Timetable changes and advance tickets

[londonbridge]

I booked an advance ticket on Avanti. Earlier this week I got an email saying “there has been a change to your journey times due to a timetable change. Your new eticket is attached” The email outlines my rights to a refund if I choose not to travel and then, under “travelling on alternative services”, says “you may use your ticket to travel on the two services before or after your scheduled train”.

When I read further I discovered that the timetable change amounts to nothing more than my booked train being retimed to depart two minutes earlier! Being no longer tied to my booked train for the sake of two minutes seems generous beyond belief….

 

[jfollows]

They are inconsistent, because in the past they have retimed services and not informed me, and there is a more recent thread saying the same thing. So think yourself lucky!

 

[JBuchananGB]

I suppose we should be pleased that the booking systems alert us when things change, and then use our common sense. I recently booked a journey with an itinerary:
Depart Billericay 13.57 Arrive Liverpool Street 14.28
Depart London Euston 15.30 Arrive Wigan 17.23.
I was having great difficulty working out why I had been sent a very long email about my journey being retimed, and I might not make my connection, and authorising me to travel on alternative trains etc. etc.
The new itinerary was
Depart Billericay 13.57 Arrive Liverpool Street 14.29
Depart London Euston 15.30 Arrive Wigan 17.23.
Spot the difference.

 

[voyagerdude220]

What are the chances of a member of Avanti Revenue Protection/A Train Manager trying to charge you for a new ticket if you do indeed travel on a service up to two services before or after the one you've booked..

 

[JBuchananGB]

The email I received included a whole section purporting to be an authorisation to show to any such RPI or train manager to explain why I was travelling on a different train to that which my advance ticket (London to Wigan) applied. I haven't kept the email, but the tickets were boked through the forum's ticketing site / Trainsplit, so someone will know what it said.

 

[Watershed]

I wound enjoy the current generous position. Knowing how anti-passenger the industry currently is, it may not last!

 

[Sealink]

I booked an advance ticket on Avanti. Earlier this week I got an email saying “there has been a change to your journey times due to a timetable change. Your new eticket is attached” The email outlines my rights to a refund if I choose not to travel and then, under “travelling on alternative services”, says “you may use your ticket to travel on the two services before or after your scheduled train”.

When I read further I discovered that the timetable change amounts to nothing more than my booked train being retimed to depart two minutes earlier! Being no longer tied to my booked train for the sake of two minutes seems generous beyond belief….

I had that for a two minute change to the arrival time, it was two minutes earlier; departure and onward connection (now a 62 minute gap) didn't change.

It seemed overkill, and if this happened for every minor change I can see it adding to people's anxiety with travelling.

And I know - what is a minor change?
I would say that if the depature time and ultimate arrival time is unchanged, does a passenger need to know that they will arrive at intermediate change 2 minutes before?

 

[londonbridge]

The email I received included a whole section purporting to be an authorisation to show to any such RPI or train manager to explain why I was travelling on a different train to that which my advance ticket (London to Wigan) applied. I haven't kept the email, but the tickets were boked through the forum's ticketing site / Trainsplit, so someone will know what it said.

Yes, my email said more or less the same thing and to show it if travelling on an alternative service. I might go for the earlier train actually and have more time at my destination.

 

[yorkie]

I had that for a two minute change to the arrival time, it was two minutes earlier; departure and onward connection (now a 62 minute gap) didn't change.

It seemed overkill, and if this happened for every minor change I can see it adding to people's anxiety with travelling.

And I know - what is a minor change?
I would say that if the depature time and ultimate arrival time is unchanged, does a passenger need to know that they will arrive at intermediate change 2 minutes before?

If anyone has any proposals on exactly where to draw the line, and at what point a minor change becomes a major change, feel free to create a new thread with these proposals

Any such proposals also need to take into account factors such as the possibility of making connections, and combining tickets (which may be with a ticket already held, e.g. a Season ticket, not purchased as part of the same transaction)

It should also be considered that even if the passenger doesn't have a connection at either end, they may have an intended bus connecting into their first train, or from the final train, and so on.

A couple of minutes can absolutely be a big enough difference to prevent a connection being a valid one, or prevent a connection being made.

 

[londonbridge]

For the record my journey was Euston to Birmingham New Street. Was booked on the 16:16 (which had been retimed to depart at 16:14), got on the 16:10, no onboard ticket check. Was due in twenty minutes before my booked train but was delayed by fourteen minutes….had I stuck to my booked train I could have claimed delay repay as that was twenty seven late. But I’m not going to try and game the system and claim for a fifteen minute delay as I scanned out at New Street before the eventual arrival of my booked train, so the evidence would show that I wasn’t on that one.

Got back to New Street for my journey home with an advance single for the 23:11 and found that was delayed, eventually arrived at Euston at 2:09 this morning, fifty two down. Walked to St Pancras and got the 2:32 to Croydon. Used contactless for this leg. If I argued that my journey was New Street to Croydon with split tickets (an e ticket plus contactless), my scheduled Euston arrival (1:17) wouldn’t have been a valid connection for the 1:32 so although I was delayed by an hour I’m only claiming half hour delay on the Avanti leg.

Went down to Mums last weekend and was delayed on that journey, claimed from SWR, claim was approved, processed, and the money in my account inside three days, so we’ll see how long Avanti take.

 

[TUC]

I booked an advance ticket on Avanti. Earlier this week I got an email saying “there has been a change to your journey times due to a timetable change. Your new eticket is attached” The email outlines my rights to a refund if I choose not to travel and then, under “travelling on alternative services”, says “you may use your ticket to travel on the two services before or after your scheduled train”.

When I read further I discovered that the timetable change amounts to nothing more than my booked train being retimed to depart two minutes earlier! Being no longer tied to my booked train for the sake of two minutes seems generous beyond belief….

Not a thing to complain about though, is it?

 

[londonbridge]

Not a thing to complain about though, is it?

I wasn’t complaining, merely expressing surprise that I suddenly had flexibility and was no longer tied to my booked train for the sake of two minutes.