This has been going on since Tuesday now, and I have reported to ScotRail over the phone, twice via their Feedback Form (they have not responded), and via FaceBook. They have acknowledged that it is a known problem that they are 'working on'.
If you try to book berths on the sleeper, instead of displaying the section where you enter your name, it brings up something called 'Optional Extras', except these are not optional as one must be selected. They are a £20.90 supplement for taking a child on board (why?), a £61.20 supplement for solo occupancy, or a complimentary seat. It is defaulted to complimentary seat, and if you proceed with the booking you pay for beds yet are booked into the seated coach.
I only clocked this because I know that coach A is the seated coach in the Aberdeen portion. I wonder how many people have booked this without realising? Certainly when I first tried to book (and aborted when I realised what was happening), seats 3 and 4 were being offered. Today seats 7 and 8 are on the booking. Of course these could be intentional seat bookings, but OTOH there could be some pretty angry customers come the night of 20th October. And indeed every other night for which bookings are currently being taken.
Is this fraud, to take payment for berths and allocate into seats? ScotRail acknowledged on Tuesday that this was a known problem that they were working on, but have not closed the online bookings down. It is only possible to book online ATM by paying one of the two supplements, or by getting booked into a seat instead. Surely if FSR is aware of this they should suspend taking bookings until it is fixed? You can book over the phone, and their own system is working, but they won't honour the online discount, so are penalising customers for their own failure.
Naughty naughty.
If you try to book berths on the sleeper, instead of displaying the section where you enter your name, it brings up something called 'Optional Extras', except these are not optional as one must be selected. They are a £20.90 supplement for taking a child on board (why?), a £61.20 supplement for solo occupancy, or a complimentary seat. It is defaulted to complimentary seat, and if you proceed with the booking you pay for beds yet are booked into the seated coach.
I only clocked this because I know that coach A is the seated coach in the Aberdeen portion. I wonder how many people have booked this without realising? Certainly when I first tried to book (and aborted when I realised what was happening), seats 3 and 4 were being offered. Today seats 7 and 8 are on the booking. Of course these could be intentional seat bookings, but OTOH there could be some pretty angry customers come the night of 20th October. And indeed every other night for which bookings are currently being taken.
Is this fraud, to take payment for berths and allocate into seats? ScotRail acknowledged on Tuesday that this was a known problem that they were working on, but have not closed the online bookings down. It is only possible to book online ATM by paying one of the two supplements, or by getting booked into a seat instead. Surely if FSR is aware of this they should suspend taking bookings until it is fixed? You can book over the phone, and their own system is working, but they won't honour the online discount, so are penalising customers for their own failure.
Naughty naughty.
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