Unable to buy railcard at station ticket office, advice please

[Snow1964]

I have just been to my local station to buy a new two together railcard.
All the railcard leaflets say it can be bought from a staffed station.

Ticket office window was open, There was a helpful lady there, but she said she was traincrew covering and politely said couldn't use the main ticket machine to issue it. She said she was covering until Wednesday so Thursday would be earliest I can buy it.

I intend to travel Thursday, I was intending to buy my split advance tickets through this site, but now need to risk buying them without a railcard, in hope that can get railcard on Thursday morning. What happens if can't get railcard just before travel.

2 questions :
1) Do you think it is ok for the false advertising of buy from a station on railcard leaflets and rail websites, if GWR are covering ticket offices with conductors who sit in ticket offices but cannot sell railcards

2) What would you do, my gut feeling is to drive to my third nearest station and buy the railcard (the second nearest station is unmanned), but this is inconvenient.

Advice appreciated.

 

[Vespa]

They may not be trained to issue it, it is much easier to order from the railcard website, I got mine through a website it's easier to do, if it's really urgent you can get a digital railcard.

Re false advertising I think large stations with a dedicated ticketing staff may deal with it, however it's not like your normal card type rail ticket, it would have to be specially printed out on a durable plastic type card.

 

[father_jack]

The staff will probably be using a "TTK" handheld machine. It requires a fixed "STAR" ticket machine to sell railcards in a ticket office. I'm assuming it's a GWR or SWR station you are at ? There has been little or no ticket office recruitment for a long time and I am hearing there will be no further "STAR" training pending closure of all the ticket offices. Where that leaves railcards I do not know.

 

[Haywain]

Do you think it is ok for the false advertising of buy from a station on railcard leaflets and rail websites, if GWR are covering ticket offices with conductors who sit in ticket offices but cannot sell railcards

It's not false advertising. The railcard is available at ticket offices under normal circumstances, it's just that for a few days your locla station is not operating under normal circumstances. This is not ideal, but it also isn't false advertising.

 

[James H]

1) Do you think it is ok for the false advertising of buy from a station on railcard leaflets and rail websites, if GWR are covering ticket offices with conductors who sit in ticket offices but cannot sell railcards

Would you prefer they left the ticket office totally unstaffed in the absence of the normal personnel? Sounds commendable they have made an effort to maintain at least some service to the public.

 

[Snow1964]

Would you prefer they left the ticket office totally unstaffed in the absence of the normal personnel? Sounds commendable they have made an effort to maintain at least some service to the public.

I agree, but would have been more commendable if they had trained the person covering, so they could have covered the job fully.

Or they are given a book of permit to travel vouchers for anything they can't do, so customer can exchange it at a fully staffed location without query from a RPI

 

[transportphoto]

I agree, but would have been more commendable if they had trained the person covering, so they could have covered the job fully.

Or they are given a book of permit to travel vouchers for anything they can't do, so customer can exchange it at a fully staffed location without query from a RPI

My best advice would be to pass this feedback to GWR, which you can do via a number of means of communication including telephone (for an instant appraisal of next steps for you).

Our Customer Support team are ready to help and can be contacted by completing our online contact form.

Our stations and trains also carry copies of our ‘tell us your views’ forms. Just ask a member of staff and they’ll give you a copy. Completed forms can be sent to ‘Freepost GWR CUSTOMER SUPPORT’ free of charge.

The team can also be contacted by calling 03457 000 125 (06:00-23:00).

Staff are often fairly empowered to issue such authorities to travel (where required) however, given your journey isn’t until Thursday, I’d suggest it’s fairly reasonable to suggest you return to buy the railcard on Thursday.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You could go to another station, or (notwithstanding that I dislike them) you could buy an electronic one on your phone. Don't think I'd chance waiting until the day of travel.

 

[J-2739]

You could go to another station, or (notwithstanding that I dislike them) you could buy an electronic one on your phone. Don't think I'd chance waiting until the day of travel.

Neither. Also, the stress of waiting for your Railcard to be delivered is not worth it, especially if you're travelling so soon.

 

[skyhigh]

however it's not like your normal card type rail ticket, it would have to be specially printed out on a durable plastic type card.

Railcards bought at stations are not plastic printed cards. They are thermal printed in the same way as a normal card ticket.

1) Do you think it is ok for the false advertising of buy from a station on railcard leaflets and rail websites, if GWR are covering ticket offices with conductors who sit in ticket offices but cannot sell railcards

The alternative is they just shut the ticket office when there's no available staff. Then you still wouldn't be able to buy the railcard at the station. I don't see how that's any better?

