| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:17:57 AM | The Rail Companies are Tossers. They make rules up as they go along to suit themselves. I recently had a meeting in London and bought a cheap day return costing £7. Five minutes after buying it i got a text message to say my meeting had been cancelled.This was at 16:30,next train being 16:45. I went to the ticket office to get a refund only to find they were suddenly closed,despite the opening times showing as being 07:00-19:00. So i took the ticket back next day and asked for a refund. The clerk said i couldn't prove i didn't travel. So i stated that he was supposed to be open til 19;00 and had they had been i could have brought my ticket back to prove that i hadn't travelled. He then said well,there is a £10 admin fee anyway so it wasn't worth me asking for a refund. I asked what would have happened if the train was cancelled and it was then their fault that i couldn't travel. He replied that if i'd brought it back within 10 mins then i could have got a refund! So what's the difference? I brought it back within 5 mins and they were closed,yet i'm being told in that case i'd incur a £10 fee.
I've made up my mind that the next train journey i make i'm gonna travel without a ticket . When the inspectors get on and issue me with a fine i'm going to say 'yeh,no problem,i'll pay the £20 fine,but i should add that i charge a £50 admin fee'. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:31:30 AM | Well, I'll hold my hand up if I'm wrong sarcastic spice
1) The law has changed since I was a cabbie, and it would have made sense to check first, so I apologise, as you are right.
2a) I ought to say that the station I worked from was a remote station, and the railway staff were often overworked, I've always felt that the Railway operator could've done more, for instance at that time the gated level footcrossing had damaged timbers which led to an uncomfortable drag across them, we sometimes helped the station staff, although we weren't meant to.
2b) Again, that is my point, it is time consuming, especially when the single member of staff is trying to sell tickets, deal with rowdy teens and get someone across.
3) Is that all stations? My daughter was refused this recently.
As for travel on the trains, wouldn't know. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:35:21 AM |
I intend to travel on a journey of about 300 miles in November. Checking rail fares I came up with a figure which I was happy with. I then decided that I may like to break one journey to see friends at an intermediate town.
I checked the fares again and discovered that even though I now no longer intend to break my journey it is cheaper to book a return A to B and another B to C rather than directly A to C. No change of train would be involved as it is direct train from A to C.
I am wondering how many more breaks of journey I could incorporate.
God I feel like I am taking a bit of a kicking at the moment.... the only other I would add is it might be worth checking if you are travelling beyond the booking horizons...
If you are travelling beyond the booking horizon (it exists because network rail only finally confirm possible engineering work approx 12 weeks in advance) then the cheap rail tickets won't show up.....
that can always be checked on the national rail website..... so it sounds like from what i can gather from what you are saying is that the outward half is open, but possibly the return half isn't...... | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:49:42 AM |
The Rail Companies are Tossers. They make rules up as they go along to suit themselves. I recently had a meeting in London and bought a cheap day return costing £7. Five minutes after buying it i got a text message to say my meeting had been cancelled.This was at 16:30,next train being 16:45. I went to the ticket office to get a refund only to find they were suddenly closed,despite the opening times showing as being 07:00-19:00. So i took the ticket back next day and asked for a refund. The clerk said i couldn't prove i didn't travel. So i stated that he was supposed to be open til 19;00 and had they had been i could have brought my ticket back to prove that i hadn't travelled. He then said well,there is a £10 admin fee anyway so it wasn't worth me asking for a refund. I asked what would have happened if the train was cancelled and it was then their fault that i couldn't travel. He replied that if i'd brought it back within 10 mins then i could have got a refund! So what's the difference? I brought it back within 5 mins and they were closed,yet i'm being told in that case i'd incur a £10 fee.
there has always been a 10 pound charge to change or cancel tickets.... so yes, anything under 10 pounds is considered to be non-refundable.... its is just the way it has always been
If the ticket office closed early..... thats a different matter whatsoever, get in contact with the train company involved........
I've made up my mind that the next train journey i make i'm gonna travel without a ticket . When the inspectors get on and issue me with a fine i'm going to say 'yeh,no problem,i'll pay the £20 fine,but i should add that i charge a £50 admin fee'.
erm.... not something that I would do... unless you fancy a whole train turning on you... because they have been known to just stop them, and wait for a British Transport Policeman to turn up! | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:55:38 AM |
because they have been known to just stop them, and wait for a British Transport Policeman to turn up!
Really? That's the sort of annoying thing i'd like to do. As i get older i've decided to be more like this. We should all rebel against these fascist **stards! | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 8:59:03 AM |
Theres a website that helps you if you want to split up the fares to get a better deal, www.splitfare.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/how-to-beat-the-train-fare-blues-1766023.html
I think the poster above was talking about fares being confusing, not the types of ticket.
