Sold more expensive ticket

[planto]

I recently made a day trip, for which i bought a ticket from the ticket office. I asked for a day return, but was sold and charged for an open return which was about £10 more. Can I get the overcharged amount back

 

[Wallsendmag]

Have you got the dates time and journey details ?

 

[planto]

return trip Oakham to Birmingham on a weekday departing after 10 (so off peak) returning 5pm

 

[tspaul26]

return trip Oakham to Birmingham on a weekday departing after 10 (so off peak) returning 5pm

The Off-peak Day Return has an afternoon time restriction during the week so the Off-peak Return was the appropriate fare for your journeys.

 

[planto]

Yes the guy at the ticket office knew I was coming back in the restricted afternoon period and gave me an open return, but if I go on Trainline it says I could have done that with a day return. The open return cost me £10 more

 

[yorkie]

Yes the guy at the ticket office knew I was coming back in the restricted afternoon period and gave me an open return, but if I go on Trainline it says I could have done that with a day return. The open return cost me £10 more

What times exactly did you intend to travel / actualy travel?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@planto. If you were intending on travelling back to Oakham between 1530 and 1815 (Mon-Fri) then you would need the £33.80 Off Peak Return (which is what you were presumably sold) not the £23.70 Off Peak Day Return. This would mean your not being able to use the cheaper ticket on the 1622, 1652, and 1722 departures back from Birmingham New Street to Oakham with XC.

 

[tspaul26]

Yes the guy at the ticket office knew I was coming back in the restricted afternoon period and gave me an open return, but if I go on Trainline it says I could have done that with a day return. The open return cost me £10 more

Having just checked, the Trainline website correctly quotes the Off-Peak Return fare if travelling on the afternoon departures which are restricted on the Off-peak Day Return.

 

[AlterEgo]

The ticket sold was the cheapest appropriate fare for the journey being made I'm afraid.

 

[wilbers]

Correct decision by the ticket office then, though it would have been helpful if they had told you at the time so you would have had an informed option of buying that ticket, or getting the cheaper ticket and returning a little later than originally planned.

 

[planto]

the ticket I was sold was an open return (valid for return any time up to a month later) which worked out more expensive than the normal day return which presumably would have let me travel back on the peak trains (even though I travelled out on the off peak train on the outward leg)

the ticket I was sold was an open return (valid for return any time up to a month later) which worked out more expensive than the normal day return which presumably would have let me travel back on the peak trains (even though I travelled out on the off peak train on the outward leg)

I think it is called an anytime return

 

[rg177]

There's no day return fare (such as an Anytime Day Return) which would have been valid for the journey that you wanted to make.

You can either have an Off-Peak Day Return (valid to travel out after 0930, no return travel between 1530-1815), Off-Peak Return (valid after 0930), or Anytime Return (no restrictions).

You were sold the Off-Peak Return (if it's around £10 more as you say) which is the correct fare for the time you were returning.

The Anytime Return is much higher at £54.60 - I assume you weren't sold one of those.

 

[MrJeeves]

the ticket I was sold was an open return (valid for return any time up to a month later)

Well no, any time within the ticket's restrictions if it was the off peak open return (2V):

Outward Travel & Return Travel​
Monday to Friday​
Not valid for trains scheduled to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30.

which worked out more expensive than the normal day return which presumably would have let me travel back on the peak trains (even though I travelled out on the off peak train on the outward leg)

No, as everyone else already said, it wouldn't.

Its restriction code is BX which is:

Outward Travel & Return Travel​
Restricted Days: Monday to Friday​
Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30 or between 15:30 - 18:15 inclusive.

You, quite literally, could not travel back from Birmingham at 5pm like you wanted to.

I think it is called an anytime return

There is no Anytime Day Return ticket for this journey. There is an Anytime period return at £54.60.

 

[planto]

The

There's no day return fare (such as an Anytime Day Return) which would have been valid for the journey that you wanted to make.

You can either have an Off-Peak Day Return (valid to travel out after 0930, no return travel between 1530-1815), Off-Peak Return (valid after 0930), or Anytime Return (no restrictions).

You were sold the Off-Peak Return (if it's around £10 more as you say) which is the correct fare for the time you were returning.

The Anytime Return is much higher at £54.60 - I assume you weren't sold one of those.

Yes it was an anytime return. It was about £50 but I got a third off with a Railcard.

 

[rg177]

The

Yes it was an anytime return. It was about £50 but I got a third off with a Railcard.

In that case, yes, if you were sold an Anytime Return for £36 rather than the Off-Peak Return for £22.30 then you were sold the incorrect fare.

