Lost ticket!

[jopsuk]

Checking through my stuff for travelling on Friday, I seem to have lost my ticket. I've got my seat reservation cupon, and booking reference etc, but the actual ticket is nowhere to be seen.

Now, I've tried NXEC (who I booked through) Customer Service, but they've gone home for new year already. Not wanting to be stung come Friday, what's my best option?

1. Alter my ticket online and collect the new one at the start of my journey from a machine (cost: £33.45 + £10 "admin" fee- wondering what admin, given the automated process)

2. Turn up a bit early at the (Scotrail run) station on friday, and plead my case?


Worst bit: phoning up NXEC Customer Services, where the recorded message told me they were open until 17:00 today. And then being cut off. I got through to a helpful guy at website support, who tried to put me through, then came back on and said that indeed, the message was wrong.

 

[Max]

I had this exact problem on Monday when travelling to Newcastle, a friend and I were travelling on exactly the same trains with the same types of ticket. Sadly one of the two tickets was nowhere to be found, although I still had all the relevant reservations. On the first train, the guy was fine. However, on the second, the guard was pretty rude (although I get the impression he was a bit of a desperate gripper, he had just chinged a whole party of people further down the carriage for boarding the wrong train). Eventually though he did back down, as I argued that it was clear that I had purchased the ticket and that it must have just fallen out of my wallet.

I think that if you have enough proof you should be ok. Get a printout of a bank statement showing you have paid for the tickets, print out the online confirmation, take the receipt which accompanied the tickets and take some kind of ID. I don't really see how they could argue against this. Afterall, a ticket on its own would be usless without reservations. However, reservations for an advance ticket without the actual ticket should still prove purchase.

Beware though - some guards on NXEC can be notoriously strict. Are you making a long journey?

 

[John @ home]

I seem to have lost my ticket. ... what's my best option?

1. Alter my ticket online and collect the new one at the start of my journey from a machine

I'm afraid this option is unlikely to work for you.

When I had to change a NXEC-bought Advance ticket recently, the new ticket was printed VALID ONLY WITH TICKET 35128 and both the new and old tickets were required, and were punched, by the ticket checker on the NXEC train.

Sorry,

John

 

[Max]

I'm afraid this option is unlikely to work for you.

When I had to change a NXEC-bought Advance ticket recently, the new ticket was printed VALID ONLY WITH TICKET 35128 and both the new and old tickets were required, and were punched, by the ticket checker on the NXEC train.

Sorry,

John

To be honest, if you're going to go down this route you may as well just buy a new ticket, you avoid the admin fee afterall!

 

[jopsuk]

I had this exact problem on Monday when travelling to Newcastle, a friend and I were travelling on exactly the same trains with the same types of ticket. Sadly one of the two tickets was nowhere to be found, although I still had all the relevant reservations. On the first train, the guy was fine. However, on the second, the guard was pretty rude (although I get the impression he was a bit of a desperate gripper, he had just chinged a whole party of people further down the carriage for boarding the wrong train). Eventually though he did back down, as I argued that it was clear that I had purchased the ticket and that it must have just fallen out of my wallet.

I think that if you have enough proof you should be ok. Get a printout of a bank statement showing you have paid for the tickets, print out the online confirmation, take the receipt which accompanied the tickets and take some kind of ID. I don't really see how they could argue against this. Afterall, a ticket on its own would be usless without reservations. However, reservations for an advance ticket without the actual ticket should still prove purchase.

Beware though - some guards on NXEC can be notoriously strict. Are you making a long journey?

Stirling-Cambridge

Looking at what I do have, I think what's happened is that on the way up, at Stirling I handed a ticket to the guy at the barrier from my railcard holder. They tend to hold on to used tickets. I still have the "used" one from my way up. Obviously, I have no proof this is what happened.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

To be honest, if you're going to go down this route you may as well just buy a new ticket, you avoid the admin fee afterall!

~£43 if I change, versus over £50 if I book afresh.

 

[John @ home]

~£43 if I change, versus over £50 if I book afresh.

Versus £139 if you are forced to buy a Standard Open Single from Stirling to Cambridge.

John

 

[dan_atki]

Afraid that in this case there is nothing you can do other than buy a new ticket for the journey.

If you wish to change your already booked tickets then you'll be requested to send the old ones back to be non-issued.

 

[jopsuk]

Versus £139 if you are forced to buy a Standard Open Single from Stirling to Cambridge.

John

Aye. I'm still annoyed at NXEC though. I could almost have accepted Customer Services being shut, with a message saying that- not claiming they were open...

 

[Techniquest]

That must have been annoying!

The same sort of thing happened to me in June 2007. Arrived into Glasgow Central with my Hereford to Linlithgow and Edinburgh to Hereford tickets in the envelope. Where they vanished to between putting them in my coat pocket and checking for them shortly afterwards I don't know, but I lost them alright. Cue a major panic and looking everywhere for them. I was lucky and the station manager sorted me for onward travel to Linlithgow. Coming back the next day, I'd spoken to yorkie and got as he suggested all the print-outs and stuff and spoke to the TM on the Voyager before we left. It had to have the booking reference number on it, this was the most important bit apparently. He was satisfied and I went to coach B (the unreserved coach) for my travel to Birmingham. The TM on the 150 to Great Malvern looked a bit bemused but I explained and that was good enough. Didn't see any TM or owt on the train to Hereford so job done.

If there's still time, keep your reservations, receipts, address ticket that tends to come with the tickets (never know, might come in handy to prove you bought them and serve partly as ID) and make sure you get a print-out clearly showing the booking reference number and all journey legs then find the TM of the train you're getting and explain what has happened. Hopefully that lot will be enough for him to prove you bought the ticket and that you're who you are and what trains you booked onto.

Whatever happens, good luck sorting it out.

 

[jopsuk]

If there's still time, keep your reservations, receipts, address ticket that tends to come with the tickets (never know, might come in handy to prove you bought them and serve partly as ID) and make sure you get a print-out clearly showing the booking reference number and all journey legs then find the TM of the train you're getting and explain what has happened. Hopefully that lot will be enough for him to prove you bought the ticket and that you're who you are and what trains you booked onto.

Whatever happens, good luck sorting it out.

I figured I'd have to go through the whole situation with some or all of the following:
Gateline staff at Stirling
Gateline staff at Edinburgh
1st TM on NXEC service
2nd TM on NXEC service
RPI on FCC service (having been routed via Stevenage on my booking)
Gateline staff at Cambridge

It would only take one of those people to be in a less than festive mood to really spoil my day. Not a risk I'm prepared to take.

So, new ticket booked. Couldn't get a standard class seat reservation for some reason (despite the services showing as "available"). There was a solitary 1st class service for the same price (getting in late, but what the hell).

Why do long distance tickets have to be such a pain? I wish turn up and pay tickets were so many times more expensive than super duper advances. The line of people against the wall when the revolution comes grows...

Cheers for the advice guys.

 

[Techniquest]

Fair enough, probably the best thing to do realistically.

Hope you enjoy the trip!

 

[Tom B]

Aye. I'm still annoyed at NXEC though. I could almost have accepted Customer Services being shut, with a message saying that- not claiming they were open...

They are a useless bunch. I was waiting for a letter from them from about May until September - phone calls, when you eventually got through, included promises about "a personal call from a manager by the end of the day" - which, funnily enough, never arose.