Incorrect Railcard on Ticket

[SickyNicky]

Afternoon all,

This morning I purchased a Disabled Person's Railcard discounted Pershore to Gatwick Airport Off-Peak Day Return from a booking office (not Pershore). The clerk accidentally issued it with an "SNR" (Senior Railcard) discount.

On pointing it out to her, the clerk said "It's the same price. You won't have any problem using it. Just tell them I made a mistake."

Knowing that I would be travelling into FCC land (and FCC have a history of being quite literal in ticketing matters) , I asked her to reissue them correctly, which she did (after again saying that there was no way anyone would cause a problem with them).

No harm done, then. But I wonder if anyone has any experience of actually having a problem in such circumstances? I'm particularly interested in anyone who was given a penalty fare, or made to pay again.

 

[jimbo99]

Many years ago, I would choose "network railcard" from the machine when I couldn't find "young persons railcard" thinking that the former was just a generic for different types of railcard of which the latter was just one and noting the price was always the same. (I know now that that was not the case.)

When I got checked, the RPI said that he would "let it go" but never to do that again as I was breaking the rules. Next time another guy might not be so "kind" (as he put it). I didn't want that experience again, so didn't do it anymore.

Rightly or wrongly, there are enough people in railway world who take this kind of thing seriously. IMHO you did the right thing asking for your ticket to be reissued. Frankly as a customer service issue, I don't think that the seller shouldn't even have asked you to accept the wrong ticket. You are paying your money - you're entitled to the right ticket. After all, if you end up having a ballyhoo, she won't be there to explain how she told you it would be OK.

 

[Hassocks5489]

IMHO you did the right thing asking for your ticket to be reissued. Frankly as a customer service issue, I don't think that the seller shouldn't even have asked you to accept the wrong ticket. You are paying your money - you're entitled to the right ticket. After all, if you end up having a ballyhoo, she won't be there to explain how she told you it would be OK.

I agree. This was my view when a similar thing happened to my parents last year, and I persuaded them to get the tickets changed.

We were all travelling to Southampton Central to go on a cruise, and went down to the station (Hassocks) the day before to book. My ticket was issued correctly with a Gold Card discount, but the clerk issued theirs with a Network Railcard instead of Senior Railcard. When we went back, he refused to reissue or excess the tickets, claiming they were OK to use because the fare was the same. We went down later that day, and luckily a different clerk was on; he was happy to issue a zero-fare excess.

I have the impression that Southern conductors/RPI are a bit more "relaxed"/less literal about small things like this than, say, FCC, but I was determined that we should take no chances!

 

[hassaanhc]

In that case it is good I have resisted the temptation to select a different railcard because of the YP option being missing when wanting to buy a discounted Travelcard from a DLR machine. Why on earth is it missing when a 16-17 Oyster option is there which doesn't make any difference to fares?

 

[PermitToTravel]

I don't know about the DLR, but LU machines don't print the type of railcard on the ticket, just the ticket has been discounted with one

 

[DaveNewcastle]

. . . . I wonder if anyone has any experience of actually having a problem in such circumstances?

Drawing only on my own experiences, then yes - within the last 2 years I have incorrectly applied the wrong discount to a ticket, and on both occasions I approached the guard on the platform before boarding to explain my mistake.
On both occasions, the Guard made a remark such as "don't worry about it, it's easily done (and of course I was able to present the appropriae Railcard though on neither occasion was I asked to show it).

On the other hand, I have posted on here my very different experience of trying to correct exactly the same error with that same Operator's 'Customer Services' people, even just minutes after completing the on-line booking. They can't help. When escalated to a supervisor, the best advice was to book and pay for another, correct ticket, and then to ask for a refund for the originally booked ticket - the greatest generosity of that government managed operator was to waive the £10 admin fee per ticket when refunding the unwanted original ticket, refunding it after having then bought a replacement.

I continue to put my faith in the common sense and humanity of the ordinary, and very human people, who work as Guards on our trains.

 

[furlong]

My ticket was issued correctly with a Gold Card discount, but the clerk issued theirs with a Network Railcard instead of Senior Railcard.

A related example: When I show my gold card I am often issued with a ticket marked NSE instead of GOLDC. This has been the case for all the years I have held a gold card and as such I consider it to be a well-established and accepted practice across the industry and I no longer insist that such tickets be reissued. It has never once been mentioned during a ticket check.

 

[TheEscapist_]

One time I got 16-25 railcard discount in my ticket instead of a priv discount! Didn't notice till I was on the train, just didn't mind tho thankfully. It was only a £3 fare.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[afyutr]

Happened to me from a ticket machine at Winchester. Got a Y-P on the ticket instead of RCD for the HM Forces discount. Odd thing is we got two tickets on the same transaction so no idea why it printed one with RCD and one with Y-P.

Fortunately we had a while before the train so thought I'd check at the counter (same discount?). Less than helpful staff there told me machines don't make mistakes and I should buy another. So we just got on the train.

 

[Polarbear]

My dad had a Senior Railcard but on one occasion, was issued with a Y-P discounted ticket for the journey.

