Just a rant -- SCNF "technical error"
 

I have been trying for the past few days to buy tickets on the overnight train from Paris to Venice on September 8, and every time I get to the part where I have chosen this outward journey the website comes back and tells me there is a "technical error."

First step was to verify the manner in which I was inputting the date, so I entered it by clicking on the calendar and using that method. Still an error.

Then I was thinking that maybe they changed the 90-day advance purchase limit (which, if I did my counting right, I am within), but the website even gives you the error message if you try to buy a ticket for the same train on July 28 (but oddly enough, does not give you an error message if you try to buy a ticket on July 14).

So at this point I am just frustrated and slightly freaked out -- I'm paranoid that we aren't going to get a first class double. My boyfriend REALLY wants to do the night train, but I refused unless we have our own compartment (I'm not sure I'm hardy enough for the couchette experience). And although I know flying is always an option, we based our itinerary on taking the night train, and our hotels/other flights within Europe are already booked, so the itinerary is pretty set at this point. The flight times for the time we would transition to Venice are such that if we don't get to take the train to Venice it will basically cut the amount of time we can spend there by an entire day -- given that we are only staying there 2 1/2 days to begin with...

Is there something I might be doing wrong that I'm not thinking of? Or should I just sit tight and hope the website fixes itself?

I haven't ever had much problem buying tickets on SNCF's website, so not sure what to say -- expect that you are right on the borderline of 90 days, so why don't you want a bit and try again. Sometimes SNCF's website isn't working (not sure why, maybe it's down or overload or something) and you can get that technical error, and you can just try again at some other time. I don't understand your references to July, I'm afraid, as I thought you were trying to buy a ticket for September. That's a long ways off, so I wouldn't worry about it at this point.

Good travel advice I once got and have since followed is to recognize you have to pick and choose where to save money and sometimes for your sanity and peace of mind paying more might be worth it- as in a case like this when so many other arrangements depend on using that specific train. If waiting until closer to your departure date and/or continuing to fiddle with it are too much to handle, you could check the RailEurope website and see what the price is compared to what you have been looking at. You will pay more, but will have the tickets delievered to you in the US and just be done with it! But first you have to figure out how much more it will cost....

Or you could pick up the phone and call the SNCF at 08-92-35-35-37 (English-speaking operator line) and get some real-time help.

I looked at RailEurope -- if I understand it correctly, they would like to charge me $400 for tickets I can buy from SCNF for $186 USD, which is a little too hefty a price tag for me.

Christina, my references to July were to say that I also searched, just as an experiment, for tickets in July, and received the same technical error message, which led me to believe that the error didn't relate to the date. I still think I will take your advice of waiting, though, and see if the wrinkle irons itself. :-)

Hi Dawn, thanks for posting about this problem. All this time, I thought it was me, as I'm trying to get rates for a side trip to Lyon from Paris for the first few days of July, and nothing is working for me.

Will try again in the AM.

If it's any reassurance, I had problems printing out my tickets (and I've done it before with ease) because of a technical problem alert on the site.

A poster advised me to give it a day or two, and St. Cirq said I could always call the English number, as she's said to you. Reassured, I stopped checking it every hour.

Sure enough, Monday morning, the site was functioning. My fingers are crossed for you.

Ryanair has a flight from Paris to Venice on sept 8th for 45 euro incl taxes.

And Myair, (MyAir.com)may be even cheaper. On September 8th they have fares ranging from €9.99 to €19.99 going, and as low as €2.99 coming back. Stranegly, the one way fare on that day is listed at €79.99. The answer is to book the round trip, and throw away the return portion.

Be warned, however, that taxes, fuel surcharge, and the owner's college fund for his kids will bring those fares up quite a bit.

MyAir leaves from Orly, which is closer to the center than CDG, so that is one added attraction. We flew them from Venice to Orly last year, and they were fine. Basic, but fine.

Have a great trip!

:-)

I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone! I have been trying to book the overnight from Venice to Nice for September 5, and keep on getting the technical error. Here's hoping it is fixed soon. Let me know if you have any luck!

St. Cirq -- I decided to take your advice and call SCNF. However, when I used the number you provided, I got what sounded like a pre-recorded error message that repeated itself (my rudimentary French caught "line" and "call" -- so I'm guessing it was the French equivalent of "This number is no longer in service. Please hang up and try your call again"?) I used 8 92 35 35 39, also posted on this board, and that got me to an operator who, when I asked, was able to speak "un peu" English.

Em Axo -- I was able to book a First Class Double when I called SCNF, so it does indeed look like the error doesn't have to do with availability. However, I got a nasty surprise -- the operator with whom I spoke quoted me 350 euros for the compartment rather than the lower 270 euro rate available on the website. I tried asking her why that was, but our language disparity prevented her from understanding my question. (Fair enough -- I would have no idea how to pose it in French.) I know some rates are only available on the Internet, but I didn't realize the 270 euro rate (which is listed in yellow, as opposed to the 350 euro rate listed in that blue-grey color) was one of those.

In any case, I decided to book the ticket, since the 350 euro rate is fully refundable, and to keep trying on the website to see if it ever fixes itself. Honestly, if it doesn't, we will probably cancel the train ticket -- $250 USD per person is a little too steep for me. We can get tickets on Vueling for 30 euro a person (granted, it is the 6:30 am flight to Venice, but then at least we will get to spend the remainder of the day there!) and I'm imagining we can find a hotel near CDG for the night before the flight that would still let us come out ahead. There will be the hassle of going to/from the airports -- but at least I know I will sleep okay that night (I'm a light sleeper, so a good night's sleep on the train was never a guarantee).

I keep getting the "technical error" for buying my tickets to Brive from Paris. I have been getting them for a few days now. Yesterday the prems fare was gone, it's back today and I would really like to get them....any suggestions anyone.
I was going to call the number until I read the last posts.

ttt

What about using the Italian rail site (Trenitalia) to book the ticket? I've been trying for two weeks to book an overnight train from Milan to Paris on SNCF just because I've always used that in the past, but I keep getting the same technical error. So I went through trenitalia.it and booked with no problem for the same price.

That's what I'm planning on. I'm still over 60 days out right now, but I'm going to try Trenitalia at 60 days and see if that works out. I had just always heard that Trenitalia was so awful I figured SNCF had to be the better way to go... guess not!

I did get through and was able to buy the tickets, just kept trying, but today I am back to the "error". Hadn't thought of using the italian site, I'll try that next month when I need more tics, thanks for the suggestion.

How does one get their tickets if you book at Trenitalia if you are leaving from France? SNCF, for instance, won't let you pick your ticktets up in Italy if you book at the SNCF website, only in France.

I was thinking I would just print the tickets out from the website rather than picking them up. If that's possible...

Any updates on this subject? I've been trying SNCF every day with no luck - I also sent an e-mail to customer support - well, I tried. I got an error so I don't know if it went through. I did check Trenitalia for a date within 60 days and it would not allow me to buy there either, so I really don't know what to do at this point. I have to get from one place to the other!

OK, here is the one thing that I did different, don't know if it had anything to do with getting the ticket.
Instead of clicking on the green box on the bottom right of the train schedule that you want to choose, I instead checked the box with the prems price, the little circle, and, voila, I was in, try that.