Last night, I got the sleeper down from Fort William to Euston. My
ticket included a tube journey in zones 1 and 2 as well.

It didn't work.

The numpty at the gate line at Euston said it wasn't valid, because it
had yesterday's date on it. Fair enough, I suppose, that he might think
it invalid - except that it said SLEEPER on the ticket, so it's
*obviously* for an overnight journey starting on one day and finishing
on the next. Eventually I asked to speak to his supervisor, and he
vaguely gesticulated then ignored me. I eventually figured out that he
meant that the supervisor's office was -- over there, but ... it's
behind the gate line! Eventually, I found one of his colleagues who
wasn't a dribbling idiot who let me through. I complained to the
supervisor but doubt anything will happen about the first guy's
ignorance and rudeness.

Then at White City, the ticket again wouldn't work the barriers, and
again the chap on the barrier line said it wasn't valid, but at least he
was polite and spoke better English*. When we managed to speak to
someone in the ticket office, she "don't know anything about national
rail tickets", which I find remarkable given that eleventy zillion
NR-issued tickets are valid for journeys to (and I presume from) White
City. I'd understand if she didn't know about that particular unusual
ticket for that particularly unusual overnight journey, but to not know
*anything* about NR tickets is unconscionable. I eventually got out
after telling them that Euston had said it was valid.

Anyway, according to the second chap I spoke to at Euston (the helpful
one who let me through the barriers) their machines *always* fail to
recognise the Sleeper + U12 tickets. LUL obviously don't care because
they don't train the staff properly. I can understand White City staff
being a bit confused, but *Euston* staff - all of them - need to be
trained to recognise sleeper tickets.

* he also had a splendid beard

--
David Cantrell | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david

Good advice is always certain to be ignored,
but that's no reason not to give it -- Agatha Christie