£1 fee to collect tickets from ticket machine

[Regeff]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but Cross Country now charge £1 to collect tickets from a ticket machine when booking via their website. I took my mouse elsewhere.

The thin end of the wedge?

 

[alistairlees]

It looks like this is only on a CrossCountry route where an e-ticket is available though. The cost of fulfilling an e-ticket is pretty low, compared to the cost of a fulfilling a ToD ticket (CrossCountry have to pay 40p* to the owner of the ticket machine from where the ticket was collected; as XC have no stations this is always a cost).

On a Leeds to Bristol TM ticket I got offered the e-ticket option for free and ToD for £1.00.
On a Leeds to Guiseley ticket the ToD option was free.

*or 5% of the ticket price if this is less than 40p. There are a couple of other costs too.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Perhaps they could use a carrot rather than stick approach and give a £1 discount on the ticket if you use an e-ticket. As many people would pick it, but you don't lose the business of customers who prefer a real ticket.

 

[Regeff]

Perhaps they could use a carrot rather than stick approach and give a £1 discount on the ticket if you use an e-ticket. As many people would pick it, but you don't lose the business of customers who prefer a real ticket.

My sort of logic! I suppose I ought to be grateful that they don't charge £2.75 for an e-ticket like Ticketmaster do for some concert tickets.

 

[marshmallow]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but Cross Country now charge £1 to collect tickets from a ticket machine when booking via their website. I took my mouse elsewhere.

The thin end of the wedge?

I always wonder why anyone would use a website that charges a fee when there are plenty that don't charge fees. As such, I can't see any reason to buy tickets from Thetrainline, unless perhaps if you are a new customer as you can get 3% cashback through Quidco.

 

[Fuzzytop]

This has been ongoing for some time. Rather frustratingly, when using the e-tickets option you cannot change the booking at all after purchase.

Mind you, as XC now waive the fees to change booked services on an Advance, I often find the extra £1 for the ability to freely change the ticket later down far preferable to paying £10 admin fees plus special postage plus etc etc.