Card charge without authorisation - help!

blackr

I am new here and would appreciate some advice!

I recently purchased train tickets in advance to go London. Unfortunately I managed to get on the wrong train (very easy to mistake the number 5 for a 2 when you are in a rush). 2 hours into the journey to my shock I was informed by the ticket inspector that I was on the wrong train, by which time I couldn't get off since it had no further stops. The inspector said I had to pay for the current train ticket that when he checked this was £145 (considering I had already paid £68 for a return, this was a total shock). I placed my debit card into the chip and pin card reader but in my fluster and aggravation accidentally pressed cancel and the transaction was aborted. As his card reader was intermittently working he stated that he would return with a 'credit note' which I can pay at a later date.

The ticket inspector failed to return with the 'credit note' for the rest of the journey and when I arrived at my destination he was still nowhere to be seen, I eventually left having no further contact with the inspector or having the 'credit note'

Having got home and checked my internet banking I realised that £145 was taken from my account, though I did not enter my pin in the chip and pin card reader or received any receipt to state a transaction had occurred. So, basically this money was taken from my account without me authorising it for a train ticket I had effectively already purchased.

How should I proceed with this and any extra advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Plxply

blackr wrote: »

Having got home and checked my internet banking I realised that £145 was taken from my account, though I did not enter my pin in the chip and pin card reader or received any receipt to state a transaction had occurred. So, basically this money was taken from my account without me authorising it for a train ticket I had effectively already purchased.

How should I proceed with this and any extra advice would be greatly appreciated.

Are you sure this isn't just an authorisation and you're looking at your available balance rather than your actual balance? It is possible to charge a card without using a PIN but normally an amount that large without a PIN will cause problems with fraud systems.

You still have to pay the money, but it certainly is odd it was taken without a PIN.

opinions4u

very easy to mistake the number 5 for a 2 when you are in a rush

Impressive 5-0 win for Newcastle against Liverpool yesterday.

Must rush - got to catch a bus ...

Highview

Can you let us know the full details of the mistaking a 5 for a 2 on the timed departure of a long distance train please? I'd rather not make that costly "mistake".....

dzug1

You need to pay the money.

If it hasn't been taken then you'll get an unpaid fares notice which will add an admin fee to the amount. If you don't pay that (or negotiate it downwards) you risk being prosecuted for travelling withou a valid ticket.

Scarpacci

It's questionable at what stage you would be giving your authorisation for them to charge your card. It doesn't necessarily have to be providing the pin, does it? Chip and pin might be the norm now, but it's not codified that providing your pin = authorising the transaction.

You handed your card over presumably because - at that exact moment - you were willing to authorise the transaction. The pin could be irrelevant. If you pressed cancel accidentally then that too could be irrelevant to that fact you were giving them permission to charge you what you owed.

Given you'll have to pay the train cost either way, and possibly with admin fees if you don't pay this way, I don't see why you'd wish to kick up a fuss over a valid charge that you simply didn't enter a pin for. It wasn't taken for a train ticket you "already purchased", it was taken for the train journey you were actually on.

Funkyfreddy

blackr wrote: »

...couldn't get off since it had no further stops. The inspector said I had to pay for the current train ticket that when he checked this was £145 (considering I had already paid £68 for a return, this was a total shock). I placed my debit card into the chip and pin card reader but in my fluster and aggravation accidentally pressed cancel and the transaction was aborted. As his card reader was intermittently working he stated that he would return with a 'credit note' which I can pay at a later date.

Are you sure you have the correct version of events - your reference to a "Credit Note" doesn't make sense in the context of your situation.

If the train journey you were on had a walk on fare of £145 but you had already paid £68 for an alternative service I would have thought that you would therefore have had to pay £77

It might perhaps seem that your card was charged £145 - are you sure you didn't enter your PIN correcetly to start with however after doing so the conducter realised the error and intended to refund your card the extra £77 - it was at this point that for whatever reson (you getting flustered, machine issues or whatever) that he/she suggested they would return with a "Credit Note" fo you to reclaim the extra £77 ?

Write to the Train operating company with details of the service you should have been on and were on (You still have both sets of tickets ?) and they will be able to trace the conductors revenue for that day - in particular any card transactions completed or failed.

FF

newbutold

Contact your bank, tell them that they pressed cancel & did nit put your pin in. (They do not need to know the ins and outs of wrong train and pressing cancel by mistake, just state the facts). They will be able to tell you whether indeed the transaction was authorised by means of chip & pin. If it wasn't you can dispute it with your bank and they should refund it. If it was authorised by you imputing the correct pin your bank will not be interested.

Whether of not you pay / have to pay the train fee, is a separate matter.

InsideInsurance

Of cause if you do dispute it and get your money back then you will owe the train company for the ticket. They can pursue you for the monies plus potentially the additional cost incurred to recover the money.

You owe the money due to your own mistake. What is the issue?

bengal-stripe

Funkyfreddy wrote: »

If the train journey you were on had a walk on fare of £145 but you had already paid £68 for an alternative service I would have thought that you would therefore have had to pay £77

I'm afraid, it doesn't work like that.

blackr wrote: »

.......considering I had already paid £68 for a return.........

OP bought a return ticket, so the return section is still valid, presuming s/he gets on the right train. The outward section is just a 'non-show' and there are no refunds for reduced advance tickets if (for whatever reason) you fail to travel.

Funkyfreddy

bengal-stripe wrote: »

OP bought a return ticket, so the return section is still valid, presuming s/he gets on the right train. The outward section is just a 'non-show' and there are no refunds for reduced advance tickets if (for whatever reason) you fail to travel.

Yeh, point taken !

Stll the reference to "Credit Note" doesn't fit in - to me anyway.

FF