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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think if you don't have your railcard then of course your ticket is invalid

79 replies

nicolasturgeonGRTRtheresamay · 08/09/2017 12:31

twitter.com/AndyGbootneck/status/905790014927364097

Guy lost his wallet and so the train staff told him to buy a new ticket as it wasn't valid. He couldn't as didn't have his wallet. But he's blaming the staff.

Surely they are just following procedure?

This is why it's good to keep a second card outside of your wallet or purse or save a card to your phone. Maybe there should be an emergency ticket type system. Virgin are refunding the extra ticket bought so it's all fine in the end.

OP posts:
cowgirlsareforever · 08/09/2017 14:58

He'd had his wallet stolen. He was a victim of crime.

steppemum · 08/09/2017 15:03

nicola - I have no idea about disbaled rail cards, but the young person's railcard is free. It is just a proof that you are under 16.

The school uniform is a bit of a give away too....

Original poster
nicolasturgeonGRTRtheresamay · 08/09/2017 15:08

Free? Do you just mean a child's ticket?

A 16-25 rail card certainly isn't free you have to buy it just like the disabled rail card.

I have a family member with a very proovable disability. But she doesn't have a blue badge and as I follow the rules I don't park in a disabled bay, even though it would make life much easier, and then point out the disability to a traffic warden for giving a ticket.

OP posts:
BannedFromNarnia · 08/09/2017 15:08

It's an appalling way to treat anyone and the complaint has rightfully been upheld. This wasn't a 'I forgot' issue, this was a 'I was mugged and now you're creating a nightmare for me' issue. All of it could have easily been sorted out with the application of a little kindness and common sense instead of powertripping jobsworthness.

Poshjock · 08/09/2017 15:11

I have seen and heard of many servicemen/women having to stump up because they didn't have their Forces Railcard at hand when ticket checked on the train, despite having their Service ID card on them. It does say when booking via 3rd party rail Apps that you MUST have your rail card with you during the travel to claim your discount. You do have to pay for railcards in some cases which is maybe why it needs to be shown along with the ticket.

IMO In cases where it is obvious they are entitled to the rail card then discretion should be exercised.

reetgood · 08/09/2017 15:13

Train managers have discretion, I can't see why it wasn't more sensible to use here:

man presents with valid ticket but no disability railcard
man has had wallet stolen so can't buy new ticket. perhaps he might REALLY be telling the truth. Escalating the situation cost Virgin Trains more than taking a view, I'm sure.

They've got form for bone headedly sticking to procedure without using the discretion they've been allowed though www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3172548/Commuter-threatened-with-arrest-for-helping-elderly-passenger.html

My sister has a lovely momento of our grandmother's funeral in the form of a picture of her in tears on a new young person's rail pass. She arrived at the station to realise she'd forgotten her pass. The station staff managed to get her a new pass and she literally made it on to the platform as the train pulled in. We knew there was no chance they'd use discretion in the circumstances. This is definitely confirmed by this story!

CrochetBelle · 08/09/2017 15:13

Did anyone read the tweets? He wasn't "mugged", he wasn't "robbed" - he left his wallet on the table. He admits it was his own fault.

But the train company/representative was being a douche.

cowgirlsareforever · 08/09/2017 15:14

I think everybody knows the rules about having your railcard with you in order to claim the discount.
This however, for those still not grasping it, was an extraordinary situation where the passenger had just had his wallet stolen, containing the railcard.

cowgirlsareforever · 08/09/2017 15:16

He says stolen on the footage. I don't have twitter so don't know the exact circumstances. In any event he knew he should have had it but it was lost/stolen.

TheFirstMrsDV · 08/09/2017 15:17

But she doesn't have a blue badge and as I follow the rules I don't park in a disabled bay, even though it would make life much easier, and then point out the disability to a traffic warden for giving a ticket

Wtf has this got to do with anything?
You sound like you want a medal for not parking in a BB space.
Even though it would make YOUR life easier if you did.

You have very odd thought processes.

Original poster
nicolasturgeonGRTRtheresamay · 08/09/2017 15:19

Again you have to pay for the forces rail card. So prooving you are in the forces doesn't proove you have a valid railcard.

