Next steps on Virgin complaint

[gray1404]

What do you guys think I should do now.

1. Virgin TVM was not displaying correct fare info and this caused me to miss my train and a delay of 1 hour to my journey
2. I emailed Virgin who upheld the complaint and offered a free return journey. Enclosed a code and email said it would be valid for 6 months. They also said they would be updating the details on the TVM at that station.
3. I tried to book ticket using code shortly before the end of the 6 months. Website would not accept code saying it had expired.
4. I emailed Virgin a few days later when I had time to type up an email. No reply received after about a week.
5. I followed this up using their Live Chat and was advised that there was nothing they could do now because the code had expired and I should have contacted them sooner.
6. I replied in the live chat saying that I attempted to use the code because it expired and I had sent an email and explained that really the code should have worked within the 6 month allocation and about my high workload preventing me from being able to get in touch sooner. I asked for a Manager to take a look at this.
7. The same person on the live chat came back saying he'd spoken with his Manager and they were now going to confirm with another department that the code hadn't been used, issue me with another and send this to me by email as soon as possible.
8. Almost a week goes by an nothing is received so I contact them again on live chat.
9. Person I spoke to asked me to email them my journey details so they could book ticket. Then when I asked for confirmation that they would no longer be sending the new code he said "I take that back" and that his coworker would be sending it tomorrow. Then they "took it back" again and said his coworker would be sending it right away.
10. It is now the next day and no code has been received.

I do have copies of both the live chats. What should I do here. I appears I have a committment from VT for them to issue another code. Should I keep on at them or send this to Transport Focus already? This relates to VTWC.

 

[najaB]

I do have copies of both the live chats. What should I do here. I appears I have a committment from VT for them to issue another code. Should I keep on at them or send this to Transport Focus already? This relates to VTWC.

I'd be surprised if Transport Focus took it on at this stage.

 

[Hadders]

Send them a concise old fashioned letter. Always seems to work for me.

 

[reb0118]

6. I replied in the live chat saying that I attempted to use the code because it expired.....

I assume you mean "before"? That may have confused the Virgin employee?

As you are no doubt aware most customer service departments are under staffed and overworked. Unlike my role as a guard, where you can not split me in two to work twice the number of trains, it is quite possible that half the number of optimal staff are expected to respond to twice the number of complaints - a large number of them spurious to boot.

Virgin have acknowledged your complaint and have extended their deadline for you to claim compensation so you will just have to be patient. I don't think Transport Focus would be able to help in any case as Virgin have not refused to compensate you but are only being a bit tardy in their response, and one could say that you, yourself, have also been tardy in not accepting their original offer in the timescale provided*.

Patientia est virtus.

*To be fair we may ask ourselves why there had to be a time limit in accepting the original offer of compensation in the first place - but that is maybe for a different thread......

 

[bnm]

one could say that you, yourself, have also been tardy in not accepting their original offer in the timescale provided*.

The OP tried to take up the offer within the period of validity. Point 3 in the OP.

As for blaming the problem on staffing levels, that's just making excuses for the poor customer service experience the OP has faced.

 

[reb0118]

The OP tried to take up the offer within the period of validity. Point 3 in the OP.

Good point. I seem to have confused myself with my confusing of his confusing because and before - maybe I'm just confused?

As for blaming the problem on staffing levels, that's just making excuses for the poor customer service experience the OP has faced.

I suppose one way to stop a lot of complaints is to "get it right first time - every time" but this is very hard to achieve in today's fractured (in more ways than one) railway. We must reap what we sow as the people spoke when they elected John Major's government in for the final time in the late '90s.

It is not the OP's fault that there are delays in response to customer service enquiries but lack of staff is probably a factor, that will not be addressed in the short term, and further correspondence from the OP will probably not speed things up greatly. That said if he feels that he has been forgotten about a gentle reminder enquiring about the situation would not go amiss.

Question: Have Virgin sorted out the original problem with the TVMs yet?

 

[najaB]

The OP tried to take up the offer within the period of validity. Point 3 in the OP.

