Norwich to Dartford - Refund dispute

Kiko4564

I recently travelled Norwich to Dartford via Cambridge using split tickets at Cambridge. Basically what happened was that I didn't mean to split at Cambridge, I ended up being forced to by the ticket office who insisted on it, but missold me a standard class ticket when I basically asked for a first class one. So I got to London and paid the First Class fare there (as I had already travelled First Class, and I didn't notice any PF signage at Cambridge so IDK if it's a PF station) at the LNER ticket office. I then travelled to Charing Cross and bought a Dartford excess fare, however in spite of requesting that it be a First Class one (to cover the journey made so far and the journey back to Norfolk), I was issued with a standard class excess. I have complained to GA and Southeastern, but Southeastern fobbed me off and told me to contact LNER. So I have contacted LNER but I am not sure if they have a case to answer given that they are not at fault in my opinion as it appears that I was correctly charged an excess fare, this means that the only two companies who got it wrong were GA and Southeastern. Am I right and if so then what should I do regarding Southeastern's response? Do I go straight to the Ombudsman or do I have to escalate it internally first?

marmite1979

Just get a job on the railway it'll save you a lot of hassle!

Boohoo

Kiko4564 wrote: »

I recently travelled Norwich to Dartford via Cambridge using split tickets at Cambridge. Basically what happened was that I didn't mean to split at Cambridge, I ended up being forced to by the ticket office who insisted on it, but missold me a standard class ticket when I basically asked for a first class one. So I got to London and paid the First Class fare there (as I had already travelled First Class, and I didn't notice any PF signage at Cambridge so IDK if it's a PF station) at the LNER ticket office. I then travelled to Charing Cross and bought a Dartford excess fare, however in spite of requesting that it be a First Class one (to cover the journey made so far and the journey back to Norfolk), I was issued with a standard class excess. I have complained to GA and Southeastern, but Southeastern fobbed me off and told me to contact LNER. So I have contacted LNER but I am not sure if they have a case to answer given that they are not at fault in my opinion as it appears that I was correctly charged an excess fare, this means that the only two companies who got it wrong were GA and Southeastern. Am I right and if so then what should I do regarding Southeastern's response? Do I go straight to the Ombudsman or do I have to escalate it internally first?

You don't seem to have much luck with train travels do you?


I think you should stop using them as you will spend a lot of your time complaining about train companies and all aspects of the rail industry but if you have lots of time on your hands then carry on.

photome

As i asked in your previous thread


"why do you do it" you must be the unluckiest rail user or you keep trying it on


I can hazard a guess at which it is

yorkie2

Kiko4564 wrote: »

I recently travelled Norwich to Dartford via Cambridge using split tickets at Cambridge. Basically what happened was that I didn't mean to split at Cambridge, I ended up being forced to by the ticket office who insisted on it, but missold me a standard class ticket when I basically asked for a first class one.

What tickets did you ask for at Norwich and what were you sold?


I've never known a ticket office force someone to buy a combination of two tickets, where one through fare is available and valid for the intended journey; I have occasionally known a ticket office recommend this, though.

Kiko4564 wrote: »

So I got to London and paid the First Class fare there (as I had already travelled First Class, and I didn't notice any PF signage at Cambridge so IDK if it's a PF station) at the LNER ticket office. I then travelled to Charing Cross and bought a Dartford excess fare, however in spite of requesting that it be a First Class one (to cover the journey made so far and the journey back to Norfolk), I was issued with a standard class excess. I have complained to GA and Southeastern, but Southeastern fobbed me off and told me to contact LNER. So I have contacted LNER but I am not sure if they have a case to answer given that they are not at fault in my opinion as it appears that I was correctly charged an excess fare, this means that the only two companies who got it wrong were GA and Southeastern. Am I right and if so then what should I do regarding Southeastern's response? Do I go straight to the Ombudsman or do I have to escalate it internally first?

Although there are a lot of words contained in your post, the key information about what exchange exactly took place at the various ticket offices appears to be missing, so I do not have an understanding of what happened and am therefore unable to advise at present.


Have you considered buying tickets online; is this an option available to you?

Kiko4564

Good idea, but for reasons that are best kept off public forums I am finding getting any job, let alone anything that is on the railway, part time (so it will fit in with my studies as I'm currently studying a BTEC course), and local (so I don't have to travel further than Peterborough, Cambridge or Ipswich) to be nigh on impossible. I haven't even got as far with an interview with GA or any of the local TOCs yet! Even if I did have such a job I'd still not be allowed to travel without a ticket on other TOCs anyway.

Kiko4564

At Norwich I asked for an Anytime Return to Cambridge, which is what I was sold. I subsquently changed my mind twice, hence why I needed to buy excesses and could not have asked for a through ticket at Norwich.

jbuchanangb

You lead an interesting life. You are a BTEC student who prefers to travel First Class. You set off one day with the intention of travelling to Cambridge, but before you even get there you decide that you actually want to go to Dartford. There is a ticket office at Cambridge which could have sold you a ticket from there to Dartford, but you chose not to do that, instead boarding a train without a ticket and continuing to London. At Kings Cross you could have bought a ticket from Cambridge to Dartford which would have sorted things out for you, but apparently you didn't, you just bought a ticket from Cambridge to London. Perhaps you hadn't decided that you were going to Dartford!

When you got to Charing Cross, the easy thing to do would have to buy a ticket to Dartford. but instead you asked for an excess fare.

For me the question is, how did your day go? Did you get everywhere you wanted to, and did you pay appropriate fares for the journeys. If you had a good day, did not get challenged or penalised at any point for having the wrong tickets, then there's no reason to complain to anyone.

If you consider that somehow you have been overcharged for the outing, taking into account that it was your decision to change the itinerary twice en route, then please explain more clearly what fares you expected to pay, versus what you actually paid for the travel you took.

yorkie2

At Cambridge, was there an opportunity to buy a ticket to Dartford there? If so, you should have used it; failure to do so could have resulted in a Penalty Fare or prosecution.


I'd be surprised if no ticket issuing facilities were available at Cambridge, but if there were not, King's Cross should have had no difficulty selling a Cambridge to Dartford ticket.


There are still many unanswered questions about the journey.

photome

yorkie2 wrote: »

At Cambridge, was there an opportunity to buy a ticket to Dartford there? If so, you should have used it; failure to do so could have resulted in a Penalty Fare or prosecution.


I'd be surprised if no ticket issuing facilities were available at Cambridge, but if there were not, King's Cross should have had no difficulty selling a Cambridge to Dartford ticket.


There are still many unanswered questions about the journey.

As there with every one of his journeys/posts

jbuchanangb

It would appear that a 1st class off-peak day return from Cambridge to Dartford costs £52.90, valid on trains arriving in London after 10am

There is no 1st class accommodation on trains from Norwich to Cambridge, and a standard class anytime return for that leg costs £36.90, and is required for journeys starting before 8.30.

Assuming the OP's journey was timed to depart Norwich 07.34, and arrive Kings Cross at 10.05 there were 19 minutes at Cambridge to buy the second ticket. (arrive 08.51, depart 09.10)

So the proper fares for the journey would be £89.80.

The question remains, what fares were actually charged? Where were the supposed errors made, for which refund or redress might be sought?