ALSA Website & Problem Purchasing Tickets
 

Is the ALSA bus website as notorious as the RENFE site in terms of problems with ticket purchases? I have tried six times to buy my bus tickets for early May and the site keeps saying that my bank is refusing my purchase. I have spoken to both customer service and the fraud department at my credit card and they are telling me I am free to make the purchase. But when I try again, I get the same error that my bank is refusing the charge.

Here I was, dreading purchasing my RENFE tickets and that turned out to be a fairly painless process. But the ALSA site is proving to be much more difficult. I will try again tomorrow to see if I have better luck or perhaps try a different card. But I am just wondering if this site is known to be as problematic as RENFE since I haven't read much about ALSA on this board. Thanks!

We booked Madrid to Porto tickets online with ALSA late last year without any problems. However, I can't remember how far in advance you could purchase tickets for travel within Spain. Perhaps someone else may know.

I had cause to e-mail ALSA with questions regarding purchasing tickets for departures originating outside Spain and they were extremely helpful in answering my questions, providing the answers within a day or so. They may be able to help you.

Choleco,

I always had to call them because of the same problem. Tried two different CCs to no avail. I booked the tickets by phone and they gave me a confirmation code to retrieve the tickets at the bus station.

Cruiseluv,

Thank you for your previous advice. I have one more question for you. Once you purchased your tickets over the phone, did you ever try go back onto the web-site to see if you could view your reservations there? I called ALSA this morning to purchase my tickets. Except my Spanish is minimal and the ticket agent didn't speak English so I'm not sure if everything is OK. I did get a record locator number so I'm thinking my CC worked and the reservation was made. But they didn't ask for an e-mail address so I guess I will not be getting any other confirmation. I tried to plug my information into their website as you can put in your passport number, locator code, date of purchase and supposedly view, change, and cancel your reservation. However, I'm not sure if that applies to phone purchases as it said it couldn't find my reservation. I have also sent them an e-mail to try and confirm my reservation that way. The conversation was so difficult this morning and I'm not even certain that I wrote down the right record locator number. I just hope that the correct reservations were made.

Here is an email you can send them in Spanish.

Estimados Sres:

Hice una reserva telefónica el otro día, con el número localizador (....put in the locator number here).

Pido que me manden al siguiente email el itinerario comprado ya que tengo dudas sobre los trayectos pedidos. Mi español es muy básico y no estoy segura que se me haya entendido perfectamente.

gracias.

give them your email address here then.

Hope this helps. You might give them the credit card number, info and date of purchase also to facilitate this search.

Lincasanova,

Thank you for your response. I will email them this message if I do not receive a response from the e-mail I sent this morning in English. I can read and understand your message but unfortunately my speaking skills are not as advanced. I'm honestly surprised I managed as well as I did this morning (although the frustrated ticket agent may disagree)!! Thank you again.

Choleco,

I think Lin's idea is a good one. In case you copied the locator number wrong, after the first sentence in Lin's e-mail you could add: "La reserva es para el trayecto de ..(put starting city) a... (put destination city) para el día ...(put date here) a las ...(put bus time here).

I don't think I knew I could check online using the locator number because I know I didn't. I am pretty sure they didn't ask for an e-mail address either. Can you check your CC online or call them and see if there was a charge made for the tickets? At least that way you will know the charge went through.

Good luck!
Did they ask you for your passport number? I am pretty sure I had to give mine (they asked for "DNI", but since I don't have that they asked for Passport #).

I have had enormous problems with the ALSA website - 3 hours of attempts to book a ticket were unsuccessful and I finally had to call the head office in Madrid (the 24 hr telephone sales line operative did not speak English and my Spanish is somewhere between appalling and non-existent.)

I am now trying to get some information about where I collect my ticket. However, the e-mail template on the website is refusing to work for me (in 3 different browsers on 2 operating systems) and I cannot find any mention anywhere of an e-mail address I can send a query to. Everyone here talking about e-mailing ALSA - do you have an address or are you using their website?

Alternatively, if anyone knows if I just collect my ticket from the bus station in Algeciras (though I'm travelling from the Puerto busstop) that would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Hi,

I have never been able to buy tickets on their website!

If you go to their website Home page , at the top left , click on "Contact". That takes you to a page that gives you the option to fill out a form with your question and submit to them.

Did they give you a reservation code? I took this to the bus station from which I was leaving and got my ticket from the ticket window there.I would think any Alsa sales rep at any bus station should be able to look it up.

Thanks cruiseluv.

At present the "Contact" link lets me select a subject for the e-mail and then takes me to an empty page. Once, a week or so ago, it let me fill in a message but I have no evidence that this went anywhere useful, or that it went anywhere at all. The site is so seriously broken I have no confidence in any of its functions.

Yes, I have a reservation code. I guess I'll find my way around at the port when I arrive on the ferry from Tangier. Google Earth shows acres of parked buses there - there must be a ticket office somewhere.

Those parked buses are the tour buses, not the line buses. you have to go to the bus station. Even then ASLA may not be running the service as it sub contracts it sometimes. You may find the persons in the ticket office has no English skills either!