I'm living abroad now but came back to London for a few weeks for a holiday and used my old Oyster to travel around. It still had auto top up on it from before which I had neglected to cancel, and had topped up 40 pounds after a normal day out. Which I did not want it to do, but I thought oh well, I should have cancelled it before, too late now. And I did go to the website and request the auto top to be stopped afterwards, but I didn't bother with getting the money back as I'd imagine it would be a big faff and take ages, and I was flying out in a few days, and I could let my friend use it up instead etc. The cancelling of the auto top up had to be 'activated' by tapping in at a tube station (why??) which I didn't manage to do, so another 'black mark' against me.
But then I got an e-mail from TFL saying the auto top up had failed! So I thought well, that's worked out then.
A few days later, I'm not in the UK anymore and they've sent me another e-mail saying as I'd failed to pay them the 40 pounds they had now cancelled my card, which still had 5 pounds on it, and that I wouldn't get my 5 pounds back if I didn't pay them 40 pounds. And not only that, if I didn't pay them the 40 pounds, they were going to 'take further action'!
What further action could they take? I didn't go into negative with my card, why do I still have to pay them 40 pounds especially as they've cancelled it? They are also very happy to send out numerous e-mails, but bizarrely unable to accept e-mails back themselves.

"Sharon" wrote:

I'm living abroad now but came back to London for a few weeks for a
holiday and used my old Oyster to travel around. It still had auto top
up on it from before which I had neglected to cancel, and had topped up
40 pounds after a normal day out. Which I did not want it to do, but I
thought oh well, I should have cancelled it before, too late now. And I
did go to the website and request the auto top to be stopped afterwards,
but I didn't bother with getting the money back as I'd imagine it would
be a big faff and take ages, and I was flying out in a few days, and I
could let my friend use it up instead etc. The cancelling of the auto
top up had to be 'activated' by tapping in at a tube station (why??)
which I didn't manage to do, so another 'black mark' against me.
But then I got an e-mail from TFL saying the auto top up had failed! So
I thought well, that's worked out then.
A few days later, I'm not in the UK anymore and they've sent me another
e-mail saying as I'd failed to pay them the 40 pounds they had now
cancelled my card, which still had 5 pounds on it, and that I wouldn't
get my 5 pounds back if I didn't pay them 40 pounds. And not only that,
if I didn't pay them the 40 pounds, they were going to 'take further
action'!
What further action could they take? I didn't go into negative with my
card, why do I still have to pay them 40 pounds especially as they've
cancelled it? They are also very happy to send out numerous e-mails, but
bizarrely unable to accept e-mails back themselves.


I think what's happened here is that the 40 pounds actually did get credited
to your Oyster card, so essentially you're currently owing TfL that money,
hence why they've blacklisted your Oyster card. If you pay them that money
then they should de-blacklist your Oyster card.

The reason why auto top-up needs to be cancelled by making a journey is that
basically when auto top-up is activated on a card it will then top itself up
whenever the balance drops below 8 pounds ad infinitum, and the card needs
to be instructed to stop doing this - it's basically the reverse operation
of setting up auto top-up (where you have to pass through a nominated
station).

I'd suggest you pay the 40 pounds, after which your Oyster card will be
unlocked - the important thing then is that you then cancel auto top-up on
that card, otherwise it'll keep topping itself up forever! So you'll either
have to arrange to get your friend to do that by passing through a station
you nominate as part of a journey (I think that'd have to happen within 7
days), or else get them to set your card aside for when you come back to
London and then deal with the matter yourself.

I suppose one other possible solution is if you could come to some
arrangement with Oyster customer services, e.g. pay the 40 pounds minus
whatever's left on the card, and then they'd keep the card on the blacklist.
I've no idea if this is a procedure open to them though.

I guess one thing that might be helpful would be if one could go to a Tube
ticket office and get the auto top-up instruction on an Oyster card
cancelled. I'm not sure whether there'd be back office repercussions of such
a process though.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:52:24 +0100
"Mizter T" wrote:
I'd suggest you pay the 40 pounds, after which your Oyster card will be

I wouldn't bother. She hasn't actually deprived TfL of any money since she
can't actually use the 40 quid on he card and if shes living abroad then
she probably won't need it for a while. Better to wait until she comes over
again when due to inflation the 40 quid will be less money and its more use
to her sitting gaining (minimal) interest in her bank account than in
TfLs.

