Charged twice on EastCoast Trains

Voyager2002

geerex wrote: »

We only have the OP'S word for the alleged conversation with the guard, so essentially what this boils done to is yet another "didn't read ticket terms and conditions, waah waah it's SO unfair".

Except that the OP clearly stated that she did read the conditions but just forgot about them before boarding the train.

Mrs_Ryan

It wasn't EMT- we bought the tickets from East Coast website, they sent the outward ticket and only the seat reservations for the return- the journey was from Nottingham to Sheffield. She got fined between notts and Sheffield and was told that if she attempted to get on her train onwards she would be put off it and would have to stay at Sheffield station until someone (of which there wasn't anyone and they were aware of this) paid her ticket home. (This was by East Coast when I rang them on my way home about their failure to issue a correct ticket) we gave them plenty of very public adverse publicity and in the end passenger focus ordered East Coast to reimburse me (I had to pay the penalty fare for her- again East Coast told us that I would have to pay!!) so it all got sorted but they never apologised- we even had proof they didn't send the tickets and they still denied it. We sorted it voyager- no one was out of pocket in the end.

yorkie2

There are two operators between Nottingham and Sheffield, one of whom is Northern whose staff are far less likely to act in the way described and do not issue Penalty Fares, and the other is EMT, who do have a minority of Guards who do indeed behave in the disgraceful way you describe and do issue Penalty Fares. Therefore, I am not surprised when this sort of thing happens on EMT.

Therefore, I conclude it was EMT who were up no good again.

EC should, however, have been a better help.

I am not sure how EC could re-reimburse a Penalty Fare issued on a Nottingham to Sheffield EMT service though.

If anyone spots that not all tickets/coupons were delivered/printed, I would urge sorting it out ASAP.

Also I think the journey wasn't just Nottingham to Sheffield, it sounds like that was the first leg as part of a longer journey. So a rather complex issue!

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

It wasn't EMT- we bought the tickets from East Coast website, they sent the outward ticket and only the seat reservations for the return- the journey was from Nottingham to Sheffield. She got fined between notts and Sheffield and was told that if she attempted to get on her train onwards she would be put off it and would have to stay at Sheffield station until someone (of which there wasn't anyone and they were aware of this) paid her ticket home. (This was by East Coast when I rang them on my way home about their failure to issue a correct ticket) we gave them plenty of very public adverse publicity and in the end passenger focus ordered East Coast to reimburse me (I had to pay the penalty fare for her- again East Coast told us that I would have to pay!!) so it all got sorted but they never apologised- we even had proof they didn't send the tickets and they still denied it. We sorted it voyager- no one was out of pocket in the end.

Just as an aside to this did she not check the tickets were correct before travelling when she recieved them in the post? I am very wary about this sort of thing as it happened to me with Southern before but as I checked I got it sorted before I travelled.

Mrs_Ryan

Yorkie, you are quite correct in stating that the journey was on EMT. And yes the journey was from Nottingham to Newcastle. East Coast were ordered to reimburse me for the Penalty Fare as it was their fault that the tickets had been issued incorrectly. We complained about EMT as the guard was horrible- she took all the tickets my friend had (including her outward ticket and reservations which were used, and totally correct and had been endorsed as such and had nothing at all to do with the journey she was making!) And apparantly her attitude was horrible. She kept ordering my friend to give her her debit card despite my friend never saying she had one and in the end she had to say she didn't have one to shut her up.
She checked them when they arrived but my friend is dyslexic and she couldn't tell the difference between the seat reservations and the tickets. She usually just hands the tickets over and the guard checks them. East Coast kept repeating parrot fashion that I should have counted the tickets (again I asked them how as I never got to see the tickets) however it now emerges that where the amount of coupons is printed, on the receipt it doesn't have the correct amount of coupons. This has happened to me before and East Coast bleated if they had been told before travel they would have reissued but I was told last time they don't reissue tickets under any circumstances and I would have to buy a new ticket. This was pointed out to them three times and each time they had no reply.
They then had the cheek to turn round and say they hoped it wouldn't stop us using their services! To which I replied it most certainly has- I have to travel a lot and I do have occasion to use their services and I've bought a coachcard instead so I don't have to!

