GWR Sleeper without a smartphone

[lineend]

Whenever I've taken the GWR sleeper between Cornwall and London in the past, I've always booked online (return, including cabin) and collected my ticket from the station at the start of my journey.

Today I am trying to book a journey on the sleeper train for the first time since GWR 'updated' their website. When I get to the "delivery options" step, the only option is

eTicket Free
You will need a smartphone to use this delivery option.
Your eTicket will be delivered to the GWR mobile app, so please ensure you have downloaded it and are signed in before travelling.

I do not have a smartphone, so presumably I can no longer book tickets online for the sleeper train.

Does anyone know whether this is a deliberate policy change or an oversight in the new website?
Is the type of ticket available for a journey decided by the operator, or in theory can other websites sell physical tickets for the same journey? (Somewhat moot, since I'm not aware of any other ticket website that allows you to book GWR sleeper berths).

I will probably try to contact GWR and enquire myself, but keen to hear from anyone else who has knowledge about the situation or has had similar problems.

 

[JamesT]

Whenever I've taken the GWR sleeper between Cornwall and London in the past, I've always booked online (return, including cabin) and collected my ticket from the station at the start of my journey.

Today I am trying to book a journey on the sleeper train for the first time since GWR 'updated' their website. When I get to the "delivery options" step, the only option is

I do not have a smartphone, so presumably I can no longer book tickets online for the sleeper train.

Does anyone know whether this is a deliberate policy change or an oversight in the new website?
Is the type of ticket available for a journey decided by the operator, or in theory can other websites sell physical tickets for the same journey? (Somewhat moot, since I'm not aware of any other ticket website that allows you to book GWR sleeper berths).

I will probably try to contact GWR and enquire myself, but keen to hear from anyone else who has knowledge about the situation or has had similar problems.

I think from previous threads regarding GWR they've said this for a while, (long before the new website), however the booking confirmation comes with your ticket in a PDF attached to the email. Do you have access to a printer that you could then print your tickets out?

 

[styles]

It's a bit misleading.

It's an e-ticket, which is effectively a PDF which can be printed. As long as you have a way of printing it, you don't need a smartphone.

That is different to an m-ticket where the ticket is stored solely in an app and can't be printed.

 

[Wallsendmag]

It's a bit misleading.

It's an e-ticket, which is effectively a PDF which can be printed. As long as you have a way of printing it, you don't need a smartphone.

That is different to an m-ticket where the ticket is stored solely in an app and can't be printed.

Also different to a sTicket which is stored in the App

 

[Sleepy]

GWR site is giving me collect at station (and postal options) below e-ticket selection currently ? GWR telesales are also good with sleeper bookings.

 

[AlterEgo]

GWR site is giving me collect at station (and postal options) below e-ticket selection currently ?

For the sleeper? I can only get the problem the OP describes.

 

[lineend]

Thanks everyone who's replied. I guess I'll gamble on everything GWR says about eTickets being lies and hopefully get a pdf that I can show.

This reminded me that I have had experience of GWR spreading misinformation for no apparent reason before. A while back I had booked a journey and selected to collect the tickets from my local station. When I went to the station to collect the tickets, I found the entire station was closed for building works. I phoned GWR to ask them to change the collection station: they told me I could collect them from any station anyway! I asked why, if that were the case, their website made people choose a station to collect their tickets from. The reply was something like, "ummm, mumble mumble", which I can only assume means something like, "As a GWR employee, I can't openly admit to customers that they do stupid things for no reason other than to waste their customers' time"

 

[Haywain]

I asked why, if that were the case, their website made people choose a station to collect their tickets from.

It's to prevent you trying to select a station with no suitable facilities for ticket collection.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

It's to prevent you trying to select a station with no suitable facilities for ticket collection.

To amplify this a bit

- no suitable permanent facilities: it might be possible to make the system sensitive enough to cope with predicted closures of days or weeks e.g. for building works, but it would never cope with short term machine failures/power cuts/running out of ticket stock/vandalism/etc.
- the idea of choosing a pickup point but then being able to use any machine is I think universal. So while it may or may not be a silly idea, it's not GWR's silly idea.

 

[lineend]

It looks like the main problem is simply that the information is omitted when you choose your delivery option.

This is the info you get when you choose to collect your ticket:

The payment card and collection reference will be required for collection. If you choose to pay via PayPal, Apple Pay or GPay any credit/debit card registered in your name can be used.
Collect from station: *

Info

To collect your tickets, you must have both the credit/debit card used to purchase the tickets and your ticket collection reference. Alternatively if you paid via PayPal, Apple Pay or GPay any credit/debit card registered in your name can be used.

If you do not have them, a new ticket at the full fare will have to be bought to travel.

If your payment card has been replaced since you made your booking, please contact our Web Support team on 03457 000 125 before starting your journey.

Please note that if you are starting your journey at an unstaffed station without a self service ticket machine, and have selected to collect your tickets from an alternative station, you must collect your tickets before you travel. You are not permitted to travel to that station using the booking reference or confirmation email for this booking to collect your tickets.

I think the stuff about having to phone them if your card changes probably unintentionally reinforces the idea that you're locked in to your choice.

This info is hidden away in their FAQs page where nobody will see it:

It's worth noting that you don't have to collect your tickets from the same station you chose when you made the booking. You can collect your tickets from any National Rail station with a ticket machine across the UK.

 

[RPI]

Thanks everyone who's replied. I guess I'll gamble on everything GWR says about eTickets being lies and hopefully get a pdf that I can show.

This reminded me that I have had experience of GWR spreading misinformation for no apparent reason before. A while back I had booked a journey and selected to collect the tickets from my local station. When I went to the station to collect the tickets, I found the entire station was closed for building works. I phoned GWR to ask them to change the collection station: they told me I could collect them from any station anyway! I asked why, if that were the case, their website made people choose a station to collect their tickets from. The reply was something like, "ummm, mumble mumble", which I can only assume means something like, "As a GWR employee, I can't openly admit to customers that they do stupid things for no reason other than to waste their customers' time"

It's so you can't select a station that has (normally) no facilities for ticket collection.

 

[lineend]

I guess I'll gamble on everything GWR says about eTickets being lies and hopefully get a pdf that I can show.

I tried to book online today but the website randomly added £60 to the total at checkout.

I phoned GWR and they said that they've been having some issues with the sleeper train on the online booking system since the update in February. I made my booking over the phone, and they offered me other delivery options (collect from station, post, etc.), so on this occasion I won't be able to confirm for myself whether the eTicket would have included a pdf to use without the app.

I didn't think to ask them whether only offering eTicket for the sleeper online was intentional or just another bug in the system.