I have just found out how ridiculous the e-Ticket and collection policy is for Cross Country trains.
I need to pre-pay for my daughter and her friend to travel back from school to her mother's home at the weekend. I will not be travelling with them as school is 100 miles south and my ex-wife lives an hour's drive away. They are 17, but do not have a credit card.
I can enter their details - Name & Railcard Number, when booking the ticket and I can email them the e-Tickets from my (valid) email address for them to print and take with them.
However, the tickets are not valid without my credit card.... This isn't clear in the payment system (see below) and is only made definite _when_ you receive the email after you're paid for the ticket...
It is completely reasonable that they (a) have their rail cards to justify the reduced cost and (b) - perhaps, some other form of ID (though the Rail Card should cover both aspects) but not that my credit card has to travel with them!
I was told by customer service, when I called them as soon as I received the email notification, that as the advance tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable; I have to write off the cost of the tickets or give my credit card to my daughter and friend when they travel. To do this, I would have to pay for two Special Delivery postages and be without my credit card for a week.
I have registered a complaint and am interested to hear their justification for the requirements.
