Extending an Off Peak Return ticket

[harry]

Hello all,

Last week I purchased an Off Peak Return from Didcot Parkway to London. I now need to use the 'return' part of this ticket to travel from London to Didcot Parkway. As it happens it would be a lot easier for me to extend this journey from terminating at Didcot Parkway to terminate at Oxford. I have a railcard so the original Off Peak Return from Didcot Parkway to London cost £14.85. I've had a look on the National Rail website and it suggests that an Off Peak Return from Oxford to London costs £14.85 as well, with a railcard. As the tickets are the same price from either Didcot Parkway or Oxford, does anyone know if I can just use the ticket from London to Didcot Parkway to travel on to terminate at Oxford, or do I need to extend this ticket from Didcot Parkway to Ofxord (and are there any fees involved in this extension - and how would I find out what they are)?
Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can provide.

Cheers,

H.

 

[yorkie]

You need an Overdistance Excess, the cost is £0.00

 

[clagmonster]

As Yorke says. Any staffed booking office should be able to issue said excess.

 

[harry]

Thanks for the replies - very much appreciated.

Harry.

 

[harry]

Hello all,

I tried to get an 'overdistance excess' today, but no staff seemed to know what I was asking for so I ended up buying a single from Didcot to Oxford. Did I use the correct terminology in asking for an 'overdistance excess', or should I have phrased it differently? It was as though I was speaking a foreign language to them when I asked!

H.

 

[yorkie]

Some staff don't know how to issue excesses. Which I find odd, as if they come across a ticket that isn't valid they would need to excess it, so either they know how to do ticket type excesses but not route excesses, or they'd let invalid passengers off, or they were just acting dumb. Goodness knows which....

But yes, it's not uncommon to come across these problems as training in the industry with regard to ticketing is typically very poor.

 

[glynn80]

Hello all,

I tried to get an 'overdistance excess' today, but no staff seemed to know what I was asking for so I ended up buying a single from Didcot to Oxford. Did I use the correct terminology in asking for an 'overdistance excess', or should I have phrased it differently? It was as though I was speaking a foreign language to them when I asked!

H.

Unfortunately this is common practice, I nearly always have to explain to staff exactly how to issue them myself. In future ask to speak to the manager on duty, if that doesn't yield the desired result ask them to check in the Excess Fares Procedure section of the "FRPP", which stands for Fares and Retail Publications Portal. This is an internal railway manual they will have access to and should get them to believe you that they exist.

 

[harry]

Thank you both for such a quick reply.
I don't suppose anybody has an Internet reference for this do they... something I could print off and send them - along with the tickets - just to see what what they have to say?

H.

 

[bengolding]

Some stations issues overdistances excesses very quickly and others are the opposite. I spent the best part of 10 minutes at Euston the other day trying to explain to the VT ticket clerk. He eventually issued it but not without doing an obligatory squiggle on both original parts of my then unused parts of my First Anytime ticket, before stapling the excess to each ticket. Now I'm left wondering if I'll encounter any problems when I use my ticket tomorrow as it has been marked already. I suppose I'll have to show both halves to prove that the ticket clerk did that.

 

[harry]

Yes - I originally tried to sort this out at Euston before I travelled, and they didn't know what I was trying to get. I tried King's Cross too, but they didn't know either. I then tried on the day of travel at Paddington - again, no idea!
Did you have any trouble using your ticket?

H

 

[bengolding]

The barrier staff at the Euston gateline questioned why my ticket had been marked. After explaining what the ticket clerk did, he said how daft of him it was to do such a stupid thing, when all that was needed was to staple the excess to each part of my original ticket. So I was let through.

I'm not surprised you had problems at Euston. From past experience, the Virgin ticket staff really are a clueless bunch of people. I'm surprised that you had the same problem at Kings Cross - I have found the NXEC travel centre people to be very helpful, the same with St Pancras.

On another note, I was aghast to learn that the FGW staff at Paddington now charge £5 simply to make a seat reservation! Madness.

