Southern Railway thieves charge me £20 penalty fare and lie.

Wig

If you changed it, it could be simple. But you have your head in the sand. I was making the point that if a TVM has simplified fares then those simplified fares could be used as the fares to be sold from a newsagent. So based on what you said earlier there is a contradiction.

Marco_Panettone

Why not just arrive at the station in time to buy a valid ticket? Take some responsibility for your failure to travel legally. You had the option to wait your turn and buy a ticket. YOU chose not to. That was YOUR decision, not that of the train company.

The VAST majority of passengers manage to use the current "complex" system correctly. Get to the station, buy a ticket, get on the right train. The only thing that stopped you doing this was YOUR poor time-keeping.

angelwings2401

COMPLAINTS MANAGER
SOUTHERN RAIL
PO BOX 277
TONBRIDGE
TN9 2ZP
12TH SEPTEMBER 2011
Dear Sir/Madam
RE: booking reference: J9XX32LC
I am writing to bring to your attention of the most appalling ordeal I was put through by several members of staff representing you at Victoria Station on return from my holiday from Gatwick airport. I purchased the above ticket online on 26/08/11 and as per my email confirmation, this was a TOD and journey was from London Gatwick to all London terminals and I paid £7.90 as per your fare on the website.

The tickets printed out at 6.31am on the 12th September 2011 on inserting my reference number and credit card and I rushed to the platform to catch the southern train to victoria station. On arriving at victoria station at approximately 7.15am, I went to the left of the exit machines where you could take large baggage through and to my surprise, I was told that I have the wrong ticket because the ticket read Gatwick to London bridge. The lady and his colleague called Stephen informed me that they cannot let me through because I purchased the wrong ticket. I explained to them that I purchase a ticket online which clearly said Gatwick to victoria, I have no idea why it is saying London bridge. He said that you should have gone to London bridge on First capital connect. I said that why would I travel on first capital connect when I’ve purchased a southern rail ticket. Stephen said I’m sorry but you have paid the incorrect fare and so I’ll have to take you to one side and you must pay the difference. I explained again that I have paid the correct fare according to my online booking. He was not willing to check or listen to me at all and threatened to call the police if I did not pay the difference as if I was some kind of criminal.

I then asked to speak to a manager and was advised that it would take 15 minutes for a manager to come. So I said fine, I’ll wait. In the meantime, I remembered that I have an email confirmation via my internet on my mobile. On presenting my email to him, there was enough evidence to show that my ticket was to all London terminals. Stephen confirmed that all London terminals means London bridge and victoria, however, he said I have the wrong ticket and so I must pay the difference. I said its not my fault that the ticket is showing London bridge. His colleage, another white English man started to support Stephen and began to talk to me in the same horrible manner. Stephen then asked me to go to the window and to ask another colleague of his at the desk behind the window what he thought. And to my surprise, that man too was supporting Stephen. He handed me a complaints form and said that there’s nothing more he could do. Stephen was adamant that I have purchased the wrong ticket and that I must pay the difference or else I must leave my contact details and I would be fined about £50 for not having the correct ticket. I then moved to one side in order to wait for the manager to come, and stephen once again threatened to call the police if I attempted to leave the station. I said, im not going anywhere, im waiting for the manager. I said to him, look, im not some kind of criminal so stop treating my like one. I said do I look like some criminal. He replied what does a criminal look like? I said to him look, stop treating my like dirt. I don’t know what this country is coming to. I have done nothing wrong whatsoever, so stop treating my like !!!!.

The manager by the name of J.P Coolem finally arrived along with a trainee manager. I explained everything that had happened to him including the most appalling manner by which I was treated by all 4 members of staff on duty including Stephen. He then went up to talk to Stephen away from me. Mr Coolem, returned to apologise for what happened, he advised me that he will report the situation to the web team. I replied that the staff have just wasted 1 hour or my time and put me through an appalling ordeal, do I not even deserve some kind of apology from the staff responsible. He advised that these staff don’t work for Southern rail and so he cannot get them to apologise to me. He said I apologise on their behalf and you are fine to leave the station with the ticket you have purchased. I said thank you very much, can you please give me your name. I can assure you that I shall certainly be writing a long letter of complaint to southern rail. I shall never ever travel on southern rail ever again because of the most appalling and threatening behaviour of staff representing the train companies at London victoria.

