Inspector Reporting ticket

[loveticketinsp]

Hi sorry I don’t know if this is exactly the right thread to post in but idk where else to post.

Yesterday I was at the train station and there were no barriers to exit the station. Instead, there were individual workers checking tickets.

As the inspector checked my ticket he said I was rude and reported my ticket on his hand scanner (never heard of this before).

I’m just asking this form too see if anyone knows what this means?

For reference, my ticket was part of a longer journey encompassing multiple stations. For example, the station I was leaving wasn’t my final destination and I would be travelling further using the same ticket - so it would likely have been scanned again.

Thanks in advance

 

[Watershed]

Welcome to the forum.

To be able to assist you we're going to need a bit more information about your case.

Did you have a valid ticket? If it had any discount (e.g. Railcard) applied, were you eligible for this and were you able to show the appropriate proof?

What was the journey you were undertaking, what station did this happen at and what ticket(s) did you hold?

 

[loveticketinsp]

Piccadilly. Yes valid ticket that they scanned. They specifically reported me as I was ‘rude’. Nothing to do with my ticket.

 

[simonw]

Piccadilly. Yes valid ticket that they scanned. They specifically reported me as I was ‘rude’. Nothing to do with my ticket.

What was the conversation that led to them accusing you of being rude?

 

[JBuchananGB]

We really need a bit more information. Where were you travelling from & where to? When you say Picadilly, do you mean Manchester Picadilly? What ticket(s) did you have? When the staff member asked to see your ticket, what exactly transpired?
What format was your ticket, was it a CCST (credit card sized ticket), a printed e-ticket, an e-ticket which you showed on a phone? Were you issued with any documentation regarding the encounter?

 

[AlterEgo]

Piccadilly. Yes valid ticket that they scanned. They specifically reported me as I was ‘rude’. Nothing to do with my ticket.

It depends on what, exactly, you said to them and whether it constitutes an offence that I'd worry about. From the bylaws:

6. Unacceptable behaviour
(1) No person shall use any threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive language on the railway.
(2) No person shall behave in a disorderly, indecent or offensive manner on the railway

 

[loveticketinsp]

Thanks for the help guys. Sorry I just don’t want to be identifiable.

It was e-ticket. I guess they can see the email I used to buy the ticket?

I called them a word associated with people who love their job and they were not happy about that.

They asked for my railcard which I had and got out but they didn’t inspect it as well.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I called them a word associated with people who love their job and they were not happy about that.

If it's the word I'm thinking of, they must have been pretty thin-skinned! Surely people in roles like this, hear that all the time!

 

[glasgowniteowl]

Probably going to need more details on why you called them this name to be able to assist you, assuming you called them a jobsworth or something, they must have done something that made you call them this, that's what we really need to know to give you accurate advice

Ie if you didn't want a ticket scanned for some reason and called them this as they were insisting on scanning, it may now raise suspicions of refund fraud that they may look into etc

 

[Wolfie]

Frankly if you are reporting the conversation accurately and that's all that was said (and crucially that they claim was said - were they wearing cameras and were they on?) any prosecutor will laugh at proposing charges

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2024 ==

Probably going to need more details on why you called them this name to be able to assist you, assuming you called them a jobsworth or something, they must have done something that made you call them this, that's what we really need to know to give you accurate advice

Ie if you didn't want a ticket scanned for some reason and called them this as they were insisting on scanning, it may now raise suspicions of refund fraud that they may look into etc

Fair comment

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2024 ==

If it's the word I'm thinking of, they must have been pretty thin-skinned! Surely people in roles like this, hear that all the time!

Indeed

 

[loveticketinsp]

They scanned ticket - asked for railcard - jobsworth - reported ticket. As I said I’ve no idea what that means though.

Simple as that just a brief 30 second encounter.

I’m worried because I think they might have reported me having no railcard as well.
But then again if they come at me for that I do actually own a railcard.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2024 ==

Probably going to need more details on why you called them this name to be able to assist you, assuming you called them a jobsworth or something, they must have done something that made you call them this, that's what we really need to know to give you accurate advice

Ie if you didn't want a ticket scanned for some reason and called them this as they were insisting on scanning, it may now raise suspicions of refund fraud that they may look into etc

I was fined last year for buying child tickets from northern.

The ticket scanned today was transpennine. I’m as clean as a whistle when it come to refunding tickets, not buying correct ticket etc so I’m not worried about further investigation.

 

[AdamWW]

I must admit I was a bit surprised at the thoroughness of the checks at Picadilly at the manned "barriers" a year or so ago.

I don't think I've ever been asked to dig a railcard out at barriers anywhere else for a start. (On trains, yes).

I did comment on it, but fortunately that was considered acceptable.

