Eurostar's website is confusing

If Eurostar's website has one aspect that you find particularly confusing or frustrating, you are not alone.

I've had quite a few emails from skiers puzzled at whether a particular Eurostar train is sold out or hasn't gone on sale yet.

The problem is that Eurostar's website doesn't state whether a train is sold out or not yet on sale. It just says 'Not available'.

Well, saying 'Not available' is not very helpful to the traveller. 

Surely, the booking system could make the distinction between 'sold out' and 'not yet on sale'.

We are in the year 2024 AD. This simple thing is surely possible!

Here's an example from Eurostar's website.  A skier looking for the Eurostar Snow service (London to Bourg St Maurice, changing at Lille) for half-term would see this:

By contrast, someone looking to travel from London to Bourg St Maurice (or anywhere) by Eurostar + TGV via Paris would want to look for availablity for Eurostar trains to Paris.

And for Sat 15 February they would get a message on screen that says:

'Sorry, no trains are available on this date.
This could be because the train is sold out, the service is not running, or because tickets are not yet on sale. Please try a different travel date, or check back later.'

That really doesn't tell the traveller anything apart from the fact that they can't book a ticket now.

The traveller is left in the dark. Has the train gone on sale yet? Or is it sold out? Should they keep checking the Eurostar site - perhaps everyday?  Or should they make other plans? 

The lack of clarity results in uncertainty.  The options for the traveller are unenviable.

If you keep checking the Eurostar website everyday, you risk wasting a lot of time; not only that, there might be other travel options you are considering. What to do? Keep waiting for Eurostar, when it could be fruitless or abandon your train hopes and book a flight?

I wrote to Eurostar's media office with these examples.  The office investigated and a spokesperson told me:

'Our teams are aware of the confusion customers may experience when a train is listed as 'Not Available'.  We understand how important clarity is for our customers and are continuously working to enhance the user experience on our website, and addressing this issue is on our radar for future improvements. We appreciate your patience as we work through these complexities.'