Tom Cairns

Professional keyboard masher. I make @RealtimeTrains, fettle @RailMiles and occasionally do professional railway software stuff. @[email protected]

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

Hello. I don’t do this frankly disturbing app anymore unless the company I want to talk to is only here.

You can find me in other places under the same handle. Unless it’s owned by Meta, in which case it’s swlinestom.

See you on the other side.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@RichFromRail I imagine that it covers off the usage for their international operations too ...

(Also, catch up at the back.)

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@SW_Help is 1Z55/1L55 starting Reading? I can see the stock in front of me at Reading…

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@AvantiWestCoast you may want to tell the TM on 9G14 that customers should contact you for delay repay, not where they bought the ticket from which is what they just announced

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@Captain_Deltic @NoelDolphin I stand by my comment for software and apps too

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@Captain_Deltic @NoelDolphin the railway doesn't do that much to support the inventors in garden sheds either. Most of the big players are scared of the bus problem... and not made here syndrome

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@AWCook0558 @nonstopeurotrip @thetrainline @GWRHelp my views would be that it is that GWR incorrectly sold the unnecessary and therefore it is on them to resolve the matter (arguably an additional contract is created on them selling it)

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

There's an incredible pile on in the replies on this tweet today against a third party retailer.

The silly thing here is that the TOC (GWR) *did* cancel this train and Trainline did the *right* thing. It was later reinstated, but that's irrelevant here.

https://t.co/sNf1vrtjke

[Adam @opopop119420]

Charged £86.10 because @thetrainline falsely flagged my 07:00 train as Cancelled! Boarded the next train in good faith, only to get stung with a full-fare ticket while the app still showed cancelled at 07:44.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@backward5boB The same could be asked of many online travel agents vs booking direct for flights.

Although booking direct for trains could cost more due to split ticketing - and there's a plurality of suppliers that aren't operators for that. And different algos for that too.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@nonstopeurotrip @thetrainline It really should have been @GWRHelp refunding the customer here though!

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@ChimeraX2021 you mean a vendor that uses the official information source to give out cancellation information? which said it was cancelled as well between 0557 and 0630?

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@Jasper231231 Quite simple - reinstating it after they discovered they could run it with another piece of stock in this instance (and then cancelled another train).

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@guyIncognito745 The train *was* cancelled and later reinstated. I believe there are only industry comms rules around initial cancellation, and they come in straight away. If a customer changes plans because of a cancellation, do we need them to drop everything on reinstatement?

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@CDPL1 There are many things that they do wrong - but this is not one. It is not deserved here in the slightest.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@chicgibson are we talking at cross purposes? sounds like we are argumentatively agreeing.

Trainline didn't technically do wrong: GWR did cancel the train. So GWR shouldn't have upcharged them.

My point was Trainline didn't do the wrong, when there's a pile on against them.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@chicgibson The fair (and correct) way to have treated him was under the cancellation rules they were given free travel on the next train.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@British_Airways Can you at least feed back to whomever that the phone system is broken.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@British_Airways I have been trying to change a Gold Upgrade Voucher booking online with repeated errors after payment, told to ring. Now spoken on three occasions to people who can't help me - your phone lines are broken.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@chicgibson there's no penalty fare charged here? they've been charged incorrectly for a new ticket.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@British_Airways So what do you propose I do if it continues to be a problem into next week, and then my booking becomes null and void because I can't change it due to your own problems?

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@British_Airways I am phoning the dedicated Gold line. That is what is sending me to people who cannot help me.

Your phone line just sends me to people who can't help me.

I miss GGL.

[Tom Cairns @swlines]

@chicgibson erm, yes. The train was cancelled and then reinstated later on. It is not the customer's fault - they should never have been charged again. Trainline (who also supply a lot of TOCs with their retail offering) are not at fault here.