Refused a Priv ticket - am I missing something?

[paulmch]

I was at Paddington this morning before I headed to Heathrow. Wanting to save some time on my return journey, I decided to pop into the ticket office and by a Priv ticket from Heathrow to Waterbeach. The booking office clerk refused to sell it to me because he said it included a journey from Paddington to Kings Cross on the Underground, and that Priv tickets are not valid on LUL services.

I argued that this wasn't the case as it was part of a cross-London journey, and he told me to read the back of my Priv card. Sure enough there's a note that says a Priv is not valid for travel on the Underground, unless it's to cross London and there is a + mark on the ticket. I've made this journey several times in the past and it definitely has the + mark.

The clerk then said the blurb on the Priv card proved his point and again refused to sell me the ticket, leaving me thoroughly confused! Am I missing something here?

 

[yorkie]

You're quite right. The clerk is wrong.

 

[357]

This is one of the reasons more staff are now using the website to buy their priv tickets.

This reminds me of a time at Edinburgh during East Coast days when a clerk refused to refund or change my sleeper reservation/ticket from Glasgow to Edinburgh, insisting that because of the discount it was a non-refundable or non-changeable ticket. A short walk to the ScotRail desk, and a call to a manager, and I was told to arrive and tell the Train Manager on the sleeper my name and they'd tell me where the two of us were sleeping that night.


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Sunday at 23:15 ==

You're quite right. The clerk is wrong.

For the first time in living memory, we are 100% in agreement with each other

 

[paulmch]

This is one of the reasons more staff are now using the website to buy their priv tickets.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Sunday at 23:15 ==


For the first time in living memory, we are 100% in agreement with each other

I've bought the ticket online but always try to use a ticket office if one is available - not so sure I'll bother next time! Thanks both

 

[Watershed]

This is the second time we have heard of Paddington ticket office staff making up their own rules just in the last month; the gateline staff there are also notorious, probably second only to Euston amongst the 'rogue London Terminals league'.

Priv tickets are absolutely valid on Underground and DLR services, for tickets with a cross-London marker (indicated using a Maltese cross ✠ or Latin cross ✞). They had no grounds to refuse the ticket sale, and you should complain to GWR - not that I would expect much to come of this.

 

[WAB]

Yes, Paddington BO are not very clued-up, unfortunately.

 

[Benjwri]

Agree with other members Paddington ticket office is appalling. Last time I was there they didn’t even know what to do when issuing against an e ticket, so the code wasn’t all numerical.

 

[AlterEgo]

Just buy online. A website will not insult your intelligence.

 

[Haywain]

A website will not insult your intelligence

The RSTL website will give it a good try!

 

[OscarH]

The RSTL website will give it a good try!

Indeed, it's really a damning indicator of the state of Paddington's ticket office (much like it's famous gateline) that that site is a better option!

 

[steamybrian]

Avoid the underground by travelling from Paddington to Farringdon via Elizabeth line then Farringdon to St.Pancras via Thameslink then short walk to KX.

 

[transportphoto]

Also makes you wonder what benefits the individual colleagues are missing out on (if they follow the made up rules themselves).

 

[74A]

I argued that this wasn't the case as it was part of a cross-London journey, and he told me to read the back of my Priv card. Sure enough there's a note that says a Priv is not valid for travel on the Underground, unless it's to cross London and there is a + mark on the ticket. I've made this journey several times in the past and it definitely has the + mark

That's bizarre. He read the t&c where it says its valid but then said it wasn't??

 

[Watershed]

Avoid the underground by travelling from Paddington to Farringdon via Elizabeth line then Farringdon to St.Pancras via Thameslink then short walk to KX.

In practical terms I would suggest that is likely to be the best option - there is always the option of taking the Sub-Surface Lines (Met/H&C/Circle) one stop from Farringdon too.

Unfortunately if the OP has non-safeguarded facilities (i.e. they joined the railway after April 1996) this would not actually save them any money. Non-SG Priv cards cannot be used to buy tickets to/from Underground Zones, which would be required to use a combination of Elizabeth line and Thameslink services to cross Zone 1.