 

[Joe Paxton]

I imagine many people have had the dilemma of needing to buy/renew a Railcard for an imminent trip, with the desire to wring as much validity out of it as possible so wanting to buy it as late as possible (e.g. day of travel), but being uncertain as to whether a ticket office will be open to make the purchase - or indeed whether a plastic Railcard bought online will arrive in time.

Obviously this becomes more of an issue as ticket offices opening times are gradually wound down, and the industry's answer is of course 'Digital Railcard'... but if you don't want one of them (and I'm a bit suspect too), then it's best to either plan ahead or go a little out of one's way to buy one and just swallow the fact that you might end up having a few wasted days or even a week or two of unneeded Railcard validity before your planned trip.


(I did buy a 'Digital' Network Railcard last year because there was an offer with a significant discount - the purchase price of a Network Railcards is rarely discounted, and also I felt it'd help make up for the railcards I'd held during Covid times which didn't get properly used.)

 

[contrex]

I imagine many people have had the dilemma of needing to buy/renew a Railcard for an imminent trip, with the desire to wring as much validity out of it as possible

My local station has no ticket office. Last week while in Bath I went to the ticket office at Bath Spa to renew my Senior Railcard, even though it had a whole week of validity. I said to the lady, 'I suppose I'll lose that week'. She said, 'Not at all - I'll extend the new one by 7 days', and took my old card and stapled it to the form I'd filled in. The new card indeed expires 53 weeks from the date of issue.

 

[Runningaround]

I imagine many people have had the dilemma of needing to buy/renew a Railcard for an imminent trip, with the desire to wring as much validity out of it as possible so wanting to buy it as late as possible (e.g. day of travel), but being uncertain as to whether a ticket office will be open to make the purchase - or indeed whether a plastic Railcard bought online will arrive in time.

Obviously this becomes more of an issue as ticket offices opening times are gradually wound down, and the industry's answer is of course 'Digital Railcard'... but if you don't want one of them (and I'm a bit suspect too), then it's best to either plan ahead or go a little out of one's way to buy one and just swallow the fact that you might end up having a few wasted days or even a week or two of unneeded Railcard validity before your planned trip.


(I did buy a 'Digital' Network Railcard last year because there was an offer with a significant discount - the purchase price of a Network Railcards is rarely discounted, and also I felt it'd help make up for the railcards I'd held during Covid times which didn't get properly used.)

Why cant you buy the Railcard with a choice of start date meaning you can order it well in advance of it's first use or ensuring it starts immediately after the old one ran out?

 

[Joe Paxton]

My local station has no ticket office. Last week while in Bath I went to the ticket office at Bath Spa to renew my Senior Railcard, even though it had a whole week of validity. I said to the lady, 'I suppose I'll lose that week'. She said, 'Not at all - I'll extend the new one by 7 days', and took my old card and stapled it to the form I'd filled in. The new card indeed expires 53 weeks from the date of issue.

That's great customer service. Out of interest, did you originally buy the about-to-expire railcard from Bath Spa or another GWR station?

I assume what the ticket clerk did would not be possible with a plastic (delivered by post) railcard.

 

[Starmill]

That's great customer service. Out of interest, did you originally buy the about-to-expire railcard from Bath Spa or another GWR station?

I assume what the ticket clerk did would not be possible with a plastic (delivered by post) railcard.

It's standard procedure to issue renewals up to fourteen days in advance for physical cards at stations. Online issues may be renewed online thirty days in advance, though it's unlikely that this will be done at a station. Some TIS used to allow railcards to be issued with advance start dates I think, but I don't know if that was actually permissible. Perhaps not.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I assume what the ticket clerk did would not be possible with a plastic (delivered by post) railcard.

A railcard ordered online for postal delivery ordered for someone on 17th May last year, arrived on or around 22nd/23rd May, with its future validity having a 23rd May expiry date.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Why cant you buy the Railcard with a choice of start date meaning you can order it well in advance of it's first use or ensuring it starts immediately after the old one ran out?

I kinda agree this would be useful, but I guess it would create a further thing for inspectors to check - not only the railcard's expiry date, but it's start date too.

I suppose the alternative would be if railcards were only ever strictly issued for one (or three) calendar year(s), meaning that if the expiry date is more than a year (or three years) ahead then the inspector should inspect more closely.

