Getting new reservations on Cross Country

[Deerfold]

I'm looking to travel with Cross Country tomorrow.

I'd like to change my reservations to a later service.

My tickets are not tied to a train.

Their Twitter account tells me I'd have to go back to the company I bought them from (Raileasy) - they tend to answer me but not very quickly and I'm travelling tomorrow morning.

Are there any other options?

 

[alistairlees]

Just ask CrossCountry for new reservations on the train(s) you want to travel on. Leave the existing reservations as is. There is no other simple solution.

 

[Deerfold]

Just ask CrossCountry for new reservations on the train(s) you want to travel on. Leave the existing reservations as is. There is no other simple solution.

Customer services? Their Twitter people told me they couldn't help me if I didn't buy from them.

 

[alistairlees]

Customer services? Their Twitter people told me they couldn't help me if I didn't buy from them.

That doesn;t sound correct. If you have an Open Return, bought via a corporate account, for instance, and want to add reservations, they should just do it. This has been the practice for years - there is no requirement to go back to the retailer. They should just issue reservations (other TOCs will). You could also just go to a station, if you have the time, and say: "I have these tickets and would like to make a reservation for these trains"; they should just do it.

 

[_toommm_]

I DM’d CrossCountry this week asking for a through reservation on split tickets, they did it for me no qualms, even though it wasn’t booked through them…

 

[GW43125]

If all else fails, you could always text the "ten minute reservations" service https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/tickets/ten-minute-reservations tomorrow morning and they'll give you reservations, no questions asked (provided there's availability).

 

[Deerfold]

I DM’d CrossCountry this week asking for a through reservation on split tickets, they did it for me no qualms, even though it wasn’t booked through them…

Odd. That's what I did and they told me Cross Country couldn't do it at all.

Gotta love the way our railways all work together.

That doesn;t sound correct. If you have an Open Return, bought via a corporate account, for instance, and want to add reservations, they should just do it. This has been the practice for years - there is no requirement to go back to the retailer. They should just issue reservations (other TOCs will). You could also just go to a station, if you have the time, and say: "I have these tickets and would like to make a reservation for these trains"; they should just do it.

Unfortunately the station I'm starting from, though only 2 minutes from me now, is unstaffed.

Tried the email Cross-country gave me (before realising I'd bought from someone else) as I'd like something in writing and I got an autoreply telling me I'll hear from them within 3 days.

Emphasised I only needed a reservation and not to change my tickets and Cross-country Twitter have issued reservations.

 

[alistairlees]

Odd. That's what I did and they told me Cross Country couldn't do it at all.

Gotta love the way our railways all work together.


Unfortunately the station I'm starting from, though only 2 minutes from me now, is unstaffed.

Tried the email Cross-country gave me (before realising I'd bought from someone else) as I'd like something in writing and I got an autoreply telling me I'll hear from them within 3 days.

Emphasised I only needed a reservation and not to change my tickets and Cross-country Twitter have issued reservations.

Success!

 

[Deerfold]

Success!

It was, but it surely shouldn't be so hard.

I know what I'm on about and had tried to make it clear I only needed new reservations, not a new ticket and it still took some doing.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Technically XC were correct, in that you're only supposed to have one reservation per passenger per leg, and as they didn't sell the original ticket they have no visibility of the associated reservation.

In practice, most people ignore that "rule" given it can be impractical to cancel existing reservations for technical reasons (e.g. both legs of a return journey are under the same reference in the reservation system).

 

[Deerfold]

Technically XC were correct, in that you're only supposed to have one reservation per passenger per leg, and as they didn't sell the original ticket they have no visibility of the associated reservation.

In practice, most people ignore that "rule" given it can be impractical to cancel existing reservations for technical reasons (e.g. both legs of a return journey are under the same reference in the reservation system).

Does any seller actually cancel the original reservation?

If I'd obtained my initial reservation after buying the ticket, a station wouldn't know if I'd got one already or not if I didn't tell them.

If I'd just decided to travel without the new reservations the original ones would still have been wasted - putting obstacles in my path doesn't actually help anyone.

 

[Falcon1200]

I have booked seats (only, no ticket required as I have a staff pass) via Facebook and found the process simple and quick (accepting that not everyone wishes to use FB of course).

 

[Deerfold]

I have booked seats (only, no ticket required as I have a staff pass) via Facebook and found the process simple and quick (accepting that not everyone wishes to use FB of course).

I'd assumed that it'd be the same team managing Facebook and Twitter.

Referring me to an e-mail address that wouldn't reply in time for my travel wasn't very impressive, either.

 

[_toommm_]

I'd assumed that it'd be the same team managing Facebook and Twitter.

Referring me to an e-mail address that wouldn't reply in time for my travel wasn't very impressive, either.

Peculiar - I had six advance tickets from Exeter to Leeds yesterday with six different reservations and they did it for me.