To think it's your responsibility to check you have the right ticket?

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

Just listened to a bloke get shirty with the train guard - he had an advance ticket for a different train, not valid on this service, so he had to pay full price.

It isn't the guard's fault - it says quite clearly that the ticket is only valid on a particular train. And no point complaining about cost - trains are pricey, that's why people buy advance tickets!

Every time I have travelled by train recently I have heard the same bloody argument!

[ImTooHecsyForYourParty]

some people are as thick as mince.

[LynetteScavo]

YABU, just because I thought an expensive Virgin ticket would be valid on a cheap midland whatever train. (DH told me afterwards it wasn't, even though I'd had to stand.) It should be. So ner.

And once I forgot how to read the 24 hour clock and tried to get on a plain at 10.30pm instead of 8.30pm. I can't quite believe I've actually admitted this on a public forum

[ArbitraryUsername]

Yes, he should have known. But is an absolute scandal how much you have to pay for a train ticket with any flexibility.

[LynetteScavo]

[ImTooHecsyForYourParty]

sorry lynette.

[Xiaoxiong]

It's not the guard's fault, but equally, it's so easy to balls these things up even when you check and check again.

There are two stations in Windsor, approximately 100m from each other: Windsor & Eton Riverside, and Windsor & Eton Central. One is a Southwest trains line, one is FGW. Both go to London (Waterloo and Paddington respectively). However, the signage in each station is all twee and lovely with just a tasteful National Rail symbol outside.

The number of totally flummoxed tourists who have bought tickets to "London terminals" who are told by a totally unsympathetic guard that they cannot get on at this station to go to London but have to either buy another ticket at £17.50 each, or sprint 100m down the road to get on one of the two trains an hour at that station, also to go to London...I do feel bad for them

[SomethingsUp]

I've been on wrong trains before, I am generally very apologetic as it is usually because I've been confused and was struggling to find the correct train.

They've always been really good to me, no extra charges or anything.

[edam]

Train tickets are a con - ludicrously expensive and hideously complicated. Back in the days of British Rail my Dad re-opened an entire station - Birmingham Snow Hill - for the same amount of money it would cost you to get a footbridge built these days.

[LynetteScavo]

It's OK, Hecsy, I can't actually believe I was so ridiculous myself. In my defense I was young, and was made to wait for the next 'plane at 6am....and I still struggle to spell 'plane properly, which make me officially thick as mince.

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

He was in first class so presumably not on the breadline.

I was only in first class because a) advance ticket cheaper than standard and b) someone else is paying

The best bit was when he demanded 'Can I speak to someone on the train about this who is senior?' And the guard replied 'you can speak to me, because I'm in charge of this train'.

[WafflyVersatile]

you should check your ticket and if you do get it wrong you should have the good grace and lack of arrogance to not blame the guard for it. Everyone makes mistakes and if he didn't act like such a spoilt, bad-tempered arrogant twat he might have had a more pleasant journey.

I bet he knew he was on the wrong train too, just doesn't think the rules should apply to him, hence making a scene about it and feigning indignance.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

I feel sorry for the train conductors, some people speak to them like shit.

A conductor on a FGW train last week was so bloody nice ( very kind to an elderly lady confused by the tickets) that I emailed FGW to say how wonderful he was, they responded and said they would pass on the comments. They were probably amazed to get such good feedback,

[Monty27]

I do think though that when people buy a ticket, the ticket vendor doesn't listen properly and passengers are sometimes sold tickets that are unsuitable to their needs.

Buying a train ticket has become a science grrrr . Not that I have had 'the wrong ticket' myself, but I use a mainline London station every night and hear it all the time. In fact, probably every day.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

That sounded arrogant, what I meant to say that they are probably used to getting just complaints.

God I am sick of that train and am very thankful I don't have to pay for it personally. 156 quid anytime return.

[PatPig]

You do have to get on the right train on an advance ticket. If you get on the wrong one you will be charged. This seems fair,because nobody forced you to buy an advance ticket in the first place - flexible ones are available.

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

tickets can be so complicated, it's easy to make mistakes.

yyy not good to have a go at the staff but not surprising that people get riled.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

That said every train I have been on always says that advance tickets must be for that particular train. So people do have plenty of warning, and it does say it all over the ticket.

[piratecat]

am quite sure people use their advance purchased ones thinking they might get away with it. maybe some do. silly to chance it though.

[Naoko]

The ironic thing is that if you just admit you missed your named-on-ticket train and you're very sorry when you get onto the next one, the guard will almost always tell you it's fine. Have punctuality issues, I should know.... So if he hadn't been such a knob about it he'd probably have gotten away with it.

[Walkacrossthesand]

I went to London for an overnight trip, bought my ticket from the automatic machine and accidentally bought a cheap day return rather than an ordinary return (only a couple of quid difference in price, off peak). Didn't realise until the platform turnstile rejected my ticket on the homeward journey - had to buy a single, which almost doubled the cost of my trip. Won't make that mistake again...

[Mrsdavidcaruso]

Sorry Bander but you cant blame a Train Manager for not showing compassion if you make a mistake, My BIL is a TM and on certain routes
will have to deal with 20-30 passengers on a single journey who all say they made a 'mistake' he even has people who made a 'mistake' on the same train the week before and who assumes my BIL is too thick to recognise them.

Dont Blame the TMs for not showing compassion, blame the small minority of passengers who set out to defraud the train companies and give the honest passengers who have made a mistake a bad rep

[squoosh]

YABVU

The train companies make buying the correct ticket deliberately complicated, they also make the buying of the most cost effective tickets deliberately complicated. I despise their sneaky tactics.

As for the general cost of train ticktes, extortionate.

I firmly believe that scam like tactics go on.

Once again, YABVU.

[FudgeyCookie]

I don't think scam like tactics go on

DP is a booking office clerk for SWT. The amount of shit he gets from customers about ticket prices is apalling! Everyone I have seen at a SWT and also a FGW ticket office has tried to help as much as possible - sometimes tickets are cheaper if broken up eg start destination to a station further up the line, then another ticket from that station to your final destination. Of say more helpful then scam like!

Also, people are rude. No thank yous, no pleases, try web argue that they looked up the train fare three or four weeks ago and it was cheaper - that's an advance ticket then my friend!

[TimeForADrink]

I think if everyone saw a breakdown of their ticket price they'd realise how much it costs to run the oldest railway in the world - infrastructure, track access charges, rail staff, engineering contractors, emergency money for when things go wrong (i.e. all the track that was washed away twice in two days at Cowley Bridge last year), dragging stations into the 21st century and restoring them sympathetically to undo the horrendous mistakes of the past (Birmingham New St and Kings Cross spring to mind), plus upgrading and compensating for a total lack of investment previously which means some infrastructure is knackered early on - we had an epidemic of not investing properly in long-lasting infrastructure in the 20th century.

Plus delay minutes - did anyone see that BBC documentary and how much delay minutes cost? It's a good stick (in the sense that people will do anything to avoid getting delays) but it costs an arm and a leg.

And I'm sure there's loads more I've forgotten... how about fixing vandalism? People breaking fences, throwing stones at train drivers (delay, cost of fixing windscreen), graffiti... the list is endless, sadly.