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Travelling during a storm on purpose, hoping to get money back (hypothetical)

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aye2beeviasea

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If you bought the cheapest ticket for a Northern service and opted for compensation in the form of a free ticket for anywhere on the Northern network you could do quite well out of it.
 
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Bald Rick

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Don’t get me wrong, clearly there’s are circumstances where buying on the day from the ticket office / machine is necessary.

What I’m talking about is people who know for weeks that they will be travelling from A to B on date x, perhaps not knowing which train, but then still queue up to buy s ticket on the day. I see plenty of people in this position at various stations around the country - for example groups of people buying tickets to the airport on holidays / trips which have evidently been planned for a while.

I understand the desire not to be tied to a particular train, but you can buy flexible ticket sales in advance!
 

crosscity

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I’m still astounded how many people making long planned trips still buy a ticket at the station immediately before departure. Sure, some of them may be making the trip at very short notice, but some clearly aren’t!
Don't be. The railway is competing with my motor car. A day out may be cancelled at short notice for any number of reasons - illness, family crisis, something more interesting turning up. I like the walk-on railway - if I can't go I don't lose anything.

When the 'Beast from the East' was on its way I decided I'd try a day out. I was getting fed up here in Birmingham with people (well members of my family) telling me that an inch of snow was a reason not to go to work two miles away. From school days in Yorkshire, through my career in Birmingham if there was snow and travel disruption I would walk the four or five miles to get there. Besides I am used to the railway 'getting me there' and something eventually turning up. I was not interested in a 'free ride'. If the railway did its best in trying conditions I would not be concerned about an hours delay here and there.

On the day that Lincolnshire was 'cut off' with major road problems I travelled from Birmingham to Barnetby via Nottingham and Lincoln, then on to Sheffield and Wakefield and back to Birmingham. The day didn't pass without incident, with a few cancelled and late trains and I decided to head for home earlier than I would usually. Still, the railway proved to me it can still work in severe weather.

I wanted to get some pictures of trains in severe snow and frost. With the recent wet and windy storms I wouldn't be bothered. As posters have said who wants to go anywhere when it's pouring down with rain and windy with it.

For anyone who is interested here are my pictures I took on the day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rayh/shares/wq243j
 

BlueFox

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I understand the desire not to be tied to a particular train, but you can buy flexible ticket sales in advance!

I never buy flexible tickets until the day I travel. I might have planned a trip weeks in advance, but there's always the chance I might not travel. I could be ill, the event I'm going to might be cancelled etc...
Buy flexible tickets in advance and you risk losing money. Even if you can get a refund, there's still an admin fee to pay.
 

Statto

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Don’t get me wrong, clearly there’s are circumstances where buying on the day from the ticket office / machine is necessary.

What I’m talking about is people who know for weeks that they will be travelling from A to B on date x, perhaps not knowing which train, but then still queue up to buy s ticket on the day. I see plenty of people in this position at various stations around the country - for example groups of people buying tickets to the airport on holidays / trips which have evidently been planned for a while.

I understand the desire not to be tied to a particular train, but you can buy flexible ticket sales in advance!

Again that's quite ignorant, not everyone wants to book even flexible tickets in advance knowing they are going to travel, for many reasons, some could have money issues, that they'll only have enough money to travel on the day itself & not everyone has a bank/credit card account
 

Bald Rick

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Again that's quite ignorant, not everyone wants to book even flexible tickets in advance knowing they are going to travel, for many reasons, some could have money issues, that they'll only have enough money to travel on the day itself & not everyone has a bank/credit card account

Perhaps it is ignorant. Perhaps I just don’t understand!
 

alistairlees

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What do you gain? You have a ticket in your hand
What do you save ?Absolutely nothing
What do you stand to lose? a fee for a refund if your plans change
As I mentioned up thread, a reservation is a thing you can get if you buy in advance. People value reservations.
 

Mcr Warrior

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There is absolutely no point in buying a flexible ticket before the day of travel.

Used to travel quite regularly on the 1900 Euston -> Manchester service on a Friday (before it changed, this used to be one of the first evening services on which off-peak tickets were valid) and unless you booked a week or so beforehand, all the seat reservations would have gone (and if you didn't have a reservation, often, you wouldn't get past the Euston ticket barrier, never mind on the train).
 

