Virgin staff at Piccadilly wouldn't sell me my requested ticket

[Jeni]

Last Tuesday night I had to make a last minute decision to travel down to Birmingham on the 2207 XC service from Manchester... I use a ticket to get down there that involves starting and finishing short, so the only way for me to get the ticket at short notice is from the ticket office.

I ask for this ticket (an anytime return), the girl in the ticket office points out that I can't complete that journey today and she can't sell me the ticket. I let her know that I'm breaking my journey in Birmingham and she's then telling me that I can't break journeys on that ticket! The whole time through this, the guy sat behind the counter next to her was mumbling under his breath "If you want a ticket to Birmingham you buy a ticket to Birmingham", very unprofessional.

In the end I left them to it, approached the train manager and asked if I could buy it from him, and he happily obliged with no hassle or questions!

This is now the second time recently that I've had ticketing problems at Piccadilly, it shocks me that the staff there can be so stuck in their ways on basic things like a break of journey or stopping short. Does anyone else have similar problems at Manchester with ticketing?

I will be emailing Virgin again about this, but am waiting a few days to calm down as I've just suffered a loss.

 

[Chapeltom]

I've used Piccadilly station a few times for tickets, once for a station forward plusbus which was no hassle. I've also bought tickets from other stations to a destination outside Manchester without an issue (Marple to Irlam - I was splitting my tickets).

I tried buying a Manchester Stns to Bryn return and wanted it Route:Metrolink which is well over half price! The woman pretty much refused to sell it to me, wanting to sell me the more expensive route Any Permitted ticket. I used a ticket machine instead! So no, you aren't alone with problems at Piccadilly.

With regards to your troubles there, I don't think its any of the clerk's business what you do on Anytime Return. My regular commute involves stopping short and I've to change the destination (same price still stopping short) recently due to one or two guards being funny with it!

 

[185]

I tried buying a Manchester Stns to Bryn return and wanted it Route:Metrolink which is well over half price! The woman pretty much refused to sell it to me, wanting to sell me the more expensive route Any Permitted ticket. I used a ticket machine instead! So no, you aren't alone with problems at Piccadilly.

Fare isn't there.... Only Metrolink usage you would get is FROM Bryn TO Manchester Central Zone (Manchester CTLZ). Point of origin Manchester STNS to Bryn would either be from Vic or Pic, which provides either Direct services or Change at Salford Cres/Bolton.

Bryn to Stockport (ie a Cross Manchester Journey) automatically generates Metrolink GM, so you could ask for Levenshulme or Ardwick to Bryn.

-there's no facility to add a route which isn't there.

 

[Chapeltom]

Fare isn't there.... Only Metrolink usage you would get is FROM Bryn TO Manchester Central Zone (Manchester CTLZ). Point of origin Manchester STNS to Bryn would either be from Vic or Pic, which provides either Direct services or Change at Salford Cres/Bolton.

Bryn to Stockport (ie a Cross Manchester Journey) automatically generates Metrolink GM, so you could ask for Levenshulme or Ardwick to Bryn.

-there's no facility to add a route which isn't there.

My mistake, I didn't ask for a Rte Metrolink ticket. I mean a GMPTE priced Manchester Stns to Bryn (thought they were routed MTLK). It was £2.40 return at the time with a railcard. Solved the issue visiting a ticket machine anyway and got the cheaper ticket.

 

[telstarbox]

At least you should get some vouchers from VT for your trouble, and no doubt the guard was glad of the commission.

It does seem to be particular clerks rather than a company or station issue, as I've bought tickets to start/stop short from clerks at Piccadilly without any trouble in the past.

You shouldn't have to do this, but you may wish to print the Anytime ticket T&Cs to show to unhelpful staff, particularly the section:

Break of journey
You may start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station along the route of travel.

 

[bb21]

Quite a bit of nonsense in that episode.

Firstly the outward portion of an Anytime Return is valid for five days, so the fact that the journey cannot be completed that day makes no difference to validity.

Secondly all Anytime tickets permit BoJ (leaving aside SailRail for a moment) in both portions.

 

[Starmill]

Last Tuesday night I had to make a last minute decision to travel down to Birmingham on the 2207 XC service from Manchester... I use a ticket to get down there that involves starting and finishing short, so the only way for me to get the ticket at short notice is from the ticket office.

I ask for this ticket (an anytime return), the girl in the ticket office points out that I can't complete that journey today and she can't sell me the ticket. I let her know that I'm breaking my journey in Birmingham and she's then telling me that I can't break journeys on that ticket! The whole time through this, the guy sat behind the counter next to her was mumbling under his breath "If you want a ticket to Birmingham you buy a ticket to Birmingham", very unprofessional.

In the end I left them to it, approached the train manager and asked if I could buy it from him, and he happily obliged with no hassle or questions!

This is now the second time recently that I've had ticketing problems at Piccadilly, it shocks me that the staff there can be so stuck in their ways on basic things like a break of journey or stopping short. Does anyone else have similar problems at Manchester with ticketing?

I will be emailing Virgin again about this, but am waiting a few days to calm down as I've just suffered a loss.

Short answer? YES.

I've had all sorts of excuses, about using Northern and CrossCountry services and it being a Virgin ticket office, and I've been given incorrectly discounted tickets, child tickets and things which raise the eyebrows of even the less sensible. I've had refusals to sell the cheapest tickets, more expensive ones issued by the "back door" and flat refusals to issue things which it is claimed do not exist. They even wouldn't take an RTV once because it hadn't been issued by Virgin! Cobblers!

