help needed

[pooliemag]

Hi guys, I'm currently in blackpool and have an advance booking for my return train to wolves this afternoon. However due to a family emergency I have to get back asap. My question is can I use my advance ticket on an earlier train or even use the cost of that ticket towards a standard single fare? Or perhaps someone can find me a cheaper fare than 37pound single ? Many thanks guys.
P.s I'm using a mobile phone so please bear with me if I don't reply so quickly .

 

[doubletrackemble]

I think the basic answer is that you can't use your Advance on an earlier train - they are specific to the particular service. I'm not sure if you can use them as payment towards another ticket instead, but even if you can there is probably an admin charge.

 

[handsomelife]

You'll have to pay the difference in price between the ticket you have and the cheapest available single on the day, plus a £10 administration fee.

 

[transportphoto]

If you are able to explain the situation to a 'friendly' ticket office attendant then they may just stamp your ticket as authority to travel earlier.

However you could be charged the Admin fee of £10 plus the difference between the standard single.

It may be cheaper to buy a new ticket with some crafty ticket splits - How much did you pay for the AP ticket?

 

[pooliemag]

If you are able to explain the situation to a 'friendly' ticket office attendant then they may just stamp your ticket as authority to travel earlier.

However you could be charged the Admin fee of £10 plus the difference between the standard single.

It may be cheaper to buy a new ticket with some crafty ticket splits - How much did you pay for the AP ticket?

Hi , I paid 16 pounds for my advanced fare and have been to the ticket office and they advised me to talk to the train manager when i get to preston and explain my situation and hopefully he will use his discretion and may let me travel on earlier train if there are seats available. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the replies everyone .

 

[yorkie]

Preston - Wolves is £32.50 single (this can be bought on the train) however this is a rip-off. You could have got a return to get almost any train both ways for only £4.30 more! This is their way of punishing you for getting Advance tickets; you end up paying a lot more than if you had bought an 'open' ticket in the first place.

For a slower journey, Preston - Liverpool is £10 single (you can buy this on board a Northern train) Liverpool - Rugby is £13.90 for a single on London Midland Only (but you'd need to buy that on the Preston-Liverpool train or at the ticket office; you can't buy that on board LM). The total is therefore only £23.90 for a single.

Alternatively, Preston - Crewe is £18.50 single (this can be bought on the train) and Crewe to Rugby is £10.90 single, the total is under £30, you just have to ensure you get a train that calls at Crewe and then board a LM service to Wolves.

However you could be charged the Admin fee of £10 plus the difference between the standard single.

If he did this yesterday it could have been £10 + the difference between the next available Advance fare. However on this route Virgin do SVH fares for mix and matching with Advance fares. I wonder if that means he can upgrade to a SVH on the day (+ £10 admin fee)? If so the SVH is £18.40 so it'll only be £12 or so.

There is NO WAY I'd pay £16 for an Advance ticket for this journey, when for just £2.40 more I could have had a SVH (Off Peak Single) allowing the use of ANY TRAIN for this leg!!! I think this should serve as a warning to anyone saving a few quid on an Advance fare - is it really worth saving £2 for the risk of having to pay something like £30????!

 

[richw]

i'd agree with having a quiet word with relevant train managers, many have compassion and will understand if you have a genuine emergency, i found this in the past due to a bereavement i was required to return from paddington to cornwall a day earlier, and the train manager had no issues allowing me on the service a day early, he signed my ticket as valid on that day instead of previous day!

 

[janb]

If he did this yesterday it could have been £10 + the difference between the next available Advance fare. However on this route Virgin do SVH fares for mix and matching with Advance fares. I wonder if that means he can upgrade to a SVH on the day (+ £10 admin fee)? If so the SVH is £18.40 so it'll only be £12 or so.

SVH is an internet only ticket, so can't be sold at stations, and thus wouldn't qualify as cheapest ticket for immediate travel.

 

[pooliemag]

Hi again, I managed to get an earlier train from Preston to wolverhampton after chatting to the train manager and explaining my predicament. It is good to know that there are still people working on the railways who can use some common sense and compassion
Yorkie,my 16 pound advance ticket was from blackpool to wolverhampton... when i was searching for fares that was the cheapest single i could find , the other prices were in the 30+ bracket ? However I did manage to get a wolv- blackpool single for only 6.50 for my journey up yesterday

 

[yorkie]

Yorkie,my 16 pound advance ticket was from blackpool to wolverhampton... when i was searching for fares that was the cheapest single i could find , the other prices were in the 30+ bracket ? However I did manage to get a wolv- blackpool single for only 6.50 for my journey up yesterday

Which website did you book with?

Virgin should show the SVH ticket, priced at £20.95 from BPN-WVH. This can be combined with the £6.50 ticket to provide the best value combination.

I would not pay £2, £3, £4, or £5 less than a SVH to be restricted to only one train. £6.50 is a good deal, but when the price reaches £16 the saving isn't big enough to justify the risk IMO.

