Cannot pick up my train ticket!

jimjiber

I am going up to London in a couple weeks and my friend very kindly paid for my tickets using his debit card (I am repaying him with some photography jobs when I get there). I placed the order on the First Great Western website and forgot to tick the box to get the tickets sent to me in the post.

I suddenly realised that in order to pick the tickets up from the station I would need his debit card, as well as my booking reference!

I emailed First Great Western and they replied thus:

I'm sorry to hear you have purchased a ticket with a card which you are not in possession of, it is stated in the terms and conditions that the card of purchase will be needed to collect from the fast ticketing machine, I'm afraid there is no way around this, it would not be possible to change to a postal delivery.

Can I cancel this order under the Distance Selling Regulations and place a new order or am I truly stuffed?

wealdroam

jimjiber wrote: »

Can I cancel this order under the Distance Selling Regulations and place a new order or am I truly stuffed?

No.

Distance Selling Regulations do not allow for this.

From the OFT's guide to the DSRs:

2.20 The requirements to provide pre-contractual information, written and additional information, the right to cancel and the obligation on the supplier to carry out the contract within a maximum of 30 days do not apply to the following types of contract:
Contracts to provide accommodation, transport, catering or leisure services (for example hotel accommodation; plane, train, or concert tickets; car hire; or sporting events) where you agree to provide the service on a specific date or within a specific period.

Can you not borrow your friend's card for a few days?
You don't need the PIN or anything else.
He could post the card to you, you then collect the tickets and post the card back or take the card back when you travel.

jimjiber

Thanks for the info.

That's just great. So by leaving the default option checked and not ticking the postal box, I have now wasted £30. That's fantastic.

jimjiber

wealdroam wrote: »

Can you not borrow your friend's card for a few days?
He could post the card to you, you then collect the tickets and post the card back or take the card back when you travel.

I think that might be the only option. Thanks.

wealdroam

Something to consider in future...

If you buy tickets from Southern Railway, you can cancel them for a full refund provided they have not been collected from a ticket machine.

Some Advance Singles are excluded... further details here:

http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/refunds/money-back-guarantee/

All train companies sell tickets for every train company.

Spelunthus

Yor friend can collect the tickets at a machine or station and post them to you.

Yor friend could send you his card, and you can collect tickets yourself at a machine or station.

No Banking PIN is needed, only the card and booking reference.

lammy82

You can probably collect the tickets using any card. I usually use my Tesco clubcard or my Cineworld unlimited card. As long as you've got the booking reference, you'll get the tickets. If anyone has ever failed to get their tickets because they used a different card to the one they booked with, please let me know.

Please try this today, don't wait until the day of travel! And let us know how you get on.

photome

Spelunthus wrote: »

Yor friend can collect the tickets at a machine or station and post them to you.

Yor friend could send you his card, and you can collect tickets yourself at a machine or station.

No Banking PIN is needed, only the card and booking reference.

Guessing that wont work as by default it will have been the departure station selected for pick up.

The only solution would be to have friends debit card IMO, no point in OP getting worked up about selecting wrong option though.

The last poster has an alternative soloution, no idea if it works though

wealdroam

photome wrote: »

Guessing that wont work as by default it will have been the departure station selected for pick up.

Probably not a good idea to guess.

Although the collection point usually has to be specified at the time of purchase, the tickets can indeed be collected from a ticket machine near the cardholder, and the tickets then posted to the intending traveller.

The cardholder will of course need the booking reference.

photome

wealdroam wrote: »

Probably not a good idea to guess.

Although the collection point usually has to be specified at the time of purchase, the tickets can indeed be collected from a ticket machine near the cardholder, and the tickets then posted to the intending traveller.

The cardholder will of course need the booking reference.

on Greater Anglia and redspottedhanky the pick up station is the departure station by default unless changed.

Are you suggesting even though the departure station is the pick up by default that one can pick up from any station

If that is the case isn't that simpler than the OPs friend sending his debit card by post as you initially suggested

wealdroam

photome wrote: »

Are you suggesting even though the departure station is the pick up by default that one can pick up from any station

Yes, I am saying that regardless of the station specified at purchase time, the tickets can be collected at any machine capable of doing so.

photome wrote: »

If that is the case isn't that simpler than the OPs friend sending his debit card by post as you initially suggested

It most certainly is.

Not sure why it didn't occur to me at the time of my earlier post, but that is the point of discussion forums, isn't it?