I'm no authoritative source, but I've plenty of experience - and I get the impression that the Virgin-operated booking office at Piccadilly is great for anyone wanting to go to London... but if you want a local ticket or PTE product, you'd be better off going to a Northern ticket office. I personally might start going to Oxford Road if I have something less than straightforward in future, problem is they only have a couple of windows! I also agree with the comments about some staff being worse than others. There is one man in particular who I think recognizes me now and this led to a particularly nasty refusal once.

My mistake, I didn't ask for a Rte Metrolink ticket. I mean a GMPTE priced Manchester Stns to Bryn (thought they were routed MTLK). It was £2.40 return at the time with a railcard. Solved the issue visiting a ticket machine anyway and got the cheaper ticket.

Unsurprisingly, 185 has the right of it. Whatever you may think about it, a Manchester STNS to Bryn has no Metrolink validity at all. That doesn't mean that Bryn to MCZ wouldn't be valid on Metrolink, but you'd be using the RTN before the OUT - and good luck with that at Piccadilly anyway.

 

[Chapeltom]

Short answer? YES.

I've had all sorts of excuses, about using Northern and CrossCountry services and it being a Virgin ticket office, and I've been given incorrectly discounted tickets, child tickets and things which raise the eyebrows of even the less sensible. I've had refusals to sell the cheapest tickets, more expensive ones issued by the "back door" and flat refusals to issue things which it is claimed do not exist. They even wouldn't take an RTV once because it hadn't been issued by Virgin! Cobblers!

I'm no authoritative source, but I've plenty of experience - and I get the impression that the Virgin-operated booking office at Piccadilly is great for anyone wanting to go to London... but if you want a local ticket or PTE product, you'd be better off going to a Northern ticket office. I personally might start going to Oxford Road if I have something less than straightforward in future, problem is they only have a couple of windows! I also agree with the comments about some staff being worse than others. There is one man in particular who I think recognizes me now and this led to a particularly nasty refusal once.



Unsurprisingly, 185 has the right of it. Whatever you may think about it, a Manchester STNS to Bryn has no Metrolink validity at all. That doesn't mean that Bryn to MCZ wouldn't be valid on Metrolink, but you'd be using the RTN before the OUT - and good luck with that at Piccadilly anyway.

I'm so glad you completely failed to read my second post and many thanks for patronizing me. :roll: I don't appreciate being talked down to like a 10 year old.

I corrected myself, say I know Hazel Grove to Bryn would be valid via Metrolink and I presumed same was true with an MAN to Bryn ticket.

The point was (glad you can read) that the woman refused to sell the cheaper ticket and insisted on selling me something near 2x more expensive.

 

[Starmill]

I'm so glad you completely failed to read my second post and many thanks for patronizing me. :roll: I don't appreciate being talked down to like a 10 year old.

I corrected myself, say I know Hazel Grove to Bryn would be valid via Metrolink and I presumed same was true with an MAN to Bryn ticket.

The point was (glad you can read) that the woman refused to sell the cheaper ticket and insisted on selling me something near 2x more expensive.

Oh dear. To patronise was never my intent - my apologies if it came across that way.

I read your second post a number of times, before concluding that although you got a cheaper ticket, you hadn't solved the Metrolink problem because you had bought a MAN - Bryn ticket from the TVM.

We can at least agree on one thing; the helpfulness of the clerk would likely be severely limited in this situation.

 

[185]

Oh be nice to each other.

....or I'll stop the train an throw yer all off :P

 

[Ferret]

Quite a bit of nonsense in that episode.

Firstly the outward portion of an Anytime Return is valid for five days, so the fact that the journey cannot be completed that day makes no difference to validity.

Secondly all Anytime tickets permit BoJ (leaving aside SailRail for a moment) in both portions.

Hmmmm, I reckon I know exactly why the Virgin ticket office wouldn't sell that - people will ask for a ticket to XYZ which can't be completed that day, and then when they get to BHM (for example), demand a taxi to their destination.

Of course, the easy way round that is for the ticket office staff to endorse the ticket with 'customer informed us that they were breaking journey overnight at BHM' and then there can be no argument! Answers on a postcard as to why they didn't think of that...?

 

[Starmill]

Of course, the easy way round that is for the ticket office staff to endorse the ticket with 'customer informed us that they were breaking journey overnight at BHM' and then there can be no argument! Answers on a postcard as to why they didn't think of that...?

Some, but by no means all, rarely think at all.

Surely they couldn't claim a taxi anyway if the service to BHM (or wherever) arrived on time? If that time was too late to make it to wherever it said on the ticket that day, then that is the passenger's own fault for 'missing' their last train home?

 

[185]

The issue time on the ticket should offer conclusive proof to staff being asked for a taxi if they customer is entitled to one through disruption. One of the questions a competent retail controller should ask frontline staff is, 'what time was the ticket sold'.

 

[Chapeltom]

Oh dear. To patronise was never my intent - my apologies if it came across that way.

I read your second post a number of times, before concluding that although you got a cheaper ticket, you hadn't solved the Metrolink problem because you had bought a MAN - Bryn ticket from the TVM.

We can at least agree on one thing; the helpfulness of the clerk would likely be severely limited in this situation.

My apologies for my rather silly post, I hadn't had a very good day. I got myself mixed up in my first post!