Furthermore, I will be sending a copy of this letter to some bodies to address my concerns about Southern Rail and how it treats its customers even when they are not at fault. I had just returned from a lovely holiday, but was extremely exhausted as it was an overnight flight whereby I didn’t get any sleep the whole night. The staff treating and threatening me as if I was some kind of criminal is completely out of line and unacceptable. I have worked in customer service for years and years. If I ever talked to a customer in the manner in which all these staff talked to me, I would have been given a warning and possibly been sacked.

Yours disappointingly

Humphrey10

Firstly please get someone to proof read that before you send it.

Why are you writing a letter to Southern Rail to complain about the conduct of Network Rail staff (I assume they were NR staff as you were at Victoria)? They are completely different companies, if they were NR staff they have nothing at all to do with Southern Rail.

Why are you threatening not to travel on Southern Rail because of the way Network Rail staff treated you? That makes no sense. If you have something against Network Rail staff, you should never step on a train again, as Network Rail maintain the whole rail network.

MarkyMarkD

I'm sorry, angelwings, but before you spent your time typing your complaint letter to Southern, perhaps you should have revisited the Southern website and checked what you did.

The £7.90 fare which you paid is definitely, and clearly, only available from Gatwick to London Bridge.

When you enter "London Terminals" as the destination, their site gives you a choice of a number of single fares. There is:

£7.90 to London Bridge via Southern only
£9.40 to Blackfriars, City Thameslink or St Pancras
£12.50 to London Victoria via Southern only
£12.70 to London Terminals - not Gatwick Express

If you had entered London Victoria as your destination - which would have made sense, as that is where you wanted to go - you would just have been offered the £12.50 and £12.70 options - which is because those are the only fares valid to Victoria.

Southern's website allows you to buy tickets on any UK train operator's services - just because it's their website and you bought a ticket from them, doesn't mean it allows you to travel on Southern's trains.

Incidentally, I don't know why they said you should have travelled using FCC as the £7.90 fare is only valid on Southern - but not to the station you used it to.

wealdroam

Angelwings, Why have you posted this letter here?
Is there an issue you want help with?
if not, then this post should be on The Praise, Vent & Warnings Board.

AirlieBird

While I have no sympathy for the OP as the website clearly stated Gatwick Airport to London Bridge, this does highlight the ridiculous and obscene number of tickets from Gatwick Airport and the need for some simplification here. Going on Southern's website I counted 66 different types of ticket (:eek:) you could purchase to go from Gatwick Airport to London. It's no surprise people get confused.

MarkyMarkD

Far fewer if you specify the actual station in London, and I can't see why anyone wouldn't do that unless they really were indifferent between the different options (in which case obviously it's right that they should be able to find the cheapest possible option).

If you have an Oystercard it is often cheapest to buy the cheapest ticket to any London station, and then get the tube or a bus to where you really want to go (and pay by Oystercard).

yorkie2

angelwings2401
- what was printed on your ticket? "LONDON TERMINALS" or "LONDON BRIDGE"? Can you scan it in?

AirlieBird wrote: »

While I have no sympathy for the OP as the website clearly stated Gatwick Airport to London Bridge, this does highlight the ridiculous and obscene number of tickets from Gatwick Airport and the need for some simplification here. Going on Southern's website I counted 66 different types of ticket (:eek:) you could purchase to go from Gatwick Airport to London. It's no surprise people get confused.

Indeed. And Southern are currently running a scam where they charge people on Southern Only tickets an excess when using the Gatwick Express operated by Southern. If you are good at arguing your case, the inspectors will back down (I have witnessed this). If you are not, they charge you. If you write to Southern they will refund you, but how many tourists are going to do that?! Not many I think!

I've seen the letters that Southern have written to people when they compensate them, they are appalling. They admit that they run the Gatwick Express, and give them their money back, but refuse to admit they are wrong for charging people and they continue to charge anyone who doesn't know that Southern operate the Gatwick Express (and have done since the handover in 2008!)