Refunds from tickets issued by conductor/guard

[Tetchytyke]

I would also argue that you are not paying it, it is being deducted from your refund.

I think that's arguing over semantics, really. It is a fee for a service.

I don't necessarily disagree with them charging it, either.

 

[island]

Instant refunds are rarely available unless the ticket is returned to the same person using the same machine as the ticket was sold from, and even then sometimes it needs to be done within a short time limit.

Anything else will tend to result in a cheque being posted out in several weeks' time.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....Maybe they processed mine because it's only a small amount of £23 anyway? They did have to ask their supervisor first before refunding it as it wasn't issued at the station.

It will vary by TOC, but for Northern, each station is given a limit that they can 'self-authorise', if it is below that limit then it's fairly quickly done, if not, off to accounts it goes. There is always a paper trail though.

Instant refunds are rarely available unless the ticket is returned to the same person using the same machine as the ticket was sold from, and even then sometimes it needs to be done within a short time limit.....

You are confusing instant refunds with non-issues I think.

 

[island]

The average punter can't give a toss whether they get their refund as a refund, a non-issue, or the clerk doing the Locomotion around platform 1. They just want it with minimum faff and as quickly as practicable.

 

[pne]

Railcard discounted ticket bought from TVM. "Accidentally" forgot railcard, guard issues standard price ticket.

Can you get a refund on the "unused" railcard discounted ticket from any booking office?

Couldn't the guard have simply excessed the railcard-discounted ticket to a standard-price one? Then you would have only paid the difference, not needed to buy an entire new ticket and get a refund on the now-unneeded one.

 

[najaB]

Couldn't the guard have simply excessed the railcard-discounted ticket to a standard-price one? Then you would have only paid the difference, not needed to buy an entire new ticket and get a refund on the now-unneeded one.

There has been debate on the forum as to if that is the correct procedure or not. I am not aware that consensus was ever reached.

 

[Flamingo]

Couldn't the guard have simply excessed the railcard-discounted ticket to a standard-price one? Then you would have only paid the difference, not needed to buy an entire new ticket and get a refund on the now-unneeded one.

NRCoC is that the passenger should be treated as if no ticket is held, i.e. a new anytime ticket / PF as appropriate.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Couldn't the guard have simply excessed the railcard-discounted ticket to a standard-price one? Then you would have only paid the difference, not needed to buy an entire new ticket and get a refund on the now-unneeded one.

If there's a ticket office available it's definitely better to attempt to obtain the excess there, or otherwise ask the guard prior to boarding. As Flamingo notes, you've no right to such an excess (although I think I've read more stories of acceptance than refusals)

 

[najaB]

NRCoC is that the passenger should be treated as if no ticket is held, i.e. a new anytime ticket / PF as appropriate.

Naturally, the counter-argument is that it isn't very passenger-friendly to penalise a customer who has made an honest mistake and who is offering to pay the difference.

Cue the unending arguments.

 

[Flamingo]

Naturally, the counter-argument is that it isn't very passenger-friendly to penalise a customer who has made an honest mistake and who is offering to pay the difference.

Cue the unending arguments.

With the obvious counter how does one tell the guilty from the merely stupid? . (And that my experience is that the majority of missing railcards are far from willing to just pay an excess, as that is always my starting point, and it's rare I get anything other than tears and tantrums for offering it!)

 

[fairysdad]

One weird thing though, when doing the refund I put the card in the machine and entered my pin and it declined? But for a refund?! I don't understand how a refund can decline but oh well! He typed the card number in and processed it that way!

I'm wondering more why you needed to enter your PIN for a refund...

 

[PermitToTravel]

I'm sure I've had to enter my PIN for refunds at some retailers before (not all, though, I think)

 

[najaB]

I'm wondering more why you needed to enter your PIN for a refund...

It's not that uncommon. I'd say about 50% of the time in my experience.

 

[Swimo]

I'm wondering more why you needed to enter your PIN for a refund...

I've done it at other retailers too in the past for refunds, and the receipt which shows declined, does have refund written on it, and I know the display thing on their computer that shows the amount had a minus before it, so I was positive that a refund was being issued.