What do people think about this?

eddiejones

What do people think about this predicament that I managed to get myself in.
On Sunday I was at St Pancras on my way home to St Albans and was in the queue to buy my ticket from the machine. Now, I wear contact lenses normally but given I had been expecting to go home the previous day didn't actually have any...This will become relevant in a minute.
So I was in a queue and someone who didn't seem to know how to use the machine was in front of me and clearly gave up so I went up to the machine and it was on the home screen. I selected my super off-peak to St Albans with my Railcard, checked that my discount had been applied and went through the paying process (I travel on the trains with FirstCapitalConnect every day for work, so rattle through everything fairly quickly). It's fair to say I didn't check the amount on the card bit of the machine as I couldn't see very well and knew what I had got by squinting at the main screen.
So I got my ticket out from the bit at the bottom and saw there was a CHILD single to Leicester there as well...thought nothing of it and assumed it had been left there by someone else, and continued on my way.
Today I have seen that I have a £45 charge on my debit card to FirstCapitalConnect....Bit confused of course and then it dawned on me that perhaps I had also bought this single ticket. Does it sound possible that the person in front of me had added this to the basket and despite me being at the home screen, this was still there and I had inadvertently purchased this as well. Obviously I'm reasonably upset about this - I've checked online and it matches up that I could also paid for this Anytime CHILD single (Super off-peak would have been about 35% cheaper).
I'm obviously reasonably annoyed that this is possible, machine was just as normal when I got there on the home screen ready for me to start. Why I would want to buy my Super off-peak to St Albans with a Anytime CHILD single to Leicester I don't know.....Anyway, do you think I have much chance of getting a refund? I have, naturally, sent them an email but won't hear back for a few days and was wondering if anyone else had heard of a similar thing happening...

Thanks!

Rachel*

I very much doubt you'll get a refund, because it was your mistake. It probably was already in the basket before you purchased your ticket, however you didn't check the total amount before you purchased. Sorry, but I don't think the train company will take responsibility for that.

cosmojohnson

As the child ticket is unused, you should be able to return it to a ticket office within 28 days and get a refund less a £10 admin fee - see section 6.1 of FCC's Passenger Charter (and the National Rail Conditions of Carriage section 26).

eddiejones

Well unfortunately I didn't realise I'd paid for it and assumed someone had left it behind. Given I didn't want it (and there was a chance the purchaser might return to collect it) I just left it in the bottom of the machine....So no refund minus £10 for me

iAMaLONDONER

eddiejones wrote: »

Well unfortunately I didn't realise I'd paid for it and assumed someone had left it behind. Given I didn't want it (and there was a chance the purchaser might return to collect it) I just left it in the bottom of the machine....So no refund minus £10 for me

Have FCC sent a reply by email, yet?