 

[AlterEgo]

I'd be surprised if jobsworth met the test of any of:

threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive.

 

[Adam Williams]

If the circumstances described are accurate then a) the TOC definitely shouldn't even try to follow up on this or request access to personal information and b) any retailer with an ounce of sense should be refusing to provide any of the passenger's details.

 

[fandroid]

The only other reason I can think of for challenging you would be if you were travelling on an Advance ticket which doesn't allow break of journey, but as the nearly all the facilities at Manchester Piccadilly are outside the barriers, then passing through them to use the station facilities is permitted anyway

 

[glasgowniteowl]

They scanned ticket - asked for railcard - jobsworth - reported ticket. As I said I’ve no idea what that means though.

Simple as that just a brief 30 second encounter.

I’m worried because I think they might have reported me having no railcard as well.
But then again if they come at me for that I do actually own a railcard.

OK thanks for that, it's helpful, also what was the sequence around the railcard that makes you think they will report you for not having one? As going by what you said this is the only thing I can see that may be an issue to be dealt with, but appears not to be a major issue assuming the railcard wasn't just renewed today and was held before commencing your journey yesterday

 

[LowLevel]

I don't think you have a huge amount to worry about if you weren't abusive in any other way and were valid.

 

[northwichcat]

I must admit I was a bit surprised at the thoroughness of the checks at Picadilly at the manned "barriers" a year or so ago.

I don't think I've ever been asked to dig a railcard out at barriers anywhere else for a start. (On trains, yes).

I did comment on it, but fortunately that was considered acceptable.

I'm not the right age to hold a railcard but when I was younger I got used to ticket inspectors at stations asking to see railcards, whether it was in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Preston or anywhere else.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2024 ==

The only other reason I can think of for challenging you would be if you were travelling on an Advance ticket which doesn't allow break of journey, but as the nearly all the facilities at Manchester Piccadilly are outside the barriers, then passing through them to use the station facilities is permitted anyway

Plus going through barriers is needed for many journeys. If you had, say a Burnage to London advance ticket you'd likely arrive at a platform in the manual checking area, and would need to transfer to a train departing a platform with automated barriers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2024 ==

I'd be surprised if jobsworth met the test of any of:

threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive.

While I don't think it's reportable, I wouldn't think the term jobsworth applied to a ticket inspector who was checking someone with a railcard discounted ticket, actually had a railcard. It would apply if someone wasn't showing flexibility where it would be appropriate - like preventing passengers coming off a delayed train making a connection to the last train of the day so that their tickets can be scanned.

 

[skyhigh]

I was fined last year for buying child tickets from northern.

When you say fined, do you mean a Penalty Fare or a settlement? If you got a Penalty Fare for just a single instance of buying a child ticket it's not beyond possibility they will try and get payment for the other fares.

 

[Sheffcaster202]

They scanned ticket - asked for railcard - jobsworth - reported ticket. As I said I’ve no idea what that means though.

Simple as that just a brief 30 second encounter.

I’m worried because I think they might have reported me having no railcard as well.
But then again if they come at me for that I do actually own a railcard.

Why would you do this?

By your version of events you held a valid ticket and valid railcard, what was your problem?

Would you rather them not check everyone’s discount entitlement and Jo Bloggs next to you had blagged themselves a chunk of money off while you pay the correct amount for the same journey?

I very much doubt you’ll hear anything about this and it was probably a retaliatory comment, unprofessionally, to make you feel a bit worried, which seems to have worked!

In terms of falsely reporting you for no railcard…I don’t think anyone would risk lying on a court statement and the system for reporting regularly reminds you that you must be honest and the consequences of not being.

You’ve insulted someone for doing their job, put yourselves in their shoes for a day and maybe research the Betari Box!

 

[yorkie]

If the circumstances described are accurate then a) the TOC definitely shouldn't even try to follow up on this or request access to personal information and b) any retailer with an ounce of sense should be refusing to provide any of the passenger's details.

Agreed.

A jobsworth is someone who does their work absolutely to the letter without any common sense; it's impolite and inaccurate in this case, but it doesn't break any laws.

They were not being a jobsworth because it doesn't defy common sense to ask for a Railcard to be shown; if someone called me a jobsworth when doing my job and was applying common sense, I'd calmly explain why I was doing did make sense and also that it's not me who decides these things.

Where it may be a case of defying common sense would be if a health & safety issue meant that Railcards shouldn't be asked for, e.g. to prevent a potentially dangerous build up of passengers. In that case rigidly applying the rules regarding Railcards could be seen as defying common sense, given the wider picture. But there's no suggestion that was the case here.

Assuming what you say is accurate, I wouldn't worry.