 

[yorkie]

The barrier staff at the Euston gateline questioned why my ticket had been marked. After explaining what the ticket clerk did, he said how daft of him it was to do such a stupid thing, when all that was needed was to staple the excess to each part of my original ticket. So I was let through.

Was this a ticket from London Terminals? If so I'm not surprised they questioned it, but good to hear they applied common sense (unlike the ticket clerk)

I'm not surprised you had problems at Euston. From past experience, the Virgin ticket staff really are a clueless bunch of people. I'm surprised that you had the same problem at Kings Cross - I have found the NXEC travel centre people to be very helpful, the same with St Pancras.

St Pancras are excellent for excesses apparently.

Maybe we should compile a list of stations that have adequately trained staff who can actually issue excesses!

On another note, I was aghast to learn that the FGW staff at Paddington now charge £5 simply to make a seat reservation! Madness.

Yep, have been for a while. You've not been reading my fares advice articles then

 

[bengolding]

Well I chose not to reserve my seat at Paddington after hearing of the charge! A sneaky way to generate extra revenue. What was the rationale behind FGW charging for this when others have sense and don't?

As you say, some stations really are good and I agree with your point about St Pancras. There are also some great VT stations in the Midlands (not New St!) with staff who know what they are doing.

 

[glynn80]

Was this a ticket from London Terminals? If so I'm not surprised they questioned it, but good to hear they applied common sense (unlike the ticket clerk)

St Pancras are excellent for excesses apparently.

Maybe we should compile a list of stations that have adequately trained staff who can actually issue excesses!

Yep, have been for a while. You've not been reading my fares advice articles then

St Pancras in my opinion aren't good on excesses, their staff are just very approachable when it comes to you instructing them exactly how to issue the ticket.

Perhaps we need to produce a guide that explains how to issue excesses on each TIS.

 

[metrocammel]

St Pancras in my opinion aren't good on excesses, their staff are just very approachable when it comes to you instructing them exactly how to issue the ticket.

On the contrary, I have purchased Excesses at St. Pancras (EMT) before and they have known exactly what to do, whereas St. Pancras (FCC) and King's Cross (NXEC) are very poor, and have suggested buying singles rather than an XS. Euston Virgin ticket office are rather hit and miss, sometimes they are OK, while other times they claim that they don't know what to do. Another one like that is the small FCC ticket office at King's Cross, I have experienced some very good customer service there, with staff who know exactly how to issue complicated tickets, and I have also experienced staff who haven't the first idea there, so, as I say, it's rather hit and miss.

 

[glynn80]

On the contrary, I have purchased Excesses at St. Pancras (EMT) before and they have known exactly what to do, whereas St. Pancras (FCC) and King's Cross (NXEC) are very poor, and have suggested buying singles rather than an XS. Euston Virgin ticket office are rather hit and miss, sometimes they are OK, while other times they claim that they don't know what to do. Another one like that is the small FCC ticket office at King's Cross, I have experienced some very good customer service there, with staff who know exactly how to issue complicated tickets, and I have also experienced staff who haven't the first idea there, so, as I say, it's rather hit and miss.

Well when I was last there I had to instruct the agent and their manager how to issue a Shipping Link fare, not that common but certainly not very difficult but they were very happy for me to explain to them exactly what to do. The same happened there when getting an overdistance excess with a different team manager although that time another agent managed to help the manager and the agent I had approached to issue the fare.

 

[metrocammel]

Well when I was last there I had to instruct the agent and their manager how to issue a Shipping Link fare, not that common but certainly not very difficult but they were very happy for me to explain to them exactly what to do. The same happened there when getting an overdistance excess with a different team manager although that time another agent managed to help the manager and the agent I had approached to issue the fare.

Hmm, I suppose it all depends on who is on duty regarding competence with particular tickets, however, it seems the 'culture' at STP seems to be that excesses can be issued, and the staff will also listen to the passenger, whereas other some other stations have the opinion that the passenger knows nothing, and thus will not listen to any advise you may give.