Andy Budd (the other slightly better known AndyB – he scolded me once on a mailing list for signing myself AndyB. Cheek!) demolishes thetrainline.com rather nicely.
I wonder if companies get to read this kind of stuff and whether they take it seriously? Andy has provided free gold-dust here and they should be sitting around a laptop in their boardroom frowning and holding their collective chins.
Not every critique is of this calibre and not every criticism is valid. Casual users often don’t understand the constraints that force you to implement things a certain way. But in it is amazing how many products get out the door containing howlers. If you were too cheap to do a usability study in the first place then google for yourself occasionally and you might get some valuable free advice!
Read every email that contains complaints and suggestions and repond humbly to them all – even if you disagree. And check your server logs to see if lots of people end up departing your site at the same place.
(Almost forgot. He just wrote an update to the original post which is what reminded me about it in the first place)
trainline.com are a bloody bunch of crooks. I booked a return journey to London on the 6th Oct 06. The date was incorrect on the web page and it processed 2 payments. I filled in a refund request asking for my money back on the same day (1 minute later). Received email confimation on the 9th my refund was to processed within 10 days. Checked my online banking. Nothing. Continually called and emailed. You get passed through to India and speak to an absolute muppet.
Then I recieve a letter asking me to post the tickets. Which I do on the 3rd of Nov 06.
Constantly emailing & calling – Nothing….
Then they mail me today asking me to post the tickets !!!!
They are just a bunch of theiving gits !!!!!!
Still no refund. My advice is NEVER , EVER USE TRAINLINE as they just lie and lie.
Mark Watts – Lancashire
same experience with thetrainline.com, terrible servive, ignoring my request for a refund including recorded deliveries. I am going to try passengerfocus.org.uk to complain. Has anyone any advice about legal options against them? My refund will be only £20 after they take off a £10 admin charge but I’m damned if they’re keeping it. I’d love to slap a £10+ charge on them for my admin.