Bald Rick

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What do you gain? You have a ticket in your hand
What do you save ?Absolutely nothing
What do you stand to lose? a fee for a refund if your plans change

But I can buy the ticket from m yoffice chair or sofa at a time of my choosing. And I don’t have to run the risk of a queue, and missing my train, which at my local station is very real! So I save time, both for me, and other people who would have been behind me in the queue.
 

Skimpot flyer

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I never buy flexible tickets until the day I travel. I might have planned a trip weeks in advance, but there's always the chance I might not travel. I could be ill, the event I'm going to might be cancelled etc...
Buy flexible tickets in advance and you risk losing money. Even if you can get a refund, there's still an admin fee to pay.
Not if you use tickets.southernrailway.com
Any tickets you do not print and use can be refunded, with no admin fee
 

Skimpot flyer

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Don't be. The railway is competing with my motor car. A day out may be cancelled at short notice for any number of reasons - illness, family crisis, something more interesting turning up. I like the walk-on railway - if I can't go I don't lose anything.

When the 'Beast from the East' was on its way I decided I'd try a day out. I was getting fed up here in Birmingham with people (well members of my family) telling me that an inch of snow was a reason not to go to work two miles away. From school days in Yorkshire, through my career in Birmingham if there was snow and travel disruption I would walk the four or five miles to get there. Besides I am used to the railway 'getting me there' and something eventually turning up. I was not interested in a 'free ride'. If the railway did its best in trying conditions I would not be concerned about an hours delay here and there.

On the day that Lincolnshire was 'cut off' with major road problems I travelled from Birmingham to Barnetby via Nottingham and Lincoln, then on to Sheffield and Wakefield and back to Birmingham. The day didn't pass without incident, with a few cancelled and late trains and I decided to head for home earlier than I would usually. Still, the railway proved to me it can still work in severe weather.

I wanted to get some pictures of trains in severe snow and frost. With the recent wet and windy storms I wouldn't be bothered. As posters have said who wants to go anywhere when it's pouring down with rain and windy with it.

For anyone who is interested here are my pictures I took on the day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rayh/shares/wq243j
Nice photos! Although at first glance, the building on the left of the photo 28Feb18. Wakefield Kirkgate. 'Adelante' DMU 180106. [P1090088] appears to have bits falling off it !
(zoom in and you see it’s really branches of a leafless tree)
 

mmh

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But I can buy the ticket from m yoffice chair or sofa at a time of my choosing. And I don’t have to run the risk of a queue, and missing my train, which at my local station is very real! So I save time, both for me, and other people who would have been behind me in the queue.

Some of us don't find buying online as easy or enjoyable as others. And writing down a collection code, keeping it safe, taking it to the station and typing it onto an inevitably dire touch screen is awkward for everyone. If you end up with multiple collection codes it turns into a nightmare!
 

RJ

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There's one station I work at where it's local custom to make a special trip to the station to buy walkup tickets for future travel. Consequently there are many refund requests on a daily basis. This is encouraged by waiving the admin fee as standard.

Elsewhere at busier stations I hardly get any refund requests which means much less admin work to do.
 

Starmill

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What do you gain? You have a ticket in your hand
What do you save ?Absolutely nothing
What do you stand to lose? a fee for a refund if your plans change
It would be very unlikely for me to buy a flexible ticket in advance of travel. Exceptions might include:
- If I'm travelling with an Advance ticket elsewhere in the journey, meaning that the flexible ticket cannot really be used flexibly
- If I'm travelling internationally I might have one as clear evidence to support potential insurance claims
- If I'm leaving very early in the morning and I know I'll be tired and hurried when I'm arriving at the station, I might book one at the earliest the night before, if I'm satisfied that my plans are firmed up
- If the ticket needs to be booked to secure something else which is important for my journey e.g. Flexible SailRail tickets I might book ahead of time for the security of a place on the Ferry (fairly important in some cases to ensure that you really are reserved on the ferry, e.g. Liverpool to the Isle of Man)
- If I'm traveling on business and I'm advised to make travel arrangements

In all circumstances all tickets ought to be bought no later than departure time of the first train of the journey being made. I used to have a real preference towards holding tickets to come back too, before that time, on journeys where I need to be back the same day. Now that Advance tickets are available on the day of travel I sometimes choose to book an Advance half an hour or so before my outward journey and then do the same thing for my return. I think that represents only a very small increase in risk of stranding, which is outweighed by the gain of the lower prices on offer.
 