I'm probably triggered by this as when I used to work in retail every single fucking day there would be some entitled prick demanding to get a "student discount" even though we didn't do a student discount we did a NUS discount. I just endend up declining immediately if people didn't have it.

OP posts:
TheFirstMrsDV · 08/09/2017 15:20

I'm probably triggered

OMG ha ha ha

reetgood · 08/09/2017 15:22

@nicolasturgeon you get why this was different though? Asking for a discount is a bit different to having had your pass stolen...

TSSDNCOP · 08/09/2017 15:24

Triggered ffs.

blacksax · 08/09/2017 15:25

I was collecting my dd (aged 16) from the station at the end of term a while ago and unbeknown to her the student railcard had expired the day before. She's always carried it with her, and naturally, this day was the one and only time she'd ever been stopped and had it checked.

The woman at the station barrier who stopped her was very aggressive, truly nasty to her and treated her like a criminal, and dd was frantic and in absolute floods of tears. What made it worse was that there were two police officers who happened to be standing there looking on which scared the wits out of dd. Just as well I was there to see the commotion, hear what was said, comfort dd (and to pay the fine) and to deal with this dictatorial piece of work who was going out of her way to be obnoxious.

It was plainly obvious that dd had made a genuine mistake, and that she was only young. She could have been treated with kindness. There had been no need to grab her by the arm, drag her all the way across the ticket hall, force her into a corner and intimidate her in front of hundreds of commuters. But this person was horrible, not just to her, but to me as well when I went over to sort everything out.

Bitch.

Ceto · 08/09/2017 15:29

Why are you making such an issue of this when the train company fully accepts they were in the wrong, OP?

And "prove" is spelt with one o, by the way.

ajandjjmum · 08/09/2017 15:30

There is little humanity amongst the train managers.

We have travelled extensively to and from London for medical appointments when DS was younger. Sometimes these were quick, sometimes they took forever. Open return tickets cost a fortune so I'd take a guess and on a few occasions missed trains. Despite showing the GOSH appt. letter and explaining the over-run, we nearly always had to buy new tickets.

lalalalyra · 08/09/2017 15:56

Train managers are very hit and miss I find.

Some are lovely and can't do enough for you.

Some are just a pita. One even once questioned the validity of my relative's card on the basis she didn't look disabled. Even when told that she qualified due to having high level pip because of terminal cancer (and struggling to walk big time because of pain) he was a sarcastic fucker who said "oh, really?" like he didn't believe. Virgin, to be fair, dealt with that complaint very quickly. It was awful, and there's no way that man would have helped anyone in the man's situation unless they were his version of disabled.

Areyoulocal · 08/09/2017 15:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Areyoulocal · 08/09/2017 16:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OlennasWimple · 08/09/2017 16:05

there is an emergency ticket procedure (or there used to be when I was commuting into Euston regularly). You go to the ticket barrier on arrival, explain to the rail person stood by the accessible barrier (there is always someone there) that you have lost / forgotten your ticket, they take down your details and issue you with a piece of paper that you can use to travel on that day. You then take it to a station when you have the means to pay the outstanding fare or produce your railcard to demonstrate that you do not need to pay

WomblingThree · 08/09/2017 16:07

Chouetted do you get a discount for being a wheelchair user? I've never got one.

It's ridiculous in this day and age that railcards don't have serial numbers that can be linked to your ticket and therefore your account. It would save all sorts of trouble.

alltouchedout · 08/09/2017 16:14

What's wrong with extending a bit of kindness to someone who's already had the misfortune of losing his wallet/ having it stolen (I'm not clear on which of those it is)?

MerlinsScarf · 08/09/2017 16:19

Wombling I find this strange too, are they worried about passengers sharing their code with friends or family perhaps? Surely if they could bring up a digital record with photo it would be fairly reliable.

RedBlackberries · 08/09/2017 16:19

What a disgusting way to treat someone. No room for common sense or compassion Angry

I'm not surprised though. I've had to deal with some unbelievably pig headed rail workers before. Blindly following 'rules' without engaging brain.

I've worked all my life in public facing jobs and still manage to be kind and take each person as an individual.