 

[contrex]

That's great customer service. Out of interest, did you originally buy the about-to-expire railcard from Bath Spa or another GWR station?

I assume what the ticket clerk did would not be possible with a plastic (delivered by post) railcard.

I bought the older card at Bristol Temple Meads.

 

[Wallsendmag]

With all ticket offices closing I'd get used to buying Railcards online.

 

[Bletchleyite]

With all ticket offices closing I'd get used to buying Railcards online.

I would be unsurprised to see them go online only, with maybe a telesales option at a fee for those who really don't do online.

 

[sheff1]

With all ticket offices closing I'd get used to buying Railcards online.

Rather difficult, unless the well documented problems with the Railcard site (which had been going on for some considerable time) have now been fixed

I would be unsurprised to see them go online only, with maybe a telesales option at a fee for those who really don't do online.

When I was unable to renew my railcard online due to the aforementioned problems I had to make a fairly lengthy phone call to get the new card issued. I would be less than happy had I been told there was a fee for booking by phone when the only reason I needed to phone was because of a longstanding 'known' IT problem. If a telephone fee is introduced the online system needs to be much more robust.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Rather difficult, unless the well documented problems with the Railcard site (which had been going on for some considerable time) have now been fixed

There is more than one site selling Railcards

 

[sheff1]

There is more than one site selling Railcards

Where else sells them and can they renew one bought direct from Railcard ?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Why cant you buy the Railcard with a choice of start date meaning you can order it well in advance of it's first use or ensuring it starts immediately after the old one ran out?

I believe it's essentially because the current Railcard format doesn't include a start date, so it would basically only be your own conscience stopping you from using it early.

Theoretically if you renew in advance, the member of staff should withdraw your existing Railcard and use the "Lost Days" field on their Ticket Issuing System to extend the validity of the new Railcard accordingly. (Ditto when renewing a Monthly or longer Season early.)

In practice, I suspect few Ticket Office staff get training on such details nowadays.

 

[WAB]

In practice, I suspect few Ticket Office staff get training on such details nowadays.

Probably not much point nowadays given most will be redeployed or made redundant in the next few years.

 

[furlong]

It's the Ticketing and Settlement Agreeement you need to be examining to determine if it's OK for them to pause selling a particular Discount Card in those particular circumstances, or whether it's something that should be reported to the DfT as a breach of their obligations, and something for which you shouldn't be disadvantaged.

 

[janb]

Theoretically if you renew in advance, the member of staff should withdraw your existing Railcard and use the "Lost Days" field on their Ticket Issuing System to extend the validity of the new Railcard accordingly. (Ditto when renewing a Monthly or longer Season early.)

In practice, I suspect few Ticket Office staff get training on such details nowadays.

On STAR its just a case of changing the from date (which doesn't print) to the day after the expiry date of the existing railcard if renewing. Ticket offices can renew up to 30 days in advance, it's a completely standard and regularly done part of the job. No great science to it.

 

[Skymonster]

I ordered a plastic railcard online on Thursday last week with no problems and paid by Tesco clubcard. It dropped through my letterbox on Monday this week. Pretty prompt service. Its validity officially doesn’t start yet but it also extends seven days beyond what I expected.

 

[Haywain]

It's the Ticketing and Settlement Agreeement you need to be examining to determine if it's OK for them to pause selling a particular Discount Card in those particular circumstances, or whether it's something that should be reported to the DfT as a breach of their obligations, and something for which you shouldn't be disadvantaged.

The OP was no more disadvantaged than if the office had been closed completely, which appears to be the alternative that the operator took steps to avoid. So, while it is not ideal to offer half the normal service that must be better than offering none of the service at all.

Where else sells them and can they renew one bought direct from Railcard ?

There are quite a few web outlets for railcards. Trainline and a number of other third party retailers sell them, as do some TOCs, such as LNER. I don't believe any would be able to deal with a renewal bought from another site, but that is a fairly minor detail as railcards can be bought ahead of the valid date anyway (when buying online).

 

[A Challenge]

The OP was no more disadvantaged than if the office had been closed completely, which appears to be the alternative that the operator took steps to avoid. So, while it is not ideal to offer half the normal service that must be better than offering none of the service at all.

Given you are allowed to travel without a ticket if the ticket office is closed and you can't get your ticket from a machine, surely having the ticket office closed would have meant they could board without a Railcard as they should have been able to buy it, however an open ticket office that won't do what you want is no excuse, so it is worse service (for this particular customer)