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Forced to buy a second ticket
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On Tuesday I travelled to Lancaster to Winchester with an open return I'd bought on thetrainline.com. I hadn't noticed that the return ticket said via Banbury. It was in small print and it hadn't occurred to me that my return would be restricted to a certain route.
I went from Winchester to Waterloo, where I intended to take the tube to Euston. My ticket wouldn't let me through the barriers but the first ticket inspector just let me through. The next one told me to buy a tube ticket (£4) - I couldn't understand this but I bought it. Then when it came to take a train from Euston to Lancaster the Virgin ticket checkers told me my ticket wasn't valid for their train and so I had to buy a new ticket for just over £50.
I'm frustrated that the ticket the trainline sold me was actually a restricted return. But I've a feeling I don't have a leg to stand on here. Is there anyone I could complain to on this one or would I be wasting my time?
Thanks. Matt
I went from Winchester to Waterloo, where I intended to take the tube to Euston. My ticket wouldn't let me through the barriers but the first ticket inspector just let me through. The next one told me to buy a tube ticket (£4) - I couldn't understand this but I bought it. Then when it came to take a train from Euston to Lancaster the Virgin ticket checkers told me my ticket wasn't valid for their train and so I had to buy a new ticket for just over £50.
I'm frustrated that the ticket the trainline sold me was actually a restricted return. But I've a feeling I don't have a leg to stand on here. Is there anyone I could complain to on this one or would I be wasting my time?
Thanks. Matt
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As you say you don't have a leg to stand on. It would have been on the terms when you booked the ticket.0
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I think Virgin trains are in the wrong here, they should have excessed your ticket for travel 'via London' and not issued a new ticket. I could be wrong and If I am then I'm sure another poster will correct me. But if I'm right then write a letter of complaint to Virgin Trains, stating this fact, enclose all tickets and see what happens.Whoa! This image violates our terms of use and has been removed from view0
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OP, you seem to be implying you bought an 'open return' with the routing different on each leg.
Are you sure? Never seen an Anytime Return or an Off Peak Return with a different route out and back.
Or did you buy Advance Singles?0 -
I bought a return ticket via this "banbury" place last week too. Mine is a different route there & back, which, given the fact that it's my first train trip in about 15 years, I'll be on my lonesome, and I have three changes- is a recipe for disaster!
In edit; mine is via Barnham, but is indeed an off peak return with different routes there & back .DTD...Dreading The Detox.0 -
OP, you seem to be implying you bought an 'open return' with the routing different on each leg.
Are you sure? Never seen an Anytime Return or an Off Peak Return with a different route out and back.
Or did you buy Advance Singles?
Now I'm confused, advance tickets would either have Route: Virgin West Coast & Conns or Via Crosscountry train and other TOC conns.
Only Anytime/Off Peak tickets would have Route: Banbury, which one would think would be on both tickets.Whoa! This image violates our terms of use and has been removed from view0 -
Did you buy a return ticket or two singles?Poly,put_the_kettle_on wrote: »I bought a return ticket via this "banbury" place last week too. Mine is a different route there & back, which, given the fact that it's my first train trip in about 15 years, I'll be on my lonesome, and I have three changes- is a recipe for disaster!
I am of course happy to be proved wrong. :beer:0 -
As you say, wealdroam, it was either "via Banbury" both ways or it was two singles.
The OP simply didn't look at the terms of the ticket they were buying - their fault. No rights of refund or complaint.
I've looked up the same journey on thetrainline and there are two differently priced open return fares - one via London, and one not. This is not uncommon. Offpeak, the "via London" route is 70p cheaper; peak time the "via London" route is twice as expensive.
You have to look at all the ticket options and can't simply assume you can return via a different route. If you travelled outbound via London (and I guess you didn't) then you would have been breaching the ticket conditions then too.
On the second screen there is the following:
Return:
Any valid train. Please check the ticket terms for validity
More Details
If you click on "More Details", it says:
This ticket is only valid for travel on services via Banbury
On the shopping basket screen (just before you pay) it says:
* 1 Adult(s) Full Fare @ £175.00
* This ticket is only valid for travel on services via Banbury
* Flexible ticket with no time restrictions on when you can travel.
Basically, you didn't read the ticket terms in several different places and hence bought a ticket which didn't cover travel via London.
The routes via Wolverhampton are just as quick as via London!0 -
Do you feel able to give us the full journey details?Poly,put_the_kettle_on wrote: »I bought a return ticket via this "banbury" place last week too. Mine is a different route there & back, which, given the fact that it's my first train trip in about 15 years, I'll be on my lonesome, and I have three changes- is a recipe for disaster!
In edit; mine is via Barnham, but is indeed an off peak return with different routes there & back .0 -
Just found this;
National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCoC), Condition 13, permits customers to travel by a different route, from the one stated on the ticket or allowed by conditions of the National Routeing Guide, to make their journey on payment of an Excess fare. The Excess fare is calculated as follows:
Single tickets
The difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Single ticket, available for immediate travel, that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
Return tickets - change of route in both directions
The difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Return ticket, available for immediate travel, that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
Return tickets - change of route in one direction only
Half the difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Return ticket, available for immediate travel that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
which to me means that the OP should have had his Ticket excessed for the change of route and not have been charged a new single fare (I assume £50ish is a single London to Lancaster with railcard), therefore the train manager was wrong and this gives the OP the grounds to complain to Virgin Trains. This is dependant that the OP didn't have Advance tickets as these can't be excessed.
Again this is MHO and I'm happy to be proved wrong.Whoa! This image violates our terms of use and has been removed from view0 -
It may be that this applies in advance of travel i.e. at Winchester Station. Also there are a lot of new penatlies so maybe these regualtion have to superceeded by rules applied by individual companies i.e. on wrong time train so buy a full price single.Livingthedream wrote: »Just found this;
National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCoC), Condition 13, permits customers to travel by a different route, from the one stated on the ticket or allowed by conditions of the National Routeing Guide, to make their journey on payment of an Excess fare. The Excess fare is calculated as follows:
Single tickets
The difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Single ticket, available for immediate travel, that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
Return tickets - change of route in both directions
The difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Return ticket, available for immediate travel, that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
Return tickets - change of route in one direction only
Half the difference between the price already paid and price of the cheapest Return ticket, available for immediate travel that allows the customer to travel on the route and Train Company of their choice.
which to me means that the OP should have had his Ticket excessed for the change of route and not have been charged a new single fare (I assume £50ish is a single London to Lancaster with railcard), therefore the train manager was wrong and this gives the OP the grounds to complain to Virgin Trains. This is dependant that the OP didn't have Advance tickets as these can't be excessed.
Again this is MHO and I'm happy to be proved wrong.IT Consultant in the utilities industry specialising in the retail electricity market.
4 Credit Card and 1 Loan PPI claims settled for £26k, 1 rejected (Opus).0
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