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| MPC Are You Booking Your Train Tickets On An English Speaking Site?; Between Barcelona & Paris | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 26 2015, 10:55 AM (43 Views) | |
| Tybee | Sep 26 2015, 10:55 AM Post #1 |
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For anyone opting to book a train from Paris to Barcelona on non-French or Spanish websites, there's a good chance it's going to cost you. According to train blogger The Man In Seat 61, anyone who uses French train operator SNCF's website in any language other than French or Spanish will be penalised with a higher price. Seat 61 points out that while train tickets often fluctuate based on demand and timing, in this particular instance, he is fairly sure that discrimination is taking place. Upon further investigation, the blogger found that a Paris to Barcelona journey on the French website came out to just €59 (£43.57), while the same train costs €100 (£73.86) on the English language website. Although such inconsistent pricing seems to only occur on the France-Spain high speed (TGV) route, The Man in Seat 61 worries that it could set a depressing precedent for those looking to buy train tickets from an international website, even going so far as to allege that it may be a breach of EU rules. 'I have not seen discrimination on this scale by any European train operator before, and against other EU member states, too,' he wrote on his blog. 'From the start, I don't think the pricing on the relatively new Paris-Barcelona TGV route has been properly managed. After this latest example of mismanagement, it's my professional opinion that Renfe-SNCF seriously needs to replace their Elipsos pricing manager, and soon. 'The Paris-Barcelona TGVs need fresh eyes and competitive, dynamic pricing worthy of the 21st century. Not desperate Machiavellian tactics worthy of the 16th.' The train operator, however, said that the price difference was the result of a technical hitch. SNCF told MailOnline: 'Following a technical problem detected today in the booking systems available to its retailers, Renfe-SNCF notes that incorrect tariffs have been offered for journeys between France and Spain. 'Renfe-SNCF, which runs these trains, is taking immediate measures to correct this unusual situation and a return to normal is expected by next Tuesday, 29 September, at the latest.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3247740/Don-t-speak-French-Spanish-good-luck-bagging-lower-train-fare-Paris-Barcelona.html Edited by Tybee, Sep 26 2015, 10:55 AM.
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| Erna | Sep 26 2015, 11:13 AM Post #2 |
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Thanks Tybee, but we discovered that game already. We book only on the official TGV website where we presume we pay the normal rate, which is very high. It will cost us total out of pocket 106 euros with Vueling to fly and 155 euros total out of pocket for the TGV Monday when we return to barcelona and our beloved schnauzer. We just went on the TGV website http://proposition.voyages-sncf.com/?clientId=e52a22cf-fc09-4d94-8129-8eb558ef4e4b&language=fr&country=FR#/ in French and the price is exactly the same as in English. Edited by Erna, Sep 26 2015, 11:17 AM.
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