£1 to use self-service machines?

[orpine]

I just tried to buy a advance ticket from CrossCountry - On the delivery options page I have two options:
1) Print my own (which is new to me, but requires a printer)
2) Use the self-service machine.... and pay £1 for the privilege!

When did they start charging for the self-service machines? I like the way they're cheeky enough to keeping saying they have "no booking fee". Instead they nickel and dime you in other ways.
Any other operators doing this?

I'm simply buying the ticket through East Coast now who don't seem to have that.

 

[causton]

This is so they can put you on a less flexible method of ticket delivery so when your plans change and you wish to upgrade to a different train/more flexible ticket, or if you leave your carefully chosen ID at home on the day, they can charge you even more!

Conspiracy theory? Me? Nope!

 

[orpine]

It was an advance ticket I was buying; I already have almost no flexibility!
Although I did see the print-at-home had even more onerous conditions stapled on top of that.

 

[Mojo]

XC have been charging to collect from TVMs for years.

As far as I'm aware the only two reasons to book direct with CrossCountry is for the NUS Extra discount on XC Advance tickets (although I swear someone said you can also get the discount at Grand Central Trains, although I can't check this, as I don't have said card), and the Seat Selector.

 

[Temple Meads]

although I swear someone said you can also get the discount at Grand Central Trains, although I can't check this, as I don't have said card

Pretty sure that's the case as I remember a friend mentioning it.

 

[causton]

It was an advance ticket I was buying; I already have almost no flexibility!
Although I did see the print-at-home had even more onerous conditions stapled on top of that.

You can at least upgrade it to another ticket at the ticket office for £10 plus the difference! You will be amazed at how many people select the print at home option without even realising...

 

[andrewkeith5]

As far as I'm aware it's only charged by the greediest of them all...Cross Country.... Who see themselves more as a Ryanair kind of company than a train operator....only without almost all of the things that make Ryanair vaguely acceptable as an option

 

[HH]

I'm guessing that this is because XC don't have any stations, hence no TVMs, and they have to pay other operators for their use. However, given that they save other costs it does seem rather ridiculous.

 

[sheff1]

XC have been charging to collect from TVMs for years.

As far as I'm aware the only two reasons to book direct with CrossCountry is for the NUS Extra discount on XC Advance tickets ... and the Seat Selector.

I sometimes do book with XC direct to get the same day Advances. Last time I did so was from St Austell to Plymouth - £1.70 (+ the £1 TVM fee) as opposed to £6.45 if I had booked on another site or at the station. As well as the large % price differential, I also got a reserved seat which was good as the train was rammed.


OT edit - I have encountered venues which charge a supplement to print your ticket at home rather than collect it when you get there. Now that really is taking the mickey !

 

[furlong]

2) Use the self-service machine.... and pay £1 for the privilege!

So what loophole has the company found that allows them to do this and how can this be closed?

Well, the company is not allowed to mark-up the fare and it must provide a ticket. To be making additional profit through an extra charge for the production of that ticket, if not actually against the rules, is surely against the spirit of the rules. Might the company even be doing this correctly to avoid cross-subsidising this part of its business? Do we need a competition enquiry?

 

[Starmill]

What? Surely train companies never use loopholes. Or at least that's what you'd think to hear some vocal posters here react to suggestion a passenger might have used one.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'm guessing that this is because XC don't have any stations, hence no TVMs, and they have to pay other operators for their use. However, given that they save other costs it does seem rather ridiculous.

But it's profitable. If there's one thing the directors of the XC franchise have become good at it's cutting out everything they possibly can from their costs and squeezing every penny they can from anyone!

 

[najaB]

So what loophole has the company found that allows them to do this and how can this be closed?

They'll probably argue that you can avoid the fee by buying at the station. Though how this would work for web-only fares I'm not sure.

 

[miami]

Our corporate account with thetrainline charges not only £1 to collect from a station, but an additional £1 as a booking fee.

 

[yorkie]

When did they start charging for the self-service machines?

Years ago. And as some people are daft enough to pay it, they are going to continue to do so.

I like the way they're cheeky enough to keeping saying they have "no booking fee". Instead they nickel and dime you in other ways.

Indeed

Any other operators doing this?

Nope

I'm simply buying the ticket through East Coast now who don't seem to have that.

XC don't want your custom, so it's best not to give it to them.

I would use East Coast, except I'm boycotting their booking engine due to the Rewards/Nectar farce and incorrect/misleading claims made by the Company in respect of the changes.

If you buy walk-up tickets online you may be better off using the Southern or Southeastern booking engines, for admin fee-free refunds (not applicable for Advance fares).

If you book a lot of "split tickets" and your travel plans are subject to change, Trainsplit.com is worth a try, as they will change your entire booking for only one fee. In contrast, XC would charge you £10 per ticket (and for long distance journeys on XC requiring about 10 tickets, that's a lot of admin fees!)

