How to instruct customer service when buying a ticket?

[Optimo]

I was wondering if someone familiar is able to advise me on pointers I could give when buying my rail ticket?

I often travel from Euston to Glasgow Central, 4.30pm on a Friday , and want an off-peak open return. I see them on the East Coast website, £130.60 right now.

Twice recently I've gone to Finsbury Park station (my nearest rail station) to buy the ticket (with rail vouchers). Twice it has been a wasted journey, as after 8-10minutes of the staff looking on their screens, they keep saying 'that train's not available'. Even at Liverpool Street, it has taken around 10 minutes for the staff to eventually find the ticket.

I'm then forced to travel to Euston to buy the ticket in advance, as rail vouchers are unusable online.

Is there any way I can say to the sales staff, "please look on screen V8282 [whatever], the train is Code XYZ"? I don't expect them to know where to look for every train, but a mainline departure between two major stations in the UK shouldn't be too much of a struggle.

This is pretty much the only ticket I buy, so it'd be helpful if I could direct them to the correct screen.

Thanks

 

[bb21]

Are you wanting reservations on that train? If not just don't say which train you are getting.

It is a London Terminals [1072] - Glasgow Cen/Qst [0433] Off-Peak Return [SVR]. There is no afternoon restriction on this ticket.

 

[Optimo]

Thanks for that.

I'd like a seat reservation - would that have been what would have been difficult?

 

[bb21]

If your prime reason is to use up your vouchers, you can always buy the ticket alone, and obtain reservations later somewhere else if you struggle to get it in the first place.

 

[Optimo]

I get what you mean, but how can I obtain a reservation, if those selling the reservations are unable to find the reservation I want?

Would I be able to give him the code of a service and say it's service XXXYYYY, and he'd be able to find it in the system? Or is it just luck?

 

[causton]

I get what you mean, but how can I obtain a reservation, if those selling the reservations are unable to find the reservation I want?

Would I be able to give him the code of a service and say it's service XXXYYYY, and he'd be able to find it in the system? Or is it just luck?

If they're that clueless (I can understand that, I had to go through three people to get a West Midlands Day Ranger at St Albans!) I would email or call Virgin, as they hopefully have people who can issue them within seconds and email them back to you or tell you your seats over the phone

 

[bb21]

I get what you mean, but how can I obtain a reservation, if those selling the reservations are unable to find the reservation I want?

Would I be able to give him the code of a service and say it's service XXXYYYY, and he'd be able to find it in the system? Or is it just luck?

If a clerk is going to go by what the computer tells him then it is pointless giving him the ID of the train as he will just do what the computer says, otherwise if he/she consults the restriction code he should be able to see manually that the ticket is valid on the 1630, and issue reservations accordingly.

What is more important I feel is for you to be able to present the restriction text to him if needed. The restriction code for this ticket is 5F, and a pdf version is available from here. You may want to have a printed copy with you to show on demand.

 

[Optimo]

Great stuff, thanks all.