More good news from XC

[taxidave]

I have just ordered tickets from XC for a journey I am making on Saturday, and I was not charged a booking fee even though I am collecting the tickets from a station.
Have they dropped the booking charge ?

 

[wintonian]

No charge for TOD though I didn't know there was as I never use XC's site as I tend to find it rather uncooperative. £1 for having tickets posted.

 

[Ivo]

No charge for TOD though I didn't know there was as I never use XC's site as I tend to find it rather uncooperative. £1 for having tickets posted.

I can tell you now that one month ago I had three options:

(1) E-ticket
(2) Collection £1
(3) FC post £6 (?)

 

[lyesbkz]

I have just ordered tickets from XC for a journey I am making on Saturday, and I was not charged a booking fee even though I am collecting the tickets from a station.
Have they dropped the booking charge ?

Were you offered e-ticket as an option? They don't charge the TOD fee when they can't offer any other free method, as far as I'm aware.

 

[wintonian]

No E-tickets at the mo for Winchester to Sheffield from what I could tell.

 

[Ivo]

I couldn't find them for my dummy route (BRI - MAN) either, or the First Class post option. Maybe they're not bothering at the moment (and maybe it's to do with ATW's site being down... I can dream)? Doesn't seem right to me; is it happening on other Trainline sites?

 

[Drsatan]

This month I was offered an e-ticket for Birmingham NS to Exeter St D, so maybe the e-ticket option is only available for a few destinations.

 

[Ivo]

Hmm...

Just tried my usual XC Advance (WVH - CNM; departing BH 21:12 on a Saturday; specifically, 7th May), and there are four options available:

E-ticket
First Class Post (£1)
Collection (£1)
Next Day Delivery (£6)

I fail to see why only certain flows would have all of the options though.

 

[taxidave]

My tickets were Birmingham New Street to Burton on Trent and return Saturday 16th April
2 adults x 10.20 = 20.40
2 snr x 6.75 = 13.50
Total cost 33.90.
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My tickets were Birmingham New Street to Burton on Trent and return Saturday 16th April
2 adults x 10.20 = 20.40
2 snr x 6.75 = 13.50
Total cost 33.90.
Collecting from Cheltenham Spa.

 

[junglejames]

What, do XC usually charge you to pick the tickets up at the station if they dont offer an e ticket? That is absolutely disgraceful, and they should be sacked for that. In fact, just for this, and this alone, its time everybody in the country, who can avoid travelling with XC, just stopped travelling with them for a week or 2. If the journey isnt absolutely necessary, then dont travel. If you have a choice of operators, dont use XC.

You arent charged extra for buying tickets at a station, so why should you be charged extra for picking pre booked tickets up at a station?
What an absolutely awful company.

 

[CliveJones]

What, do XC usually charge you to pick the tickets up at the station if they dont offer an e ticket? That is absolutely disgraceful, and they should be sacked for that. In fact, just for this, and this alone, its time everybody in the country, who can avoid travelling with XC, just stopped travelling with them for a week or 2. If the journey isnt absolutely necessary, then dont travel. If you have a choice of operators, dont use XC.

You arent charged extra for buying tickets at a station, so why should you be charged extra for picking pre booked tickets up at a station?
What an absolutely awful company.

Or could just buy from another site?

Ive just tried my own TOCs website (London Midland) - what a fantastic system! Better than the others Ive looked at (qjump etc)

 

[bnm]

And you pay less booking Advance Purchase tickets for XC journeys from XC's website. They've held their own APs at 2010 prices, all other outlets sell at 2011 prices.

Swings and roundabouts...... bit extreme to boycott them just because they charge a fee for TVM collection. A fee that they are charged by the TOC operating the TVM. XC do not have any TVMs of their own. And there are no fees for journeys wholly with XC, either AP or walk-up. AP allows print-at-home and walk-up fares allow free collection.

 

[taxidave]

And there are no fees for journeys wholly with XC, either AP or walk-up. AP allows print-at-home and walk-up fares allow free collection.

That probably explains why I was not charged a booking fee as my journey is wholly with XC and I don't think any other TOC's operate along that stretch of line.

 

[wintonian]

Frm XC's twitter

@DJJonWeldon Ticket collection is free when no e-ticket available. We must pay other train companies for ticket pick up from their machines.

 

[Blindtraveler]

What, do XC usually charge you to pick the tickets up at the station if they dont offer an e ticket? That is absolutely disgraceful, and they should be sacked for that. In fact, just for this, and this alone, its time everybody in the country, who can avoid travelling with XC, just stopped travelling with them for a week or 2. If the journey isnt absolutely necessary, then dont travel. If you have a choice of operators, dont use XC.

You arent charged extra for buying tickets at a station, so why should you be charged extra for picking pre booked tickets up at a station?
What an absolutely awful company.

and it gets worse stil Junglejames, bought an XC e-tiket for a coleeg traveling Aberdeen - newcastle and on arival at aberdeen, which is gated, the staff had never seen one before and when contacted, niether (apparently) had XC's own tm. As it was a Sunday customer relations were on minimum staffing and the whole thing took so long to sort it cost XC a brand new tiket on a later service.

