Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

I don't understand why we keep seeing stories about unclaimed Oyster
money as though TFL is doing something wrong.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...-10430319.html


Clearly the deposit was necessary to cut down on people throwing the
cards away. And clearly anyone can get their money back, even from
aboard by mailing it. You can get a refund on the credit online if not
the deposit. And the average credit on cards is only £3.74 a card in
any case.

About the only thing they could do is allow people to cancel the card
completely online and get credit and deposit back.

Am I missing something?

E.

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

On 01/08/2015 18:48, eastender wrote:
I don't understand why we keep seeing stories about unclaimed Oyster
money as though TFL is doing something wrong.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...-10430319.html


Clearly the deposit was necessary to cut down on people throwing the
cards away. And clearly anyone can get their money back, even from
aboard by mailing it. You can get a refund on the credit online if not
the deposit. And the average credit on cards is only £3.74 a card in any
case.

About the only thing they could do is allow people to cancel the card
completely online and get credit and deposit back.

Am I missing something?


The massive conspiracy that doesn't exist except in the minds of
excitable / dim folk?

Does it perhaps keep cropping up as the result of new FOI answers, or
answers from TfL to London assembly members?

I need to dig out that old card I've got with £30+ on it which snapped
rendering it unusable... problem is I've no idea where I safely stashed
it away!

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

On 01/08/2015 18:55, Mizter T wrote:

On 01/08/2015 18:48, eastender wrote:
I don't understand why we keep seeing stories about unclaimed Oyster
money as though TFL is doing something wrong.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/unclaimed-money-on-dormant-oyster-cards-soars-to-170million-10430319.html

Clearly the deposit was necessary to cut down on people throwing the
cards away. And clearly anyone can get their money back, even from
aboard by mailing it. You can get a refund on the credit online if not
the deposit. And the average credit on cards is only £3.74 a card in any
case.

About the only thing they could do is allow people to cancel the card
completely online and get credit and deposit back.

Am I missing something?

The massive conspiracy that doesn't exist except in the minds of
excitable / dim folk?


Just a quick extra thought - Oyster's certainly better in this respect
compared to the Netherland's OV-chipkaart. An anonymous, unregistered
card costs €7.50 (which is in fact only a "suggested retail price" so a
retailer could charge more), is "valid for 4 to 5 years" (bit vague!),
and if you want to reclaim the left over credit it costs a €2.50
administration fee at a "public transport company counter". If there's a
way of getting the money back by post without first getting a form from
such a counter, they don't wish to advertise it!:

https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/aanvragen/welkekaartpastbiju/toeristen/

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

On 2015-08-01 18:04:50 +0000, Mizter T said:

Oyster's certainly better in this respect compared to the Netherland's
OV-chipkaart. An anonymous, unregistered card costs €7.50 (which is in
fact only a "suggested retail price" so a retailer could charge more),
is "valid for 4 to 5 years" (bit vague!), and if you want to reclaim
the left over credit it costs a €2.50 administration fee at a "public
transport company counter". If there's a way of getting the money back
by post without first getting a form from such a counter, they don't
wish to advertise it!:

That's because they expect you to go Dutch in the Netherlands.

E.

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On Sat, 1 Aug 2015 18:48:38 +0100, eastender wrote:

I don't understand why we keep seeing stories about unclaimed Oyster
money as though TFL is doing something wrong.


http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...rmant-oyster-c
ards-soars-to-170million-10430319.html

Clearly the deposit was necessary to cut down on people throwing the
cards away. And clearly anyone can get their money back, even from
aboard by mailing it. You can get a refund on the credit online if not
the deposit. And the average credit on cards is only £3.74 a card in
any case.

About the only thing they could do is allow people to cancel the card
completely online and get credit and deposit back.

Am I missing something?

Yes - the fact that Caroline Pidgeon has a massive bee in her bonnet
about this and asks TfL / the Mayor the same question on a regular
basis and then chucks out a "how outrageous" press release when she
gets the answer.

All the politicians on the transport committee have their favoured
campaign issues that they repeatedly ask the mayor about and then use
as sticks to beat TfL over the head. It's all a bit pathetic but
that's politics.

When my travelcard expired on my Oyster Card I got a "would you like a
refund on your Oyster Card?" E mail and then I got a chase up. I am
perfectly happy to keep a balance on my Oyster Card in exactly the
same way that there is a balance on my Suica Card, my EZpass card, my
Octopus Card and my OV Chipkaart. The balances aren't huge but they
exist.

Based on my own experience TfL apply the processes and reminders that
they said they would. They can't force people to apply for refunds
nor can they forcibly return funds to people as they probably don't
possess sufficient info to allow it and some people are no doubt
untroubled by retaining a card balance.

The point now, surely, is that unless you have a season ticket or a relevant
railcard there is no point in using Oyster Pay As You go any more and that
Contactless is preferable? I've been struck by how large balances really
occasional users I know have on their Oyster cards.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

In message , at 00:09:47 on
Sun, 2 Aug 2015, Paul Corfield remarked:

Ironically my bank recently had to replace my bank card and the new one
isn't contactless and I wasn't given a choice about that.

I've been using an "Orange Cash" prepay card but I got an email
yesterday saying that EE are bailing out and I'm going to be transferred
to a different issuer. It's not clear if the replacement is also
contactless, so I've queried this by email.
--
Roland Perry

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

In message , at 07:38:59 on Sun, 2 Aug
2015, Roland Perry remarked:
Ironically my bank recently had to replace my bank card and the new
one isn't contactless and I wasn't given a choice about that.

I've been using an "Orange Cash" prepay card but I got an email
yesterday saying that EE are bailing out and I'm going to be
transferred to a different issuer.

Optimum by Prepay Technologies

It's not clear if the replacement is also contactless, so I've queried
this by email.

--
Roland Perry

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

Ironically my bank recently had to replace my bank card and the new one
isn't contactless and I wasn't given a choice about that.

No explanation? My recent cards have all been contactless where they weren't
before.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?
 

On 01/08/2015 18:48, eastender wrote:
I don't understand why we keep seeing stories about unclaimed Oyster
money as though TFL is doing something wrong.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trans...-10430319.html


Clearly the deposit was necessary to cut down on people throwing the
cards away. And clearly anyone can get their money back, even from
aboard by mailing it. You can get a refund on the credit online if not
the deposit. And the average credit on cards is only £3.74 a card in any
case.

About the only thing they could do is allow people to cancel the card
completely online and get credit and deposit back.

Am I missing something?

E.







I get weekly e-mails with my journey history.
My Oyster auto tops up when my credit reaches £8 (IIRC).
On the few times that I have been overcharged, usually in times of train
chaos, a simple call of less that five minutes has obtained a refund
(usually next day).
Once as I was on holiday I did not claim the refund in the next week, I
received an e-mail telling me that I had not yet collected it.

All in all, no problems.

---
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Dormant Oyster funds - fuss about nothing?