 

[pooliemag]

Yorkie I got my tickets from wolves stn which I believe is "virgin trains opetated" . They offered me no other options such as the ticket you suggested , had I known such a ticket existed then for sure I would have bought that ticket instead . At least I've now learnt lesson and for my next venture to sunny blackpool I will most definitely buy online lol .

 

[455driver]

Had a similar thing yesterday morning, student done up to the 9s stinking of booze with an advanced ticket for the 14xx departure needing to get home for a "family emergency" on the 06xx.
I asked what the emergency was, which he answered eloquently and with precision, so I asked if he could phone the "emergency" (on his mobile or my works phone) for me to talk to them, he refused surprise surprise.
Pay up or wait then, still stood on the platform when I left

We hear this so often it wears a bit thin now so when it is genuine it is looked at the same as all the lying twits!
Not saying yours is like this and I hope everything works out.

 

[142094]

That's the problem, those who are in genuine need of getting that early train and those who try their luck. Hard call to make, one I'm glad I don't have to.

 

[pooliemag]

Had a similar thing yesterday morning, student done up to the 9s stinking of booze with an advanced ticket for the 14xx departure needing to get home for a "family emergency" on the 06xx.
I asked what the emergency was, which he answered eloquently and with precision, so I asked if he could phone the "emergency" (on his mobile or my works phone) for me to talk to them, he refused surprise surprise.
Pay up or wait then, still stood on the platform when I left

We hear this so often it wears a bit thin now so when it is genuine it is looked at the same as all the lying twits!
Not saying yours is like this and I hope everything works out.

Hi and thanks for the reply, I would have been more than happy for the train manager to phone the "emergency" to confirm what i had already told him. I had already offered to pay any excess but he was happy it seems to accept my explanation. I am surprised that you say this is a common occurance which had me thinking...how common?
Im not a regular rail traveller but not being a driver means that if i have to travel any distance then its always by rail.Can you usually tell straight away whether the person is trying to blag an earlier train or if it is in fact genuine??

Kind Regards
Mark

 

[Greenback]

Sob stories are, sadly, extremely common. Duuring the Reading Festival there were lots of people who feigned sickness, family emergencies and even robbery to try and get a free ticket home. One girl even stuffed a large cushion up her jumper and said she had to get home as she was about to give birth. I directed her to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Sometimes it's not hard to spot the fakes, sometimes it is difficult and staff are criticised for not helping genuine people.

 

[222007]

The problem with advanced tickets is it clearly states if people read the terms and conditions that the ticket is ONLY valid for the train it is booked on. The other problem is people rarely read the T&C's. Advance purchase ticket are heavily discounted tickets for which any flexibility is signed away at the time you click i have read the terms and conditions. I sympathise with people who's plans do change however thats the risk.

 

[pooliemag]

Sob stories are, sadly, extremely common. Duuring the Reading Festival there were lots of people who feigned sickness, family emergencies and even robbery to try and get a free ticket home. One girl even stuffed a large cushion up her jumper and said she had to get home as she was about to give birth. I directed her to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Sometimes it's not hard to spot the fakes, sometimes it is difficult and staff are criticised for not helping genuine people.

I have to say ive always found train managers to be quite open to discussion and will listen to whatever they are being told before making any decisions and sometimes even help when not even asked. I remember travelling on a virgin xc service from bristol t.meads - darlington service 20th May 1999..i was heading back to the north east after taking a phone call at work to say my mam had been taken ill. It was at York that i took a call from my dad telling me my mam had passed away, as it happened the train manager had heard my conversation and when i put the phone down he immediately asked if i was going to be ok. I will admit the tears had started and he just said come with me and took me through the train into 1st class and sat me down. Told me to sit still and he went only to return shortly with a hot cup of tea. He then proceeded to chat with me for 15mins or so and generally helped keep me from breaking down until we reached Darlington and my family waiting for me. I never even knew his name but to me he is a Legend!

 

[Greenback]

I am sure that most staff would be very sympathetic in such unfortunate circumstances. This is the human face of the railway that never gets reported much. People much prefer to talk about jobsworths because they have to show their ticket, or are forced to pay more because they have forgotten a railcard.

You can also have someone who has just suffered, but doe snot reveal thei emotions, or even copes with an emergency by smiling and putting a brave face on things. These are the oens where it is not obviously genuine, and mistakes can be made.

 

[455driver]

Hi pooliemag, as greenback has stated it is quite common, not everyday but at least once a week I would say, it can take a while to sort the genuine cases out and as you said it was fine for them to ring up so I would have believed you. It isnt very often I will actually ring up but it is just to see if the person will allow it.

Hope everything was okay for you.

 

[yorkie]

Am I the only one wondering why a driver of a class 455 suburban unit will be checking reservations on a reservable long distance train?

