Refused train ticket.

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  • k3lvc
    k3lvc Posts: 4,174 Forumite
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    agrinnall wrote: »
    I have to doubt your entire story, if the quote above is correct then how would going to a shop to get change have helped?


    I'm expecting a £50 note and a load of coins for a fare that was a couple of quid + some coins
  • Blackbeard_of_Perranporth
    Blackbeard_of_Perranporth Posts: 7,605 Forumite
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    elverson wrote: »
    Post this one on www.railforums.co.uk as well.
    Gawd laud no, we want to keep the suspense here please!
  • discat11
    discat11 Posts: 527 Forumite
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    edited 6 July 2017 at 1:05PM
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    I will reiterate my earlier point, since you have an issue with it.
    A PTT is only for use when no other ticket facilities are present.

    I fully appreciate you are saying you had cash to pay and the company should have been able to take cash.
    They weren't however and you weren't able or willing to pay any other way, hence this impasse.

    It doesn't alter the fact the ticket clerk couldn't have switched on the PTT machine -he isn't allowed to do so, call that 'policy' if you like, however it is a rule the clerk had to adhere to.

    There are a great deal of rules on the railway, many of them dictate to the staff what they can/cannot do also, it isn't being 'difficult' to stick to the rules your employer sets -it's downright necessary nowadays if you wish to keep your job.

    I am beginning to wonder why the ticket clerk didn't deal with you more reasonably -i.e. tell you to have a chat before boarding with the guard at the very least?
    Are you quite sure you didn't jump down his throat like you are doing with me?

    Rosemary -strictly speaking the clerk can only allow travel w/o a ticket if he is 'authorised to do this' most staff do not have those powers any longer although most platform and on train ticket staff certainly had them during BR days.
  • gocurlygirl
    gocurlygirl Posts: 216 Forumite
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    In this situation could you have just given the extra money and caught the train-it would have been worth it.
    I have met some jobsworths and also some very nice helpful friendly staff.
    Hope you got there in time and not stressed
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    k3lvc wrote: »
    I'm expecting a £50 note and a load of coins for a fare that was a couple of quid + some coins

    You've missed the point, which is that the OP says "there was no facility pay by cash at this station...", so it wouldn't matter what denominations they offered.
  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181 Forumite
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    agrinnall wrote: »
    You've missed the point, which is that the OP says "there was no facility pay by cash at this station...", so it wouldn't matter what denominations they offered.
    But before that, the OP told us in the opening post:
    consumer987 wrote: »
    The ticket office person told me to go to the local shops and get correct change for him.

    The story seems to be changing. ;)
  • consumer987
    consumer987 Posts: 19 Forumite
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    I had a £10 pound note and small change (a mix of coins up to around 90 pence). He had no way to facilitate a transaction with the legal tender I had in my wallet).

    Yes, he had a till that could open and work, but as he kept telling me, it would only be of use if I were to go to shopping and get change for him. (6 mins until the train arrived)

    I am not sure if he expected me to get 'exact' change? I don't know? I presume he just wanted me to break up a £10 note into pound coins, as there is no sign anywhere to say exact change required. I should not have to do this at a railway when I can pay on the train or at the destination with cash.

    As mentioned I gave multiple sensible solutions but he refused all of them!
  • IAmWales
    IAmWales Posts: 2,024 Forumite
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    It was the most incredible display of psychological abuse I have felt in a long time.

    If that's the worst "abuse" you've experienced then you should think yourself very lucky!

    What did the other passengers with no change do?
  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 2,879 Forumite
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    discat11 wrote: »

    Rosemary -strictly speaking the clerk can only allow travel w/o a ticket if he is 'authorised to do this' most staff do not have those powers any longer although most platform and on train ticket staff certainly had them during BR days.


    Maybe that's just standard on my local rail network. Plenty of stations on that route don't have any ticket issuing facilities at all, others only a machine or part ticket office, so it's not uncommon to be buying tickets on the train.

    This looks like the exact reason I hate catching buses - they're expensive enough to start with, and then they don't have change or don't give it so you overpay just because you need to go from a to b.
  • wealdroam
    wealdroam Posts: 19,181 Forumite
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    consumer987 wrote: »
    As mentioned I gave multiple sensible solutions but he refused all of them!
    You also had a credit card...
    consumer987 wrote: »
    He said for me to use a credit card initially, after peering in my wallet.

    but I was unsure how much money I had in that particular account, I suspected it was near zero.
    Surely "a middle aged male" going to "an important meeting in town" knows how credit cards work?
    Macman has already explained:
    macman wrote: »
    You don't have funds in a credit card account-you either have credit available or you don't.

    consumer987 wrote: »
    I was not going to risk going over drawn. So I refused to do that (I do have money in other accounts, but I had only a card for my regular food shopping account) I was not going to risk that!
    As this train fare was less that £10, what was the risk of going overdrawn?
    Does "a middle aged male" going to "an important meeting in town" really risk going overdrawn when buying a train ticket for less that £10?

    Why haven't you answered these questions:
    macman wrote: »
    What change was due? What was the ticket price?

    consumer987 wrote: »
    I am not sure if he expected me to get 'exact' change? I don't know? I presume he just wanted me to break up a £10 note into pound coins, as there is no sign anywhere to say exact change required. I should not have to do this at a railway when I can pay on the train or at the destination with cash.
    Then why did you not simply get on the train then pay on the train or at your destination?
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