Non-SG Privs only entitle holders to either buy cross-London tickets with a Maltese cross (which is what the OP intended on buying) or a special Zones 1-4 Elizabeth line 'core section only' ticket costing £1.75 single/£3.50 return. So the OP would then have to pay separately to get from Farringdon to Kings Cross/St Pancras.

Similarly, even if the OP had gone to the effort of getting the Priv National Rail discount set on their Oyster card, my understanding is they would not get any discount for a journey involving travel between Paddington and Farringdon as this is charged at Tube-rate (despite it involving the Elizabeth line, which is eligible for Priv discounts).

 

[CyrusWuff]

Similarly, even if the OP had gone to the effort of getting the Priv National Rail discount set on their Oyster card, my understanding is they would not get any discount for a journey involving travel between Paddington and Farringdon as this is charged at Tube-rate (despite it involving the Elizabeth line, which is eligible for Priv discounts).

Correct. For a journey wholly through the Central Operating Section you need to buy a point-to-point paper ticket on route Elizabeth Line. This appears to have changed in March this year, as prior to that it was a ticket to Zone U1234 with the same route.

 

[transportphoto]

Similarly, even if the OP had gone to the effort of getting the Priv National Rail discount set on their Oyster card, my understanding is they would not get any discount for a journey involving travel between Paddington and Farringdon as this is charged at Tube-rate (despite it involving the Elizabeth line, which is eligible for Priv discounts).

I don’t believe this to be correct in reality - NR Only Priv will give discounts on journeys such as Paddington to Farringdon, Farringdon to Liverpool Street.

 

[Watershed]

I don’t believe this to be correct in reality - NR Only Priv will give discounts on journeys such as Paddington to Farringdon, Farringdon to Liverpool Street.

Thanks - I wasn't 100% sure how the system charges journeys like that. I wonder whether it also charges the discounted fare if changing to Thameslink at Farringdon?

 

[Haywain]

Thanks - I wasn't 100% sure how the system charges journeys like that. I wonder whether it also charges the discounted fare if changing to Thameslink at Farringdon?

I agree with @transportphoto about charging on the Elizabeth line with priv Oyster. I can't comment on how it deals with changing to Thameslink as I mostly had free leisure travel on Thameslink, or travelled to/from outside the Oyster area.

 

[Sleepy]

In practical terms I would suggest that is likely to be the best option - there is always the option of taking the Sub-Surface Lines (Met/H&C/Circle) one stop from Farringdon too.

Unfortunately if the OP has non-safeguarded facilities (i.e. they joined the railway after April 1996) this would not actually save them any money. Non-SG Priv cards cannot be used to buy tickets to/from Underground Zones, which would be required to use a combination of Elizabeth line and Thameslink services to cross Zone 1.

Non-SG Privs only entitle holders to either buy cross-London tickets with a Maltese cross (which is what the OP intended on buying) or a special Zones 1-4 Elizabeth line 'core section only' ticket costing £1.75 single/£3.50 return. So the OP would then have to pay separately to get from Farringdon to Kings Cross/St Pancras.

Similarly, even if the OP had gone to the effort of getting the Priv National Rail discount set on their Oyster card, my understanding is they would not get any discount for a journey involving travel between Paddington and Farringdon as this is charged at Tube-rate (despite it involving the Elizabeth line, which is eligible for Priv discounts).

The Priv Elisabeth line only £1.75 ticket is also available for Paddington to Abbey Wood but not to Stratford - ending journey short unlikely to be issue there ?

 

[Watershed]

The Priv Elisabeth line only £1.75 ticket is also available for Paddington to Abbey Wood but not to Stratford - ending journey short unlikely to be issue there ?

I would argue it's valid - you are travelling within the specified Underground Zones, on an interavailable route, and on the Elizabeth line. However I believe the intention is for it only to cover the Paddington to Abbey Wood route, so you would theoretically have to buy a separate ticket from Whitechapel to Stratford.

An Oyster card with the Priv NR discount set would be cheaper in almost all circumstances.