Hi all.
Not sure if this is the right forum so apologies if not.
I'm at a bit of a loss on what to do with this one. I bought a 14 day first class All Line Rover from the LNER travel centre at Edinburgh Waverley at the end of June. The ticket was on the newer stock with a QR code and I was given an older style protective wallet. The print started to fade quickly and by the end of the first week I began to fear that the print would not last. Not just the bar code - the general details on the ticket as well.
The fading was exacerbated because so few barriers accepted the bar code. I had to constantly take out the ticket to show barrier staff. The first couple of weeks of July were very hot so not good for thermal prints.
By the end of day 10, the QR code could not be scanned even by on train staff. While you could just about make out most of the details, the expiry year, ticket number and issuing station were difficult to see.
I decided to cut my trip short. I didn't want to risk getting in to an argument with a RPI at the other end of the country if the details had faded too much for them to accept the ticket, and the fading I was seeing led me to believe that it wouldn't last to the end of day 11.
I emailed LNER customer support (as the retailer) explaining what had happened. The reply was rather strange to say the least. It was a bit flippant; littered with spelling and language errors but basically said the information would be passed on but that the rules on the ticket (issue stock and reprinting) are down to National Rail. My follow up to this (asking for more specifics on NR contacts) was ignored. As a result, I formally complained and asked about recompense, and (so far), that has been ignored too.
I emailed National Rail (customer relations) on 17 July about the policy (why no reprint for multi day rovers and so little acceptance at barriers), and within an hour they came back. Really sympathetic, but they couldn't help because they didn't deal with ticketing issues, and were at a loss as to why LNER referred me to them.
So I'm not sure what to do. I've seen the thread on a similar problem last year. It seems to me to be wrong that the industry excludes multi day rovers from the reprint conditions; that and lack of barrier acceptance for an ALR is what I wanted to take up with whoever sets the policy.
On the LNER side, I felt that any recompense was unlikely but the flippant response and being ignored has angered me. In the end, the loss of four days entitlement on a 14 day first class ALR is a lot of money. While I chose to take that hit, the risk of the ticket not being accepted was real and I should not have to be in that position.
I've travelled on several multi day rovers in the past including ALRs; all on CCD tickets with little or no barrier acceptance but no print problems at all so this is a new one on me.
Any advice/thoughts welcome.
Regards,
Tim
Not sure if this is the right forum so apologies if not.
I'm at a bit of a loss on what to do with this one. I bought a 14 day first class All Line Rover from the LNER travel centre at Edinburgh Waverley at the end of June. The ticket was on the newer stock with a QR code and I was given an older style protective wallet. The print started to fade quickly and by the end of the first week I began to fear that the print would not last. Not just the bar code - the general details on the ticket as well.
The fading was exacerbated because so few barriers accepted the bar code. I had to constantly take out the ticket to show barrier staff. The first couple of weeks of July were very hot so not good for thermal prints.
By the end of day 10, the QR code could not be scanned even by on train staff. While you could just about make out most of the details, the expiry year, ticket number and issuing station were difficult to see.
I decided to cut my trip short. I didn't want to risk getting in to an argument with a RPI at the other end of the country if the details had faded too much for them to accept the ticket, and the fading I was seeing led me to believe that it wouldn't last to the end of day 11.
I emailed LNER customer support (as the retailer) explaining what had happened. The reply was rather strange to say the least. It was a bit flippant; littered with spelling and language errors but basically said the information would be passed on but that the rules on the ticket (issue stock and reprinting) are down to National Rail. My follow up to this (asking for more specifics on NR contacts) was ignored. As a result, I formally complained and asked about recompense, and (so far), that has been ignored too.
I emailed National Rail (customer relations) on 17 July about the policy (why no reprint for multi day rovers and so little acceptance at barriers), and within an hour they came back. Really sympathetic, but they couldn't help because they didn't deal with ticketing issues, and were at a loss as to why LNER referred me to them.
So I'm not sure what to do. I've seen the thread on a similar problem last year. It seems to me to be wrong that the industry excludes multi day rovers from the reprint conditions; that and lack of barrier acceptance for an ALR is what I wanted to take up with whoever sets the policy.
On the LNER side, I felt that any recompense was unlikely but the flippant response and being ignored has angered me. In the end, the loss of four days entitlement on a 14 day first class ALR is a lot of money. While I chose to take that hit, the risk of the ticket not being accepted was real and I should not have to be in that position.
I've travelled on several multi day rovers in the past including ALRs; all on CCD tickets with little or no barrier acceptance but no print problems at all so this is a new one on me.
Any advice/thoughts welcome.
Regards,
Tim
