The SNCF overwhelmed by the success of its tickets at low prices for Christmas

Difficult to announce a promo on the TGV for Christmas when the tickets disappear in a click, leaving the customers frustrated, even downright angry. Yet, the SNCF, we know well that this is the kind of subject which immediately triggers a wave of buzz that’s negative on social networks.

Proof : launched Thursday, October 12, at 6 o’clock in the morning to offer “amazing value” on the TGV and the City for the month of December has provoked a wave of criticism on social networks, the famous tickets at low prices has disappeared in just a few hours. Ten minutes after the sale, tickets for the south were, for example, already sold out ! Tickets SNCF Prem’s, promotion for the holidays, being already exhausted, the rates moved rather around 100 euros for a Paris-Rennes, 190 for a Paris-Marseille or even 254 euros for a Lille-Valencia. Not really “gift”.

Something to feed the grumbling : some users finding that it is more expensive to take a train than a plane to go back with the family, or the SNCF has a funny design of Christmas festivities, that is to say : “take it before December 10,” the low price no longer exists beyond.

 

Obviously, at the opening of ticket sales #TGV #Christmas this morning, prices are formidable ! #SNCF pic.twitter.com/yMNBu8CHwf

— Benjamin Douriez (@BenjaminDouriez) October 12, 2017

 

Obviously, at the opening of ticket sales #TGV #Christmas this morning, prices are formidable ! #SNCF pic.twitter.com/yMNBu8CHwf

— Benjamin Douriez (@BenjaminDouriez) October 12, 2017

 

1.2 million tickets sold

The company provides yet to have made 1.2 million tickets at a small price in the sale (compared to 800,000 in 2016), including the TGV and the Ouigo low-cost, start now also the train station, and also serve Strasbourg.

The price of success ? It is this that recognizes the direction of the carrier who was not expecting such a raid on the tickets. “It is a weekend of the 23rd to the 25th of December – a little bit special since it is also the beginning of the school holidays, which hasn’t happened since 2001,” explains Pierre Matuchet, the marketing director of Voyages SNCF. According to him, ten TGV trains are already full in the direction of Marseille for the single day of 23 December. “Never seen, rejoices in it, while the company sold 11.9 million tickets for this period. We have already sold 10% of tickets more than last year at the same time, which proves that there is a new craze for high speed, in line with the 8% increase in traffic observed on this activity since the beginning of the year, ” he continues. In the Face of the grumbling, the company promises to try to add trains where it is possible.

Why promote small prize in these terms and conditions, and risking to frustrate its customers ? “A wave of discontent over prices on the internet are not really a problem for the company, nuance an expert in the sector. Because it seeks first to gain the loyalty card holders. Those who gripe the most often on social networks are travelers spot and not at all flexible, and therefore rarely eligible for small prizes. On the other hand, the SNCF should be a little more precise in this kind of campaign promotions by specifying that tickets may go very quickly so as not to encourage the frustrations,” he advises.

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