Staff - Eurostar FIP Question

[185]

Afternoon.

Lets say you have a ticket for a train back from Paris and want to go an hour earlier. It's looking like disruption, as one has just set off 40m Late. You are willing to pay for two brand new tickets at £34.50 each(Quote, RDG).

Having checked there were not only seats available (1) you've also checked that there are FIP seats available (2) you walk up to the ticket office in Gare Du Nord who agree there are (i) seats and (ii) fip seats but then say make your way through security and buy them at Gate A (boarding gate). At that gate, the charge is now €50 each to travel one hour earlier.

Anyone know why they are refusing to sell new tickets and demanding a fee higher than the price of a new ticket? Surely this charge breaches the advertised price.

 

[D6130]

Afternoon.

Lets say you have a ticket for a train back from Paris and want to go an hour earlier. It's looking like disruption, as one has just set off 40m Late. You are willing to pay for two brand new tickets at £34.50 each(Quote, RDG).

Having checked there were not only seats available (1) you've also checked that there are FIP seats available (2) you walk up to the ticket office in Gare Du Nord who agree there are (i) seats and (ii) fip seats but then say make your way through security and buy them at Gate A (boarding gate). At that gate, the charge is now €50 each to travel one hour earlier.

Anyone know why they are refusing to sell new tickets and demanding a fee higher than the price of a new ticket? Surely this charge breaches the advertised price.

In the past, when my wife and I have been in that position and there have been FIP seats available on the earlier train, the Eurostar ticket office at Gare du Nord have simply issued us new tickets at no extra charge. Admittedly we have been traveling on safeguarded staff tickets at £23 each....but I wouldn't have thought that would have made any difference.

 

[185]

Assuming this was an "amendment fee" not a new ticket, this brings the fare to ~ £82.10 single - more than many of their passenger fares.

The amendment (I think?) €50 tickets were issued with "FORCED TICKET CHECK" printed at the bottom. Might be overthinking things but does that imply that Eurostar claim a passenger (allegedly) just tried to nonchalantly just walk onto an earlier train? (which is untrue).

 

[D6130]

Assuming this was an "amendment fee" not a new ticket, this brings the fare to ~ £82.10 single - more than many of their passenger fares.

The amendment (I think?) €50 tickets were issued with "FORCED TICKET CHECK" printed at the bottom. Might be overthinking things but does that imply that Eurostar claim a passenger (allegedly) just tried to nonchalantly just walk onto an earlier train? (which is untrue).

This is something completely outwith my experience. If they tried to pull that one on me, I would just say 'Non, merci!' and wait for my originally-booked train. I wonder whether you were dealing with a new and inexperienced member of staff?

EDIT: I seem to recall that Eurostar FIP bookings only permit one free train or date alteration for the whole booking. Had you previously made an alteration to your outward booking as well?

 

[185]

This is something completely outwith my experience. If they tried to pull that one on me, I would just say 'Non, merci!' and wait for my originally-booked train. I wonder whether you were dealing with a new and inexperienced member of staff?

EDIT: I seem to recall that Eurostar FIP bookings only permit one free train or date alteration for the whole booking. Had you previously made an alteration to your outward booking as well?

Two different, seperate employees were asked, both quoted €50. Both were asked by two different people. I get the impression both were established, long serving staff and both were asked in fluent French "Even with FIP?" - so sounds like they were both doing as instructed, I don't doubt them.

This was the first change - ticket was purchased new three weeks earlier, no previous amendments.

 

[D6130]

Two different, seperate employees were asked, both quoted €50. Both were asked by two different people. I get the impression both were established, long serving staff and both were asked in fluent French "Even with FIP?" - so sounds like they were both doing as instructed, I don't doubt them.

This was the first change - ticket was purchased new three weeks earlier, no previous amendments.

This must be a totally new thing then. I was able to change to an earlier train free of charge when returning from Paris at the end of June. I shall be travelling outward from St Pancras on Sunday week so, if I have time I shall make enquiries. Have you thought of sending Eurostar an email about it?

