Terrible service in first class on Virgin

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ert53's review of Virgin Trains

“Terrible service in first class on Virgin”

★☆☆☆☆

written by ert53 on 26/07/2015

I use Virgin trains, West Coast line, every year when visiting UK for work and family visits. In 2014 my experiences were very poor. This year I only needed to take one trip, from Carlisle to London, and was very disappointed to find if anything a deterioration. I booked first class as I normally do, and it was nearly 100 pounds for this three hour trip. It is daylight robbery, really. But if the service had been good I would not have complained. I boarded at about 9.50am and was hoping for some mid-morning coffee and cakes but half an hour or so later, they came round with breakfast (bacon sandwich and fruit). Why anyone would want breakfast at 10.30 am is beyond me. I asked for a biscuit or something and all they could give me was a croissant. While making a decision about breakfast I asked what time lunch would be. I was told 'after Preston' which told me nothing, really, but seemed odd as the train was due to arrive at Preston at about 11am which was very soon afterwards! (Actually it was about an hour after Preston that lunch came round (what was fine), and I since realised that 'after Preston' meant that there was a new shift of staff and the current staff could not give a flying fig what happened to customers aftrer they themselves left the train).
So when lunch came round I was offered.... bacon sandwich or fruit!! (the same as breakfast). There was also an option of chicken salad ( don't kmow what happens if you are vegetarian). I asked for a bacon sandwich and fruit and was told I couldn't have both; it was either/or. Really! I am not joking! Eventually after some argy-bargy I was allowed both but I was made to feel very unreasonable, that I might be depriving somebody else of their lunch, and that the woman was putting her job on the line by allowing me a 'main course' and 'dessert'. I was also told I did not need it because I had had the opportunity of having breakfast. This was after paying 94 pounds for my ticket!
The staff spent most of their time sitting in the front carriage playing with their phones and did not exaclty rush to help an elderly woman getting off with a suitcase.
My husband travelled two days later and he was allowed bacon sandwich and fruit for lunch without demur. Maybe that was because he got a train at around 11am and couldn't be accused of turning down breakfast.
If I hadn't been right at the front of the train I would have walked down to the buffet to get some proper food. I had been reduced to this on one occasion in 2014.
What on earth does Virgin think it are playing at? This is so far up the end of the unacceptable scale it isn't funny.
Also, the toilets were not very clean.

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