Forced to stand in First Class Heathrow Express

I normally don't get too bent out of shape when I get given bad service, however yesterday on the Heathrow Express I was fuming.

We pre-booked First Class HEX tickets online using a promotion code a few weeks ago. We were using the return portion of that ticket yesterday when we returned from NYC.

When boarding the HEX at the T3 stop, we were informed by the attendent that there were no more seats in First Class (too many passengers got on at T5). We had a lot of heavy luggage, so opted to stand in First Class rather than move through the train looking for a seat in Express Class.

When the HEX moved on to Paddington, the attendent began his ticket check. To our dismay he then went on to sell tickets to some of the T5 passengers who did not yet have tickets, but had bagged seats on the T5 to T1/3 portion of the journey.

Surely preference should be given to customers who already hold tickets and have therefore already paid for the service? Am I completely unreasonable to think that the attendent should have asked those who did not yet hold First Class tickets to more to another carriage? Or at the very least he should have had vouchers for free tickets next time?

What does everyone else think? I've already emailed HEX to complain, but not sure what I should hope to achieve besides informing them that T1&3 passengers are at a serious disadvantage and should not bother buying First Class if the train is filled at T5.

Surely preference should be given to customers who already hold tickets and have therefore already paid for the service? Am I completely unreasonable to think that the attendant should have asked those who did not yet hold First Class tickets to more to another carriage? Or at the very least he should have had vouchers for free tickets next time?

No you are not being unreasonable. You paid for service which you did not receive. And the train staff should have moved the interlopers out - which I have seen them do on other routes - on board upgrades are a space available facility.

BTW I don't know why anyone uses the HEX (or GEX) when there are perfectly adequate 'normal' rail services that only take 2 - 10 mins extra yet are a 1/2 - 2/3rds the price.

I just don't understand how that is allowed to happen - your complaint is entirely justified. If there isn't a policy to cover this and their staff cannot be relied upon to manage the situation properly, they should put one in place.

This isn't an on board upgrade. HEx advertises that you can pay on the train. IMHO I think it's fair enough - they were in the seat first. On National Rail your ticket entitles you to travel and not to a seat.
Of course this is not to say I wouldn't have been annoyed. Really the root cause here is HEx having way too many promotions where you can travel first class for buying a standard ticket.

I actually prefer to stand especially after I've been sitting down for hours on a plane.

Trains are generally a free for all anyway and for the sake of a 15 minute or so journey, it's hardly worth making a fuss of to be honest.

Even if you had made a fuss on the train, should anything have been done like trying to move on the "interlopers", it's unlikely they would have moved anyway or at least dragged things out long enough to

I normally use HEX for the reason it's quiet. I would turn around and find a national rail train if it was full ...

[Pete]

I once found myself standing in first class on a commuter train out of Reading to Paddington. (Unusually) there was a ticket inspector onboard, and after he had cleared out a few people from the first class carriage that shouldn't have been there and I was still left standing, he wrote on my ticket 'standing in 1st class' and told me to go to the ticket office at Paddington to get a refund. Which I did.

Understand the basic principle is a standard ticket doesn't entitle you to a seat, just passage, but it seem the policy above takes into account that paying for the premium product should get you just that. Seemed sensible at the time.

The HEX/GEX though, are a law unto themselves of course.

I should've checked the HEx conditions of carriage

... if you have a First Class ticket and no First Class seats are available on the Heathrow
Express train you wish to catch, you may either travel in an alternative class of
accommodation on that train or catch the next one. In either case, a full refund will be given.
Please ask for a Customer Refund Form which should be completed and sent to us to obtain
the refund ...

How are you supposed to claim anyway?
What's to say you didn't sit in 1st, and then claim you had no choice but to sit in standard? Doesn't seem to vmention reporting it then and there.

Do they manage to check everyone's ticket during the 15 min trip to see what sort of load there was?

[Darren Wheeler]

Just to point out...

Heathrow has only 2 rail services. HEX and London Underground. There are no other mainline services direct to Heathrow terminals 1, 3, 4 and 5

Just to point out...

Heathrow has only 2 rail services. HEX and London Underground. There are no other mainline services direct to Heathrow terminals 1, 3, 4 and 5

Sorry Darren but Healthrow Connect runs from Paddington to LHR T1&3 . You can change there for T4/5 (using I assume the HEX for free)

Fare is £ 7.90 compared to £ 18.00 and for that I'd be prepared to change trains and have a 15 min longer journey.

Fare is £ 7.90 compared to £ 18.00 and for that I'd be prepared to change trains and have a 10 min longer journey.

Fare would be £7.90 on top of the £18 you paid for the HEX. You'd then have to try and get a refund. You have to buy your ticket before you board, so you'll have to backtrack at find a ticket machine, adding more delay.

[Darren Wheeler]

Ahem. I always forget them :#

Fare is £ 7.90 compared to £ 18.00 and for that I'd be prepared to change trains and have a 10 min longer journey.

Fare would be £7.90 on top of the £18 you paid for the HEX. You'd then have to try and get a refund. You have to buy your ticket before you board, so you'll have to backtrack at find a ticket machine, adding more delay.

The transfer between T1/3 and T4 / 5 is free !

Heathrow Connect page on BAA

Trains from Paddington now terminate at Heathrow Central (for Terminals 1 and 3). Passengers travelling to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5 should change on to the Heathrow Express service at Heathrow Central – travel between terminals is free.

What I'm saying is forget about the HEX (other than if needed to xfer between terminals) and get the Connect and save £££