National Express - Travel With Them At Your Own Risk! (National Express)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	National Express
Date:	12/05/09 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast and cheap service when reliable

Disadvantages: Reliable 25% of the time, appalling and useless customer service

National Express stems from the train service of the same name and operates as a coach service which vritually is able to transport you to most locations in the UK and a few places in Europe. It is the largest and most known coach operating company in the country and as of such I use the service regulary to reach Coventry from my hometown of Leicester in order to see my other half. That aside, I don't like National Express.

Everytime I use them there seems to be some sort of issue or other but I will get that later but the reason they continue to receive my custom is because of the price and the length of time it takes to reach my destination when compared to the train service.

Since the Leicester to Coventry direct rail service has been terminated it takes almost two hours to get from point A - B with the passenger having to go to Nuneaton first and wait around to get another train. With National Express its a straight 50 minute journey with no stops and also comes in at round about 5.00 cheaper.

Now that I've got the basics out of the way let's explore the service itself:

- Buying A Ticket -
There are two ways to buy a ticket. You can go into the National Express branch which are usually located somewhere in your town's bus station or you can use the site shown at the end of this review. My primary experience is with the website which is very easy to navigate and has all the relevant information you'll need. You can choose your destination, your ticket type and dates you wish to travel and then explore all the coach times and costs for the journeys. As already mentioned the price is probably one of the company's key attractions to customers with there being a lot of special offers for children and OAPs, a student savers card similar to that offered on the trains and various 1.00 fares to key British cities like Manchester or London.

Once this is all done and you have paid for your ticket [they accept all the major credit cards and such] you can opt whether to have your ticket printed there and then, posted to you, sent to your mobile phone or available to pick up from your local National Express office. It does state that tickets may take 7 to 10 days to arrive by post but mine usually come within 2.

- Traveling -
Every journey so far I have made with National Express has ended or contained some sort of issue. On one occasion on an extremely hot day there was no air conditioning on a coach full of passengers. One time we were made to wait for 3 hours so they could repair a toilet and even after all that time they couldn't do it and sent a replacement coach. Something, in my opinion that should have been done from the start. Another time they booked me onto the wrong coach despite me having proof in my email that I was supposed to be on my number and I ended up in Banbury!

That said, when things are running smoothly, the journey is very pleasant. There's not a lot of leg room under the seats though the seats themselves are very comfortable and when its functioning there is air conditioning and light facilities.

Also when functioning [!!!], there is a toilet located at the rear end of the coach. The coaches are very rarely full as they visit a number of cities on their journeys and lose and gain passengers at every stop. The drivers are usually very pleasant welcoming you on board and conversing with the passengers. You are not allowed to board a coach without your ticket so it is essential that you have it with you at all times and read through all the information provided either on the back of your ticket or on the website before traveling so you understand proceedures such as luggage requirement and what not.

- Customer Service -
Whilst the drivers are very polite and friendly, behind the scenes it is a different matter. Going back to the rather comedic but irritating Banbury affair I used almost 20.00 trying to talk to them and was repeatedly put on hold and spoken to in such a patronising manner as if the entire situation was somehow my fault.

Furthermore it took me 3 hours to actually get someone on the phone who knew what the hell they were talking about who then proceeded to inform me that there was nothing they could do. I would've been stuck there if my friend hadn't have picked me up. I also reccomend not bothering with their 'feedback' service. Whether this is texting information using the number that is on the windows of their coaches or the feedback form on their website because I did so following this incident and received no reply whatsoever not even an apology.

I would boycott the service for good but with the credit crunch breathing down my neck I have to take all the cheap alternatives I can get.

- Conclusion -
All I can say is travel with National Express at your own risk. It's like entering a dark forest full of all sorts of creatures or painful traps on the ground. You could escape unscathed or you could end up bruised and broken [OK maybe pushing the subtext of overdramatic there], but whilst the service obviously has some clear advantages it has many bad points that make them even more unreliable than the train service.

Many people I have spoken to have been unhappy with how they've been treated by customer services or with things that have occured on their journeys so all I can hope is that people who are thinking of using National Express read my experience with them and are then able to decide for themselves whether they want to take the risk...

And the website URL is:

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/index.cfm

Summary: The marmite of traveling