next time I'll make a trip to Paddington specially, to buy my triple split Group Save 4 from Ollie. 

Oh, I collected the tickets today. All 38 of them!!!

[bobm]

Oh, I collected the tickets today. All 38 of them!!!

..and that's another thing.  Why is it if you buy a series of journeys at the same time in the same on line basket do you get a different reference number for each one?  Spent over five minutes putting the card in and out of the machine and tapping in reference numbers at the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) this morning for seven journeys and waiting for the machine to printout 23 tickets - what with reservations and a receipt for each journey.  It would be far easier to have one reference for the whole transaction.

[Brucey]

WebTIS sites (East Coast, Southern, Southeastern, London Midland, Chiltern) all give one reference number for the whole booking, regardless of how many different journeys you book.

[Henry]

  Makes you wonder what percentage of ticket transactions are now made on line ?.

  It must be quite a sizeable proportion judging by the queue's at the Totnes TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) (when it's working).
  Perhaps it is time that TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s addressed these issues, bearing in mind that this is obviously their prefered
  method of revenue collection.

[Brucey]

  Perhaps it is time that TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s addressed these issues, bearing in mind that this is obviously their prefered
  method of revenue collection.

I would ideally like to see a "print your own" ticket option for all TOCs - perhaps something standardised across the network.

In a comparison of buying FGW^▸ (First Great Western) train tickets and booking a National Express coach this morning, the coach was much easier.  Immediately after payment, the ticket was presented which I printed.  Has a barcode which is presumably scanned on boarding.

[grahame]

Immediately after payment, the ticket was presented which I printed.  Has a barcode which is presumably scanned on boarding.

Coaches, Ferries, Airlines can do it ... you have to wonder why the railways can't, don't you?

I have often wondered how I can book a plus-bus ticket which starts off with a bus ride without having to get it delivered by post days ahead, or making a journey to a manned / TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)'d  station to pick it up ...