Ticket On Departure (TOD) and charging of tickets bought online

[Jackofspades]

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/sjpn-issued-merseyrail.223712/

*if the ticket was one that needed collection via a collection code then this would make no difference as you can buy one with a virtually empty bank account and payment is only taken once printed therefore not purchased until collected, mentions in terms and conditions when you press pay that it must be collected prior to boarding, and even a barcode ticket must be purchased before boarding.

 

[Haywain]

if the ticket was one that needed collection via a collection code then this would make no difference as you can buy one with a virtually empty bank account and payment is only taken once printed therefore not purchased until collected

This is complete nonsense. Payment is taken at the point of sale and is taken regardless of the ticket being collected. That, however, does not remove the requirement to show the ticket when requested.

 

[Deafdoggie]

*if the ticket was one that needed collection via a collection code then this would make no difference as you can buy one with a virtually empty bank account and payment is only taken once printed therefore not purchased until collected,

TOD tickets definitely take the money on purchase. Some websites refund if you don't collect them, if they hadn't taken the money this is either impossible or you'd make a profit. Also, the bank authorisation takes place at purchase, not collection. In some cases you don't even need a bank card to collect.

 

[WesternLancer]

In some cases you don't even need a bank card to collect.

Yes, before e-tickets were used my employer would buy tickets for staff (or the authorised member of staff to use the firm's bank card would but them) she would then tell me they were ready to collect. The station was across the road from my office, all I needed to do was go to the station and insert my own bank card (which had not been used to buy the ticket) to get the ticket paid for by my employer. Any probs the ticket office would print the ticket using the info on the purchase confirmation IIRC,without any recourse to my bank card or any other bank card. Clearly the money was never deducted from my personal bank account.

 

[Jackofspades]

This is complete nonsense. Payment is taken at the point of sale and is taken regardless of the ticket being collected. That, however, does not remove the requirement to show the ticket when requested.

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket. Unfortunately it is rife

TOD tickets definitely take the money on purchase. Some websites refund if you don't collect them, if they hadn't taken the money this is either impossible or you'd make a profit. Also, the bank authorisation takes place at purchase, not collection. In some cases you don't even need a bank card to collect.

Only in account as pending until it is collected, if not collected then it’s assumed ticket was unused and refunded. Unless it’s a barcode but definitely TODs

 

[Haywain]

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket.

You are absolutely wrong. Very much my area of work and has been for many years.

 

[221129]

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket.

Not even close to being correct.

 

[Deafdoggie]

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket. Unfortunately it is rife


Only in account as pending until it is collected, if not collected then it’s assumed ticket was unused and refunded. Unless it’s a barcode but definitely TODs

Utter nonsense. That's not how pending payments work at all! You must have the full amount pending in your available balance before it can be pending. The payment clears to paid after 3-5 banking days. This happens regardless of when or if tickets are collected. The pending doesn't take longer if you take months to collect your tickets, nor shorter if you collect them straight away. If you speak to any bank they'll tell you, it's not secret, it's not about insider knowledge, it's standard banking practise.

 

[miklcct]

Utter nonsense. That's not how pending payments work at all! You must have the full amount pending in your available balance before it can be pending. The payment clears to paid after 3-5 banking days. This happens regardless of when or if tickets are collected. The pending doesn't take longer if you take months to collect your tickets, nor shorter if you collect them straight away. If you speak to any bank they'll tell you, it's not secret, it's not about insider knowledge, it's standard banking practise.

Standard banking practice also tells that, for an authorisation of online shopping mailed order, the payment shouldn't be taken before it is mailed. The standard practice is to take the authorisation for the full amount, but it is only settled when the product is shipped. I'm not sure how it works for click-to-collect orders though (whether it should be charged when it is "ready for collection" or "when it is collected").

 

[yorkie]

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket. Unfortunately it is rife

Which company do you think does this?

 

[island]

I have never experienced anything other than being charged for train tickets at the point of booking, in over 15 years of train travel and thousands of journeys.

Given that tickets can be booked 12 weeks in advance (yes yes sometimes it's more or less, work with me), I cannot conceive of an organisation that would take the risk of the purchaser's account being empty at collection time, for purchasers who are general public. It might I suppose be possible that a very large company has a bespoke arrangement with a ticket provider to indemnify them against unpaid tickets ordered by their employees against corporate credit cards.

Otherwise I am afraid Jackofspades is making things up out of whole cloth.

 

[Deafdoggie]

IF this was happening on the railway, everyone would book multiple cheap advances for journeys, only collect the one they need on the day and happily get the rest "refunded" or, more accurately, not charged.

Standard banking practice also tells that, for an authorisation of online shopping mailed order, the payment shouldn't be taken before it is mailed. The standard practice is to take the authorisation for the full amount, but it is only settled when the product is shipped. I'm not sure how it works for click-to-collect orders though (whether it should be charged when it is "ready for collection" or "when it is collected").

Supermarkets do this as the cost can vary, and be different from what you ordered and what is actually picked on the day. However, You still need the authorised amount in your account on the day of the order. It's charged when picked, as that's when the final amount is known. It's totally different to a rail ticket. And with supermarkets it's a "pre-authorisation" payment, not a "pending" payment.

 

[Wallsendmag]

The payment is only pending in your account, if the ticket is not collected then it gets refunded to your account as it’s assumed the ticket was unused, not nonsense at all, I deal with them everyday at work and have seen the back office for TODs and like many pending amounts, you can have £5 in your account and buy a £20 ticket. Unfortunately it is rife


Only in account as pending until it is collected, if not collected then it’s assumed ticket was unused and refunded. Unless it’s a barcode but definitely TODs

Seriously, listen to the people who know how this works