New Virgin East Coast Website

[SaveECRewards]

I think you're barking up the wrong tree if you thing they're going to do that, unfortunately. I can't really see any TOC doing something like that, unless they were directed to a 'sister TOC' (e.g. NXEA used to redirect to the NXEC booking engine), but given the prestige that VTEC have placed on this new system then I don't see that happening.

I know it sounds an odd thing to do, but it really is unfair to tell a customer the only option to get a bike on their service is to phone up and be on hold for up to an hour. To be clear, I'm only talking about customers who specifically ask about cycle reservations and only for the duration of time the call waiting times are higher than average.

If I thought I'd have to do that to take a bike on the train I'd find another way to travel or not make the trip. But if they pointed me to a site that supported reservations I'd be happy.

After all a happy customer who books their bike via GWR is better than no customer as they've given up due to time on hold.

VTEC values:

Do the right thing – we do what’s right, not what’s easy. Being fair and honest, straight talking and straight forward – for customers, colleagues, and the communities we serve.

Of course doing the right thing here would have been to keep WebTIS running until the new site was ready. Launching without catering vouchers is fine, if not ideal, but cycle reservations I consider core functionality on a route where cycle reservations was compulsory.

 

[Joe Paxton]

I know it sounds an odd thing to do, but it really is unfair to tell a customer the only option to get a bike on their service is to phone up and be on hold for up to an hour. To be clear, I'm only talking about customers who specifically ask about cycle reservations and only for the duration of time the call waiting times are higher than average.

If I thought I'd have to do that to take a bike on the train I'd find another way to travel or not make the trip. But if they pointed me to a site that supported reservations I'd be happy.
...

Calling up isn't the only option - going to a station ticket office is another. I think that theoretically at least, any station ticket office is supposed to be able to make a cycle reservation on VTEC or any other TOC... like I said, theoretically!

I think advertising the availability of cycle reservations via other booking sites such as GWR on web forums for cyclists would likely be more productive than hitting ones head against the wall a.k.a. trying to get VTEC to advertise the existence of other ticket sites!

 

[Joe Paxton]

Thanks for the welcome. I'll certainly try and offer my perspective on things. We knew last Friday just what kind of disaster it would be, and I genuinely feel for our customers. I'm always honest with them and won't sugar coat anything with regards to the new site, thankfully 99% of the people I've spoke to this week have been quite understanding, if not a little frustrated.

It's probably worth being a bit careful with what you post on here though!

What are the main issues that passengers are calling up about - is it amending older booking made in WebTIS?

 

[91109]

It's probably worth being a bit careful with what you post on here though!

What are the main issues that passengers are calling up about - is it amending older booking made in WebTIS?

Pretty much, and also wanting to make amendments to new bookings.

 

[47271]

Bear in mind that there will have been bookings through to 22 December made on the old site, so unless they get the stuff migrated this is going to go on for quite a while.

In proportion to the chaos and confusion now visited on the business and its customers, would it really have been that expensive to negotiate an extension on Webtis for goodness sake? I see the hand of an accountant at work...

 

[91109]

Bookings will be migrated once a customer re registers, downside is that the bookings get filed under past bookings and can no longer be amended without a refund and rebook, hence the long wait in getting through to Web Support.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Pretty much, and also wanting to make amendments to new bookings.

Though going by Romilly's earlier post there is a (somewhat clunky sounding) process for doing this on the new site with new (rather than legacy) bookings.

 

[91109]

Though going by Romilly's earlier post there is a (somewhat clunky sounding) process for doing this on the new site with new (rather than legacy) bookings.

Indeed, though most customers aren't aware that it exists. I didn't find out about it until Wednesday.

 

[Joe Paxton]

...
So far as I can see, to amend Advances booked on the new site you have to click on the View/Edit box for the booking, opt for Cancellation, and then you are told that you can cancel an Advance ticket only if you have made a booking for the same journey for a different date/time: you then have to enter the booking reference for that replacement booking. As I wanted the Advances I had just booked, I didn't push the process any further, but it is clearly one way of achieving the desired outcome, even if it does involve two credit charge transactions (one for the new booking and one for the refund on the cancellation) rather than just one for the extra due.
...

