Train conductor took my money and didn't sell me a ticket

Aylesbury_Duck

GreatBritain said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

GreatBritain said:

born_again said:

GreatBritain said:

Last Friday I boarded a train and the conductor came to sell me a ticket which cost £6 so I gave him two £5 notes. He then told me the printer was broken so I would have to buy a ticket once I got off the train, which I did.

It was only after I got off that I realised he didn't give me back the money when he realised the printer was broken.

I contacted the train company about this and they said they would investigate.

If they refuse to give me back my money, can I file a criminal report at the police station? 

Did you get the £4 change ?
Did you buy another ticket when you got off the train?

Look, I really don't want to be rude in a place where people come together to fight injustice against consumers, but what's so hard to understand about the title 'Train conductor took my money and didn't sell me a ticket'? You're the second person who's done this. 

Why do you think the questions aren't relevant?

If your answers to those perfectly reasonable questions are "yes" and "no", then you don't need advice because you spent £6 and got your train journey.  

I payed to get a train ticket after, and the conductor also took £10 from me before. Again, the title is clear.

Is there a parallel universe here where everyone else is reading a different title?

Also, I didn't even realise this at first, but are you telling me that if I bought a ticket after, I will have spent £6 on a ticket so it's OK?

What's £6 + £10? Has your account been taken over by your 5 year old son? 

I can see why you might have ended up on the wrong side of an argument...insulting people that don't instantly agree with you even though you only provide half the story isn't a great way to get the help you think you need.

You have told us you "payed" to get a train ticket after, but you didn't say so in your title or make it very clear in your subsequent posts, so the question was perfectly reasonable.

And no, I'm not telling you that if you bought a ticket after, you will have spent £6 on a ticket so it's OK.  Read my post properly.  In the alternative situation where you gave £10, got given £4 change and didn't buy a ticket afterwards, you would have spent £6 on a journey that would have cost you £6 had you got a ticket.  That's why you wouldn't have been out of pocket.  You have since (belatedly) clarified that that didn't happen, and that's ok, but you didn't make that clear in your opening post which is why another poster asked two very reasonable questions but which you objected to.

As for my five year old son, no, I haven't let him take over my account, but I think I'd trust him to take a train and buy a ticket on board without worrying about him forgetting he'd given money away for nothing and then wanting to call the police about it.

Jenni_D

tl;dr ... the train company owe you £10, yes?

GreatBritain

Jenni_D said:

tl;dr ... the train company owe you £10, yes?

Yes, that's correct. 

Ditzy_Mitzy

GreatBritain said:

Jenni_D said:

tl;dr ... the train company owe you £10, yes?

Yes, that's correct. 

Have you asked the train operator for the money back?  The conductor should have finished his shift £10 up, which will tally with you giving him the money and not receiving a ticket.  Just out of interest, why did you then buy another ticket for the same journey, given that you had arrived at the destination and the journey had finished?

GreatBritain

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

GreatBritain said:

Jenni_D said:

tl;dr ... the train company owe you £10, yes?

Yes, that's correct. 

Have you asked the train operator for the money back?  The conductor should have finished his shift £10 up, which will tally with you giving him the money and not receiving a ticket.  Just out of interest, why did you then buy another ticket for the same journey, given that you had arrived at the destination and the journey had finished?

Thank you for asking questions that aren't nonsensical.

As I said in the post, I got off the train and only then did I realise he didn't give me my money back. The idea is to then buy a ticket for the journey you just made, which I did. 

littleboo

And presumably, along with the conductor not giving you the money back, you didn't ask for it either. Unless the train company finish their checks and find in your favor, you're probably have to say goodbye to the £10.

GreatBritain

littleboo said:

And presumably, along with the conductor not giving you the money back, you didn't ask for it either. Unless the train company finish their checks and find in your favor, you're probably have to say goodbye to the £10.

Thank you, you're the first person to give a straightforward answer after actually reading what I wrote. 

DB1904

user1977 said:

GreatBritain said:

user1977 said:

GreatBritain said:

If they refuse to give me back my money, can I file a criminal report at the police station? 

No, because I can't see that any crime has been committed from what you've said, the police aren't going to be interested in your four quid change anyway, and even if they were, it's not their job to get the money back for you. The train operating company do however owe you the money, so you chase them up.

If you can't be bothered to read the post, at least read the title. The conductor pocketed my money. *He didn't sell me a ticket*. He took my £10 and that was that. It's theft. Now are you going to offer a helpful response? 

It was a helpful response, because I understand what constitutes the crime of theft. You need criminal intent for one, not just "oops I forgot to go back to that passenger and give him his money back". And like I said, even if it is theft, going to the police isn't going to get you your money.

So when the conductor was £10 up at the end of the day and decided to keep the money you know what that is?

giraffe69

Well, some of OP's answers may have been, how shall I put it, terse but I thought the situation was reasonably clear. Guard given £10 for a £6 ticket. Didn't give a ticket because machine was not working and didn't come back with the £10 either. Ticket purchased at the end to get through the barrier or whatever. Suppose you are getting off a train and appreciate you haven't got your money back but the train is about to move on and the guard is nowhere to be seen. What do you then do? I would have got off rather than travel to John O'Groats.
I would not go to the police because in the grand scheme of things that would get me nowhere but I would contact the train company and tell them what happened and make clear I wanted the £10 back and take it from there according to their reply. I'd be polite to them(at least the first time!) and would not accuse the guard of theft.

Neruda

What will you do with your collection of tickets? And do you still have the exact coins that the train manager used to give you your £4 change? Perhaps you should engage a private detective.