 

[planto]

Yes I think that's the case. the day return to include the peak train on the homeward leg would have been the right ticket. It would have been £10.45 less than I got charged.

Can i get that refunded and how do I do that

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Have you got the dates time and journey details ?

return trip Oakham to Birmingham on a weekday departing after 10 (so off peak) returning 5pm

@planto. What ticket type did you get issued with exactly (including the price paid, and was this with or without railcard discount, if so what type of railcard)? Presume you travelled out from Oakham at 1021. What time train did you return on, back from Birmingham New Street to Oakham? At or around 5 pm, there would probably have been trains departing New Street at 1622, 1652 + 1722.

 

[pedr]

Yes I think that's the case. the day return to include the peak train on the homeward leg would have been the right ticket. It would have been £10.45 less than I got charged.

Can i get that refunded and how do I do that

It's helpful to be as precise as possible, since you may end up having to write to the company and confusing them will make things difficult.

It appears that there is no 'day return to include the peak train on the homeward leg'. That ticket doesn't exist. To make a return-leg journey from Oakham with full flexibility in the afternoon/evening requires a ticket called 'Off Peak Return' or 'Anytime Return'. The Anytime Return should not be sold if the outward journey is after the morning peak, or the intended return journey is on a subsequent day in the morning peak, but no Day Return ticket should be sold if you intended to come back in the afternoon peak.

Can you post a picture of the ticket you were sold (either outward or return)?

 

[planto]

It was called an anytime return Oakham to Birmingham international. It cost £33.65 with senior Railcard. The day return would have been £23.20. I went out on the 10:21& came back about 4:30, so probably a train that left Birmingham new street at 16:52. We had a discussion at the ticket office so he knew i wanted the option to come back between 3pm and 7pm

 

[MrJeeves]

The day return would have been £23.20.

The off peak period return would have been £22.30.

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

I agree you were sold a ticket more expensive than you needed. Whether this was a misunderstanding of your requirements, the validity of the ticket, or a clerical error is difficult to say.

Would be worth contacting the TOC to ask for a gesture of goodwill but I wouldn't expect a refund for the difference (at least without a fight — for all the random customer service person knows you might have asked for this ticket!).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The off peak period return would have been £22.30.

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

£23.20 with Railcard discount if the journey is Oakham to Birmingham International rather than Birmingham Stns.

 

[MrJeeves]

£23.20 with Railcard discount if the journey is Oakham to Birmingham International rather than Birmingham Stns.

Ah sorry, I had missed the update to Birmingham Intl rather than just Birmingham!

 

[planto]

Ok. I'm not sure it's that he was not understanding what I wanted, as he specifically asked what time I wanted to come back. As he was fairly new to the job maybe he didn't know there was the cheaper option available. Ok. I will try and find someone. Do I have to go via customer services or at the station?

 

[Joe Paxton]

Ok. I'm not sure it's that he was not understanding what I wanted, as he specifically asked what time I wanted to come back. As he was fairly new to the job maybe he didn't know there was the cheaper option available. Ok. I will try and find someone. Do I have to go via customer services or at the station?

I'd write to customer services. I suggest it was an honest error on the part of the ticket clerk.

When you write to them, it's best if you are as clear and consise as you can be.

To help with that, whilst you were indeed making a return on the same day, I'd strongly suggest avoiding confusion by talking about the "day return" ticket - what you should have been sold was the Off-Peak Return ticket.

(If you had been sold an Off-Peak Day Return ticket you would also have been sold the wrong ticket for your requrements, as that would not have been valid for your return leg travel in the evening.)

 

[sheff1]

The ticket sold was the cheapest appropriate fare for the journey being made I'm afraid.

It seemingly wasn't. Looks like an Anytime was sold rather than an Off Peak.

 

[Haywain]

Would be worth contacting the TOC to ask for a gesture of goodwill but I wouldn't expect a refund for the difference (at least without a fight — for all the random customer service person knows you might have asked for this ticket!).

An overcharge of this nature should be dealt with through the normal refund process, with no admin fee involved.

 

[transportphoto]

It’s worth bearing in mind that the ticket office at Oakham is operated by East Midlands Railway. The OP would be advised to contact their customer services rather than CrossCountry.

 

[Haywain]

If it's convenient, the first step should be to go back to the booking office at Oakham and ask about the refund.

 

[Andy Pacer]

As he was fairly new to the job maybe he didn't know there was the cheaper option available.

Did he tell you he was new to the job?