Assuming of course that there isn't some time limit on blacklisted cards
at which point they're considered dead or lost and can't be used again.

B2003

Mizter T wrote on 23 September 2011 09:52:24 ...

wrote:

I'm living abroad now but came back to London for a few weeks for a
holiday and used my old Oyster to travel around. It still had auto top
up on it from before which I had neglected to cancel, and had topped up
40 pounds after a normal day out. Which I did not want it to do, but I
thought oh well, I should have cancelled it before, too late now. And I
did go to the website and request the auto top to be stopped afterwards,
but I didn't bother with getting the money back as I'd imagine it would
be a big faff and take ages, and I was flying out in a few days, and I
could let my friend use it up instead etc. The cancelling of the auto
top up had to be 'activated' by tapping in at a tube station (why??)
which I didn't manage to do, so another 'black mark' against me.
But then I got an e-mail from TFL saying the auto top up had failed! So
I thought well, that's worked out then.
A few days later, I'm not in the UK anymore and they've sent me another
e-mail saying as I'd failed to pay them the 40 pounds they had now
cancelled my card, which still had 5 pounds on it, and that I wouldn't
get my 5 pounds back if I didn't pay them 40 pounds. And not only that,
if I didn't pay them the 40 pounds, they were going to 'take further
action'!
What further action could they take? I didn't go into negative with my
card, why do I still have to pay them 40 pounds especially as they've
cancelled it? They are also very happy to send out numerous e-mails, but
bizarrely unable to accept e-mails back themselves.

The emails you received were probably automatically generated, hence the
no-reply status. But you could phone the Oyster Customer Service Centre
on +44 20 7027 8511 or use the online contact form at
https://custserv.tfl.gov.uk/icss_csip/init.do (select "Make a complaint"
then "Oyster" then "Auto top-up" and fill in the form).

I think what's happened here is that the 40 pounds actually did get credited
to your Oyster card, so essentially you're currently owing TfL that money,
hence why they've blacklisted your Oyster card. If you pay them that money
then they should de-blacklist your Oyster card.

Yes, I agree with that analysis. The emails are just the system
pursuing a contractual debt. But if you can contact a human being, they
might agree to cancel the debt (and the Oyster card) provided you return
the card to them. Worth a try, anyway.

--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

wrote:

On Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:52:24 +0100
"Mizter T" wrote:
I'd suggest you pay the 40 pounds, after which your Oyster card will be

I wouldn't bother. She hasn't actually deprived TfL of any money since she
can't actually use the 40 quid on he card and if shes living abroad then
she probably won't need it for a while. Better to wait until she comes
over
again when due to inflation the 40 quid will be less money and its more
use
to her sitting gaining (minimal) interest in her bank account than in
TfLs.

I dunno what "further action" they do take in practice, and at what stage
they take it. This kind of thing has to happen with some degree of
regularity after all.


Assuming of course that there isn't some time limit on blacklisted cards
at which point they're considered dead or lost and can't be used again.

There is that.

"Richard J." wrote:

Mizter T wrote on 23 September 2011 09:52:24 ...
[snip]
I think what's happened here is that the 40 pounds actually did get
credited
to your Oyster card, so essentially you're currently owing TfL that
money,
hence why they've blacklisted your Oyster card. If you pay them that
money
then they should de-blacklist your Oyster card.

Yes, I agree with that analysis. The emails are just the system pursuing
a contractual debt. But if you can contact a human being, they might
agree to cancel the debt (and the Oyster card) provided you return the
card to them. Worth a try, anyway.

What I don't know about blacklisting is whether, if a blacklisted Oyster
card comes into contact with a reader, it is instantaneously 'nuked' and can
never be used again, or it is just blocked from being used until the
blacklist is lifted, or whether there are perhaps two types of blacklisting.

