Suggested improvements for the Virgin Trains website
I use the
Virgin Trains website that often, and there are that many things that annoy me about it, that I thought it's best to keep a note somewhere. I'll update this regularly as I come across more of the issues.
Problems such as:
- the total lack of a site search facility
- I know there's a section called 'My Account' that contains details of tickets I've booked, etc, but there's no apparent link to it from the home page or anywhere else. The only way that I've found to access it is to pretend to buy a ticket for another journey and then a link appears in the main navigation.
- if you fill in a particular hour for travel, you also have to fill in a quarter hour. So you can't just choose a train after 11, you have to choose a train after 11,00 (two separate drop down boxes)
- if you book multiple journeys in the same transaction, you receive a separate fast ticket code for each journey. So, when you pick up your ticket at the Fast Ticket machine you have to put several separate codes in (inserting and removing the same credit card each time to identify yourself. I'm sure they don't post each journey separately but maybe they do.
- pointless pop-ups - at random points throughout the site clicking on links opens the new page in a new window. Click on the new offer on the homepage? Popup. Submit your planned journey times? Popup. It's not unusual to find myself with six tabs open by the end of a visit to the site.
- the homepage's opening message - 'Hello and welcome to the Virgin Trains website. To bookmark this site press CTRL+D'.
- at first you're allowed to select any month of the year, but if you select a date more than 12 weeks in advance you're sent to an error page telling you you can't book more than 12 weeks in advance. The form on this page only shows the next three valid months, why doesn't the first form just do that? (added 6 July 2007)
- trying to view your booking details to cancel a booking and receiving the message 'The page isn't redirecting properly. Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.'. (added 6 July 2007)
- stick a time in the form on the homepage, less than two seconds later receive the message 'Due to inactivity, this site has timed out. This is for your security. Please visit the Home page to continue.' (added 6 July 2007)
- clicking on the Request Refund button to open a page with the message - 'Our new Refund Online facility is currently under construction - we expect to launch it shortly.' (added 6 July 2007)
- search for times, select available trains, reach last stage of booking form and receive message 'Sorry, tickets not available for this journey, please search again'. Go through the full process again, selecting the exact same trains and times, booking goes through (added 9 July 2007)
- regularly hitting the screen that says: Sorry, due to a technical issue we are currently unable to process your request.
If you have not yet reached the payment stage, please go back and try again.
If you have received this after you have submitted your payment card details, please click this link View Booking History.
View your booking details and check to see if your transaction is listed. If it is listed your transaction is completed and you don’t need to do anything. If it is not listed the transaction has not completed and you have not been charged so please go back and try again.
Alternatively you can call 0870 010 1127 to speak to our agent. You will need your email address and the time that you received this message. (added 13 July 2007) - wouldn't it be great if I could export new journies straight from the website booking system into my google calendar? (or outlook, or upcoming...) (added 23 July 2007)
- give your credit card a nickname, tick the check box to remember the details, next time you try to pay? have to enter all the same details again (added 2 August 2007)
- if you choose 'return' you're offered the return fares with a clickthrough option for single fares. If instead you have chose 'single' you're still offered the return fares with a clickthrough option for single fares (added 28 August 2007)
- their popup calendar sorts dates with the week starting on a Sunday instead of a Monday (added 28 August 2007)
- you choose to 'add another journey' having already booked a return journey. For this second, new, journey though you decide to only have a single and not a return. The website refuses to accept your new date of travel and will only ever give you dates for the previous journey you booked (added 28 August 2007)
- fill in your journey details on the homepage and get sent to a page 'Site down for maintenance'. Couldn't I have been given this message on the homepage? (added 17 September 2007)
Labels: website