got done £20 for 50p over on Oyster card!!!!

Wiggynut

I mostly walk to work and take the bus about 3 to 4 times a month - just over an hour walk.
I decided to take the bus today as I had a large package to take home with me.
Jumped on one of those bendy buses and scanned my card - it beeped so thought everything was fine and I had £3 or £4 left on my card.
No other way to check as I cannot log into the Oyster website - it wont let me log in.
anyway it turned out I was 50p short of the fare... which would have been paid next time I top it up - It does say this in the pamphlets that if you go over you can just pay the difference.

They were checking tickets on the bus - notorious route for people not paying... 10 people get on and you only hear 3 beeps!!

I've now got a ticket to pay £20 in 3 weeks or court action will happen... £50p = £20!!!!! I'm soooooo p'd off... I've paid travel tickets for more than 10 years in London while witnessing people running off or threatening violence and they get let off... I'm short on 50p by accident (I really didn't realise) and I get done!
The guy issuing the ticket said I could complain... b.......ks not true - I once complained about no trains - cost me £45 week ticket and they were all canceled so I had to pay for other transport to get to work - you get 3 months to complain... I hand delivered my letter and they said it took them 3 months and one day to get it!!!!!!!!!

I'm fuming... I only went 3 stops as I got so annoyed (quietly!) so I got off and walked the rest of the way... 3 miles! cost me £20.50p in total!

There was a bomb scare at London Bridge once and I'd already scanned my card and we all have to evacuate the building but we weren't allowed to scan out so it cost me £5 for going nowhere... it's ok for them to rip me off but I can't owe 50p for a couple of days - as I said I'd paid £3 for the plastic card and no you don't get it back even if the website says so!

why do they screw over honest types and let off the violent and one's who run off! - they didn't even bother to go after the ones that ran.

I'm sick of being honest and being done for it and if I was dishonest I would get away with it!!!!
someone tried to mug some one in south london and the wardens (babysitters) just had a chat with the mugger about his favorite football team and then let him off!!!!
I'm so sick of it!

scottishlass

Once you log in you should be able to see where your money went - I assuming that the bus ones dont show you your balance - I've only ever used mine of the tubes/dlr and some of those have caused me trouble.

Is it really £3 for the card - I thought it was less than that and don't you get back once you've finished with it and send it back (or something like that) As for them letting people off that is unfair - obviously they cant run after those that jump off but as for the violent ones surely they should be calling the police etc to sort it out.

Maybe a letter explaining your frustration might lead to better actions in the future.

darich

Whilst appreciating your situation, what exaclty is your complaint?
You were short of the fare and were caught. I also appreciate you're an honest fare paying citizen and have witnessed others not paying and escaping but what difference does that make to you?
Are you complaining that you were short and caught?
Are you complaining that others often don't pay without punishment?

I'm not belittliing your situation in any way - i was the exact same with a parking ticket. i received one but the car across the road also parked illegally didn't. I spoke to an ex-cop who basically asked me what i have said above.

What others do/get caught for is irrelevant to me or my case - i was in the wrong, was caught and punished.
To me, it looks like you're in the same position i was, except your £20 is half of what i had to pay.

Wiggynut

darich wrote: »

Whilst appreciating your situation, what exaclty is your complaint?
You were short of the fare and were caught. I also appreciate you're an honest fare paying citizen and have witnessed others not paying and escaping but what difference does that make to you?
Are you complaining that you were short and caught?
Are you complaining that others often don't pay without punishment?

I'm not belittliing your situation in any way - i was the exact same with a parking ticket. i received one but the car across the road also parked illegally didn't. I spoke to an ex-cop who basically asked me what i have said above.

What others do/get caught for is irrelevant to me or my case - i was in the wrong, was caught and punished.
To me, it looks like you're in the same position i was, except your £20 is half of what i had to pay.

I WAS NOT CAUGHT FOR BEING DISHONEST or trying to get away with anything... if the machine beeped it means it's been validated and there is money on the card - I have a leaflet that says if you go over by a small amount just top up the card - I was also told this by underground staff another time - my friend was over not me!
so why have they gone against there own T&Cs
Of course it makes a difference to me that they ignore the runners... if I was guilty then I could have run and not got fined... I'm perfectly willing and able to pay my way and have done so for 25 years!
I was not in the wrong. I had money on and can pay but those buses do not take cash. it is not possible to check the amount on the card as it does not have a display.. the website doesn't work!
I also thought I had money on it as I've only done 4 journeys... - £4 so where is my other £6???? those scanners don't always work - not my fault... so they have obviously taken too much off my card.

it is also at the discretion of the ticket inspectors to give out penalty fares and he said it was just a mistake and you can pay the difference - lied.

It's a waste of time being honest - I could have just paid the money when topping up... they do have 10 years records of me paying for tickets.
and they let off people for owing more so why do someone for 50p who was willing to pay -

I can't log into the website as it never works... I have complained about this several times as I would prefer to pay that way but can't.

YOU DO NOT GET YOUR £3 BACK - I have never met anyone who has. and I left london for 3 years... didn't get my deposit back then either... they have overcharged me on journeys, they have canceled trains... my card has been faulty and I then paid twice for the same journey... no they do not reply to letters or emails. so I will not be paying this and they can waste more money trying to collect on 50p

Nicki

I am pretty sure that if you ask at a ticket office, they can tell you what charges have been taken off your card. That would enable you to at least check whether you have been overcharged.