Voyager2002

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

Yorkie, you are quite correct in stating that the journey was on EMT. And yes the journey was from Nottingham to Newcastle. East Coast were ordered to reimburse me for the Penalty Fare as it was their fault that the tickets had been issued incorrectly. We complained about EMT as the guard was horrible- she took all the tickets my friend had (including her outward ticket and reservations which were used, and totally correct and had been endorsed as such and had nothing at all to do with the journey she was making!) And apparantly her attitude was horrible. She kept ordering my friend to give her her debit card despite my friend never saying she had one and in the end she had to say she didn't have one to shut her up.
She checked them when they arrived but my friend is dyslexic and she couldn't tell the difference between the seat reservations and the tickets. She usually just hands the tickets over and the guard checks them. East Coast kept repeating parrot fashion that I should have counted the tickets (again I asked them how as I never got to see the tickets) however it now emerges that where the amount of coupons is printed, on the receipt it doesn't have the correct amount of coupons. This has happened to me before and East Coast bleated if they had been told before travel they would have reissued but I was told last time they don't reissue tickets under any circumstances and I would have to buy a new ticket. This was pointed out to them three times and each time they had no reply.
They then had the cheek to turn round and say they hoped it wouldn't stop us using their services! To which I replied it most certainly has- I have to travel a lot and I do have occasion to use their services and I've bought a coachcard instead so I don't have to!

There are two separate issues to this disgraceful story: the behaviour of the guard on EMT; and the way East Coast handled their mistake.

Therefore, I suggest that you make two separate complaints (via Passenger Focus) and persist until you get the apologies that you deserve. Doing so would make life better for other travellers.

And I must say, my own experience of East Coast has been extremely positive. It would be sad if the failure of their remote sales department made you stop using the trains, which I find to be punctual, comfortable and staffed by helpful and professional crew.

geerex

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Except that the OP clearly stated that she did read the conditions but just forgot about them before boarding the train.

Right... amounts to the same thing.

katejo

Part of the problem relates to inconsistency of information. Over this last week I had an Advance Save ticket from London Kings X to Harrogate with a change onto Northern Rail at Leeds. My seat reservation was only Kings X to Leeds and back. I was pretty sure that I could get an earlier return train from Harrogate to Leeds to ensure that I would not miss the train from Leeds to London which had the seat reservation. The 17.15 train from Harrogate would only allow a few mins to transfer to GNER and Northern Rail and got different answers each time. In the end I took the risk of getting the earlier train as I was fairly sure that my ticket was ok and I didn't have a problem.

yorkie2

katejo wrote: »

Part of the problem relates to inconsistency of information. Over this last week I had an Advance Save ticket

An Advance ticket?

katejo wrote: »

from London Kings X to Harrogate with a change onto Northern Rail at Leeds. My seat reservation was only Kings X to Leeds and back. I was pretty sure that I could get an earlier return train from Harrogate to Leeds to ensure that I would not miss the train from Leeds to London which had the seat reservation.

You may take "appropriate" connecting services, so yes you can do that, which is a good idea if your arrival time in London is crucial.

katejo wrote: »

The 17.15 train from Harrogate would only allow a few mins to transfer to GNER

Well, East Coast as it is now!

katejo wrote: »

and Northern Rail and got different answers each time. In the end I took the risk of getting the earlier train as I was fairly sure that my ticket was ok and I didn't have a problem.

If anyone claimed you were not allowed to take an earlier train, they were wrong. Who misinformed you?

notakid

Reading the OP it seems there was an misunderstanding.

The guard obviously thought that they had printed their tickets but not their bike res. It often happens as in many cases they are done separately.

So he allowed them on the train as he had seen the confirmation. However when he checked tickets he saw that that had'nt printed their tickets either.

He could only stretch the rules so far.

I can understand the OP not printing her bike tickets but don't understand why they didn't collect their tickets before boarding the train.