 

[jimrbrobinson]

Unfortunately not a problem limited to the railways either. I lost count of the number of times we were flagged down by revellers in the ambulance saying someone was hurt only to find they were trying to blag a lift home instead of paying for a taxi, etc. My answer of 'there's only one destination on this bus, and that's straight to A&E' wasn't always well received!!

 

[455driver]

Am I the only one wondering why a driver of a class 455 suburban unit will be checking reservations on a reservable long distance train?

Cos I aint a driver for 1 (although I did drive one once), are you a bar of chocolate?

I didnt realise a username had to be relevant to your job,

 

[richw]

The problem with advanced tickets is it clearly states if people read the terms and conditions that the ticket is ONLY valid for the train it is booked on. The other problem is people rarely read the T&C's. Advance purchase ticket are heavily discounted tickets for which any flexibility is signed away at the time you click i have read the terms and conditions. I sympathise with people who's plans do change however thats the risk.

until recently i never had the net, and i used to go into the local station ticket office to buy advance tickets, nowhere was the terms and conditions available for me to read nor did the station worker tell me the terms, i'd have no access to these terms until after buying ticket, which is too late if the terms were not appropriate, what come back would a passenger in this situation have, as contract had not been explained to customer before purchase, i knew the terms myself but what about someone not in the know?

 

[Greenback]

Cos I aint a driver for 1 (although I did drive one once), are you a bar of chocolate?

I didnt realise a username had to be relevant to your job,

Neither am I an evil cartoon toad. At least, I don't think so, it's just my darts nickname!

 

[455driver]

Never having met you I would rather not comment

 

[bnm]

Erm.... I, however, do have a big nose!

 

[455driver]

Well I am follically challenged, but it wouldn't allow "bald headed tw#t" as a user name!

No I didn't try before anyone asks :roll:

 

[AlexS]

I got stuffed up a few weeks ago - XC train managers seem to get a bit of a bad press sometimes but this one was cracking.

Essentially boarded a local train at an unstaffed station in the West Mids. Normally booked for 4 carriages so I knew something was up when it turned up as a 7 coach 170. Was about 10 minutes late at this point. Got most of the way to New Street and the guard hadn't been round selling tickets. I was travelling over to Loughborough so had 2 changes to make so really needed to buy one to avoid being hit with an anytime or whatever fare. Hit signalling problems at Tipton which delayed things more, was about 15 late at this point.

Reached Soho Junction when the train lurches over the rare, but at this point, plain annoying Soho North Junction and on to the curve towards Perry Barr. Train was booked in at about 1955 to Birmingham. By the time it had negotiated Aston and everything else, it was 33 minutes late (this was apparently because the rear 170/6 was defective and to make things easier for LM to knock it off at New Street). Thus this left me with a 2028 arrival to make a 2030 train, LM having properly buggered up a 35 minute connection.

Through some feat of athletics, I made it on to the train with seconds to spare for the 2030 to Derby for my connection through, but without a ticket, the guard remaining unseen and unheard for the duration.

I was really sweating over the Anytime fare on board but having politely explained the situation to the train manager, rather than rubbishing what I said he accepted my story and sold me a discount off peak fare with my railcard as well, for which I was extremely grateful (saved me £20 odd quid).

 

[ChrisTheRef]

cos i aint a driver for 1 (although i did drive one once), are you a bar of chocolate?

I didnt realise a username had to be relevant to your job,

best

post

ever!

 

[Greenback]

I got stuffed up a few weeks ago - XC train managers seem to get a bit of a bad press sometimes but this one was cracking.

Essentially boarded a local train at an unstaffed station in the West Mids. Normally booked for 4 carriages so I knew something was up when it turned up as a 7 coach 170. Was about 10 minutes late at this point. Got most of the way to New Street and the guard hadn't been round selling tickets. I was travelling over to Loughborough so had 2 changes to make so really needed to buy one to avoid being hit with an anytime or whatever fare. Hit signalling problems at Tipton which delayed things more, was about 15 late at this point.

Reached Soho Junction when the train lurches over the rare, but at this point, plain annoying Soho North Junction and on to the curve towards Perry Barr. Train was booked in at about 1955 to Birmingham. By the time it had negotiated Aston and everything else, it was 33 minutes late (this was apparently because the rear 170/6 was defective and to make things easier for LM to knock it off at New Street). Thus this left me with a 2028 arrival to make a 2030 train, LM having properly buggered up a 35 minute connection.

Through some feat of athletics, I made it on to the train with seconds to spare for the 2030 to Derby for my connection through, but without a ticket, the guard remaining unseen and unheard for the duration.

I was really sweating over the Anytime fare on board but having politely explained the situation to the train manager, rather than rubbishing what I said he accepted my story and sold me a discount off peak fare with my railcard as well, for which I was extremely grateful (saved me £20 odd quid).

That is exactly how it should be in the circumstances!