I have a monthly pass from Kelvedon to Stratford. I also have a zone 2-3 oyster to get from Stratford to Bermondsey each day, or alternatively Mile End to Stratford as sometimes I run to/from work. Occassionally I need to go through zone 1 with work and so I have credit on my oyster. But this maybe once or twice a month and I always get off at stratford, or more usually am starting my journey in bermondsey to go to across london.
Two days ago I had to travel directly to go for a meeting near Liverpool St. This is the first time I have had to do this. So rather than get off a Stratford I continued to Liverpool St. I was sure I had credit on my oyster to cover the leg from Stratford to Liverpool St.
When I arrived at Liverpool St I couldnt get through the barriers and was sent to the ticket collectors (?). I explained and was expecting to be sold the single excess fare or top up my oyster to get through. Instead the man I was speaking to told me immediately that I had to pay a £20 penalty fare.
Unfortunately I decided to argue that this was unreasonable and asked why i couldnt be sold a ticket or top up and from there we went around in circles. He did tell me I should have touched in at Stratford and I would have known i had only £1.50 credit. (From my point of view there are 2 problems with this - first there are no oyster touch points on the platforms that my train comes through and even on the platforms with touch points they are really hard to find (an observation not a defence). Secondly, as i have a zone 2-3 oyster the card wouldnt have displayed my credit and would have assumed i was fine to travel as i was still in zone 3 for which i have a pass. Eventually after some fairly pointless arguing on my side he went to get his supervisor who took a statement.
I am fairly resigned to the fact that I was by the letter of the law wrong and my stubborness has made a mountain out of a molehill. I am willing to accept even that, crazy as i think it is, I should ultimately have to get off at stratford and touch in and also go to a machine (not just an oyster touch point) to check my credit before before continuing, or get on the tube as i could have topped up at liverpool st underground on arrival with no problem, or (as i have now done) registered online and checked my credit before leaving the house (dont get me started on whether i could have used 3G to check on the train!). I didnt have a ticket for stratford to liv st and despite what i thought I didnt have enough credit So I was in the wrong and pig-headed for thinking otherwise. I knew there were barriers at liverpool st so at no point did it enter my head i was going to get through without paying, and as i have said, i was expecting to use my oyster for that part of the journey. Although maybe there is something in this story that suggests it may seem i was trying not to pay?
To torture myself some more I just wanted to check if my original assumption i.e that i was expecting to either be able to pay an excess fare for the single journey when my oyster was found not to have credit (i now realise there is no top-up oyster facility rail side) has any substance. I was flat refused this, but at the same time I was not sure enough to keep insisting once it was refused. I know i should have touched in, but from what i now understand I would be the one losing out if i had had credit as I would have been charged more for my journey that just the zone 3 to 1 part as the card would assume i had made a longer journey?
Obviously i now have the aftermath to deal with and as aggrieved as I may or may not feel, this is definitely one of those moments where I know it wasnt and isnt worth the stress i now feel. And once all is said and done I was wrong both my journey actions and in my assumptions.
Two days ago I had to travel directly to go for a meeting near Liverpool St. This is the first time I have had to do this. So rather than get off a Stratford I continued to Liverpool St. I was sure I had credit on my oyster to cover the leg from Stratford to Liverpool St.
When I arrived at Liverpool St I couldnt get through the barriers and was sent to the ticket collectors (?). I explained and was expecting to be sold the single excess fare or top up my oyster to get through. Instead the man I was speaking to told me immediately that I had to pay a £20 penalty fare.
Unfortunately I decided to argue that this was unreasonable and asked why i couldnt be sold a ticket or top up and from there we went around in circles. He did tell me I should have touched in at Stratford and I would have known i had only £1.50 credit. (From my point of view there are 2 problems with this - first there are no oyster touch points on the platforms that my train comes through and even on the platforms with touch points they are really hard to find (an observation not a defence). Secondly, as i have a zone 2-3 oyster the card wouldnt have displayed my credit and would have assumed i was fine to travel as i was still in zone 3 for which i have a pass. Eventually after some fairly pointless arguing on my side he went to get his supervisor who took a statement.
I am fairly resigned to the fact that I was by the letter of the law wrong and my stubborness has made a mountain out of a molehill. I am willing to accept even that, crazy as i think it is, I should ultimately have to get off at stratford and touch in and also go to a machine (not just an oyster touch point) to check my credit before before continuing, or get on the tube as i could have topped up at liverpool st underground on arrival with no problem, or (as i have now done) registered online and checked my credit before leaving the house (dont get me started on whether i could have used 3G to check on the train!). I didnt have a ticket for stratford to liv st and despite what i thought I didnt have enough credit So I was in the wrong and pig-headed for thinking otherwise. I knew there were barriers at liverpool st so at no point did it enter my head i was going to get through without paying, and as i have said, i was expecting to use my oyster for that part of the journey. Although maybe there is something in this story that suggests it may seem i was trying not to pay?
To torture myself some more I just wanted to check if my original assumption i.e that i was expecting to either be able to pay an excess fare for the single journey when my oyster was found not to have credit (i now realise there is no top-up oyster facility rail side) has any substance. I was flat refused this, but at the same time I was not sure enough to keep insisting once it was refused. I know i should have touched in, but from what i now understand I would be the one losing out if i had had credit as I would have been charged more for my journey that just the zone 3 to 1 part as the card would assume i had made a longer journey?
Obviously i now have the aftermath to deal with and as aggrieved as I may or may not feel, this is definitely one of those moments where I know it wasnt and isnt worth the stress i now feel. And once all is said and done I was wrong both my journey actions and in my assumptions.
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