To think he didn't need to charge me

[memorial]

Yesterday I travelled from Cardiff to London for a birthday treat to see Hugh Jackman bought for me by my sister.
I bought my train tickets in advance at £50.
We had a wonderful time though the £20 train ticket back to my sister's house was galling. And again this morning back to London.
I left my sister's house in plenty of time (according to TFL planner). But of course the train was stuck at a red light for 10/15 mins and the tubes were awfully slow.
I raced into the station just to see the train doors closing. Never mind I think it's super off peak midweek I'll get the next train in half an hour.
So I do. Scan my ticket at the gates and settle down for the journey. A busy but not full train with no seat reservations.
About 10 mins in a rather brusque ticket collector comes round. I show him my ticket and he gets quite aggressive loudly telling me I need to buy a ticket. I am genuinely gobsmacked and explain what happened.
He points out (rudely and very loudly) that my ticket was an advance single and only valid on the train I missed.
I am very apologetic and say I usually buy a super off peak and didn't even realise this and again explain how I just missed the train.
He again very loudly and rudely says I can buy a ticket or get off with a fine. He really is talking to me like I am a criminal fare dodger.
So I pay another £50 close to tears. What a horrible end to a lovely birthday treat.
So while I accept that my ticket wasn't valid, did he really need to be so rude and aggressive and surely he could have used a bit of discretion. I clearly wasn't trying to take the piss.
Feeling really sad and disappointed. Have spent £140 on train tickets plus tube and feel like a naughty school child.

Where the fuck were you staying ?

Sounds awful, I certainly wouldnt be visiting a country like that more than onece

@rufusthebewilderedreindeer. It was the "we are better than everyone else attitude in England that I really could not stand". There is no need for that kind of attitude. I witnessed so much racism in a short amount of time I wa shocked

Can't believe the number of people on here who 'say' they would just bend over graciously and let the train company shaft them even more.

You've already paid an extortionate price for a ticket on an awful service. How fucking dare they charge you again or threaten to chuck you off the train!

He could have used a little discretion, a little brains, a little kindness. You'd obviously already paid for a ticket, and missed the train due to delays on another train.

Complain complain complain.

And Happy Birthday I'm sure Hugh Jackman made it all worth it

@rufusthebewilderedreindere I am shocked if you do not think that racism is a problem in your country. There was an English footballer who just said he gets called a monkey every match

Do point out where i said that there isn’t racism in england

If it helps....i didnt say it

I actually said it sounds awful

‘How does he know you bought the wrong ticket?’

I one saw this happen on a train. A nice middle aged lady (eloquent and articulate) and a red, round and angry little ticket man.

“How do I know you just ‘got the wrong train’”

• 🤔 “...Because I have a ticket for the train that left 15 minutes ago (over two hour journey) and I’m right here. So unless I’m in two places at once 🙌🏻“

Also think it’s VERY convenient how ticket collectors are super happy to fight over a slightly incorrect ticket... but the moment seat reservations are all cancelled - or the train is dangerously over crowded.... you wouldn’t even know ticket collectors existed!

@butchyrestingface eh everyone. I really do not like the class system in England

How... very ... odd. I’m in Scotland but do travel to England a fair bit and am trying to think of any time I’ve ever had a conversation with someone expressing those views. Drawing a blank here. And yet according to you it was “everyone”. 🤷‍♀️

Every country has a class system. Every country has an element of the population who are racist. Many countries have immigration laws that are explicitly racist (I'm including the UK in this). I don't know that the UK is the worst for this, although it's definitely not the best.

Agree with you about UK public transport though. It's shocking.

Your ticket was invalid so he was not wrong and pointed out your options. Hardly the end of the world is it?

I am surprised that there are so many perfect people on this thread who haven’t ever made a mistake or if they have are quite willing to hand over a lot of money for something they had already paid for.

Sometimes it would help if people did use common sense.

It wasn’t like op was on a rush hour train or a particularly busy train.

It is these little things that drive people off public transport and back into cars.

I work in a shop

So there seem to be a number of posters that seem to be very happy with the idea that i can yell at them and be aggressive as long i am doing my job

Is that right?

Cos if so ive got this customer service bit completely wrong!

OP you're getting a lot of flak on this thread, but I don't think yabu. Train ticketing/prices in the UK are so bloody confusing at the best of times and there must have been something the inspector could have done to help you, especially as you were on the very next train. He certainly didn't need to be so aggressive and I would definitely complain.

Did you scan your ticket at the gates after your correct train had departed? In all honesty, it was no longer a valid ticket at that point and therefore the barriers shouldn't have let you through. I once got fined for using a travelcard on a route that it wasn't valid on, but I successfully won my appeal as the electronic barrier had let me through with said ticket.

Rufus, you should definitely be more aggressive.

Next time some nice middle aged boomer asks you where the tungsten screws are, get right in her face and shout at her that she failed to read the aisle signs, punch her on the nose and then charge her twice for them. After all, sometimes people are rude to you yourself so fair's fair.

That would be fucking awesome harold

Ive just handed my notice in so i might give it a go

I work on the railway... personally if it was me, and you come and spoke to me about the matter I would of let you on, but unfortunately some conductors/managers wouldn't.... as advance tickets can only be used on that train... only time you can get on another as if yours is cancelled.

Excellent. That'll show her, the entitled bastard.

If you weren't a middle aged frump, but a young fit slim blonde, you might have been treated differently.

Curly. Yes the electronic scanners happily accepted my ticket AFTER my train had left. Another reason why I didn't look at it and didn't realise I couldn't travel.

You should be able to reclaim the price of the unused ticket though.

I am a middle class frumpy professional. I was speaking quietly and calmly and not being difficult at all. He was really unpleasant.

Well, thats why he was unpleasant, because he could be, because he knew he could get away with it. I thought it was laughable when someone up thread said it wouldn't matter if you were a tattooed yob. Yes it would, the yob would simply take a seat and get to his destination, because if not, there'd be hell to pay. But a meek and frumpy middle aged woman? Yep, they are fair game.

OP you have my sympathies as you had a valid reason for missing your train and I hope you get compensation.

AnnabelleBronstein I’m shocked that you pay £65 return each day to get to work!

YABU, it's his job to check tickets and if you don't have a valid ticket to either sell you one or fine and remove from train. He can't use his discretion or let you off, he'd get trouble if he did.
However he should also act professionally and not shout or be aggressive.

YABU to bring class into it

OP if you really feel he was rude then complain, if it was Virgin trains it's really easy to do online.

However, I get a train every week (Virgin, cross country, 2hours one way). I usually buy 1st class and the number of 'middle class' passengers in work attire that argue about their ticket being valid (usually advances at wrong times) drives me insane, I usually end up with sympathy for the train manager.

If you think he was rude - complain. If you don't feel strongly enough to complain, try to forget it. Hope apart from this journey you had a lovely birthday.