BITE card

[hairyhandedfool]

got to Sainsbury then NO ONE is stopping you

but I do notice that you say you will use your card if there is no alternative and the 10% is welcome----that says to me you just want something for nothing-----life is not always like the way you want it

Of course I want something for nothing, who doesn't? But ultimately, a 10% discount on something that is around 33% more expensive than a near identical item, for no real reason, isn't really a discount at all.

And yes, if there is no alternative (and that's not very often), 10% off is better than 0% off.

 

[cjt0131]

I am still waiting to hear from all those so enraged that they have binned their bite cards

but of course that's not going to happen is it

 

[DelayRepay]

I've not binned mine cjt0131, but I've taken it out of my wallet and stuck it in a box at home with a load of other random old cards I don't use any more.

Why? Because with the reduced discount, it's not worth me using Pumpkin for my morning coffee any more. The other coffee shop is now cheaper so I'll use them instead.

I think SSP are being short sighted, but it's their loss not mine.

 

[Elecman]

Mines in the bin

 

[table38]

You'd look a bit stupid if you binned it and they suddenly relented and returned the discount to 20% </delusional>

Plus you'd miss out on all the exciting new special offers that are coming soon!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

..."Revised" fares is another one. Why not "increased" fares? As that's what they've done. Be honest....

Whilst many fares do increase, some fares remain constant and on occasion (though it is quite rare these days) some go down. In those situations, "increased" would actually be a lie, "revised" would not.

 

[Elecman]

No I won't miss out on the offers as they can still email me and if the discount reverts back to 20%(I won't hold my breath) then I will ask for a replacement!! I'm not carrying a card in my wallet that I'm not going o use

 

[table38]

Even if you binned it, they'll probably randomly send you another new one, like they did the other week

 

[Elecman]

They did that went into the bin as well

 

[jon0844]

I took mine out of my ticket wallet a couple of weeks ago. It isn't binned, but I keep most of my cards. Not sure why, but if it isn't with me then you can safely say it isn't being used.

And now I have two!

 

[trentside]

The only place I seem to use my BITE card now is the 'Jam Jar' on Platforms 1/3 at Nottingham - it's pretty much just a Pumpkin in disguise, but the location is convenient if you're just flying through and don't have time to get to AMT. 10% is still better than nothing I suppose...

The new Waitrose at Peterborough is handy for a free cup, and no doubt on the longer turnarounds the one at Newark Castle may see in increase in train crew looking for free drinks when the Matlock services are extended up there in May

 

[SS4]

I threw mine in the recycling when they forced everyone to reregister and stopped being anonymous

 

[DelayRepay]

I threw mine in the recycling when they forced everyone to reregister and stopped being anonymous

You could have given a false name

 

[Temple Meads]

I had lost mine, and - without prompting - now been sent a new one, but although I've popped it in my ticket wallet just in case I have to use an SSP outlet, I can't actually it being used more than once or twice a year.

 

[Qwerty133]

You could have given a false name

I'm sure my first one was in the name 'Bla Bla', and yes they sent it...
as did many other companies, including some that had been hand written...

 

[IanD]

my defence is not strange at all

every one has the choice to go elsewhere if they so choose

but if they choose to buy from a participating retailer then the bite card offers them 10% discount------errrrr better than no discount surely

many companies/organisations/businesses have reduced the value of their loyalty schemes

what annoys me most is that I don't hear a single person complaining about such a "paltry" discount actually stating that they have binned their discount card

and NO I do not have any affiliation with the scheme

The point is that most of us complainers signed up for the card with a promise of 20% discounts. In return, SSP got our personal information and possibly useful info about our shopping habits.

I wasn't consulted about any changes but apparently loads of users were and they all told BITE/SSP that we wanted a smaller discount than we had signed up for.

Now SSP can have some useful info about my shopping habits for free: At 20%I was quite happy to use their outlets on most long rail journeys I made because it wasn't that expensive and saved me the hassle of having to take a flask of coffee. Now, at 10% discount I use them on zero rail journeys. I still don't take a flask of coffee - I will now either do without coffee or will step outside the station and find the nearest pub and have a pint as in most cases this is cheaper per litre. I prefer a Wetherspoons as I can use my CAMRA vouchers there to get the cost of a pint down, in some cases to less than half the cost of a large coffee at an SSP outlet. Or I'll use the WhatPub website to find the nearest pub offering a CAMRA discount.

And I binned my BITE card and contacted them telling them where to stick their improved 10% discount and instructing them to remove me from their database.

 

[jon0844]

I can't be bothered to tell them what I think. They'll find out when loads of people stop using the card.

The fact they're sending out new ones suggests they've seen a drop in usage already and, stupidly, put it down to people having lost them.

They might get a spike in usage short term, but ultimately they're going to find that sending new cards isn't going to make a difference.

But it doesn't bother me. It's SSP that loses business, and it had no adverse effect on me.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I got one through my letterbox this morning, stuck it in my wallet, might as well use it for the sake of using it!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Since the BITE card's discount has been reduced, I've taken to buying a travel flask to fill with any hot beverage of my choice, and usually head up to Aldi to stock up on goodieas before heading out on a journey. I haven't used an SSP outlet since.

I have the flask of tea, sandwiches made by mum, a tatty notebook... all I need is an anorak and I've completed the trainspotter set!