Sounds a bit messy.

However worth noting the Trainline process of amending tickets also involves two card transactions: a charge for what is essentially a new ticket; and then a refund for the old ticket.

(The refund is processed immediately if you haven't yet collected the ticket - otherwise, if you are in physical possession of the printed ticket then the refund is processed once they've received it back in the post).

 

[infobleep]

Though going by Romilly's earlier post there is a (somewhat clunky sounding) process for doing this on the new site with new (rather than legacy) bookings.

Perhaps Virgin need a help page with that process explained step by step.

 

[SaveECRewards]

Calling up isn't the only option - going to a station ticket office is another. I think that theoretically at least, any station ticket office is supposed to be able to make a cycle reservation on VTEC or any other TOC... like I said, theoretically!

I think advertising the availability of cycle reservations via other booking sites such as GWR on web forums for cyclists would likely be more productive than hitting ones head against the wall a.k.a. trying to get VTEC to advertise the existence of other ticket sites!

VTEC want to phase the ticket offices out too, replacing them with 'customer zones'. Again, ticket offices are not as handy as online and may put people off. Some also don't realise you can get advance fares from a ticket office.

Thanks for reminding me about cycle forums, that's why I created this page as a quick guide to the options.

Ultimately you're right, VTEC are never going to promote a rival site, but the frustration this causes to customers is going to damage perceptions.

----

Does anyone know whether Southern kept WebTIS accessible for a period to modify old bookings? I seem to recall they did, but not having any bookings through them I'm not 100% sure

 

[SaveECRewards]

For a bit of fun, I've done this Twitter poll about the new site:

https://twitter.com/SaveECRewards/status/893923573475287040

Remember in the world of Save East Coast Rewards 'Nectar' is always going to be the worst option

 

[SaveECRewards]

The other articles I posted were one before the switch off of the old site warning that I thought it was a bad idea and others being alternatives to the new site.

I thought I'd post one with my view of how the migration went: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/review/how-did-vtec-website-launch-go

 

[cuccir]

Well, 47:50 on the phone to make changes to a ticket that I'd have been able to do in 5 minutes on the website before the change :roll:

 

[91109]

Well, 47:50 on the phone to make changes to a ticket that I'd have been able to do in 5 minutes on the website before the change :roll:

You're gonna be there a while...

 

[Merseysider]

Well, 47:50 on the phone to make changes to a ticket that I'd have been able to do in 5 minutes on the website before the change :roll:

Close enough to charge them your hourly rate methinks

 

[cuccir]

You're gonna be there a while...

Ha, no that was at least the total time so it could have been worse. I have however fired off a complaint - as with others, I had presumed that 'Your Bookings are Safe' meant that I had the same functionality with them on the new website.

 

[westv]

Sounds a bit messy.

However worth noting the Trainline process of amending tickets also involves two card transactions: a charge for what is essentially a new ticket; and then a refund for the old ticket.

(The refund is processed immediately if you haven't yet collected the ticket - otherwise, if you are in physical possession of the printed ticket then the refund is processed once they've received it back in the post).

How does it now work with PatH tickets?

 

[Joe Paxton]

How does it now work with PatH tickets?

It took me a moment to work out "PatH" meant "Print at Home"!

The answer is 'it doesn't'.

XC's fee-free amendments for Advance tickets only applies to conventional tickets only.

Print your own tickets and m-tickets cannot be changed (which is generally the case elsewhere as well, so they're best avoided unless you are pretty certain you won't change your travel plans).

Full details from XC here.

 

[westv]

It took me a moment to work out "PatH" meant "Print at Home"!

The answer is 'it doesn't'.

XC's fee-free amendments for Advance tickets only applies to conventional tickets only.

Print your own tickets and m-tickets cannot be changed (which is generally the case elsewhere as well, so they're best avoided unless you are pretty certain you won't change your travel plans).

