Is a change of date excess still a thing?

[redreni]

In the last couple of weeks I've had two TOCs (GTR and Southeastern) tell me change of date excesses don't exist. There are references to change of date excesses on the forum, where the excess fares procedures are mentioned and are said to be set out in the internal Knowledge Base, but as I'm not privy to that I can't check to see what it says. I get the impression that guidance is aimed more at telling staff how they can issue various excesses, including change of date excesses, rather than telling them they have to do so if asked?

It's annoying as I've got a ticket (an off-peak day return) bought from Southeastern (deliberately, in case I needed to refund or exchange it before the date of travel, which would be fee-free), but it was bought with a Rail Travel Voucher so they're telling me I have to send it in by post to get a refund. It would be easier (and save a stamp) if the ticket office would just do a change of date excess for me so I can travel on Tuesday 31st March instead of Tuesday 24th March, but it seems they'd rather have the hassle of having to process a refund by post and then post out a new Rail Travel Voucher.

Is it difficult to do a change of date excess? Is it discouraged for some reason? Or is it just staff not knowing how, so claiming it can't be done?

 

[CyrusWuff]

For walk-up tickets, a date change should be processed as a refund (with no admin fee being applied) and reissue rather than an Excess, thus avoiding the possibility of using the ticket on the day it was originally bought for as well as the new date.

 

[redreni]

For walk-up tickets, a date change should be processed as a refund (with no admin fee being applied) and reissue rather than an Excess, thus avoiding the possibility of using the ticket on the day it was originally bought for as well as the new date.

Okay, so if it was purchased with an RTV and the ticket office can't issue RTVs, what should they do? They could refund it as cash then sell me the new ticket as cash, but then of course the new ticket would be refundable for cash...

 

[CyrusWuff]

Okay, so if it was purchased with an RTV and the ticket office can't issue RTVs, what should they do? They could refund it as cash then sell me the new ticket as cash, but then of course the new ticket would be refundable for cash...

Depending on the Ticket Issuing System being used, it may be possible to use the value of the refund as credit against the new ticket. If that's not possible, and there's no difference in price, I suspect most staff would do as you've described and treat it as if it was a cash refund and reissue.

 

[redreni]

Thanks for the knowledgeable replies!

Not the end of the world if I have to post it in (albeit I will need proof of posting in case they try to charge an admin fee if they don't get it before Tuesday), but I'll give the ticket office one last try!

Update:

If that's not possible, and there's no difference in price, I suspect most staff would do as you've described and treat it as if it was a cash refund and reissue.

Yep, that's exactly what the nice chap at Cannon Street did. Helped by the fact this transaction:

- Ticket 1: £5.45
- Ticket 2: £14.75
- Amount due: £20.20
- RTV tendered: £19.83
- Cash tendered: 37p

Had somehow been recorded on the TIS as

- Ticket 1: £5.45
- Ticket 2: £14.75
- Amount due: £20.20
- RTV tendered: £5.45
- Cash tendered: £14.75

thus the ticket I wanted to amend (or refund and replace) had been issued with the payment method showing as cash.

Ho-hum!