National Rail / Transpennine Express

GrammarGirl

If it was the attitude of the staff you were unhappy with, then your letter to National Rail should address that, not the fact that you were charged an extra £16 for your journey. You admit it was your fault - suck it up and pay the fine. If the staff were rude - make a complaint. Don't ask for your money back because the staff were rude. There are rude people everywhere but being rude doesn't negate the rules.

gemmacarolyn

Yeah, because they should be able to use their SUPER TRAIN CONDUCTOR MIND READING POWERS to discern that he's one of those really nice and totally upstanding people who don't have a valid ticket, rather than one of those totally-identical-looking and overall indistinguishable nasty sods who are out to travel for free and will lie in order to do so.

There was a policy, they applied it, the OP admitted fault, they were in the wrong. But no, apparently the conductors should have known they were legit!

Yet another example of "common sense" apparently meaning "clairvoyance".

I think what andy was trying to say (And certainly what I was trying to say in the post above) is that their should be some kind of appeals process-or some way to prove that you do in fact have a rail card. Sure-the conductor should have issued a fine, he was definately doing his job, and I'm sure it's a difficult one at times. As the OP states, he was in the wrong. But he should be able to appeal this process and send his rail card, which should cancel out the fine. This way genuine people could use their rail card (Which they did pay for, after all) and the countless people on the trains who try and get away without paying, will be fined. This must happen to quite a few people, and National Rail know that, it's yet ANOTHER way for them to inflate their prices for what's often a rubbish service (In my experience.)

Brooker_Dave

Dany!l_II wrote: »

Idiots!

It was your mistake, and everyone else is out to get you and is an idiot?

Do you always blame other people for your own incompetence?

dancingdoll

I'm not sure if you can do it on the train, but you can certainly sort this out at the station. Many a time I have lost/forgotten my railcard with pre-bought tickets, I just went to the ticket office to do an "excess" upgrade, which is the difference between what you've paid and the standard fare.

In future sort these issues out before you get on the train!

gemmacarolyn

You can't do this on the train dancingdoll, but it's a good tip for if you realise you've lost your rail card before you get on: Certainly saves buying two tickets.

3plus1

dancingdoll wrote: »

I'm not sure if you can do it on the train, but you can certainly sort this out at the station. Many a time I have lost/forgotten my railcard with pre-bought tickets, I just went to the ticket office to do an "excess" upgrade, which is the difference between what you've paid and the standard fare.

In future sort these issues out before you get on the train!

I did this once - I turned up at the station, took my tickets out and realised I didn't have my railcard on me. Cue the mad panic. I asked a station guard for advice and he told me to go to the ticket office. The member of staff there said it would be cheaper for me to just buy a new one year railcard, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time for me to magic up a passport photo before my train. So he charged me the excess between my cheap ticket and a normal fare.

At £30, I thought it was an expensive lesson - but if I'd just got on the train like the OP, it would have been £65. So not so expensive after all.

OP, I'd take this as a lesson learned and just pay up.

Halloway

Dany!l_II wrote: »

It seemed very much like he was on commission for slapping a £16 fine onto me.

Alternatively, he could have been hacked off at having to deal with yet another gobby football type trying it on. It cuts both ways you know. Don't try to convert your embarrassment at your own ineptitude into an attack on railway staff because it won't wash. We all screw up like this; just forget it and move on.

Danyúl_II

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

It was your mistake, and everyone else is out to get you and is an idiot?

Do you always blame other people for your own incompetence?

Sorry?

Did you not read the part about the staff at the Piccadilly ticket office being incredibly rude towards me despite me having waited in a huge queue and having respectfully and politely explained my problem to them?

Guess not.

Danyúl_II

dancingdoll wrote: »

I'm not sure if you can do it on the train, but you can certainly sort this out at the station. Many a time I have lost/forgotten my railcard with pre-bought tickets, I just went to the ticket office to do an "excess" upgrade, which is the difference between what you've paid and the standard fare.

In future sort these issues out before you get on the train!

Well it would appear you can not do this any more!


Hence why I said I went to the ticket office to enquire about 'upgrading' my ticket only for them to say "no, need a new one, nothing else we can do, bye".

Danyúl_II

Halloway wrote: »

Alternatively, he could have been hacked off at having to deal with yet another gobby football type trying it on. It cuts both ways you know. Don't try to convert your embarrassment at your own ineptitude into an attack on railway staff because it won't wash. We all screw up like this; just forget it and move on.

I'm not embarrassed for forgetting my railcard. It was a mistake, nothing more nothing less. Certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

If you'd have read my post you'd have known that I explained to the conductor before he checked my ticket that I had forgot my pass. Gobby football type? I think your stereotype there would be somewhat different, no?

My reference to him seeming like he was on commission was in relation to his instant "well you're going to get charged then" remark and his magical ability to whip out his booklet of empty fine coupons in about 0.001 seconds. Respect works both ways, so what he's got a job to do - can't be do his job and be respectful to the people who keep him in a job also?

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