Can I add a word of caution with regards to "ticket splitting"..... if you are going to this, be very careful!!!
if you do this.... then each part is considered a seperate journey (obviously)....
it also means that if for any reasons trains run late and you have two tickets and you miss it.... you won't be covered for the rest of your journey, whereas if you buy the tickets straight thru you always are (and on last trains this also means taxis to final destinations) | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 9:05:27 AM | | I agree and I know about the getting to your final destination bit, but I think there are times when you can split your journey and not have to change trains. I gave myself plenty of time incase of trains being delayed, it worked ok for me. I wouldn't have done it unless it was going to save me quite a lot of money at short notice, which it did. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 9:47:15 AM | I love the train. Travel everywhere on it. Went from mid Wales to Edinburgh; return for £209; first Class. Absolutely lovely. If I could go by to train to the states and back; it would be perfect. I always book online; as cheaper then local train station; and I always book as far in advance as I am able.
If you book online; you can buy a ticket for today and one for tomorrow. BUT if you know you are going say 4, 6, 8 weeks or more in advance - BUY them right away. I booked last minute to go from mid Wales to north Wales(which means going to Shrewsbury first); and it cost me only £7.50; and I bought it four days before my trip. If you want to know in advance of seat sales or specials sign up online with the train companies - I have up to 40 % off all train trip until September something right now; and that is just brilliant. Unlike a plane / car and some coaches - I get a hot cuppa delivered to me; I have a wide comfie seat(the chair I am sitting in); and I have the opportunity to stretch my legs; use the facilities; or just sit back and watch the countryside pass by!! Lovely! I love train travel!   | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 10:11:19 AM | My uncle used to work for British rail. One day he was collecting tickets when he saw J Lo and Puff Daddy just sitting there surrounded by bodyguards, as he approached them to collect their tickets off them the body guards surrounded him and told him to back off, one even let him see that he had a gun in his holster.
But because he was a British rail official with a job to do, he said he was going to stop the train and kick off the people with guns because it's illegal to carry guns on a train. The bodyguards and him argued for a bit, they were trying to be intimidating and he was telling them the rules and that he was the one with the power on the train and they had to do what he said. He was demanding the bodyguard's gun but he wouldn't give it to him so at the next station they all had to get off even though they'd paid the full and proper fare.
He said J Lo was very impressed with him. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 10:27:38 AM |
the body guards surrounded him and told him to back off, one even let him see that he had a gun in his holster.
And you were gullible enough to believe that story? 
There is no way on Earth that anyone apart from specially licenced and trained police officers and maybe 'secret service' agents (and I'm not even sure about that!) would be allowed to walk the streets armed with a gun!
The 'British Rail Official' was a bloody idiot for not calling the Police there and then, I'm sure they would have been very interested. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 10:35:47 AM |
There is no way on Earth that anyone apart from specially licenced and trained police officers and maybe 'secret service' agents (and I'm not even sure about that!) would be allowed to walk the streets armed with a gun!
Is it not possible for some people to get special dispensation when they are guarding the lives of famous people? | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 10:37:47 AM |
J-Lo and Puff Daddy on a British Rail train? Yeah right
I don't know why you find that so hard to believe. Famous people do travel on trains you know. I sat opposite that bloke who played Tinker out of Lovejoy on a recent trip to Hastings. And to top it off the ticket inspector looked a bit like Barry Chuckle. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 11:05:01 AM | I get free train travel if i ask for it..but i avoid at all costs cos the whole system is soo f**ked up and complicated.
Most of the smaller stations are muck holes and the transport plod are nowhere to be seen when trouble kicks off.
Much quicker and easier to jump in the car an drive.
I used to enjoy travelling by train but not now...oh deffo not now. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 11:33:44 AM | | I always check to see if I can break the journey - have done it three times now - always 'changing' at York but still staying on same train - sometimes a different seat but I have been lucky on last 2 that I had same seat reservation for both parts of my journey :-) Well worth checking it out :-) | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 1:17:57 PM | | I'd just like to say 'congratulations' to 'Sarcastic Spice' for fielding so many answers so politely, knowledgeably and intelligently. Ever thought of a career in PR mate? You might find you have a forte for it. If the rest of the rail network was run as intelligently as you responded to all the stuff on here in your spare time, it would be a much better thing. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 1:26:08 PM | | one sunday at 11am i booked a return i said i was getting the early train at 630 as i was going to sit a marine exam, next day when i was on train the inspecter said i had yesterdays ticket i said thats right i bought it yesterday , he said it was only valid yesterday, so i can i get a 630 at 11am , at night it would be 1830, i had to buy a single , funny thou the return was valid anytime for a month, he could have used common sense and let me used my ticket, he said i could claim the single back, i took the receipt to the office i got my refund. if someone had done the reverse jorney there return would have been valid for a month, it would be easy to buy the ticket valid anytime for a month | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 2:13:32 PM |
Is it not possible for some people to get special dispensation when they are guarding the lives of famous people?
