When we booked, it booked her on a later train which was slower but avoided a further connection. She got to Peterborough and realised there was an earlier train.
She went to the information desk to ask if she could upgrade.
I believe she should have been entitled to upgrade, on payment of the difference between the fare paid and the appropriate fare, plus a £10 supplement.
This is allowable as she wanted to take an
earlier train and contrasts with the alternative scenario of when the train has been missed (unless a train company is deemed liable for the train to be missed)
They said she hasn't time to buy a ticket at the ticket office, so she should upgrade on the train.
That sounds to me like the ticket office has authorised the upgrade on the train, so contractually she is entitled to be upgraded.
She asked a member of staff on the platform and he said to ask the train staff. She asked a member of train staff as she boarded who said to sit in 1st and she'd be fine.
Again, she has been authorised to upgrade on the train twice, so that strengthens her position that she is entitled to the upgrade on board.
A different member of staff came round and insisted she got a new ticket.
The really annoying thing is that if she'd known she was going to have to get a new ticket, she'd have sat in Standard.
It sounds to me that the actions of the second member of staff were unlawful under contract & consumer laws, given that authorisation had been given by two other members of staff to upgrade on the train.
Unfortunately breaches of contract occur too often in the rail industry, for various reasons which are outside the scope of this thread, so I am not entirely surprised that such a breach has occurred on this occasion, sadly.
The matter should therefore be referred back to the train company and a refund should be sought.
