I have had a small dispute with First Capital Connect (FCC) about ticket vailidities, and I'd appreciate some views from members of the Forum.
I have been travelling peak time from Shelford to London King's Cross, which requires a change at Cambridge. I have been buying a ticket from the Greater Anglia machine that costs £34.80 First Class with Disabled Railcard, Anytime Day return, and it says "All terminals" on the ticket. (Cheaper fares sometimes exist for Liverpool Street only from Cambridge and Shelford, on Greater Anglia services only, but they tend to specify this on the ticket).
However FCC have said that my £34.80 fare is not valid via Cambridge and that I have to buy separate tickets from Shelford to Cambridge on the Greater Anglia Service, and then a separate FCC ticket from Cambridge to London King's Cross. This means £38 for the FCC part of the journey plus an additional £5 for the return to Cambridge, totalling £43. It also means messing about for hours at the ticket machine while a queue full of harrassed people wonder what the heck I am doing every time!:-x
However according to the routeing regulations I think I am probably entitled to buy the £34.80 ticket as this is geographically the shortest route between Shelford and London King's Cross. (Morally it ought to be as I waste half an hour going in to Cambridge and out again, passing my house twice, but that's another story, of course).
What does everyone think?
I have been travelling peak time from Shelford to London King's Cross, which requires a change at Cambridge. I have been buying a ticket from the Greater Anglia machine that costs £34.80 First Class with Disabled Railcard, Anytime Day return, and it says "All terminals" on the ticket. (Cheaper fares sometimes exist for Liverpool Street only from Cambridge and Shelford, on Greater Anglia services only, but they tend to specify this on the ticket).
However FCC have said that my £34.80 fare is not valid via Cambridge and that I have to buy separate tickets from Shelford to Cambridge on the Greater Anglia Service, and then a separate FCC ticket from Cambridge to London King's Cross. This means £38 for the FCC part of the journey plus an additional £5 for the return to Cambridge, totalling £43. It also means messing about for hours at the ticket machine while a queue full of harrassed people wonder what the heck I am doing every time!:-x
However according to the routeing regulations I think I am probably entitled to buy the £34.80 ticket as this is geographically the shortest route between Shelford and London King's Cross. (Morally it ought to be as I waste half an hour going in to Cambridge and out again, passing my house twice, but that's another story, of course).
What does everyone think?