Oh, from the OP there's no doubt about that. I think the point that reb0118 was trying to make is that, had gray1404 used the code sooner, it wouldn't have introduced the secondary issue of the voucher expiring.

 

[ainsworth74]

Perhaps give them a chance to deal with it? It is rather close to Christmas for instant success on these matters.

If you've not heard anything on the other side of New Year (I would hope you'd hear before then so none of this would be necessary) then a formal written complaint clearly laying out what's happened (so avoiding the before/because issue outlined above) and with copies of emails sent/received, chat logs and what you want to resolve the issue (presumably just another voucher) will most likely sort it.

It's also a bit early for TF to get involved.

I would echo the honourable member for Bo'ness: Patientia est virtus!

 

[185]

This bothers me a bit, whilst there are many things I detest about Virgin Trains, their Customer Relations unit are the part of the business who usually get things right - tasked with sorting out the problems the other parts of the business cause.

 

[Minilad]

This bothers me a bit, whilst there are many things I detest about Virgin Trains, their Customer Relations unit are the part of the business who usually get things right - tasked with sorting out the problems the other parts of the business cause.

Usually by sending out bribes.....erm....I mean RTVs

 

[gray1404]

Sorry, just to confirm yes, I tried to use the code before it should have expired.

I have since found out that part of the problem here is that the codes are valid for 6 months from the date that batch of codes is produced by Virgin and NOT 6 months of the date it is sent to the customer.

I shall wait and see if I still hear from them between now and the new year.

And no, the problem with the TVMs is not addresse or sorted in the slightest. I just go straight to the booking office now or book online. But I do check from time to time if theyve yet corrected it and I'm afraid not.

 

[455driver]

Did the voucher have an expiry date printed on it?
Did you try and use it before that date?
Were the tickets you were trying to book after that date (not sure why this would make any difference but you never know)
Did you contact customer services before the expiry date of the vouchers?

 

[PermitToTravel]

gray1404 did answer the first two of those questions already
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This bothers me a bit, whilst there are many things I detest about Virgin Trains, their Customer Relations unit are the part of the business who usually get things right - tasked with sorting out the problems the other parts of the business cause.

They're great at chucking bribes at people, but very much less great at actually sorting out any problems. It's not at all a surprise to read that they haven't resolved the issue with the TVM. Should the OP complain again it's disappointingly likely that they'll just be vouchered again and the issue will continue to remain unaddressed.

 

[455driver]

gray1404 did answer the first two of those questions already

No he hasn't, he has merely stated he tried to use it within 6 months of receiving it!

They're great at chucking bribes at people, but very much less great at actually sorting out any problems. It's not at all a surprise to read that they haven't resolved the issue with the TVM. Should the OP complain again it's disappointingly likely that they'll just be vouchered again and the issue will continue to remain unaddressed.

Yep that's Virgin trains customer 'service' for you, you make a complaint, they send you some RTVs and basically tell you to eff off in the nicest way possible!

They don't bother to sort out most of the issues raised.

The issues I can see are points 4 and 6.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I think you're getting a bit confused? The "voucher" is a code, the OP says in point 2 that it was delivered in an email which did include an expiry period for it (six months) and says in point 3 that they tried to use it before expiry.

 

[CyrusWuff]

The $64000 question is whether the expiry date was "Six months from the date of the code being generated" or "The end of the relevant month".

If it was the former, and the OP got the code on 16th June, I'd expect it to expire no later than 15th December. If the latter, it could potentially expire on 30th November or 31st December, depending on how they coded it.

 

[gray1404]

All it said in the letter was that the code is "valid for 6 months." I think therefore a customer can reasonably assume that means 6 months from the date of the email/letter advising the customer of the code.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think you're getting a bit confused? The "voucher" is a code, the OP says in point 2 that it was delivered in an email which did include an expiry period for it (six months) and says in point 3 that they tried to use it before expiry.

Yes it sounds like a code for a trainline booking engine website.

 

[gray1404]

Yes it sounds like a code for a trainline booking engine website.

Yes it is because it tells you to go to the VT website to book. Enter a promo code and then you'll be prompted for your pin code.