 

[najaB]

Our corporate account with thetrainline charges not only £1 to collect from a station, but an additional £1 as a booking fee.

Interesting. Our corporate account charges neither.

 

[beeza1]

This thread has got me totally confused, I have been booking through the XC website (albeit linked from NRE) for years, and have never paid any extra fee for collecting my tickets from a TVM. The last time was at the beginning of October,when I traveled from Man Picc to Birmingham, just checked my card statement, £23.90 Off Peak Return with Railcard, exactly the same as quoted on NRE 2 minutes ago and also on brfares.com.
Can anyone explain this?

 

[Kite159]

XC have been charging to collect from TVMs for years.

As far as I'm aware the only two reasons to book direct with CrossCountry is for the NUS Extra discount on XC Advance tickets (although I swear someone said you can also get the discount at Grand Central Trains, although I can't check this, as I don't have said card), and the Seat Selector.

You used to be able to get the 10% NUS discount for XC advance tickets on Grand Central, until Grand Central changed to a 25% discount, and now it doesn't seem to apply the 10% discount to XC.

---------

Beeza -
I've found if you start your order with another ticket which can't become an e-ticket, then the £1 charge disappears as the only option is collection from TVM

 

[beeza1]

Beeza -
I've found if you start your order with another ticket which can't become an e-ticket, then the £1 charge disappears as the only option is collection from TVM

I only ever order one ticket, usually MAN to BHM, and have never had the option of "Print At Home" or "e-ticket" offered, but yet I see people on the same train with these types of ticket.

 

[Kite159]

I only ever order one ticket, usually MAN to BHM, and have never had the option of "Print At Home" or "e-ticket" offered, but yet I see people on the same train with these types of ticket.

Most likely those people with Print At Home tickets are on advances, whereas you are on an off-peak return which doesn't tie you down to that one particular train

 

[richw]

XC have been charging to collect from TVMs for years.

As far as I'm aware the only two reasons to book direct with CrossCountry is for the NUS Extra discount on XC Advance tickets (although I swear someone said you can also get the discount at Grand Central Trains, although I can't check this, as I don't have said card), and the Seat Selector.

As an NUS Extra holder, I can confirm Grand Central provide 25% discount on their advance tickets to us, and XC give 10% on their advances.

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/discounts/25-off-advance-tickets-with-grand-central/

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/...ntry-and-grand-central-advance-train-tickets/

Think can see the discount pages without being signed in

 

[button_boxer]

So what loophole has the company found that allows them to do this and how can this be closed?

They only charge for ToD on bookings where Print@Home is an option, which means only on "XC Only" Advance tickets. For "XC & connections" Advances and any walk-up tickets, P@H is not possible so ToD is free.

There is always a free-of-charge delivery option, but it's not the same one for all tickets.

 

[Howardh]

I'm just waiting for the first station to do a "Blackpool Airport" and start charging passengers to use it. Could occur where you have two stations close together and one is quiet and the other busy, ie "It will be £2 to use Victoria but Salford Central down the road is free, go there".
Are there laws/regulatons to actually stop that?

 

[embers25]

Interesting. Our corporate account charges neither.

My company has a ticket printing machine in the office and uses FCM but if the machine is down and you want to pick up at the station ticket machine is is £5!!!!

 

[swt_passenger]

For anyone who thinks this is a new thing, here's a thread about it from 2011: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=41854

As explained above, it only applies to XC advances where print at home is their expected sale...

 

[Clip]

Save yourself 50p by using the print at home free option and then using the library to print off

 

[PermitToTravel]

Save yourself 100p by booking elsewhere.

 

[greatkingrat]

Even if you do want to use the XC website you can avoid the fee by first adding a random non-XC journey to your basket, then adding the ticket you really want, then removing the first journey.

 

[Starmill]

If it's an XC ONLY Advance, and you have a smartphone, an m-ticket is also an option for you that doesn't carry fees and may be considered easy.

 

[miami]

If it's an XC ONLY Advance, and you have a smartphone, an m-ticket is also an option for you that doesn't carry fees and may be considered easy.

Until your battery dies.

 

[Tetchytyke]

As far as I'm aware the only two reasons to book direct with CrossCountry is for the NUS Extra discount on XC Advance tickets (although I swear someone said you can also get the discount at Grand Central Trains, although I can't check this, as I don't have said card), and the Seat Selector.

XC offer 10% discount to NUS Extra cardholders. Grand Central offer 25% discount to NUS Extra cardholders.

However you can't book discounted XC tickets through the Grand Central website. I do have an NUS Extra card (perks of the job) and I've tried it to avoid the collection fee on XC

The collection fee has a tendency to pretty much wipe out the discount offered, even on relatively long journeys like Newcastle to Leeds. So I use Hull Trains more now; Nectar points and 2% cashback

On the wider subject of print-at-home tickets, interestingly VTEC seem to have changed it so you don't need to specify a specific piece of ID anymore, you just need some ID, and that ID can be a bank card.