EXD - EXC Annual Gold Card 144.00 Question

[gazr]

OK, so I went to Exeter and purchased a Exeter St. Davids to Exeter Central Annual Season ticket which came to 144.00 (3 day + SAT and SUN). I specifically asked for a Gold Card. I was issued the season ticket on a Devon & Cornwall Gold Card. I clearly wasn't thinking straight, and looking back, I should have been issued a regular Gold Card and also the Devon & Cornwall Gold Card as a free extra. Now the question is, I'm back in London and how to get this sorted?

 

[Tetchytyke]

TOC you bought it from should be able to reprint it correctly. If GWR then Paddington

 

[RJ]

Quite a few annual season tickets don't qualify for the Gold Card benefit and I believe these part time season tickets are one of them - though I'm willing to be corrected if the policy has changed.

 

[furlong]

Barry Doe confirmed (from the TOC) that they qualified in his magazine column a couple of years ago.

But did you supply proof of residency to qualify for the Devon & Cornwall card?

 

[Starmill]

But dd you supply proof of residency to qualify for the Devon & Cornwall card?

Is it a requirement for a Devon & Cornwall Gold Card? It is for a normal D&C Railcard, but?

 

[furlong]

Is it a requirement for a Devon & Cornwall Gold Card? It is for a normal D&C Railcard, but?

According to the leaflet, yes it is restricted to residents, in the same way:

Residents of Devon and Cornwall, aged 16 or over, buying an Annual Season ticket for a journey wholly within Devon and Cornwall are issued with a Devon & Cornwall Gold Card. This Gold Card gives the same benefits as a Devon & Cornwall Railcard, at no additional cost.

Of course, enforcement of that requirement might be lax, given how rare sales to non-residents must be.

 

[gazr]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. To update, I went to Paddington and was flatly refused. The first person helping told me Exeter was not in Gold Card area, until I asked him to look on a map and then he looked quite annoyed and got what I assume is a supervisor involved. The supervisor insisted Exeter do not issue Gold Card Season tickets, only the Devon and Cornwall one, and get this, Gold Card Season tickets can only be purchased at London area stations!! I was told to go back to Exeter and have them fix it Sorry, but I need more advise.

 

[autotank]

I have the exact same ticket - I bought it from SWR at Putney station and had no problems getting it printed on Gold Card stock. The LU member of staff at Ealing Common also had no qualms adding the railcard discount to my Oyster. I didn't know about the additional Devon and Cornwall gold card potential benefit, but it would be of little to no use to me so I won't pursue when renewing in the summer.

 

[talldave]

Are the Gold Card benefits of this ticket only valid on the three weekdays and weekend that the ticket's valid for?

 

[autotank]

Gold card benefits apply to my Oyster at all times, and I've not had any issues with purchasing and using paper tickets either.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. To update, I went to Paddington and was flatly refused. The first person helping told me Exeter was not in Gold Card area, until I asked him to look on a map and then he looked quite annoyed and got what I assume is a supervisor involved. The supervisor insisted Exeter do not issue Gold Card Season tickets, only the Devon and Cornwall one, and get this, Gold Card Season tickets can only be purchased at London area stations!! I was told to go back to Exeter and have them fix it Sorry, but I need more advise.

You might like to contact GWR with a complaint. Keep a record of all additional costs incurred due to their breach of contract.

 

[gazr]

Update: Well, I went back to Paddington yesterday and got the situation partially resolved (some would say fully). After they saw the Gold Card map and that Exeter St. Davids to Exeter Central was specially marked as GWR and both were in the Gold Card Area, they (different employees than before and more than one got involved like before!) agreed I should have a Gold Card. They also insisted that Exeter station does not have Gold Card tickets (even though in the area). However, they could not comprehend how I would get the D&C card free! In the end, they reissued my ticket on Gold Card stock and cancelled my D&C card and kept it, along with photocopying it along with my ID! As I'll be staying in Exeter a few days after The Looe Brush tour next month, I'll have words with them there.

 

[talldave]

So are these tickets the replacement for Hatton-Lapworth in the cheapest Gold Card race?

 

[Paul Kelly]

So are these tickets the replacement for Hatton-Lapworth in the cheapest Gold Card race?

I'm not sure you can really put them that way since they have existed (at roughly the current prices) since a good few years before the Hatton to Lapworth price was reduced to make it the cheapest Gold Card. I'm still skeptical that they technically qualify since they are not continuously valid for one year, but since Barry Doe has said they do, that's probably enough. I wouldn't risk it myself, though.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I'm not sure you can really put them that way since they have existed (at roughly the current prices) since a good few years before the Hatton to Lapworth price was reduced to make it the cheapest Gold Card. I'm still skeptical that they technically qualify since they are not continuously valid for one year, but since Barry Doe has said they do, that's probably enough. I wouldn't risk it myself, though.

If such a ticket is issued on Gold Card stock, I don't think there can be any argument that they don't count as a valid Gold Card. Still, for my own travel purposes a Hatton to Lapworth ticket is more likely to be of any practical use than an Exeter one, and given the relatively speaking little difference, I would certainly get a Hatton to Lapworth season over the Exeter one, if I was going to do something like this.