As to not traveling with them, I was just about to book seats on the HSTs from EDB to BHM in a cupple of weeks but have decided to get a national express coach instead!




--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Frm XC's twitter

its nice to have what is an honest answer from XC but the way there going wil strike a cord with haters of budget airlines, esp the type who charge for everything over and above the basic. A pound to pick up a tiket is not dissimilar to a fee for airport as aposed to online checkin.

personally, paying a 1 pound penalty to pic up your tiket is nothing short of robbery to me given how much (AP or not) we're already paying for the privellage of being crammed like sardeens into a 4 coach train, with your luggage having to be stored in a different place from you, a substandard catering offer, rattles, bumps, vibrations and a strong smell of toilets! Give it another year and you'll be putting 20p in the slot before the door buttons are activated to use them!

Seeing as how they've cut back on the cleaning and aint spending a huge amount on anything else iether e.g. no wifi, surely they could handle a tvm charge?

If anyone actually suggested doing this, therd be public outrage but good old XC have sneeked it in through the back door and are now penalising customers who cant or dont want to print at home or pay for postage, one of the reasons the machines are a success!

When is there franchise up? It cant come quick enough!

 

[Dewedin]

Am I right in thinking XC operate few, if any, of their own ticket machines?

They might pay other TOCs a lot more for this service than we might realise.

 

[WestCoast]

Am I right in thinking XC operate few, if any, of their own ticket machines?

I can never remember seeing a XC ticket machine!

 

[junglejames]

And you pay less booking Advance Purchase tickets for XC journeys from XC's website. They've held their own APs at 2010 prices, all other outlets sell at 2011 prices.

Swings and roundabouts...... bit extreme to boycott them just because they charge a fee for TVM collection. A fee that they are charged by the TOC operating the TVM. XC do not have any TVMs of their own. And there are no fees for journeys wholly with XC, either AP or walk-up. AP allows print-at-home and walk-up fares allow free collection.

But if i book with any other company and choose to pick up from a machine, i can pick up from any machine, from any company, that issues pre purchased tickets, and i dont get charged. So why XC? Its an excuse to make more money. Never did it before.
Well i will never be booking through XC. Whats the point in holding prices at 2010 prices, if you then add another £1 on top for this. All of a sudden they are at 2011 prices, albeit done through the back door.
Luckily i never have to travel with XC either. Even the HSTs are cold and white. Put some colour in them. The only good thing about their HSTs are the fact they are HSTs.

Welcome to the 1100hrs ryanair crosscountry service from Penzance to Edinburgh!

 

[Greenback]

But if i book with any other company and choose to pick up from a machine, i can pick up from any machine, from any company, that issues pre purchased tickets, and i dont get charged. So why XC? Its an excuse to make more money. Never did it before.
Well i will never be booking through XC. Whats the point in holding prices at 2010 prices, if you then add another £1 on top for this. All of a sudden they are at 2011 prices, albeit done through the back door.
Luckily i never have to travel with XC either. Even the HSTs are cold and white. Put some colour in them. The only good thing about their HSTs are the fact they are HSTs.

Welcome to the 1100hrs ryanair crosscountry service from Penzance to Edinburgh!

It is simply marketing to state that online prices have not risen, but then charge a fee to collect tickets. In a similar way to the Train Line adverts, some people will be persuaded to buy usiing XC's website, and may or may not cover the cost of collection depending on the journey and whether the price difference is more than the fee.

We have become a society where customer choice means that there ar eliterally hundreds of options for many goods and services, from your mobile phone contract through your electricity provider to purchasing your train ticket. Many people ar ekeen enough on saving money to spend time researching what is the cheapest way for them to get what they need. others find it simply too time consuimg and go for the most convenient option (probably one they are aware of through advertising) despite the fact that it may cost them a little bit more.

 

[taxidave]

I find the big advantage about using XC website is that you can choose your seat, a feature that other websites do not have.

 

[Greenback]

Some may find that worth the £1 fee!

 

[bnm]

And if you are booking an Advance Purchase on a service where choosing a seat is possible then you will have the option of print-at-home at no additional cost.

And to answer the question as to why other TOCs don't charge a fee for collection from a TVM, that is because they recoup the costs involved by charging other TOCs to issue tickets. e.g. First Great Western charge East Coast and East Coast charge First Great Western. Quid pro quo. CrossCountry cannot do this as they have no TVMs.

 

[swt_passenger]

I can never remember seeing a XC ticket machine!

I expect it's almost certainly because there are no XC managed stations.

 

[cuccir]

In their defence, the pound extra is almost always much less than the saving on 2011 priced tickets, particularly for longer distance. But there are many websites you can go to, but still use their trains...