journey breaking...kind of

[ainsworth74]

just to say the tickets are actually virgin

Just for future reference when travelling with East Coast (as you would be between Newcastle and Kings Cross) you can save 11% on advance tickets by buying them from the East Coast website. No help to your current situation sorry but just for the future

 

[yorkie]

just to say the tickets are actually virgin...so i dont know whether that complicates the situation.

They will probably be of the ticket type Advance, on the route East Coast Trains (therefore East Coast tickets) but you bought them from Virgin? You can buy from anywhere, but some operators offer a discount if you buy from their own site. Most offer free postage and do not charge for credit cards, Thetrainline makes charges.

Where you buy from usually only matters if you want a refund, but no refund is available for an Advance ticket.

 

[penaltyfines]

I agree that common sense says to allow it, and the vast majority of guards do show common sense (we tend to hear about the ones that don't!) but the rules say you must sit in your allocated seat, and there are some people who are obsessed with following rules to the letter irrespective of anything else (no names mentioned but I have some names in mind ). If just one of those people becomes a guard, then there is a potential problem, and the next negative news story waiting to be written....

I know the rules may technically say you have to sit in the seat, but if there are plenty of spare seats I don't think the TM would risk causing a scene and embarrassing themselves, or bringing the train company into disrepute for the sake of their own anally retentiveness

 

[craig1975]

once on the station just chuck the other ticket away then your sorted plus why would they be bothered if you join the train at darlington and have tickets from newcastle but hey we are on about east coast

 

[ainsworth74]

why would they be bothered if you join the train at darlington and have tickets from newcastle

Because advance tickets do not permit starting short. Therefore the ticket would be invalid.

 

[attics26]

but hey we are on about east coast

actually we are on about terms conditions and restrictions irrespective of their sense legality or anything else.

 

[craig1975]

yes but the ticket they have paid for will be more than the ticket from darlington

 

[ainsworth74]

It doesn't matter what the price difference is between a ticket from Newcastle and a ticket from Darlington, the terms and conditions of an Advance ticket state that you cannot start your journey early.

Break of Journey

You may not start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station except to change to/from connecting trains as shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.

Source

 

[Bedpan]

yes but the ticket they have paid for will be more than the ticket from darlington

Not necessarily in every case for every journey - An advance from Leicester to London (£11) is cheaper than Leicester - St Albans (£13), and there is no Advance option available for Leicester to Harpenden - heaven alone knows why not - so you are asked for £31.60, although in practice you can get an advance from Leicester - Luton Airport Parkway (still more expensive than London but cheaper than St Albans. ie £12), and then buy another ticket Luton Airport Parkway to Harpenden (£3.40) when you get there. (Admittedly they also are offering a £12 1st class advance fare from Leicester to Luton Airport Parkway when I checked today).

 

[blacknight]

Because advance tickets do not permit starting short. Therefore the ticket would be invalid.

Going by the book technically its a breech but is it not to similar to case of proffessor where a genuine mistake as been made in the purchase of tickets.
Suggest you ask the nice ladies & gentlemen on gateline if they will let you through to join your service at Darlington.

 

[ainsworth74]

Personally I think its a stupid rule, but them is the rules, so by all means ask at the gate if they will let you through. But if they say no and ask you to buy a new ticket at full price then you haven't really got a leg to stand on as you signed up to these conditions of use.

 

[blacknight]

Personally I think its a stupid rule, but them is the rules, so by all means ask at the gate if they will let you through. But if they say no and ask you to buy a new ticket at full price then you haven't really got a leg to stand on as you signed up to these conditions of use.

Fully agree completely stupid rule staff are still asked to enforce but are then not supported by TOC when they do but as in case of proffessor the ticket as been bought by third party & you personally have not either read or seen a copy of T&Cs.
Rather than buy a new ticket you could always change your coat buy a cheap local ticket from TVM & get through gate that way Alternatively you could go in taxi to Darlington North Road & for couple of quid bypass ticket gates completely.