Northern fake "Compulsory Reservations" Trial

[Adam Williams]

Fair enough but Northern have now claimed that their quotas include seated + standing capacity, so would be useful to check if they've done a sneaky change!

Mmm, it's quite possible they've changed it. It shouldn't take being called out in a forum thread for them to not screw this up though.

In the "business-acceptance testing" environment it continues to reflect 108 when I check today, but the way the reservation system works is they only bother copying the configuration from live over once a month. So, unless I do it in production (which I'd get in trouble for and will prevent actual people booking trains!), I'll need to wait until early November before I can re-test.

 

[redreni]

Maybe it's aimed at driving uptake of PAYG by making buying a ticket a massive pain in the Mule?

 

[TUC]

Please accept my apologies if I've got the answer to this in the thread but have overlooked or misinterpreted the answer.

If I buy an off peak day return the day before travel and then decide to board a technically sold out train the next morning (at a time of my choosing) how does it all work? Similar questions arise, obviously, on my return journey, which may be before the peak period in the afternoon or after it? The only data that can be scraped is exactly what train I travelled on, given a free reign to board whatever train I wish within the ticket conditions, both ways. If 50 people do the same then who do they throw off, metaphorically speaking? Those who have booked the specific train before it sold out, or those who purchased a flexible, and usually more expensive, option?

Or more realistically, none of the above?

Get on whichever train you want, within the validity time of your ticket. Any claimed new restrictions have no legal reality.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Get on whichever train you want, within the validity time of your ticket. Any claimed new restrictions have no legal reality.

No new restrictions are being claimed by anyone as such (other than incidentally due to the bodged nature of this implementation, like Avanti's and LNER's). Again (please read the whole thread!) this is simply quota control on sales.

 

[OscarH]

No new restrictions are being claimed by anyone as such (other than incidentally due to the bodged nature of this implementation, like Avanti's and LNER's). Again (please read the whole thread!) this is simply quota control on sales.

I would argue that setting a flag in the data you are responsible for that is displayed to end customers in many places including accredited retail channels, is in fact claiming there is a restriction (and the same applies to all the other TOCs who play this stupid game).

 

[Adam Williams]

I would argue that setting a flag in the data you are responsible for that is displayed to end customers in many places including accredited retail channels, is in fact claiming there is a restriction (and the same applies to all the other TOCs who play this stupid game).

Exactly this. There's already evidence that it confuses international visitors and customers who hold passes (Interrail, BritRail).

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Maybe people should look for some blatant instances of overcharging (which could include paying more to travel using a later, peak, service when an earlier one with a lower, off-peak, fare is falsely shown as unavailable) and formally report to the ORR any retailers who may have chosen to break the law rather than ignoring industry requests to act seemingly unlawfully? (And if the ORR does nothing, try to get Trading Standards to kick them into action.)

Obviously doesn't apply to Northern, but certainly when XC were playing with fake compulsory reservations post-Covid, I saw instances where the only fare offered for a train was an expensive First Class ticket, when in fact any flexible ticket would still be perfectly valid in Standard despite it showing as sold-out.

I presume the same could still potentially occur with Avanti/LNER/TPE if they're using the same fake flag.

Of course, actually getting ORR or Trading Standards to do anything useful is unlikely.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I presume the same could still potentially occur with Avanti/LNER/TPE if they're using the same fake flag.

It very occasionally happens with Avanti, but as they now have very limited first class accommodation (only one vehicle at most times, two at most) it is very rare because it will normally sell out before Standard does. It is slightly more common with LNER.

 

[mmh]

It very occasionally happens with Avanti, but as they now have very limited first class accommodation (only one vehicle at most times, two at most) it is very rare because it will normally sell out before Standard does. It is slightly more common with LNER.

It frequently happens here on Avanti on Sundays, when they provide the 'local' service because TFW can't be bothered to. 'Luckily' I'm usually going from a station where you can't buy a ticket.

 

[furlong]

Of course, actually getting ORR or Trading Standards to do anything useful is unlikely.

Until people who are actually affected and out-of-pocket start to kick up a fuss with the bodies that are responsible tor investigating breaches and prosecuting any companies profiteering or the individual staff involved, this sort of nonsense will continue. If people were overcharged and staff at the company knew this was likely to happen as a result of their actions, there's the potential for those staff to be prosecuted.