The problem is that it is very simple to generate an iPhone message that appears to be "good" - given 30 minutes I could post a letter on this site purporting to be from David Cameron congratulating me for having swum the Atlantic in a faster time that the QE2 could do it.
Yes, that is true. However, my 'solution' would stop that being an issue. Passenger is made to buy a new ticket and then claim back later, providing proof that can be verified.
As I have said before on the this particular thread the Ts & Cs, which the customer agreed to when buying the discounted ticket, say the reservation must be carried otherwise the whole ticket is not valid.
If I had been in this position I too would have been p****d off, but it would have been my own fault, no one else's.
Yes, but I do see where there can be a solution that can help the passenger who has simply lost a ticket accidentally. At the moment, that solution doesn't exist which is why the rules have to be followed - but can't we all work to try and change them?
It does strike me as a little strange that so many people are "criticising" a railway employee for actually doing his job. If other guards are described as "good" - I can only assume this man was "bad" - poor fellow !
Well, I haven't slated the employee but I have suggested something that would enable the TM to do his job, punish anyone trying it on AND cut some slack for those who are genuine. Best of all, it doesn't require the TM to have to do all the checking - and an admin fee means the railway can process claims without being out of pocket.
Interestingly when I was travelling on a Deutsche Bahn advance ticket Basel-Freiburg a few weeks ago, the ticket explicitly stated that having the booking on a laptop or smartphone was not adequate evidence: you needed the physical ticket. Perhaps a clarification along these lines when booking advance tickets would be helpful and would resolve guards from being in the slightly awkward situation of having to make the judgement themselves?
I think it's fair to say that you do need the ticket, but if you've genuinely lost it then you might hope to be given the benefit of the doubt. However, given the amount of potential for abuse, the best solution is to charge for a new ticket BUT let someone make a claim afterwards. The industry does offer things as goodwill gestures, but my suggestion would make it an official process. Along with the need to claim, and pay a fee, it's not exactly likely that people will happily go without their ticket or suddenly not see the need to look after it.
As an example, my wife lost her (Groupsave) Travelcard between boarding the train and getting off (she'd got through the gateline at King's Cross with it) and she was allowed through as the RPI accepted it was most likely that she did have a ticket given the others with us had one. She could quite legitimately have been given a PF, and she would have happily paid as it was her mistake.
I think it's good that if the passenger had been delayed by a flight their ticket would be honoured, but absolutely right to charge them when they are booking a train that they have no way of catching. If they initially claimed their flight was 3 hours late then they have lied and are lucky that the matter wasn't taken further. I fully support guards who show discretion in such circumstances as delayed planes, and it's quite wrong for a passenger to lie about such a delay so well done in finding them out!
