Anytime Tickets 'sold out'

[sjm77]

Recently I tried to use an App to purchase a ticket from Manchester to Liverpool. I wanted some flexibility so decided the off-peak anytime day return was the best ticket @ £18.10. As the transaction was chugging through it suddenly stopped and I got a message saying the ticket type for that train was now 'sold out'. I thought this was complete nonsense as I did not think Anytime tickets could become sold out! In the end I pretended that I was going for the next service 30 minutes later and I was able to purchase the ticket that I wanted. I then used the ticket on the earlier service which was fine because it could be used anytime at the weekend and on any operator, the only restriction was that I had to return on the same day. Obviously there was not any problem with the ticket checks!
The train got delayed by flooding and arrived 38 minutes late into Liverpool so a few days later I submitted my delay repay claim. It has now been rejected because the train I purchased the ticket for arrived into Liverpool less than 15 minutes late. I tried to explain the stupidity of the App claiming that the ticket type for the service I wanted was 'sold out' but the staff processing my claim seem to think I am trying to scam them when if anything it is the opposite way round! I do not blame the processing staff given the circumstances and I am not desperate for the £4.53 compensation, but for me this is now about prinicplel!
Why do some apps pretend that an Anytime ticket has sold out? Has anybody else encountered this problem?

 

[Joe Paxton]

[...]
Why do some apps pretend that an Anytime ticket has sold out? Has anybody else encountered this problem?

It's not the apps pretending this, it's the TOCs.

 

[Kite159]

Did you try and select an EMR service as they have gone down the route of 'mandatory reservations' of late?

 

[mikeg]

I agree this reservations compulsory data nonsense is just that... a nonsense, of course it's not enforced because the TOCs know that enforcing reservations is undesirable and nigh-on impossible. With regard to the delay repay aspect of your query, I'd like to clarify which service you travelled on? It reads as if you travelled on the 'sold out' service and the delay repay was rejected based on your booked itinerary? If so, this is wrong, it is the service you actually travelled on (taking account of any 'planned to travel on' in the case of cancellations) upon which your delay repay should be based. I suggest if this is the case you appeal the rejection, politely pointing out you travelled on an earlier service to that on your itinerary.

 

[30907]

You presumably have the time of purchase as evidence to support your claim.

 

[TUC]

Rejecting the claim is nonsensical. The TOC knows perfectly well that flexible tickets are valid on any train, subject to the type of ticket. This approach lacks even basic competence.

 

[sjm77]

Did you try and select an EMR service as they have gone down the route of 'mandatory reservations' of late?

Really? There was no mention at all of 'compulsory reservations' when I purchased my ticket.

You presumably have the time of purchase as evidence to support your claim.

Absolutley yes!

 

[Haywain]

I tried to explain the stupidity of the App claiming that the ticket type for the service I wanted was 'sold out'

Why would you you do this rather than simply explain that you travelled at a different time?

 

[PeterC]

If they offer an itinerary for a train that is full and standing they are blamed for "overselling".

In my view:
1. Itineraries should not be offered for oversold trains
2. Flexible tickets should be available without specifying a specific train

 

[sjm77]

In my view:
1. Itineraries should not be offered for oversold trains

The train was NOT over-sold, there were plenty of unreserved seats and also plenty of empty seats.
I do agree with your second point. It is crazy that you cannot purchase any Anytime ticket from an App or modern ticket machine without selecting a train beforehand. Stupid ATOC.

 

[Skymonster]

I have experienced a situation before when there was disruption anticipated, that trains were marked reservations compulsory (and then sold out). This was done to prevent overcrowding and [the ticket office staff said] to limit delay repay claims in a situation when a delay would be almost inevitable - the theory supposedly being that if its not easy to buy a ticket, fewer will buy, and there will be less compensation to pay.

 

[TUC]

Why would you you do this rather than simply explain that you travelled at a different time?

Because we assume that staff, and the setup of systems where this is an automated response, are intelligent enough to know that a flexible ticket doesn't have to be used on the journey that the booking happens to mention,

 

[pedr]

In one sense the reason why you selected a particular train is irrelevant. A train company shouldn't be attempting to argue that the selection you make when purchasing an Anytime ticket is evidence of the train you caught, or even the train you intend to catch. Any reason or no reason at all ought to be good enough, since the ticket is valid on all trains on that day.

Your statement that you took the train you actually travelled on ought to be enough for them to pay the compensation due, unless they had reasons to be suspicious (such as the time it was purchased, or, if they have the data, where it was purchased, or previous claims they consider may have been improper) which - presumably - they don't. To try to link the entitlement to compensation to the itinerary selected like this is just wrong.

 

[Belperpete]

OP: I think you are confusing the issue of them rejecting your DR claim, and the issue of the App not selling you a ticket for the train you wanted. The DR team will not be interested in problems with the app, as it is irrelevant to your DR claim. I quite regularly travel on different trains to those I have booked - there is no need to explain why. I just manually enter the details of the train I actually travelled on when I make the claim.

How did the team processing your claim know the itinerary for your booked ticket? Did you submit your Delay Repay claim using the App that you bought the ticket with? In which case, did the App automatically base the claim on the itinerary you bought the ticket for? In which case, you should be able to appeal the rejection using the reason that the train details on your original claim were incorrect.

In cases where a seller claims that no reservations are left, it is worth trying another seller. The Avanti app and website regularly refuse to sell me a ticket claiming that there are no reservations available on my intended train, in which case I go onto the TfW website which invariably sells me a ticket (complete with reservation) for the self-same train!