Lost Gold Card.

[neil7]

I really need some advice regarding a lost gold card.

I have held a gold card between Colchester and Chelmsford for 3 years, but when I renewed last week and actually bought an annual between Colchester and London terminals due to a change in my position at work. After holding the card for only 7 days I have lost it on the way home from work!! I release how stupid this was and will certainly take much more care in the future, but i'm really worried Greater Anglia think I'm trying to comit some kind of fraud!!

I went to the station where I purchased the ticket the very next day to report it lost. The woman looked up the details on her computer but said she was unable to issue me a new ticket straight away due to the length of tome remaining on the card. She would have to contact the anti-fruad team and I would probably be called to interview.

I haven't sleept since being told this. I've looked up the national rail terms of carriage, which says they will issue 1 replacement unless they suspect the ticket is or will be used for fraud or improperly. I'm so worried by the whole situation! If I don't get a replacement I will lose my job and therefore my home.

Will I be interviewed by the police, under caution? How does this work? I feels like there is a good chance I won't get a replacement! It seems like one stupid moment of carelessness could cost me £4500 and my job!!

Any advice would be VERY much appriciated!

 

[oversteer]

Welcome neil7. Sorry to hear you have lost your ticket, I am always so paranoid about doing the same and I only buy monthly seasons!

Did you lose your photocard too?

If it is the first time this has happened to you, the train company is obliged to issue a replacement ticket; provided they are happy there is no fraudulent behaviour going on (as you have seen, this is listed in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage).

So, to rule out any fraud, they have the option of asking you to an interview which sounds rather formal and serious but it will certainly be with a member of the train company's staff NOT the police and it will be fine if you are very clear on when you last had the ticket, when you bought it, how much you paid etc etc.

Personally, if asked to interview, I would bring some photo ID, proof of address and the original payment card used plus a matching bank statement (anything personal marked out in marker pen). Get a statement printed by your bank so it is on official headed paper.

Meanwhile you'll probably have to pay for the daily tickets, I don't think there is much you can do about that. Maybe buy a weekly ticket for now.

 

[neil7]

Thanks for the reply, I feel a little more relaxed knowing I won't be interviewed by the police! Is the interview a standard process then? I was made to feel that they were particually concerned by my case. I though prehaps as I only recently got the card!!

I didn't lose the photo card, I still have that part. I lost the card rushing to catch the last train after working late! In my haste a must have just put the card ticket pack in my pocket rather than the wallet and it must have fallen out, probably on the train!

The customer advisor at Colchester made it seem that Greater Anglia don't have to issue me with a ticket if they are at all concerned. They were very rude about it even though I was clearly already very upset by the situation.

I have never lost a ticket in the past and have no reason why they should consider me a 'fraudster'.

Just want to get this over with, I will be a lot more carefull in the future!!!

 

[John @ home]

Meanwhile you'll probably have to pay for the daily tickets, I don't think there is much you can do about that. Maybe buy a weekly ticket for now.

Correct.

Keep all the daily or weekly tickets you buy. These should be refunded once a replacement annual ticket has been authorised.

 

[oversteer]

I would say the interview is because you only just got the ticket and it is still 'worth' £4k or so. If someone finds it and uses it to travel then the railway loses a lot of money.
There have been a few cases where someone 'loses' a ticket and gets a replacement and then two tickets exist; without a close check of the photocard number, nobody would realise one was a duplicate.

I don't know what the solution is really, I have never liked the the fact that a £4k+ season ticket is issued on basically the same paper as a cheap single ticket and is just as easy to lose !

Perhaps one day we will all be 'microchipped'.

 

[telstarbox]

I have never lost a ticket in the past and have no reason why they should consider me a 'fraudster'.

It's purely due to the very high value of the ticket, particularly as there are 51 weeks left of the 52 weeks which you paid for. Don't take it personally

(Oversteer beat me to it)

 

[neil7]

Thanks,

Is the fact there is a lot of time left on it, something they would refuse a duplicate for?

 

[John @ home]

Is the fact there is a lot of time left on it, something they would refuse a duplicate for?

No. The train company must act in accordance with Condition 34 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

 

[tony6499]

Show the proof that your job has changed from Chelmsford to London then there won't be a problem with anyone thinking otherwise

 

[zero]

I don't know what the solution is really, I have never liked the the fact that a £4k+ season ticket is issued on basically the same paper as a cheap single ticket and is just as easy to lose !

Perhaps one day we will all be 'microchipped'.

There's quite a simple solution, just issue an annual ticket as 12 monthlies. In the future the annual ticket could have a photo printed on it, or individual IDs so that barriers could be programmed to reject tickets which have been reported as lost.

 

[soil]

I would check your home insurance, most will not cover replacement and may regard tickets as 'money' and have low limits. Change it to a policy that you are sure covers season tickets to this value.

 

[Mama Banana]

I've recently lost mine (£4.5 k) after 5 months of use. Got a duplicate with no problems, but I am so, so scared of loosing it again I can't sleep. (how can I completely prevent losing it - considering I need to fetch it out 4-6x a day in busy areas at each gates and for ticket checks?).

Does anybody know of an household insurance provider that would cover lost tickets?

Many many thanks
B

 

[soil]

Many will, but you will usually need to specify "personal belongings away from home cover". This will cost extra.

Read the policy schedule very carefully and check for the following:

* limits to the value of any single item
* any specific exclusions relating to 'money' which may be defined as including 'tickets'
* any references to 'tickets', again their may be exclusions or low limits here.

 

[Mama Banana]

I checked online with a couple of providers. I don't have a household insurance yet - I house share with other people, and don't own anything (apart from the TICKET) that's worth more than £500. They would cost about £1000 and would consider the ticket as money, which is limited to £500
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Good advice though (esp. for all already having a household insurance)

 

[John @ home]

Does anybody know of an household insurance provider that would cover lost tickets?

Many will

Are you sure? See the Season ticket insurance thread, particularly thedbdiboy's explanation in this post why insurers lose interest in the subject.

 

[soil]

Yes, I received £1000+ from Allianz on my home policy (disclaimer: I have no idea whether current policies cover this), which I took at after first losing the ticket.

The issues are:

* do not look for 'season ticket insurance', the identified risk would unacceptably high for the insurer; a general home contents policy with possessions away from home cover that happens to cover season tickets will mix your valuable season ticket in with the overall home contents cover risk spread over hundreds of thousands of policies, and in that context it's insurable
* your eventual claim on a given insurance policy is usually unforeseeable by you. Insurance companies know this and have lots of small print designed to allow them to reject claims. In this case you know exactly what is likely to happen - season ticket lost, out of the home, the value of the ticket, etc. You can therefore read the small print armed with this knowledge and ensure that that specific risk/item is covered to the required value.

If you do a home insurance comparison search and then go through each one in turn reading the small print you should find something quite quickly that will cover you.