A couple of months ago I posted the following in another thread concerning the poor location and lack of information about the National Rail ticket office at Stratford London. To my misfortune I found out that London Underground sell National Rail Tickets the hard way:
Is it just me that was not really thinking straight when visiting Stratford station last week, or is the National Rail Ticket Office badly located and difficult to find for those not familiar with the station?
I was spending a week staying in North London, near Hampstead Heath Overground Station and had planned a couple of days out in Essex. The cheapest way to do this seemd to be to use my Oyster Card to get to Stratford and then purchase a Super Off Peak Day Return from there. It was perhaps my own fault for not realising my error but it didn't turn out as originally expected.
I arrived at Stratford on the Overground and made my way to the barriers to touch out on the Oyster card reader. I then looked for the ticket office where I was intending getting a Super Off Peak Day Return to Southend. The intention was to travel out to Southend Victoria and then back from Southend Central stopping off at Leigh on Sea. The only ticket office I could see was a large one by the main entrance which appeared to be operated by London Transport. I looked all around the inside of the station and couldn't find another and so decided that the station must be operated by London Transport and so that was the only place to get a ticket.
I asked for a Super Off Peak Return to Southend Stations that would allow me to use both routes and the very unhelpful man said it didn't exist and I had to decide whether I wanted to go to Victoria or Central as he couldn't sell me a ticket valid to both. I argued with him and told him the I'd looked it up with National Rail and that it cost £11.70. He never told me that they didn't sell National Rail Priced Tickets and that there was actually a National Rail Ticket Office hidden round a corner outside the station entrance. Eventually I foolishly gave up arguing and settled for a Day Return to Southend Central via Barking which cost me £15.50.
I was still very puzzled by this and on the return journey went back to the ticket office and spoke to a much more friendly man enquiring whether I had been overcharged. He explained that this was London Transport Ticket Office and the £15.50 fare I had been charged was correct and that if I wanted a cheaper more flexible ticket I should have gone to the National Rail Ticket Office outside.
I went on a search for the National Rail Ticket Office and couldn't believe how, at such a major interchange station, it was a scruffy two windowed office, hidden away round a corner in an alcove to the right of the station main entrance. Anyone arriving as I did by overground, tube, DLR would not pass by it and even if entering by the main entrance it is not very adequately signed and most members of the public would not see it and go straight to the very prominent London Transport Ticket Office in the main station entrance.
I learnt my lesson the hard way by being overcharged and 3 days later when travelling to Burnham on Crouch I did go to the correct Ticket Office despite its cold draughty, hidden away location to buy my £12.30 Super Off Peak Day Return.
Sorry for my long post but I just wonder how many other people, perhaps less used to travelling than me, make this mistake, and go straight to the very prominent London Transport Office and are sold an overpriced ticket without anyone advising them that it would be cheaper from National Rail or even that a National rail Ticket office exists if you really search for it.