Absolutely not!
Visiting Heads of State are, at the discretion of the Secretary of State, allowed their own armed bodyguards, but they have to work very closely with the Diplomatic Protection Squad or Special Branch. Where, for argument's sake, the President of America would normally travel with a couple of hundred armed Close Protection personnel, only a very few of those would be allowed to carry arms on a Presidential visit to the UK.
Other people's bodyguards have to hand in any guns on arrival in the UK. They are not even allowed to carry what could be classed as an offensive weapon such as a truncheon or baton. The sort of thugs that J Lo and Puff Daddy would be likely to employ would find themselves under arrest for carrying a chocolate eclair!
Your Uncle was pulling your pud! | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 2:17:56 PM |
I'd just like to say 'congratulations' to 'Sarcastic Spice' for fielding so many answers so politely, knowledgeably and intelligently. Ever thought of a career in PR mate? You might find you have a forte for it. If the rest of the rail network was run as intelligently as you responded to all the stuff on here in your spare time, it would be a much better thing.
no worries mate..... being in the industry you do hear a lot of misconceptions... and I have always wanted to just put the other side for a change, I am not saying that everything is right... but from originally working in customer realtions and working in the departments that i do (assisted travel and european travel) the people at the other end of the phones do try to help as much as we can......
if anyone has any problems or queries just pm me and I'll try to help as much as i can.. or point you in the direction of someone who can..... | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/9/2009 2:56:32 PM | As above post said its often better to do "split tickets" especially when part of the journey is at peak times. When travelling from Sheffield to Brum its cheaper to buy single tickets from Sheffield to Derby at peak rate then one from Derby to Brum at non-peak rates same when going back.
Crazy at it seems it does offer better savings than a return tickets for the full journey. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/17/2009 12:55:49 AM | Single from Newcastle to Ely or Cambridge... £74.50. No "advance" tickets as there are two different train companies involved. Advance single from Newcastle to London only £9.50 - buy this and just get off at Peterborough, throw the ticket away, and buy a £7.40 single from Peterborough to Ely! Total just £16.90!!
I do this via a great little station in a place called Chester le Street, which is independent and fully staffed, and where they sell you "on line" tickets, not train company tickets. Anyone in the North East should use this service - it's called "Chester le Track". You can book tickets from anywhere to anywhere, in any combination. It's always cheaper than the through fare! | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/17/2009 11:40:47 AM | I bought a return overnight ticket on Saturday. I checked it yesterday to make sure I wasn't throwing away the return ticket and it was valid up until mid September!
I'm sure I haven't seen that before.
Wish I hadn't had to go to work today and could have stayed put longer... | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/19/2009 7:07:48 AM | I'm going to Manchester later in the year, the cheapest single fare I could get at the time I wanted to travel was 35 quid. However if I split my journey into Motherwell-Carlisle and Carlisle-Manchester, I could get there for 16. Which also meant less changes of trains that the Motherwell-Manchester route.
On the way back, the cheapest single fare was 52 pounds, from Manchester Picadilly to Motherwell, however, if I bought a ticket from Manchester to Glasgow and then paid 3 quid to get back to Motherwell, it cost 15 pounds.
If you have time to sit and go through all the possible routes, then you'll probably get a cheap fare, just that most people don't realise that if you vary your journey slightly or split your journey up, you'll pay much less.
It's not really encouraging people to use the railways by making the price structure so complicated, by tweaking your journey slightly you can often make decent savings. | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/19/2009 4:26:10 PM | A link about advice given from staff when people are inquiring about the cheapest fares.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090819/tuk-advice-on-cheapest-fares-is-poor-6323e80.html | |
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| Return ticket? Not for different days you carnt!
Posted: 8/19/2009 4:54:03 PM |
there are only 3 sorts of tickets now actually on sale in the uk
Advance..... bought in advance, explanation simple
Off-peak..... to travel well...off peak... general rule after 9-9.30am
Anytime...... to travel anytime.......
actually there must a fourth....
cheap day return. You have to travel to and from on the same day but it usually works out just a few pence more than the single.
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