This is a rant about Virgin Trains. Whilst I am forced to use this terrible service to visit my parents, I have always tried to make the most of their website. I feel that it’s a classic example of poor design, hopeless linkage and a bumpy user journey. No pun intended. I have had to just buy another load of tickets from there and this is why I am so angry.
“Would you like to receive your tickets via post, or collect them as an e-ticket?” Ideally, I would like a member of their staff to deliver my tickets on an cushion fit for a king. I guess first class post will do. I will never arrange an “e-ticket” what does that even mean? When I use national rail, which may I say, are much better than the Virgin ticket sales site. It translates as a ticket reference number that you use to collect your tickets at the station.
The first time I asked for a Virgin e-ticket they sent me a reference number. Great – all sorted I thought. I got to the station to type it into the “fast-ticket” machine which lead to an epic fail. I realised then, the number was a transaction reference code. Could I get any help from the station staff? Perhaps in a couple of hours once the que had died down. My train was due in 10 minutes. Faced with the prospect of paying X hundreds of pounds for new tickets and facing an upset wife and baby. I begged and pleaded with the train guard to let us on.
Whilst being questioned, humiliated and made to feel like a stow-away at every given moment by the guards. We finally completed our journey to face the enormous task of trying to reclaim our return tickets. It turned out that Virgin had completely messed up and not processed my ticket order. Still, they were happy to take payment!
Thankfully, I was able to arrange the return tickets. But ordering my tickets just now on their website. Was like jumping through endless hoops, with no chance of changing the journey details. For that matter, being able to stay logged in! There was a couple of buttons that took me back instead of forward. A good website should not require the level of concentration required to complete the last level of computer game!
My rant is over.