 

[PupCuff]

Couldn't you just amend the original tickets in the app?

 

[185]

We never thought of that as these were over the counter paper ticket purchases.

Eurostar still haven't explained the charge so we're currently asking someone to look at it on our behalf.

 

[PupCuff]

I'd definitely recommend the Eurostar app for any future journeys. Super easy to use, it's got a seat selector, and you can see which trains have FIP availability to change your current ticket onto. It's just a shame you can't actually make a FIP booking through it, only amend.

I was hoping to change mine this weekend just gone as I'd left a couple of extra hours in Brussels in case I got Deutsche Bahned, on the day everything ran on time but I could see on the app that there was no FIP availability on earlier trains. No queuing at the desk to find out, bags at left luggage and beers in Brussels it was!

 

[ricohallo]

As long as there was still FIP availability on the earlier train it should've been no issue at all to exchange them at the ticket office, and it would've even been possible to do so at the (pretty small and easily overlooked) Eurostar ticket machines inside the Eurostar ticket office at Gare du Nord.

Did you go to the SNCF ticket office downstairs or the Eurostar ticket office upstairs? The latter definitely should've just issued you new tickets for the earlier train so it's odd if they didn't even after checking for you that there was in fact FIP availability on that train.

 

[185]

Did you go to the SNCF ticket office downstairs or the Eurostar ticket office upstairs? The latter definitely should've just issued you new tickets for the earlier train so it's odd if they didn't even after checking for you that there was in fact FIP availability on that train.

It was the Eurostar ticket office upstairs, they told us to go through security to the staff at Gate A.

 

[RailExplorer]

You can change your FIP Eurostar reservation yourself online free of charge. Very easily done. Can change time, seat and date. You can't change route or name. I do this all the time, sometimes whilst waiting in the security line if I arrive Paris/Brussels earlier than planned.

 

[bkhtele]

You can change your FIP Eurostar reservation yourself online free of charge. Very easily done. Can change time, seat and date. You can't change route or name. I do this all the time, sometimes whilst waiting in the security line if I arrive Paris/Brussels earlier than planned.

So is this in the app or the website? I am travelling in Jan so could ve useful!

 

[D6130]

So is this in the app or the website? I am travelling in Jan so could ve useful!

Both I believe.

 

[bkhtele]

Both I believe.

Thanks

 

[RailExplorer]

So is this in the app or the website? I am travelling in Jan so could ve useful!

Definitely website. Never tried the app yet but don't see why not.

 

[Krokodil]

Could the quota have been used up between when you checked availability and when you tried buying the ticket? I've a feeling that the quota may be pooled with the Interrail quota because my brother and I both checked availability for moving our bookings on the TVMs at Brussels and each (me with FIP, he with Interrail) showed availability. I paid for mine and suddenly his was showing as "sold out".

 

[ricohallo]

Could the quota have been used up between when you checked availability and when you tried buying the ticket? I've a feeling that the quota may be pooled with the Interrail quota because my brother and I both checked availability for moving our bookings on the TVMs at Brussels and each (me with FIP, he with Interrail) showed availability. I paid for mine and suddenly his was showing as "sold out".

I'm pretty certain it is. Every time I've checked this (5-10 times), the exact same trains and classes were available for booking for both Interrail and FIP.

 

[AdamWW]

I'm pretty certain it is. Every time I've checked this (5-10 times), the exact same trains and classes were available for booking for both Interrail and FIP.

Unless it's changed recently, my understanding is that there's no separate Interrail quota per se, it's linked to the fare "buckets" and available along with, I think, everything but the two most expensive fare levels.

 

[rvdborgt]

Unless it's changed recently, my understanding is that there's no separate Interrail quota per se, it's linked to the fare "buckets" and available along with, I think, everything but the two most expensive fare levels.

That is correct. For Brussels-London, Interrail reservations in 2nd class are available as long at the regular fare is €155 or less. Although sometimes during busy periods, Interrail fares suddenly appear on short notice when the regular is already above €155.