Given that he was (at the time) 90 years old, it raised a few eyebrows when inspected at various intervals during the day (I seem to recall it was a day ranger of some description). However, all the conductors I met on that occasion were pragmatic & took the common sense approach that there was no financial loss to the railway as a valid railcard could be produced.

 

[Be3G]

My dad had a Senior Railcard but on one occasion, was issued with a Y-P discounted ticket for the journey.

I had the exact opposite happen to me once. To think that people generally say I look young for my age!

I got it exchanged later at a different station. I was concerned that if I hung on to the incorrectly issued ticket, an inspector might perhaps be inclined to accuse me of picking it up off the floor or something.

 

[Reason077]

When I show my gold card I am often issued with a ticket marked NSE instead of GOLDC.

Just beware that in some cases you might be paying more if the NSE discount is used. The £13 minimum fare (on weekdays) does not apply to Gold Cards.

 

[Bungle73]

I've had this happen to me. I bought a ticket at a Southeastern station that had the wrong railcard code. I queried it with the ticket office but they said it would be fine. I wasn't sure about that, so I queried it with someone at an entirely different ticket office (I was breaking my journey en route). They too said it would be fine. When I got on the train and the TM came around, I explained it to him and his response was that the reason the ticket office said it would be "fine" is because they didn't want the hassle of changing it, and that if and RPI came on board I could get end up with a "fine" (his words). I sent a message to Southeastern about it.

 

[SickyNicky]

his response was that the reason the ticket office said it would be "fine" is because they didn't want the hassle of changing it

I'm quite certain that's why she didn't want to change it. There was a distinct sigh as she opened up the files after doing the changeover and started to write up some sort of log.

But has anyone on the forum actually been PF'd or charged for new tickets in similar circumstances?

 

[b0b]

back in the day I was often issued NSE coded tickets with my YP card, never was an issue, but that was back in the day though.

 

[Harpers Tate]

It's rather a sad testament that because of the (expected?) actions and attitudes of what must surely be a tiny minority of revenue staff anyone should be concerned when this occurs. Unless there is a revenue difference in favour of the customer - what the heck does it matter and why would anyone on duty even contemplate taking any kind of action against such a passenger? Yet apparently, some might.

 

[island]

I don't know about the DLR, but LU machines don't print the type of railcard on the ticket, just the ticket has been discounted with one

It's the same on DLR, just prints "reduced travelcard", possibly with some of the vowels left out.

 

[Haywain]

It's rather a sad testament that because of the (expected?) actions and attitudes of what must surely be a tiny minority of revenue staff anyone should be concerned when this occurs. Unless there is a revenue difference in favour of the customer - what the heck does it matter and why would anyone on duty even contemplate taking any kind of action against such a passenger? Yet apparently, some might.

The reason anybody might be concerned about this is that tickets are not transferable, and the difference in railcard used could indicate that the ticket has been transferred between people holding different railcards. That would lead to a revenue loss for the railway. That is why it matters.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Tickets are indeed "not transferable" but this can never be taken literally. If it were, then it would be contrary to the rules for person A to purchase a ticket on behalf of person B. Which does of course happen all the time and with no intent to defraud nor avoid payment, nor revenue loss of any kind.

We're talking about an issuing mistake here, not a transferred ticket anyway.

 

[bb21]

Tickets are indeed "not transferable" but this can never be taken literally. If it were, then it would be contrary to the rules for person A to purchase a ticket on behalf of person B.

That is not transferring a ticket.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Never said it was. There was an IF in there somewhere.

But I think it intolerable that it is incumbent upon the passenger to ensure that they have thorough understanding of the (cryptic to some perhaps) three letter codes that are used to indicate discounts and to challenge them if issued wrongly - for fear of escalation proceedings (in whatever form).

For example - at what point in any literature is the holder of (say) a Senior Railcard told that (s)he must ensure any ticket bears the acronym SNR and no other acronym? I received no such documentation with my Railcard.

Indeed there is nothing anywhere that a member of the public is likely to find it to indicate that the code SNR represents a discount at all. Tickets are replete with various codes and abbreviations - and the last time I looked, the only one that is described is the cross London +.

I think it entirely reasonable that a passenger would only check origin and destination, and be aware of the approximate fare due. Having presented a Senior Railcard and been issued with a ticket from and to the right places at the right fare, bearing (amongst all the other random internal stuff thereon) the string Y-P - exactly why and where would that person be put on warning that there is a problem and that they may be accused of transferring a ticket?

 

[bb21]

exactly why and where would that person be put on warning that there is a problem and that they may be accused of transferring a ticket?

He wouldn't, which is part of the reason why I don't think realistically anyone would get prosecuted.

 

[BrownE]

I was issued a NSE railcard discount erroneously, the SWT guard charged me the excess between the stations from which I was travelling.

Coincidently, the ticket seller (FGW) also sold an incorrect ticket (I bought about 6 at once) which forced me to purchase yet another ticket. All of this got refunded by cheque from the nice people at FGW.