Reservation Availability Query

[jthjth]

This regards a journey from Market Harborough to St Pancras, out and back on the same day, first class.

I've booked a super off peak day travel card, out on the first available train at 1057.

The EMR ticket site wouldn’t give me a reservation, stating to sit in any available 1st class seat. So knowing I could get free reservations on the GWR site I headed there after purchasing my ticket on EMR. Entering the same times and ticket type on GWR I got no reservations available. However changing the ticket type to 1st class Anytime I could get reservations.

So it seems on the face of it that if you buy a cheap ticket you aren’t entitled to a reservation. Is this a deliberate policy or an error?

 

[Adam Williams]

The reservation system allows train operators to do this, that is to limit some or all seats with a specific inventory class to certain ticket types.

My understanding is that S3 Passenger requires operators to link each and every possible ticket type code to a tariff so it's possible that "more exotic" or forgotten-about ticket types don't map correctly purely as a result of unintentional omission on the part of the operator. There have been similar threads about this sort of problem over the past few years.

My own view is that the reservations system should treat every ticket type of a specific class the same and TOCs should be prohibited from configuring their services in this way. But until this changes, I would advise you to do exactly what you did on this occasion - use a TOC standalone reservation site and just enter the most widespread, most expensive walk-up ticket type you can in order to get a seat because clearly, discriminating by certain walk-up ticket types is ridiculous. I would also suggest you make a complaint to EMR, but it may be difficult for you to be able to raise the problem with somebody competent or knowledgeable enough to get it fixed.

If you ever encounter this when buying from the forum's ticketing site, it may be possible to raise it directly with the TOC on your behalf.

 

[jthjth]

The reservation system allows train operators to do this, that is to limit some or all seats with a specific inventory class to certain ticket types.

My understanding is that S3 Passenger requires operators to link each and every possible ticket type code to a tariff so it's possible that "more exotic" or forgotten-about ticket types don't map correctly purely as a result of unintentional omission on the part of the operator. There have been similar threads about this sort of problem over the past few years.

My own view is that the reservations system should treat every ticket type of a specific class the same and TOCs should be prohibited from configuring their services in this way. But until this changes, I would advise you to do exactly what you did on this occasion - use a TOC standalone reservation site and just enter the most widespread, most expensive walk-up ticket type you can in order to get a seat because clearly, discriminating by certain walk-up ticket types is ridiculous. I would also suggest you make a complaint to EMR, but it may be difficult for you to be able to raise the problem with somebody competent or knowledgeable enough to get it fixed.

If you ever encounter this when buying from the forum's ticketing site, it may be possible to raise it directly with the TOC on your behalf.

I’ve emailed EMR, I’ll report back if I get a respons.

 

[Adam Williams]

Hopefully it gets past frontline

 

[MikeFromLFE]

My daughter had this for a ticket bought during the London blockade over Christmas. Talking to assistance at Sheffield it seems that they aren't offering reservations during the blockade - but no reason given.
I don't know if this applies to your situation.