Can't use vouchers at ticket office without paying a premium

[Playback1677]

West Midlands Railway sent me a paper voucher for £17 as refund. I can exchange it for cash where they have a ticket office but there isn't one near me. I tried to use the voucher to buy tickets at my station but ticket offices can't sell the cheaper tickets any more apparently, and machines or apps don't accept paper vouchers. So, if I want to use the voucher I have to pay over £18 rather than £8.50. It sounds ridiculous and I am wondering if I am missing something here.

 

[AlterEgo]

It would help if you told us what ticket you'd like to buy, and which ticket office you're trying to use?

 

[Playback1677]

It would help if you told us what ticket you'd like to buy, and which ticket office you're trying to use?

I was assuming it was the same everywhere. On this occasion I was at Manchester Victoria trying to buy a same day single to Leeds on a Northern service (at 11:57 weekday). The cheapest option was £8.50 but the lady at the ticket office explained she had no way to sell me that. The cheapest ticket I could get from her was around £18.50. I explained the situation with the voucher and that I could only use it at the ticket office. She confirmed and suggested I talked to the government. She also reminded me the voucher would be valid for 12 months, which doesn't help if I can't use it at the ticket office. I suppose I could buy around 17 overpriced kitkats onboard.

 

[James H]

This previous thread explains the situation with Northern no longer selling on-the-day Advance tickets over the counter:

Northern to stop selling AP On the Day from their ticket offices

Not sure whether or not it is across the board but Northern are scrapping the sale of advance tickets from their booking offices from Tues 15th. Don't know if they'll still be available online or at TVMs but it's a bit more chipping away of the ticket office role - and will probably lead to more...

www.railforums.co.uk

You could get round the issue by buying a ticket with your voucher a day or more before you wish to travel

 

[skyhigh]

So, if I want to use the voucher I have to pay over £18 rather than £8.50. It sounds ridiculous and I am wondering if I am missing something here.

Just as a heads up if you're not aware, if you use a paper voucher for a transaction less than the total value of the voucher, you don't get change - you forfeit the remaining value.

 

[Playback1677]

This previous thread explains the situation with Northern no longer selling on-the-day Advance tickets over the counter:

Northern to stop selling AP On the Day from their ticket offices

Not sure whether or not it is across the board but Northern are scrapping the sale of advance tickets from their booking offices from Tues 15th. Don't know if they'll still be available online or at TVMs but it's a bit more chipping away of the ticket office role - and will probably lead to more...

www.railforums.co.uk

You could get round the issue by buying a ticket with your voucher a day or more before you wish to travel

This explains it, thanks. If it's specific to Northern, I will try to use my voucher elsewhere.

I didn't even know there was a difference between buying on-the-day and buying on an earlier day. If I did, I would still have to visit the station just to buy a ticket for later. It's not very efficient as I don't commute, but it may be the only option I have. All I know now is that I had to work really hard to get and use that refund.

 

[Playback1677]

Just as a heads up if you're not aware, if you use a paper voucher for a transaction less than the total value of the voucher, you don't get change - you forfeit the remaining value.

Thanks for the heads-up. My plan was to buy two singles on the day to the total value of £16.80 and donate the change to Northern, but they didn't let me.

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for the heads-up. My plan was to buy two singles on the day to the total value of £16.80 and donate the change to Northern, but they didn't let me.

Unfortunately, as Northern have disabled their Advance tickets from being sold at ticket offices on the day (as part of a strategy to discourage people from using ticket offices), that isn't possible without visiting a ticket office at least a day ahead. You can still buy TPE and other operator Advance tickets on the day from a ticket office.

Rail Travel Vouchers are generally inadvisable to accept in lieu of "cash" forms of compensation for this reason.

 

[Playback1677]

Rail Travel Vouchers are generally inadvisable to accept in lieu of "cash" forms of compensation for this reason.

And that's another big mystery. Why would West Midlands Railway send me that voucher without giving me other options? They could have sent me an eVoucher and saved on postage too. I suspect they were trying to make it as awkward for me as possible. I can't explain it otherwise.

 

[Watershed]

And that's another big mystery. Why would West Midlands Railway send me that voucher without giving me other options? They could have sent me an eVoucher and saved on postage too. I suspect they were trying to make it as awkward for me as possible. I can't explain it otherwise.

What were you claiming for?

 

[Playback1677]

What were you claiming for?

They rejected my Delay Repay claim because in my experience they never like the idea that when their train is late they may have to refund multiple tickets for different operators. I appealed and they issued the 100% refund after all. And they had to send me a paper voucher in the post to have the last laugh.

 

[Watershed]

They rejected my Delay Repay claim because in my experience they never like the idea that when their train is late they may have to refund multiple tickets for different operators. I appealed and they issued the 100% refund after all. And they had to send me a paper voucher in the post to have the last laugh.

If you applied to get the compensation in another way (e.g. BACS transfer), and didn't accept an RTV, you should get back to them and tell them that you're not satisfied with that. They'll be able to cancel the RTV and see you've not used it.