I'm currently on one of those programmes that supposedly help the unemployed get back to work. I'm required to attend a training course in the next town for two days a week, and the arrangement is that the company running the employment programme buys my tickets in advance, so that I don't have to find the fare out of my benefit and then claim a refund.
I picked up my tickets as usual this week and noticed that today's was cheaper than usual and marked "GPS-3". I was assured that it was the correct ticket, but thought I'd better check and found out that it was a Groupsave ticket and therefore invalid. (I normally travel on my own and hadn't come across them before.) Fortunately I had enough money to pay up front, and the money has now been refunded.
Presumably the company had to buy tickets for three separate people attending the same course, and the operator (First Great Western) assumed that they would all be travelling together. An easy mistake to make but should there be any procedures in place to prevent this? I can't help wondering about the two other people involved who may not have checked the validity of the ticket, or may not have been able to pay in advance.
I picked up my tickets as usual this week and noticed that today's was cheaper than usual and marked "GPS-3". I was assured that it was the correct ticket, but thought I'd better check and found out that it was a Groupsave ticket and therefore invalid. (I normally travel on my own and hadn't come across them before.) Fortunately I had enough money to pay up front, and the money has now been refunded.
Presumably the company had to buy tickets for three separate people attending the same course, and the operator (First Great Western) assumed that they would all be travelling together. An easy mistake to make but should there be any procedures in place to prevent this? I can't help wondering about the two other people involved who may not have checked the validity of the ticket, or may not have been able to pay in advance.