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60% discount: Offer extended after deal-seekers crash website and ticket lines overflow
VIA Rail was still struggling to get back on track yesterday after a major promotion turned into a customer service nightmare for the company this week.
In an effort to redeem itself after a two-day strike disrupted service across Canada last weekend, VIA offered a 60-per-cent discount on regular-fare tickets countrywide. But the deal proved to be a little too popular, prompting a flood of bookings that overwhelmed the company's website and tied up its phone lines.
Unable to get through from home, many people made their way to the nearest train station to try their luck in person. By noon yesterday, the line at the Central Station in Montreal had snaked halfway across the main terminal's huge atrium.
"I couldn't get through on the phone ... and I tried the Web last night but it didn't work," said Matt Milner, who was waiting to buy tickets for a friend in Toronto. "If you're going to offer this kind of promotion, the website should really be able to handle it."
One woman, who gave her name as Cathy, said she had tried coming down on Wednesday, but turned around when she saw the line.
"It was three times as long as today," she said. "I just thought, forget it."
It was similar scene at Toronto's Union Station. Rob Shier, 52, who stood halfway through the line, said he had been waiting for 30 minutes to pay and pick up a ticket for his son. "I tried online ... but it was really slow."
Jane Bergman also tried to book her trip to Montreal online before giving up. She said the discounted ticket price made the 45-minute wait more bearable
"I tried the website, but it was down," she said nearing the front of the line. "I tried the phone many times, but the line was busy. Still, the savings are good."
In response to the "difficulties being encountered by some passengers," VIA quickly went into damage control, extending the promotion by two days, calling in an additional 10 employees for each of its call centres, and adding extra bandwidth to its website.
"We normally have 1,500 hits on our website per day, and yesterday we had over 12,000 hits, so it's a bit overwhelming compared to our usual standards," said VIA spokesperson Claude Arsenault, who would not comment on how much the company spent to expand its webspace. "The website seems to be up and running smoothly."
But while many travellers have been able to secure an unexpected mid-summer deal, the feeding frenzy has also prompted complaints from those holding multi-ticket passes, who say they are now having trouble securing seats.
Arsenault said any passes will be extended by three days, and the company is looking into adding extra trains and wagons to squeeze everyone in. "So far, very few trips are totally full. We're working at maximum capacity."
The VIA promotion ends tonight at 11:59 PST, 8:59 local time.
canwest news service contributed to this report
mmuise@thegazette.canwest.com
60% discount: Offer extended after deal-seekers crash website and ticket lines overflow
VIA Rail was still struggling to get back on track yesterday after a major promotion turned into a customer service nightmare for the company this week.
In an effort to redeem itself after a two-day strike disrupted service across Canada last weekend, VIA offered a 60-per-cent discount on regular-fare tickets countrywide. But the deal proved to be a little too popular, prompting a flood of bookings that overwhelmed the company's website and tied up its phone lines.
Unable to get through from home, many people made their way to the nearest train station to try their luck in person. By noon yesterday, the line at the Central Station in Montreal had snaked halfway across the main terminal's huge atrium.
"I couldn't get through on the phone ... and I tried the Web last night but it didn't work," said Matt Milner, who was waiting to buy tickets for a friend in Toronto. "If you're going to offer this kind of promotion, the website should really be able to handle it."
One woman, who gave her name as Cathy, said she had tried coming down on Wednesday, but turned around when she saw the line.
"It was three times as long as today," she said. "I just thought, forget it."
It was similar scene at Toronto's Union Station. Rob Shier, 52, who stood halfway through the line, said he had been waiting for 30 minutes to pay and pick up a ticket for his son. "I tried online ... but it was really slow."
Jane Bergman also tried to book her trip to Montreal online before giving up. She said the discounted ticket price made the 45-minute wait more bearable
"I tried the website, but it was down," she said nearing the front of the line. "I tried the phone many times, but the line was busy. Still, the savings are good."
In response to the "difficulties being encountered by some passengers," VIA quickly went into damage control, extending the promotion by two days, calling in an additional 10 employees for each of its call centres, and adding extra bandwidth to its website.
"We normally have 1,500 hits on our website per day, and yesterday we had over 12,000 hits, so it's a bit overwhelming compared to our usual standards," said VIA spokesperson Claude Arsenault, who would not comment on how much the company spent to expand its webspace. "The website seems to be up and running smoothly."
But while many travellers have been able to secure an unexpected mid-summer deal, the feeding frenzy has also prompted complaints from those holding multi-ticket passes, who say they are now having trouble securing seats.
Arsenault said any passes will be extended by three days, and the company is looking into adding extra trains and wagons to squeeze everyone in. "So far, very few trips are totally full. We're working at maximum capacity."
The VIA promotion ends tonight at 11:59 PST, 8:59 local time.
canwest news service contributed to this report
mmuise@thegazette.canwest.com
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