UK Trains - Online bike reservations

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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Sweep
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Sweep »

I thought you'd done it mercalia. In short, you chuck your desired train into your basket _ am assuming that they haven't broken that _ and that holds it for a fair while and stops someone else booking it. Then you call up to see if there is a bike space. If so you book it with the person on the phone and then click the button to make the online booking for yourself. But the trouble is you are likely to get the poor sods in the indian call centre and it is quite likely to all go virgin up.
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mercalia
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by mercalia »

Sweep wrote:I thought you'd done it mercalia. In short, you chuck your desired train into your basket _ am assuming that they haven't broken that _ and that holds it for a fair while and stops someone else booking it. Then you call up to see if there is a bike space. If so you book it with the person on the phone and then click the button to make the online booking for yourself. But the trouble is you are likely to get the poor sods in the indian call centre and it is quite likely to all go virgin up.



and you do the same if you book the bike at the station rather on phone. I cant do that unless there is free wifi at the station. Seems all a bit of **********
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Sweep
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URe: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Sweep »

No it's not the same at the station. The staff should be empowered and trained so that they can book you and the bike in one go. Unlike, it often seems, the aforementioned poor sods in india. Euston has free wifi. Also possibly bromley. If not the spoons across the road has.
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john4703
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by john4703 »

I have just booked three rail journeys using Virgin west coast. I collected the tickets at the station then joined a queue to get get my bike booked on the trains and all for the web site prices.
A terrible waste of their staff time, (and my time), surely Virgin Rail will realise that it cost them 10 minutes of a booking agents time to sort out my bookings, cheaper for them to do it on line. and a lot better for me. I did get three nice wee plastic wallets for my tickets so it was not all bad.
Don't let them win but keep up the struggle and wear them all down by our persistence.
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Sweep
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Sweep »

If you did it that way how did you onow you were going to get the bikes on the same train as yourself?
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The utility cyclist
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by The utility cyclist »

Sweep wrote:If you did it that way how did you onow you were going to get the bikes on the same train as yourself?

I now book bike first at ticket office, then buy ticket, it's the only way to ensure you aren't left High & Dry
PRL
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by PRL »

I have just tried FGW as advised above. The site allowed me to select tickets then broke before I got round to seats/bike. :cry:
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by PRL »

PRL wrote:I have just tried FGW as advised above. The site allowed me to select tickets then broke before I got round to seats/bike. :cry:


Must have been a glitch. Working OK now - and gives the option of booking a bike space.

Will be my new default - and I will let Virgin know why ! :evil:
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Sweep
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Sweep »

PRL wrote:Must have been a glitch. Working OK now - and gives the option of booking a bike space.

Will be my new default - and I will let Virgin know why ! :evil:


Yes but it won't have/let you buy Virgin East and West Coast seat sale seats.
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mjr
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by mjr »

mjr wrote:
mercalia wrote:I dont understand why adding a bike booking section can be so hard? is not rocket science? Maybe they should have used a different tech company to make the website if the one they are using couldnt do the job properly? In fact should have been part of the job specification? no excuse really?

I don't understand it either - but mainly because they've not bothered to really explain what's causing the hold-up. I wouldn't be surprised if the bike-booking back-end system is annoyingly different to the passenger-booking one and there's some sort of face-off happening between the website developers and the back-end providers.

Apparently in some cases it's because they're not licensed to book bikes (why not? I'm asking in viewtopic.php?p=1202066#p1202066 ) although that probably doesn't apply to a train operating company like Virgin's.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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markjohnobrien
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by markjohnobrien »

Sweep wrote:Do not whatever you try and do try to use the 20th century tech of the phone if you value your sanity. The virgin call centre is an abomination for bikes. My advice is to stick to the 19th century solution of a pedal to the station. Combined with checking stuff in the station on a mobile, or on a tab if they have free wifi. My next virgin booking will involve a pedal to euston. I have had enough of their micturate poor system.

No excuses Virgin.



I agree: it's a disgrace.
I used the on-line booking for years both on trips across the country and on East Coast. Travelled from Kings Cross to York last Friday and the Virgin call centre (probably based abroad) was absolutely bloody useless. I'd already bought the tickets online and, obviously, wanted to book cycle reservations.
1) First call took 30 minutes and the chap didn't have a clue, had to go on hold to get advice, and wouldn't give me a reference number, saying it would be e-mailed in next 24 hours....nothing arrived.
2) Second call took 40 minutes, different operator didn't have a clue either, but he did give me two reference numbers but wouldn't confirm this by e-mail....

Didn't trust this information so I cycled to Kings Cross and it took 5 minutes to correct the call centre error (only booked one keg of the journey) and confirm everything was now, finally, OK.

The staff at the station were excellent but what a waste of time and resources.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
Mistik-ka
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Mistik-ka »

markjohnobrien wrote:…(only booked one keg of the journey)…

Probably just as well, I generally find that by the time the first keg is finished I'm incapable of continuing with the journey anyway. :oops:
mercalia
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by mercalia »

arrent Virgin East Coast giving up the franchise? cant make enough money? and the govtis allowing them to end it early?

so they dont care anymore?
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Mick F
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by Mick F »

I'm considering getting the train Taunton to Plymouth with a bike later this year.
Cross Country service from Glasgow to Penzance.

If you look at the online info on the CC website, you get this:
https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/on ... d-cyclists
On most of our trains we have two reservable bike spaces and one further space for unreserved bikes. Bikes without a reservation will be accepted on a first come, first served basis and can only be carried subject to space being available.
My concern is, that if I book a place for my bike to get on at Taunton, what happens if the space is taken up by a non-booked bike that got on in Glasgow?

I doubt very much that the train manager would chuck it off to allow mine on.

Advice please.
Am I worrying too much?
Mick F. Cornwall
LollyKat
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Re: UK Trains - Online bike reservations

Post by LollyKat »

My understanding is that there are 3 spaces in total, of which only 2 are bookable. So if you book one of them it will be available regardless of what happens further up the line. Any non-booked bike will have to take their chance in the 3rd space for unreserved bikes.

Now, supposing that no bikes have been booked on from Glasgow but two have been booked from Lancaster, the train managers will know this and I imagine would allow three unbooked bikes if they were only travelling as far as Carlisle or Lancaster. That is how I read the CC site and certainly that is how it could and should operate.
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