Purchasing discounted tickets without a railcard

[GatwickDepress]

I was purchasing tickets in advance today at Hastings, with the intent of purchasing my railcard on the day of travel. I was a bit surprised that the booking clerk said it wasn't permitted to sell tickets in advance if you didn't possess a railcard.

I've had no problem buying discounted tickets in advance with no railcard at other stations, including LOROL ones! Is this one of those policies that varies depending on the TOC ,or the clerk, or is inscribed in the ancient stone tablets of the famed guide? Is it worth writing into Southeastern?

In case you're wondering why I didn't just buy the railcard and tickets together on the 27th; blame a complicated financial situation for that. It would have had the added bonus of giving me a few days more validity.

 

[trentside]

The clerk hasn't done anything wrong in refusing you railcard discounted tickets, as the T&Cs of railcards state that;

Tickets for your journey should be purchased before boarding the train and when buying tickets you must show the Railcard.

Certainly when I worked in a booking office we were instructed not to issue railcard discounted tickets without seeing a railcard.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Strange, the T&Cs I have in my hand don't have that in there!

 

[thebigcheese]

You could always book the tickets on-line and collect them from a ticket machine in advance of travel (just don't use thetrainline!)

 

[trentside]

Strange, the T&Cs I have in my hand don't have that in there!

Are you sure you've not missed it? I've got three different railcard leaflets to hand and it's on all of them.

 

[GatwickDepress]

You could always book the tickets on-line and collect them from a ticket machine in advance of travel (just don't use thetrainline!)

Debit card issues, otherwise I would! The ease in which I can purchase most tickets with no hassle is the major advantage of online ticketing over booking offices. Sadly, it's why most will probably go in my lifetime.

EDIT:

Are you sure you've not missed it? I've got three different railcard leaflets to hand and it's on all of them.

I have my leaflet here and no, it's not it. I have last years leaflet and it is there. Possibly a printing error, it wouldn't be the first or last publication with one!

 

[trentside]

I have my leaflet here and no, it's not it. I have last years leaflet and it is there. Possibly a printing error, it wouldn't be the first or last publication with one!

Indeed not. I don't have a current leaflet to hand, as I had to give my copy away to someone I found on train with an expired railcard - he got the option of £30 to renew (with escort to booking office) or much larger X/S charge

 

[ji459]

The clerk hasn't done anything wrong in refusing you railcard discounted tickets, as the T&Cs of railcards state that;

Quote:
Tickets for your journey should be purchased before boarding the train and when buying tickets you must show the Railcard.​

The OP doesn't have a railcard, so I don't think he's bound by those terms and conditions. Neither the terms and conditions for Anytime tickets or Off-peak tickets require customers to show a railcard before purchase.

 

[bb21]

The response to that is that then the OP will not be entitled to the discount as relevant entitlement documentation is not held.

We have discussed this before and will never achieve consensus. The advice is that if you wish to purchase discounted tickets in advance of travel while not being able to present the Railcard, do it online to avoid any potential conflict.

I agree that it makes no sense these days to insist on relevant Railcards being shown as tickets can be purchased online and collected straight away instead. The tickets can be endorsed accordingly to address any concerns staff may have over passengers claiming ignorance, so this is simply down to the fact that "the rules state so". Until the rules change, there is very little us passengers can do. Many railway staff will use their discretion, but those who refuse to do so are only following orders.

There is little point in this issue being debated again. We have had plenty of threads on it already.