Avanti - partial refund when standard premium not available?

[gg1]

Yesterday I travelled from Sandwell and Dudley to Euston, I had booked an advance ticket on the 7.55 departure in Standard Premium Class.

This train was cancelled however so I hopped onto the next stopper to New Street and caught the preceeding service to Euston. This issue is this service was a double Voyager and therefore didn't have standard premium seating.

Does anyone know how I go about claiming a partial refund of the difference between the standard and standard premium fares? I can't see anything about it on the Avanti website.

 

[AlterEgo]

Email [email protected] with your complaint.

 

[_toommm_]

And it should be worked out as the difference between the tier of Standard Premium Advance ticket you had, and the same tier of Standard Advance ticket I believe.

 

[gg1]

Email [email protected] with your complaint.

And it should be worked out as the difference between the tier of Standard Premium Advance ticket you had, and the same tier of Standard Advance ticket I believe.

Thanks both, and yes I was planninig to request the difference between the fare I paid and what I would have paid if I'd booked a regular standard ticket, somehwere in the region of £15 IIRC.

 

[AlterEgo]

And it should be worked out as the difference between the tier of Standard Premium Advance ticket you had, and the same tier of Standard Advance ticket I believe.

The difference is always the price of the upgrade, no? That’s how it’s been priced every time I’ve seen SP advertised, even as an Advance. It’s the Standard Advance price plus the normal upgrade fee. On this route it’s £15.

 

[Watershed]

Yesterday I travelled from Sandwell and Dudley to Euston, I had booked an advance ticket on the 7.55 departure in Standard Premium Class.

This train was cancelled however so I hopped onto the next stopper to New Street and caught the preceeding service to Euston. This issue is this service was a double Voyager and therefore didn't have standard premium seating.

Does anyone know how I go about claiming a partial refund of the difference between the standard and standard premium fares? I can't see anything about it on the Avanti website.

Did you ask the Train Manager whether you could sit in First Class on the Voyager? IMHO it would have been very poor customer service to charge anything extra given the circumstances.

If not, or if they refused, I would simply claim back the cost of the upgrade, £15 for this journey.

 

[gg1]

Did you ask the Train Manager whether you could sit in First Class on the Voyager? IMHO it would have been very poor customer service to charge anything extra given the circumstances.

If not, or if they refused, I would simply claim back the cost of the upgrade, £15 for this journey.

I did intend to ask the train manager but didn't see them.

Oddly on both my outward and return journeys yesterday there were no ticket checks either on the train or at Euston.

 

[Watershed]

I did intend to ask the train manager but didn't see them.

Oddly on both my outward and return journeys yesterday there were no ticket checks either on the train or at Euston.

It's possible you were in the portion of the train with no Train Manager. I've seen this cause issues in the past, with people asking to upgrade to First but being told they can't sit there, because there's no TM in that unit.

 

[mmh]

It's possible you were in the portion of the train with no Train Manager. I've seen this cause issues in the past, with people asking to upgrade to First but being told they can't sit there, because there's no TM in that unit.

I don't believe Avanti run any double sets without staff in both. Regardless, this is another example of where the passenger should be assertive rather than complain later. Sit in first class until you're told not to, and then question why you can't.

 

[gg1]

I don't believe Avanti run any double sets without staff in both. Regardless, this is another example of where the passenger should be assertive rather than complain later. Sit in first class until you're told not to, and then question why you can't.

Who's complaining????

I enquired about the process for claiming a refund, that's all. I didn't sit in 1st class because I didn't have a 1st class ticket, but then maybe I just don't have the same arrogant sense of entitlement that you seem to. To do so is no different to making the decision to give yourself a free upgrade to First class if standard class is full.

 

[AlterEgo]

I don't believe Avanti run any double sets without staff in both. Regardless, this is another example of where the passenger should be assertive rather than complain later. Sit in first class until you're told not to, and then question why you can't.

Self-upgrading isn’t a right. The OP, as he points out, didn’t hold a first class ticket and had no entitlement to be there.

 

[Trackman]

Did you ask the Train Manager whether you could sit in First Class on the Voyager? IMHO it would have been very poor customer service to charge anything extra given the circumstances.

If not, or if they refused, I would simply claim back the cost of the upgrade, £15 for this journey.

Saved me a post.
I've seen this happen on a follow on service, but of course you have to ask first.

 

[Starmill]

I would avoid simply sitting in First Class if this ever happens. I would always politely ask the staff on the train what you should do. If their answer is that you should sit in Standard, then it makes it clearer that customer services should be arranging the refund. This is also why I recommend that people use help points or speak to the station staff if they're disrupted, because it makes it easier to claim compensation for any delay that resulted if you seek advice and follow it.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I don't believe Avanti run any double sets without staff in both.

They do sometimes have one Train Manager working the entire train- as long as catering staff are in the front set. The Train Manager would stay in the rear set.

Maybe an unofficial work around where 2x221 run instead of a Pendolino (depending on how many pax already hold First Class tickets etc.) would be to have one First Class carriage as "Premium" and the other First Class carriage as normal First Class.