Euston to Milton Keynes

[100andthirty]

My daughter has an annual Gold Card and was travelling from EUS to MKC yesterday but was unabpe to obtain the off peak, discounted single fare from the London Midland ticket machine at Euston in time to catch the last off peak train at 16:46, nor would it allow the discount on an anytime ticket.

The issue is that she didn't know whether her train was off peak or not and asked. She was told by someone at the station that the last off peak departure was 1643 Virgin (it is the last off peak Virgin train). She therefore assumed it was a peak train and that the card wasn't valid on a peak train. She bought that any time ticket (> £19.00 single), travelled and used the ticket to exit the station though the barrier which retained the ticket. It was only when she got home and we talked about it that she realised she had been 'fleeced'

Curiously the London Midland mobile site refuses to accept the Gold Card for any EUS to MKC journey irrespective of time when using my phone, but gives the correct fare (£19.60 return) from my tablet!. NRE also confirms the correct fare and Southern web site also offers the correct ticket.

The questions are:

Why wouldn't the ticket machine offer the correct ticket ?
Why does the LM mobile site not recognise Annual Gold Cards?
Is she likely to succeed in a claim with LM if she has the receipt for the incorrect ticket?

Any help gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

 

[Clip]

Youre probably best off asking LM as they will have the answers.

 

[swt_passenger]

Even if on an LM machine, might she have selected an Any Permitted fare, because AIUI Virgin West Coast are not part of the newer gold card scheme.

Just a thought though, as you may have already covered this possibility.

 

[Romilly]

I agree that Gold Card discounts are not available on Virgin Trains West Coast trains.

I think that an undiscounted VTWC-only offpeak day single at £14 would have been valid on the 1643 and then again from the 1910 onwards.

I think that an undiscounted offpeak day single at £15.40 would have been valid on the 1643 or 1646, and then again from the 1910 onwards.

I think that an undiscounted VTWC-only anytime day single at £19.50 would have been valid on the 1643.

I think that an undiscounted anytime day single at £19.60 would have been valid on the 1643 or 1646 (or, indeed, any train).

I think that a discounted anytime day single at £12.95 would have been valid on any afternoon/evening London Midland (LM) train.

I think that a discounted offpeak day single at £10.15 would have been valid on the 1646 and then again from the 1913 onwards.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Even if on an LM machine, might she have selected an Any Permitted fare, because AIUI Virgin West Coast are not part of the newer gold card scheme.

The Any Permitted fare should still be discountable, it's just that by discounting it you remove the validity on VT. That's the same as it used to be with Network Railcards and Gatwick Express.