2019-07-12 00:23![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
grok_mctanys
grok_mctanysIf you ever go to the National Rail Enquiries website to look up ticket prices, always hover over the ticket type, e.g. "Off Peak", to see if you get a popin that includes the text "online", e.g. "Super Off-Peak Single (online)"
If it does, you can only get that price of ticket online. If you're using the website to look up the price of a ticket, but intend to go and actually buy it at a ticket counter, you're in for a shock. You need to click the "Other Tickets" dropdown to see the actual price of the ticket, rather than the special online discount price.
For example, one ticket I was looking at earlier was £47.00 for the "Off Peak" (Super Off-Peak Single (online)) version, but £81.50 for the "Advance" (Advance (Standard Class)) version I could get when I got to the station.
Strangely, the online tickets departing from times ranging between 15:00 through to 22:00 were all labelled "off-peak", but the offline tickets departing at the same times were all just labelled "advance". So, uh, what times are supposed to be off-peak exactly? And why can't you seem to get off-peak tickets from a ticket booth? It seems like they're mixing up online purchasing discounts with off-peak train time discounts - but those are two completely different concepts. How... wha...? I don't... I don't understand what is going on here.
Didn't they announce a few months ago that ticket prices were going to be simplified, rather than the completely bugnuts insane mess that we appear to have at the moment? What the hell happened to that? Why is the ticket price not just the ticket price? Why are things so goddamn complicated? Why is everything so hard?
If it does, you can only get that price of ticket online. If you're using the website to look up the price of a ticket, but intend to go and actually buy it at a ticket counter, you're in for a shock. You need to click the "Other Tickets" dropdown to see the actual price of the ticket, rather than the special online discount price.
For example, one ticket I was looking at earlier was £47.00 for the "Off Peak" (Super Off-Peak Single (online)) version, but £81.50 for the "Advance" (Advance (Standard Class)) version I could get when I got to the station.
Strangely, the online tickets departing from times ranging between 15:00 through to 22:00 were all labelled "off-peak", but the offline tickets departing at the same times were all just labelled "advance". So, uh, what times are supposed to be off-peak exactly? And why can't you seem to get off-peak tickets from a ticket booth? It seems like they're mixing up online purchasing discounts with off-peak train time discounts - but those are two completely different concepts. How... wha...? I don't... I don't understand what is going on here.
Didn't they announce a few months ago that ticket prices were going to be simplified, rather than the completely bugnuts insane mess that we appear to have at the moment? What the hell happened to that? Why is the ticket price not just the ticket price? Why are things so goddamn complicated? Why is everything so hard?
◾ Tags:
(no subject)
"Advance" tickets are a different concept entirely to peak/off-peak/super off-peak OR online discounts. An advance ticket theoretically saves you money because it ties you to a specific train and is non-transferable. Why that cost you more than a more flexible ticket travelling at the same time, I've no idea.
I've long since stopped buying tickets at the station if I can possibly help it. Tickets for immediate travel are always much pricier than those you can buy in... advance.