Railcard stolen and train on Saturday - Help!

MercilessKiller

Hi Guys,

My girlfriend was travelling on the Tube today and was unfortunately pick pocketed with them taking her Oyster card and Railcard. Oyster card only had a tenner on it so no biggie, but her 16-25 YP railcard is more of an issue.

We have a train booked on Saturday to Leeds which is like £100+ for a full price ticket. It was booked a month ago using her railcard.

She called the railcard contact number earlier today - They take a week to replace a lost/stolen card so they won't give her a new one till next week.

Meanwhile, Nationail Rail simply told her that she can't travel on that ticket without the railcard regardless of excuse as to why she doesn't have it.

So now she's completely stuck! What on earth is she meant to do? It seems ridiculously that she has been a victim of a crime and is now being told she's not allowed to travel on a ticket she's bought...

Any advice would be much appreciated but I can't believe she's been treated like this by the rail companies. So much for looking after customers..

Thanks!

laird

Wait on the delivery of the replacement railcard. If the card is not with you in time then perhaps the easiest thing to do is to purchase another one. It will be treated as a new purchase which is quick if the form is filled out and you bring along your proof of eligibility.

While it may seem expensive it'll be less than buying the new ticket you describe and you'll have a spare railcard for the remainder of the year.

If you can also report the number of the stolen/lost oyster card to the helpline then it can be blocked which in turn might help identify the party responsible.

MercilessKiller

The stolen card has been reported, and she's waiting for a call back from the British Transport Police with a crime number.

Meanwhile, the replacement card won't be here till next week and we have the train on Saturday.

If spending £26 is the only option (or however much it costs), then that's cheaper than a new ticket yes, but it's still pretty shocking that there aren't provisions for this type of thing...

She's been advised to go to Kings X tomorrow with the crime number, PP and student ID to see if there's anything they can do.

alanrowell

MercilessKiller wrote: »

but it's still pretty shocking that there aren't provisions for this type of thing...

It's called insurance

MercilessKiller

Thanks for the very useful reply there Alan - Really fantastically helpful. I'm glad you're posting trying to help me here. *sigh*.

So what sort of insurance would cover this anyway? Read the policy books for Columbus which certainly doesn't cover it. Nor does home insurance obviously.

Thanks for that.

wealdroam

MercilessKiller wrote: »

If spending £26 is the only option (or however much it costs),...

It's £30 now.
I nearly suggested a three year one at just £70 but of course it will be more expensive to lose next time.

MercilessKiller wrote: »

...but it's still pretty shocking that there aren't provisions for this type of thing...

I am not sure what you think 'the railway' should be doing, if indeed it is 'the railway' you expect to 'have provisions'.

I am sure you know this, but it really is not anyone's problem* other than you and your gf's.



*other than the police of course.

MercilessKiller

wealdroam wrote: »

It's £30 now.
I nearly suggested a three year one at just £70 but of course it will be more expensive to lose next time.



I am not sure what you think 'the railway' should be doing, if indeed it is 'the railway' you expect to 'have provisions'.

I am sure you know this, but it really is not anyone's problem* other than you and your gf's.



*other than the police of course.

When you say it's not really anyone's problem, at the end of the day, she was a victim of a crime to which something was stolen and that thing was a railcard, yet the company has no provisions to be able to replace instantly (or have a backup plan) in case of someone being a victim of a crime.

Let's be honest, muggings are not uncommon in London. Bag snatches, pick pockets and all sorts - With having to buy tickets far in advance to take advantage of lower prices, there's a much higher risk that someone will (between booking the ticket and travelling), have their railcard stolen.

To then basically say "Sorry, can't replace your railcard in time" is a little confusing. With the technical era well and truly upon us, why are there no provisions for this? With a crime number, why is she not able to get some form of temporary card from the station instantly (with relevant ID) - Surely it should be on record that she indeed had one anyway which would make the process much simpler.

Basically, it seems concerning that they say they can't do anything, when in reality, it's simply because they won't, because they don't have to.

I wonder how much money they make from people having to replace stolen cards with new ones in this type of circumstance, when it's been stolen...?

If no crime number, than it makes sense to charge the full price for a new one however...

Alternatively, why would travel insurance not cover such a thing? While another poster was "trying" to be help by saying insurance covers this type of thing, he didn't clarify what type of insurance and it seems nothing does cover it...

DCodd

Genuine question..Why can't a driving Licence or Passport be used to prove her ID since she has already supplied her Railcard ID for the purchase?

somethingcorporate

DCodd wrote: »

Genuine question..Why can't a driving Licence or Passport be used to prove her ID since she has already supplied her Railcard ID for the purchase?

What makes you think you need your railcard to buy a ticket?

If you buy online you obviously cannot show your railcard, you just need to present it to travel.

It's unrealistic to expect instant replacements for anything, even if it is insured. Think about what happens for car or home insurance - there is not a van waiting outside the next day with new TVs etc just because yours get nicked.

The best option is to just buy another railcard.

cosmojohnson

DCodd wrote: »

Genuine question..Why can't a driving Licence or Passport be used to prove her ID since she has already supplied her Railcard ID for the purchase?

Because there is no way to link the ticket to that particular railcard.

cosmojohnson

somethingcorporate wrote: »

It's unrealistic to expect instant replacements for anything, even if it is insured. Think about what happens for car or home insurance - there is not a van waiting outside the next day with new TVs etc just because yours get nicked.

The best option is to just buy another railcard.

Agreed - similar situation to if you lost a passport just before a flight. You are not going to get a replacement passport or a temporary ID card just like that to allow you to travel.

Buy a new railcard at the ticket office before departure - if the full price ticket is indeed £100+ then it's worth the cost.