TFL journey combination bug

[Francis_ax]

If I changing nr services from underground, tfl will combine two or more journeys. That's true.

But look at my case. I started my journey from Holloway Rd to Finsbury pk underground stn. I touched out. And then I touched in at the nr toll at Finsbury pk, and travel to St Pancras on thameslink. Then I touched out at st pancas. At that moment, it combined the two journeys from Holloway rd to St Pancras. That's perfectly fine. It's reasonable.

Then the problem came! When I travelled back to Holloway rd from kings x underground stn, the system marked as Holloway rd to [no touch_out] and [no touch_in] to Holloway Rd. I was charged 4.65 by each "journey". That's 9.3 pounds in total!

I think they combined the three journeys from Holloway rd to Holloway rd, that is, if I travel A B C and then A, all via nr and underground changes, it combines them to A to A. And that's unreasonable! You can not calculate those journeys in this way.

How can I ask for a refund? or Can I ask for a refund? I have no idea why do they calculate like this...

 

[Tetchytyke]

If you interchange through an out-of-station interchange (OSI) then the system will combine your journeys. There is no limit to how many OSIs can link together.

In this case it has correctly combined the journeys but, because you ended up where you started, it has treated it as two incomplete journeys.

If you contact TfL and let them know what happened they are pretty good at refunding these journeys.

 

[Edvid]

For any same-station entries and exits over 30 minutes apart (even if you made a circuitous journey in between) they do initially charge two maximum fares, at least where Oyster card logic is concerned.

That said, TfL's back-office may automatically issue refunds to your Oyster card at the start of another journey in the next 48 hours; otherwise you can request them by telephone (0343 222 1234) or through an account. The limit on maximum fare refunds is 3 per calendar month.

 

[Surreytraveller]

For any same-station entries and exits over 30 minutes apart (even if you made a circuitous journey in between) they do initially charge two maximum fares, at least where Oyster card logic is concerned.

That said, TfL's back-office may automatically issue refunds to your Oyster card at the start of another journey in the next 48 hours; otherwise you can request them by telephone (0343 222 1234) or through an account. The limit on maximum fare refunds is 3 per calendar month.

Why is there a limit on refunds? There may be genuine reasons why someone has been overcharged through no fault of their own.
Surely the computer will know where the card has been tapped, and this information will be available on your online account

 

[bcarmicle]

The limit is I believe only on automatic refunds; requiring a person to look at anything above that is presumably to help discourage fraud/identify any system issues.

 

[Edvid]

Surely the computer will know where the card has been tapped, and this information will be available on your online account

For Oyster users it's their cards that make the initial calculations at time of travel. Judging by the OP's journey history their card did not use - is incapable of using? - the OSIs to identify it as the single circuitous journey it was as opposed to the pair of unresolved journeys it wasn't; the latter is the default interpretation of same-station entries/exits >30 minutes apart.

In contrast, the computer (specifically TfL's back-office) can tell the difference. After overnight collection and processing of the day's tap records a refund should be ready to collect at the start of another journey no more than a few days later.

 

[MikeWh]

As the maximum fares are clearly railcard discounted I can safely say that the automatic system will NOT refund the overcharge. Go straight to calling the helpdesk.

 

[Francis_ax]

thx for the replies! I've contacted Tfl this afternoon and they said I will receive my refunds next time I make a journey