Sam wrote:


The manager who I spoke to on the phone gave me the impression he was very
high up. When I said I wanted to check the conditions with Goldcards and
then if I was correct, make a complaint about an RPI, he said "Well I look
after all the RPI's on SSL". I took this to mean the Sub Surface Lines.
Would that be correct ?

In such a context then yes SSL would mean sub surface lines - te
District, Metropolitan, East London and Hammersmith & City.

High up managers can get it wrong as well, and remember it is sometimes
the wont of managers to make out they're higher up in the hierachy than
they actually are.


He sounded really annoyed that I was questioning one of his staff, and then
said that the Photocard was required. The one thing that really irritates
me is that if I had thrown away my old photocard, the RPI would have given
me a fine / penalty notice etc.

....which would have meant you would have challenged the fine, it would
have been cancelled and hopefully they would have found out they were
wrong.


If I pursue this any further, I am scared they will have my details on file
as a trouble maker, and could cause me problems further down the line.

No way Sam you really should complain. Unless you've missed out some
critical bit of information, it sounds very much like you've been
wronged. You're not a trouble maker for travelling with a legitimate
ticket and complaining because you were wrongly hassled for doing so.
It will cause you no further problems down the line - it will cause the
RPIs and their managers trouble as they're not doing their job right,
and so it should. Anyway your letter will be dealt with by different
people than the RPI team.


The RPI had a real attitude as well, when she was satisfied that I had every
ticket, oyster, photocard I could possibly have, she walked away holding my
Goldcard. When I said "Hang on a minute can I have all my tickets back" she
through her arms in the air and gave me my ticket back. No apology for the
hold up, may be she was irritated that she hadn't caught a fare evader (A
was wearing a baseball cap, unshaven, bit scruffy may be !!!!!).

Being a scruff is no crime! Perhaps the RPIs thought someone had lent
you their Oyster, as period Travelcards are non-transferable. However
there is no real way they can enforce this unless they look up the
relevent details on the Oyster database and ask you to confirm them -
something I haven't heard ever having happen, though it's technically
possible. (If you were using a borrowed Oyster then I wouldn't recomend
complaining - but it sounds like the card was indeed yours.)

I guess that given the high-value of an annual Travelcard, then if that
Oyster card had been associated with a photocard in the past when
photocards were still a requirement the RPIs might think that asking
for sight of the photocard is one way to trip up those who're misusing
a ticket. But it's not a requirement anymore so everyone who has an
Oyster which has an associated photocard should safely be able to chuch
said photocard away.

In addition the fact that you've been rudely treated is not on, given
that you had a valid ticket.

Write that letter!