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yorkie

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Some of us don't find buying online as easy or enjoyable as others. And writing down a collection code, keeping it safe, taking it to the station and typing it onto an inevitably dire touch screen is awkward for everyone. If you end up with multiple collection codes it turns into a nightmare!
Which is why I use e-tickets; these days you can get one PDF for all the tickets for the journey, which can either be printed or shown on any device. It makes Delay Repay claims really easy too, and I can pick my seat from a seat selector.
 

mmh

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In all circumstances all tickets ought to be bought no later than departure time of the first train of the journey being made.

That's not possible at stations, like my local one, which have no ticket purchasing facilities.

. I used to have a real preference towards holding tickets to come back too, before that time, on journeys where I need to be back the same day. Now that Advance tickets are available on the day of travel I sometimes choose to book an Advance half an hour or so before my outward journey and then do the same thing for my return. I think that represents only a very small increase in risk of stranding, which is outweighed by the gain of the lower prices on offer.

I don't understand why you would do that. If you know you're coming back today and at what time, why not book your return advance at the same time as your outbound one? Why would you get a lower price by waiting? Does that ever happen? Isn't there rather a risk that by the time you come to buy it, the advance fares are higher or sold out?
 

yorkie

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I don't understand why you would do that. If you know you're coming back today and at what time, why not book your return advance at the same time as your outbound one? Why would you get a lower price by waiting? Does that ever happen? Isn't there rather a risk that by the time you come to buy it, the advance fares are higher or sold out?
For some flows Advance fares are available until shortly before departure, so it can be advantageous to wait until you have a good idea of requirements and then only make a commitment at that stage.
 

mmh

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For some flows Advance fares are available until shortly before departure, so it can be advantageous to wait until you have a good idea of requirements and then only make a commitment at that stage.

Interesting, thanks. Does that mean they have no quota and will always be available (perhaps at different prices?) Is that the case for all advances that are sold on the day, if not is there a way of knowing which are?
 

Starmill

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That's not possible at stations, like my local one, which have no ticket purchasing facilities.
In this case, issues around refund entitlement certainly don't arise.
I don't understand why you would do that. If you know you're coming back today and at what time, why not book your return advance at the same time as your outbound one?
Because it's very common for people to know when they want to go somewhere a long time before they want to know when they will ideally come back.
Why would you get a lower price by waiting? Does that ever happen?
Yes.
Isn't there rather a risk that by the time you come to buy it, the advance fares are higher or sold out?
Also yes.
 

Starmill

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Does that mean they have no quota and will always be available (perhaps at different prices?) Is that the case for all advances that are sold on the day, if not is there a way of knowing which are?
There is no way to know if the train(s) convenient to you will have any availability on the day. The company can simply close all bookings for all services for a day if they want to - and some do just that (e.g. during bad weather forecast).
 

Bald Rick

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Some of us don't find buying online as easy or enjoyable as others. And writing down a collection code, keeping it safe, taking it to the station and typing it onto an inevitably dire touch screen is awkward for everyone. If you end up with multiple collection codes it turns into a nightmare!

I have never collected a ticket at a station. That’s equally a pfaff. Since the technology has been available, straight to phone! (Given how many other people seem to be doing this, it is very popular).
 

sheff1

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I have never collected a ticket at a station. That’s equally a pfaff. Since the technology has been available, straight to phone!

I have never bought a ticket which can go straight to my phone - because I have never owned a phone which would facilitate that.

What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. What I can't understand is why so many people think that someone else should move to another method of ticket purchase when that 'someone else' is completely happy with their current method.
 

Wallsendmag

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I have never bought a ticket which can go straight to my phone - because I have never owned a phone which would facilitate that.

What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. What I can't understand is why so many people think that someone else should move to another method of ticket purchase when that 'someone else' is completely happy with their current method.
Make the most of it while you can, the withdrawal of CCST has already started in Scotland.
 

mmh

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Orange magstripe tickets - the ones you get from a ticket vending machine or booking office.

CCST = Credit Card Size Ticket

Thanks. What's the replacement? A different ticket format, or smart cards, or something else?
 
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