In article ,
(Sharon) wrote:

I'm living abroad now but came back to London for a few weeks for a
holiday and used my old Oyster to travel around. It still had auto top
up on it from before which I had neglected to cancel, and had topped up
40 pounds after a normal day out. Which I did not want it to do, but I
thought oh well, I should have cancelled it before, too late now. And I
did go to the website and request the auto top to be stopped afterwards,
but I didn't bother with getting the money back as I'd imagine it would
be a big faff and take ages, and I was flying out in a few days, and I
could let my friend use it up instead etc. The cancelling of the auto
top up had to be 'activated' by tapping in at a tube station (why??)
which I didn't manage to do, so another 'black mark' against me.
But then I got an e-mail from TFL saying the auto top up had failed! So
I thought well, that's worked out then.
A few days later, I'm not in the UK anymore and they've sent me another
e-mail saying as I'd failed to pay them the 40 pounds they had now
cancelled my card, which still had 5 pounds on it, and that I wouldn't
get my 5 pounds back if I didn't pay them 40 pounds. And not only that,
if I didn't pay them the 40 pounds, they were going to 'take further
action'!
What further action could they take? I didn't go into negative with my
card, why do I still have to pay them 40 pounds especially as they've
cancelled it? They are also very happy to send out numerous e-mails, but
bizarrely unable to accept e-mails back themselves.

Have you tried phoning them? Can the Oyster Customer Service Centre number
(+44 845 330 9876) be dialled from where you are? If not I would ring TfL
Customer Relations on +44 20 3054 5306, .

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 09:52:24 on Fri, 23 Sep
2011, Mizter T remarked:
I suppose one other possible solution is if you could come to some
arrangement with Oyster customer services, e.g. pay the 40 pounds minus
whatever's left on the card, and then they'd keep the card on the
blacklist.

How does that help? It just leaves £35 locked on the card. While I agree
that the card will have thought it has £40 added, to OP doesn't say he's
spent any of it, only enough to get the balance down to £5 (or £45 if he
pays the £40 'owing').
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote:

In message , at 09:52:24 on Fri, 23 Sep 2011,
Mizter T remarked:
I suppose one other possible solution is if you could come to some
arrangement with Oyster customer services, e.g. pay the 40 pounds minus
whatever's left on the card, and then they'd keep the card on the
blacklist.

How does that help? It just leaves £35 locked on the card. [...]

Er yes, 'brain fart' moment, you're quite right it wouldn't help resolve the
situation at all.

wrote in message ...

In article ,
(Sharon) wrote:

I'm living abroad now but came back to London for a few weeks for a
holiday and used my old Oyster to travel around. It still had auto top
up on it from before which I had neglected to cancel, and had topped up
40 pounds after a normal day out. Which I did not want it to do, but I
thought oh well, I should have cancelled it before, too late now. And I
did go to the website and request the auto top to be stopped afterwards,
but I didn't bother with getting the money back as I'd imagine it would
be a big faff and take ages, and I was flying out in a few days, and I
could let my friend use it up instead etc. The cancelling of the auto
top up had to be 'activated' by tapping in at a tube station (why??)
which I didn't manage to do, so another 'black mark' against me.
But then I got an e-mail from TFL saying the auto top up had failed! So
I thought well, that's worked out then.
A few days later, I'm not in the UK anymore and they've sent me another
e-mail saying as I'd failed to pay them the 40 pounds they had now
cancelled my card, which still had 5 pounds on it, and that I wouldn't
get my 5 pounds back if I didn't pay them 40 pounds. And not only that,
if I didn't pay them the 40 pounds, they were going to 'take further
action'!
What further action could they take? I didn't go into negative with my
card, why do I still have to pay them 40 pounds especially as they've
cancelled it? They are also very happy to send out numerous e-mails, but
bizarrely unable to accept e-mails back themselves.

I once went through pretty much this same scenario - my automatic top-up had
"bounced", so my Oyster card had a balance on it that I couldn't use because
my Oyster card was now "blocked", meanwhile I was technically owing TfL for
the outstanding top-up fee.

The solution when I phoned them was that I paid that outstanding top-up fee,
resolving my technical debt to TfL, albeit making me temporarily
out-of-pocket. Then, as my Oyster card was cancelled, they were able to
refund the full balance (including the original deposit) to me.

Steve