Beware of Eurostar web site
Sep 8th, 2009, 05:21 AM
#1
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Beware of Eurostar web site
Went to Eurostar web site to book a trip and discovered that try as I might, all fares kept coming up in USD. Then in reading through the Q & A, I discovered that they had put a cookie in my computer directing anytime I went to the web site eurostar.com into their special US web site using DCC to over charge me. Had to rid the computer of that cookie to be able to get the real fares listed in sterling and saving about 10%. What a bunch of scoundrels.
Sep 8th, 2009, 05:33 AM
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Are you sure they're using DCC? AFAIK they've always set USD, GBP and EUR prices periodically to be approximately equal rather than having one "real" price that is dynamically converted in different currencies.
There haven many posts here indicating at different times it has been cheaper to pretend to be American or French depending on currency fluctuation.
There haven many posts here indicating at different times it has been cheaper to pretend to be American or French depending on currency fluctuation.
Sep 8th, 2009, 05:51 AM
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Well, you can decide what they're doing....
The same booking when I put in the UK address was £51
Similarly when I select US (luckily I know how to get rid of the cookie) the same booking was $90; that would be a rate of $1.76 which it hasn't been for well over a year.....
But what I do object to is the inability, without having to remove a cookie, to set the currency. If you are re-directed to the US web site (it's still Eurostar, there was a time they re-directed you to Rail Europe but no longer) there is nothing you can do to switch the currency back to sterling (and of course the banks will still hit you with the near criminal foreign transaction fee unless you use a credit card that eats it)...it's still wrong...you should have the ability to choose which web site you want to use and which currency you wish to use.....
The same booking when I put in the UK address was £51
Similarly when I select US (luckily I know how to get rid of the cookie) the same booking was $90; that would be a rate of $1.76 which it hasn't been for well over a year.....
But what I do object to is the inability, without having to remove a cookie, to set the currency. If you are re-directed to the US web site (it's still Eurostar, there was a time they re-directed you to Rail Europe but no longer) there is nothing you can do to switch the currency back to sterling (and of course the banks will still hit you with the near criminal foreign transaction fee unless you use a credit card that eats it)...it's still wrong...you should have the ability to choose which web site you want to use and which currency you wish to use.....
Sep 8th, 2009, 06:05 AM
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Eurostar prices vary according to the currency - Euro fares are not a direct conversion of sterling fares either.
You cannot expect them to be constantly adjusting fares for currency fluctuations.
The use of cookies is perfectly acceptable and normal. if you don't want them either clear out your cookies more often or set your computer to not accept them in the first place.
You cannot expect them to be constantly adjusting fares for currency fluctuations.
The use of cookies is perfectly acceptable and normal. if you don't want them either clear out your cookies more often or set your computer to not accept them in the first place.
Sep 8th, 2009, 06:06 AM
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Fair enough... although most international sites use cookie to remember your location/currency/language preferences. Basically, under the hyperbole, your complaint is that the site has no easy way to change your location?
I'm also still not sure what you mean by changing the currency "back to sterling" or the "real fares listed in sterling". The USD fare is as "real" as the GBP (or EUR) fare, as it happens now you're on the wrong side of the currency fluctuations a year ago (according to post here) you'd have saved money by paying in USD.
I'm also still not sure what you mean by changing the currency "back to sterling" or the "real fares listed in sterling". The USD fare is as "real" as the GBP (or EUR) fare, as it happens now you're on the wrong side of the currency fluctuations a year ago (according to post here) you'd have saved money by paying in USD.
