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Got caught doing the old sitting in FC on overcrowded train trick

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Comments

  • LexyBoy
    LexyBoy Posts: 80 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    FCC are pretty notorious for going down the route of prosecution for minor infringements and honest mistakes, so be grateful that you only recieved a Penalty Fare. Appeal if you like but appeal process only looks to check if the PF was issued in accordance with the rules, which it appears to have been here, so I'd not rate your chances as being significantly above zero.
  • rob4001
    rob4001 Posts: 22 Forumite
    redux wrote: »
    Walking the length of a carriage takes a minute or two, about the same as the train would take to travel that kilometre

    Why sit down at all? Perhaps if you had been walking through the carriage you wouldn't have had a problem

    The aisle and doorways were completely full of people so walking the length of the train is a non starter.

    Sent off the letter today. Main points were, train was completely overcrowded, i had sat down for maybe 15 seconds, offered to stand up or leave straight away, no one was in the seat and the seat is the same as a standard seat.

    If they don't refund me i will never use First Group ever again unless there is absolutely no other alternative.
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    A ticket is evidence of a contract to get you from A to B, it is not a contract the guarantees you even getting onto the train let alone to guarantee a seat.

    Wouldn't that therefore make the ticket not fit for purpose? After all the purpose of the ticket is to transport op from A to B in std class, but due to over-selling they are unable to fulfil this contractual obligation
  • Tiddlywinks
    Tiddlywinks Posts: 5,777 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    You were sitting in a seat RESERVED for those with first class tickets - you did not have the appropriate ticket - you got caught.

    Your ticket entitled you to carriage from a to b, NOT for a seat from a to b - that argument has been tested many times and failed.

    As for not using the train company again if you don't get satisfaction with your complaint... I'm sure they won't be too bothered to lose a fare dodging customer!
    :hello:
  • Tiddlywinks
    Tiddlywinks Posts: 5,777 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    arcon5 wrote: »
    Wouldn't that therefore make the ticket not fit for purpose? After all the purpose of the ticket is to transport op from A to B in std class, but due to over-selling they are unable to fulfil this contractual obligation

    Eh, no.

    Clearly the contract was being filled as the OP was on the train being carried from a to b. He managed to walk through SC to FC so there was standing room available.
    :hello:
  • thelawnet
    thelawnet Posts: 2,584 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    And besides which he could have certainly got from A to B on any number of subsequent trains.
  • rob4001
    rob4001 Posts: 22 Forumite
    Tiddlywinks wrote: »
    Eh, no.

    Clearly the contract was being filled as the OP was on the train being carried from a to b. He managed to walk through SC to FC so there was standing room available.

    Taking that to its logical conclusion there could be no complaints if FCC turned up with a holocaust train (sorry to bring such a morbid subject up).
  • Livingthedream
    Livingthedream Posts: 2,643 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    rob4001 wrote: »
    Taking that to its logical conclusion there could be no complaints if FCC turned up with a holocaust train (sorry to bring such a morbid subject up).

    Would love to help, but making statements like that, to me seems the work of a troll after an outrage reaction.

    Good luck with your appeal.
    Whoa! This image violates our terms of use and has been removed from view
  • moneypenny2k
    moneypenny2k Posts: 1,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Maybe you should have told them that you're an MP? They seem to get away with it:rotfl:
  • Daisygirl
    Daisygirl Posts: 283 Forumite
    edited 9 November 2012 at 10:59AM
    They should put more carriages on when there is likely to be a lot of people travelling, really.

    I was on the service to London last week, (Friday), it was half term week and they knew it was going to be busy. Presumably they know through their ticket sales how many people are travelling? Even if there are so many seat reservations made (like I did), isn't it obvious that there are going to be so many more who haven't booked a seat? It shouldn't be that the earlier in the journey you get on the train the more likely you are to get a seat, it just shouldn't be like that. Me and my daughter got on just as it was getting busy, and at the next stop there were LOADS of people having to stand at the end of carriages, many with heavy luggage. What about people with young children and the elderly? As the train left each station there was an announcement about people having to pay extra if they wanted to upgrade to first class -that they would be fined if they were in the wrong place, etc, and that it was a lot more than they would normally have to pay to upgrade - presumably as it was half term? It wasn't peak time either...... seems to me they just want to make more and more money or make people really uncomfortable on their journey. Then there's the health and safety issues - people blocking aisles etc, Go back to British Rail that's what I say!!

    Thankfully it was quiet on the way home on the Sunday. Even though we had a seat reservation it was horrible it being so crowded etc, and having to plough through people just to get a cup of tea and a snack/use the toilet - my daughter wouldn't go as she thought people might hear her :(. When we got on (to London) we had to put our luggage in the end carriage as it was so full of people already.

    Coming back, we go to our reserved seats only to find a girl sitting there - I gave her a Paddington Bear stare and she sheepishly walked away. Actually, people shouldn't HAVE to make a seat reservation, the seats we had reserved for the return journey weren't even together, then as it was so quiet, we found 2 seats together just 2 rows away - how does the seat reservation system work there?!!!! Then I was telling people - no, you CAN sit there they were our seats!!!! Ridiculous. I don't travel very often on the train, only now since my son has moved to London at Uni we are going to travel more often using a railcard, but even this has put me off a bit!

    Sorry, that was a bit of a rant :o
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