Can you appeal the on the spot fine? If you can show you were overcharged and this is why your oyster was 50p short, then that would seem like sure fire grounds to appeal.

Would it be worth in any case getting a new Oyster to see if this solves the problem you are having with the website? Is your Oyster registered btw? If not, this may be why you can't log in.

duchy

Indeed they will print you out a full statement at any ticket offiice

olly300

They changed the rules about refunding people for oyster cards about 2 years ago. You definitely do not get your money back. As I was going to try when I started getting monthly tickets rather than PAYGO i.e. get a new oyster card and get rid of my old one.

Wiggynut

I finally managed to get in my oyster account online... it took 3 goes at resetting my password! 1st time I've been able to log in since getting this new card in November last year!

It has no history lists for anything... there's a tab to show journeys, costs etc but there is nothing there!!! what's the point of that!

Just talking to a colleague ... he went over on his card by under a pound but he was allowed to top it up later - again told to do this by the underground staff? is this a seperate rule for buses and tubes?

If they have changed this then they should notify people.. they have all my details ie registered the card when I got it... I wanted to pay via the internet but as it never works couldn't!

I looked into overcharging my card before when I wasn't allowed to scan out of london bridge (bomb scare) and it cost me nearly a fiver not to go anywhere but again they said they can't do anything about it!!!?!?!? They could tell I'd scanned at London bridge five mins before then I'm asking at London bridge ticket office saying I wasn't allowed to scan out.
It annoying that you are automatically 'guilty' rather than making a simple error - I honestly thought I had a couple of quid left on my card - going over by 50p is not ripping the system off as I just pay it when I top my card up again... I'm not buying a travel card as I only take the bus once a week if that.
I've sent an email to them asking why was I told that if I have gone over by a tiny amount I can just top up and I wont get fined - also stated in a leaflet - and yet then get fined on the bus.
There is a difference to a human error and someone who just expects everything free in life - and commits 'crimes' however small on purpose!

nearly got fined before because I arranged for the council to come and collect a broken wardrobe for an old neighbour - when the council came round and I took out the wardrobe for them they told me they were going to fine me £30 for littering?????? yet someone then threw some rubbish (long bits of wood!) over the balcony in front of them and they just ignored it!

It's all a bit backward! grrrrrrr....

Nicki

You seem to have been very unlucky.

I have an Oyster card too, and wanted to take my children to a big event at the other side of London. We got on the train and 45 minutes later had only managed to travel 2 stops due to signal problems. We got off, and the Ticket office were very happy to re-credit my oyster for the part of the journey which we had just made on the basis we weren't going to be able to complete it in a sensible time.

I've never had to pay if my Oyster card doesn't have quite enough when I get to my final destination on the tube. It just goes into debit and I pay the debit when I top it up. On the bus, if there isn't enough to pay the fare it double beeps and the driver will tell me I need to pay cash. Its never happened to me on a bendy bus where you have to pay before you get on, but I suspect it would be hard to hear with lots of people around if it double beeped.

I would be inclined to pursue this (calmly if you can though) and see if you can have the money refunded.

Wiggynut

Nicki wrote: »

You seem to have been very unlucky.

I have an Oyster card too, and wanted to take my children to a big event at the other side of London. We got on the train and 45 minutes later had only managed to travel 2 stops due to signal problems. We got off, and the Ticket office were very happy to re-credit my oyster for the part of the journey which we had just made on the basis we weren't going to be able to complete it in a sensible time.

I've never had to pay if my Oyster card doesn't have quite enough when I get to my final destination on the tube. It just goes into debit and I pay the debit when I top it up. On the bus, if there isn't enough to pay the fare it double beeps and the driver will tell me I need to pay cash. Its never happened to me on a bendy bus where you have to pay before you get on, but I suspect it would be hard to hear with lots of people around if it double beeped.

I would be inclined to pursue this (calmly if you can though) and see if you can have the money refunded.

Unfortunately I sent an email while still fuming! :rolleyes:
I didn't hear a double beep... didn't know that happened as I don't travel by bus or tube very often and I've always had money on the card anyone... 1st time this has happened! talk about unlucky!

I don't think making an error should result in such a 'punishment', I didn't purposely rip them off! and I would just top it up later anyway as normal.
I know that they don't know me so it's a waste of time saying I'm honest but you can tell if someone is trying it on or not! But not to fine people who threaten violence or running but then doing the one's that made an error is extremely annoying.

I sent the email last night so I will have to wait and see if I get any response. If any at all... never have to any other letters I've sent to them in regard to being charged wrong/cancellations/broken card etc, so I wont hold my breath.
Looks like I will have to pay it whether I'm right or wrong or they are - I don't have any rights! It's all very well saying you can contest it but if they don't acknowledge or respond then it will just cost me more!

RadoJo

Just to add another dimension to the debate:
In Toronto bus and tram drivers refused to insist on payment from travellers who they thought might be violent or abusive towards them after numerous incidents of staff being threatened, injured, spat at and generally intimidated whilst on the job. So now, it is very much a matter of honesty as to whether you pay or not - we did, but could never have proved it as you don't receive a ticket when you get on! I wonder whether this is the system we will eventually have in London?