Heathrow Expresss ticket acceptance, trouble at gateline

[Persephone]

Hi. I was on board an Elizabeth Line train headed for Heathrow, but due to some disruption with the overhead lines services were being cancelled. My service ended up terminating at Paddington.

I noticed that the national rail website said tickets were being accepted on Heathrow Express at no extra cost if you have a pre-paid ticket (I had a physical Zones 1-6 travelcard).

However, all of the gateline staff plainly refused to allow me on board the Heathrow Express despite me showing them the National Rail page stating ticket acceptance was in place.

I asked for a manager, who took one look at the website and allowed me to board, even writing an endorsement on my ticket when I requested it.

If I encounter issues like that in the future, would it also be fine to just buy a separate Heathrow Express ticket and get it refunded later? Where would I go for that?

 

[speedy1]

In my opinon, you did the right thing asking for a manager. Good result. I'd do that again in the future.

Can't comment on the contractual/legal argument about any right to a refund.

 

[Hadders]

I think you did the right thing in asking for a manager to be called. In my experience it can often be difficult in getting money refunded after the event so I would only buy a new ticket as a last resort.

 

[OscarH]

Ah, Paddington gateline. Always the same behaviour from the staff there

 

[MrJeeves]

Last time this happened to me it was the other way around, and Heathrow gateline staff allowed me through "at my own risk".

Thankfully the side gate between the GWR and HEx platforms at Paddington was open, so I just walked through there and used my Travelcard on the GWR gates there instead.

It's good that the manager saw sense and allowed you to travel, as you rightfully should have been able to do.

I understand that often HEx acceptance is inadvertently advertised by Elizabeth Line on NRE when it hasn't actually been arranged in practice and they've simply forgotten to remove it from the default list of acceptance when publishing the disruption information. Obviously if the information is passenger-facing, that's not the passenger's fault or problem!

 

[TUC]

Ah, Paddington gateline. Always the same behaviour from the staff there

It really should be sufficient for the staff to be shown the National Rail website page. It is an odd sort of arrogance by them to think they know better, and hard to see why they think thst.

 

[Kilopylae]

I understand that often HEx acceptance is inadvertently advertised by Elizabeth Line on NRE when it hasn't actually been arranged in practice and they've simply forgotten to remove it from the default list of acceptance when publishing the disruption information.

That's shockingly bad. Naturally HEx ought to honour EL tickets in these circumstances - the passenger shouldn't be penalised for an issue internal to the railway - but you can see why it would start to annoy them if TfL keeps doing this...

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

It is an odd sort of arrogance by them to think they know better, and hard to see why they think thst.

Because it's Paddington. Always was, always will be

 

[Kumquat]

Back in November I was headed to Heathrow, changed to the Piccadilly Line at Barons Court, only to be told that someone was on the line at Hammersmith so the Piccadilly was suspended for the foreseeable.

I sprinted for a train back to Earls Court and got to Paddington, tried to figure out tickets, and was rescued by a helpful member of staff who was surprised to hear the Piccadilly had been suspended for the last 45 minutes, as it hadn't been mentioned to any staff there. He was grateful for the heads-up that a horde of stressed passengers would be arriving shortly.

I caught my plane, thanks to seven trains in total, but do roving ticket hall staff not get updates on lines/stations being closed?