A little example of customer support reveals what companies think about their customers. In the case of The Trainline, their website and customer support suggests a pretty low opinion. They don't reveal charges until the end of the e-commerce process, and their customer support is uncomprehending. Any online e-commerce site is based on a relationship of trust with the customer, and while it is easy to design a site with hidden charges, the breach of trust that can result is difficult to repair.
If you try to book train tickets on The Trainline, a booking fee of £1 per ticket is only revealed at the very last stage of the transaction. By that time you will have spent about ten minutes registering, and stating your preferences.
I was annoyed at this booking fee, since other companies, such as Cross Country Trains, charge nothing for online booking via the same booking engine. I contacted customer support at The Trainline and got this wonderful response:
Dear Michael,
We apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. However, this information is only available on the payment page.
If you have further queries, kindly contact our web support department on 0870 902 1981 and a team member will be happy to assist.
Regards,
Atul.
