London Banter - View Single Post

Tim Woodall · January 8th 11, 06:41 PM posted to uk.transport.london

On Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:07:03 -0600,
wrote:
In article ,
(Tim Woodall) wrote:

Possibly it won't because the losses are spread out over many, many
people. For example, my girlfriend's unresolved journey couldn't be
"fixed" because she wasn't going to use oyster again for more than 6
weeks and "there's no other way to give a refund." It just isn't worth
battling these golliaths unless you're prepared to sacrifice hours and
hours of your time for "a point of priciple". From the "golliath's" POV
the best thing to do is just completely ignore the issue. 99.95% of
people will give up and the remaining 5 in 10000 will win in court by
default and it will cost 5GBP + 75GBP costs. i.e. for every 50000 that
is incorrectly collected they'll end up paying out 400.

I've managed to arrange a refund after more than 6 weeks. We agreed a date
range and station by email.

I'm sure it is possible. And I also now know it is possible to arrange a
refund by cheque.

But, presumably TfL prefer to do it via oyster pickup and that becomes
"It isn't possible" from the call centre staff and, unless you know they
are wrong, it's hard to argue. Likewise, when she was back down south
and tried to get the refund done the journey had expired off the system
and it couldn't be done - I don't know if that is true or not.

It's hard to argue even when you know they are wrong. My NR season
ticket stopped working a few days ago. In the morning I couldn't get out
at Euston and was let out and went to the ticket office to get it
replaced and it didn't seem to be a problem - but the computers were down.

In the evening my ticket still didn't work - as I had 15 mins before my
train I went to the ticket window again. "No. I cannot do it because you
aren't on our system. You've got to get a letter from your company
saying that you've bought the ticket" (or something like that - I
couldn't work out what the letter was supposed to say - and I would
guess that after the request has gone to HR, it's been up through legal,
back again via payroll and then to me I might possibly be able to get a
letter like that after three months). This is infront of a poster saying
"New barriers at Euston. If your ticket doesn't work then go to any LM
ticket office to get your ticket replaced"

No amount of arguing was going to change her mind. So the guard who had
let me in originally (and then let me out to replace my ticket when I
realized there was no queue and I'd got 15 mins) let me in again, and
commented about "that's not what I was told by my management."

So I got my replacement ticket 30 mins later at Watford Junction. I
wasn't on the system so he just asked for my address and added me.

Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://www.woodall.me.uk/