Full details from XC here.

Ooops sorry. I was actually talking about VTEC PatH tickets - which were amendable with the old system that worked.

 

[SaveECRewards]

Ooops sorry. I was actually talking about VTEC PatH tickets - which were amendable with the old system that worked.

If they're no longer changeable then they've sneaked that in quietly.

Also beware if ordering eVouchers on the new site - the purchase page claims the gift ones are now single use - they used to be multi use.

I've still NOT received my eVouchers for my new account :-x

This new booking engine has taken us back 10 years, I've put in a bid for phase 2 which will take us back 20 years: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/VTEC.htm

 

[FQTV]

This new booking engine has taken us back 10 years, I've put in a bid for phase 2 which will take us back 20 years: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/VTEC.htm

:grin::grin::grin::grin:

 

[91109]

This new booking engine has taken us back 10 years, I've put in a bid for phase 2 which will take us back 20 years: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/VTEC.htm

Howling.

 

[Merseysider]

I wonder what it'd cost to make your "new" site a higher hit on Google etc than VTEC's?

I'd certainly be up for a crowdfund

And this:

Save money on catering - there's a Greggs across from the station

cracked me up!

 

[47271]

Fantastic!

Yes let's send it to the top of SEO, it's better satire than we get out of most mainstream comedians at the moment.

Virgin love teasing over rebranding, could you give us a buildup on the new look shortly to be unveiled for the Azumas?

I say go with InterCity Swallow, just right for their engagement with technology.

 

[47271]

Just to add to our mirth at the expense of VTEC here, bearing in mind that I've been booking through this site for years.

Today I went to a VTEC TVM, and typed in the code given to me on the confirmation email, I'd noted it in the usual way.

You can imagine my confusion when the first character - a '1' - was greyed out on the touchscreen keyboard.

Luckily I knew what I was doing, so immediately found the email again on my phone and sorted it out.

I'm laughing, but someone less savvy could've missed their train because of this - why do we need to know this extra idiot reference number that does nothing?

If they do one thing with this wretched site, can they put the collection reference back in the subject line of the confirmation email?

 

[91109]

Just to add to our mirth at the expense of VTEC here, bearing in mind that I've been booking through this site for years.

Today I went to a VTEC TVM, and typed in the code given to me on the confirmation email, I'd noted it in the usual way.

You can imagine my confusion when the first character - a '1' - was greyed out on the touchscreen keyboard.

Luckily I knew what I was doing, so immediately found the email again on my phone and sorted it out.

I'm laughing, but someone less savvy could've missed their train because of this - why do we need to know this extra idiot reference number that does nothing?

If they do one thing with this wretched site, can they put the collection reference back in the subject line of the confirmation email?

Whilst I understand the frustrations surrounding the new transaction numbers as they're called, CBE (Central Booking Engine) only recognises these numbers when looking up a customer on the system. This might not be an easy thing to change however I can ask the question to the relevant person.

 

[FQTV]

If they do one thing with this wretched site, can they put the collection reference back in the subject line of the confirmation email?

Agreed. Both a nuisance that it's no longer there, and proof writ large that they don't really understand how customers interact with the website and its outputs.

Still chuckling at SaveECRewards' tremendous efforts though. The only bright spot in this debacle.

#ABVTEC

 

[SaveECRewards]

If you search for:
Virgin Train's East Coast
(with the deliberately incorrect apostrophe) and then tell Google yes that's indeed what you wanted to search for it, it's appearing fourth for me behind some VTEC entries.

I know Google ranks differently for people, so can you see it in the results?

If a few more people link to it from their own site/blogs we might be able to get it to rise.

As for getting it on top for "Virgin Trains East Coast" that would be extremely difficult if not impossible, but if people would find it amusing we could run a crowdfunder to get it on adwords to appear above the official site

 

[trainophile]

While I love the spoof site (especially Access and Switch - we old fogies still refer to our Mastercards as Access usually ), are you sure it's legal? Wouldn't want you to get sued or anything.