 

[bb21]

I have not jumped on anyone for criticising the discount nor I am TELLING anyone to go elsewhere

I beg to disagree.

got to Sainsbury then NO ONE is stopping you

but I do notice that you say you will use your card if there is no alternative and the 10% is welcome----that says to me you just want something for nothing-----life is not always like the way you want it

If the discount is reduced and people are treated like idiots by being told blatant lies about the reasons behind the change, of course people will complain. It isn't rocket science.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If the discount is reduced and people are treated like idiots by being told blatant lies about the reasons behind the change, of course people will complain. It isn't rocket science.

It's the lies that annoy me. No doubt the company's reason is that it is no longer economic to offer the discount. So *say so*. We're grown up, we can cope with it.

What I don't like is lies and spin.

Nonetheless I will keep the card to get 10% off when applicable, but I'll no longer tend to using SSP outlets, I'll use them just if there is no other option.

Neil

 

[yorksrob]

life is not always like the way you want it

This is true. Particularly for companies that needlessly irritate their clientele.

I'm not sure what someone binning their card, or not has to do with the price of fish. The point is that people will use them less than they would have done.

 

[Butts]

This is true. Particularly for companies that needlessly irritate their clientele.

I'm not sure what someone binning their card, or not has to do with the price of fish. The point is that people will use them less than they would have done.

Perhaps they could court goodwill by having a special 30% off Month

 

[rmt4ever]

Perhaps they could court goodwill by having a special 30% off Month

They can stick their overpriced baguettes and coffees up there arse, however the 20% off booze was greatly appreciated.

All those coffee places charging £2-3 for a cup.. crazy. I love Pret filter coffee- at more and more stations these days, LT and NR- and only 99p with or without milk!

However when catching a very cheap AP train I always get to the station an hour or so early so as to minimise the risk of missing the train. Its quite rare really that I travel like this, but when I did I used to enjoy 20% off booze. Oh well..

Particularly liked the 'beer house' pub at Charing X station. Sometimes would even goto the station if in the area (never had any need to actually take a train from there) just to try one of the great selections of craft or real ale they had but only because of the 20% off.. Will just keep walking on by now

 

[Wolfie]

got to Sainsbury then NO ONE is stopping you

but I do notice that you say you will use your card if there is no alternative and the 10% is welcome----that says to me you just want something for nothing-----life is not always like the way you want it

Humm.. SSP provide low quality rubbish at excessive prices relying on what are often de facto monopoly locations. The BITE card used to make them vaguely price competive but no longer does so. I have now adopted an SSP only in extremis mode.

Frankly, except for the impact on their staff, I almost wish they went bust. Their management will doubtless find out the hard way that 'life is not always like the way you want it' when their takings plummet. Alienating what are likely to be your core customers can never be good business practice. If they believe their penny-pinching cost-cutting will overall make them more profit then frankly they are deluded and need some basic maths/stats lessons...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I note a quote from the DM article on SSP had one of their overlords stating that cutting the baguettes down by 10% brought them into line with their competitors. And there was me thinking any good business strives to offer more than their rivals!

 

[jon0844]

Offer the bare minimum and watch the profits roll on.

Might work sometimes but treat customers badly and they eventually rebel. Tell that to Ryanair, Tesco etc.

Both of those are now trying to get their customers back and wondering where they went wrong. Jump forward a year or two and SSP might be doing the same.

 

[Class377]

Quite frankly, the reason it's more expensive is convenience. Much like how peak time trains are more expensive than off-peak because it's more convenient for commuters to travel then.

I rarely buy stuff at a station anyway, because I don't really enjoy coffee and even on a 2 hour journey I'm not liable to eat more than maybe a bar of chocolate which I can buy on board or pack myself, but if I do fancy something hot (for instance, if I'm travelling mega early and I didn't have breakfast before leaving) or just feel a little peckish, I'll buy something at a station. I expect it to be more expensive, of course I do, I'm in a station.

Even without the bite card discount I buy stuff, but 20% off was a nice little extra for a freebie and perhaps it did tempt me to buy more often. Now it's down to 10%, I'll probably still use it, and not even reduce my usage. As I've already mentioned, I don't mind paying a bit extra for convenience and at the end of the day, even 3 quid for a cup of tea here and there is hardly spend of the century!

It does smack a bit in this thread of members cutting off their noses to spite their faces, given they're getting something for nothing. Yes, they get my information, but quite frankly, if anyone wants to know that somebody with my name of my age lives at my address and travels by train every now and then, they could look it up anyway. I might as well get a free discount card out of it!

 

[DelayRepay]

It does smack a bit in this thread of members cutting off their noses to spite their faces, given they're getting something for nothing. Yes, they get my information, but quite frankly, if anyone wants to know that somebody with my name of my age lives at my address and travels by train every now and then, they could look it up anyway. I might as well get a free discount card out of it!

Nobody is cutting off their nose to spite their face. None of us ex-SSP customers are going to go hungry or dehydrate ourselves in protest. The thing SSP don't seem to realise is they have a lot more competition at stations now than they did a few years ago. Many stations have a small Tesco, Sainsburys, a Boots, Greggs or similar. If there isn't one of these in the station, there is almost certainly a shop within a minute or so's walk which offers much better value.

Basically they need to understand the concept of price elasticity of demand. They have assumed demand for their products is relatively price inelastic (increased price will not affect demand). This may have been the case a few years ago when they seemed to be the exclusive supplier of station catering and retailing, but it's not true any more.

 

[jon0844]

Spot on. If I decide to protest by not buying from one of SSP's overpriced outlets then nothing bad happens to me.