Refusal to Sell Ticket Due to a 'Free Ride'

[superalbs]

Hi,

Back on the 30th June, my friend went to Exeter Central, with intents to purchase a day return ticket from St James Park to Pinhoe for the following Sunday (1st July).

This was to complete a set of other tickets for a day trip to London Waterloo, the rest of the tickets having been bought online at a previous date.

After asking for the ticket, the clerk declined, saying that my friend would get a 'free ride' between Exeter Central and St James Park.

After much confusion, my friend was eventually sold the ticket, after saying that he probably wouldn't use it anyway.

What did the ticket clerk mean by 'free ride'? How was the ride 'free' if you want to buy a ticket for it? Why would staff refuse to sell a ticket when there was every likelihood that you would be able to do the journey without paying anyway (especially travelling early/late on a Sunday)? How else are you meant to complete this journey without a 'free ride', by the purchase multiple tickets?

Very confused!

Thanks.

 

[moliones]

Could the clerk have assumed the journey would start from Exeter Central, but no ticket would be held until St James Park?

 

[superalbs]

Could the clerk have assumed the journey would start from Exeter Central, but no ticket would be held until St James Park?

That's what I think. But there would be no other possible way to go from St James Park to Pinhoe without going via Exeter Central, so the ticket is valid there.

The journey was starting from St James Park, going to Exeter Central for a change, and then to Pinhoe (where the rest of the tickets would come into effect).

 

[sheff1]

Could the clerk have assumed the journey would start from Exeter Central, but no ticket would be held until St James Park?

To travel from St James Park to Pinhoe you must change at Exeter Central.

 

[bb21]

Exactly what conversation took place?

 

[MichaelAMW]

The off-peak day return as actually slightly cheaper from St James Park than Exeter Central, in spite of the need to go via the latter, although by only 10p. Perhaps that was the free ride he was so concerned about.

 

[Kite159]

The off-peak day return as actually slightly cheaper from St James Park than Exeter Central, in spite of the need to go via the latter, although by only 10p. Perhaps that was the free ride he was so concerned about.

Anybody want to predict how long it will be until both will be made the same price?

 

[RJ]

Sounds like a local anomaly that the clerk was aware of but took personal exception to.

I get loads of customers who knowingly or otherwise buy "underpriced" tickets from me. I just sell them, congratulate the customer for finding a good deal and note them down in case they come in useful one day. I don't understand these people who give customers a hard time for doing so.

 

[superalbs]

Friend:
Hello can I have a day return from St James Park to Pinhoe tomorrow please.

Ticket:
You can't do that.

Friend:
Well yes you can, there's a ##:## from St James Park, which connects with a Waterloo train to Pinhoe.

Ticket:
Well you're getting a free ride, so you can't do that.

Friend:
Well I've done it before. I probably won't use it anyway, as the last train from Waterloo doesn't even connect with one anyway, so I'll be paying for a journey I won't even make.

Ticket:
Oh, alright then.

Then, the ticket was sold.

This happened again today, with someone on the gateline. It was very early, and the ticket office was closed, but the ticket machines there do not sell from different origins, so was unable to buy the ticket again.

Could the gateline staff not have sold this ticket?

Now tonight he will have to pay extra to get back to St James Park.

 

[embers25]

Sounds like a local anomaly that the clerk was aware of but took personal exception to.

I get loads of customers who knowingly or otherwise buy "underpriced" tickets from me. I just sell them, congratulate the customer for finding a good deal and note them down in case they come in useful one day. I don't understand these people who give customers a hard time for doing so.

Friend:
Hello can I have a day return from St James Park to Pinhoe tomorrow please.

Ticket:
You can't do that.

Friend:
Well yes you can, there's a ##:## from St James Park, which connects with a Waterloo train to Pinhoe.

Ticket:
Well you're getting a free ride, so you can't do that.

Friend:
Well I've done it before. I probably won't use it anyway, as the last train from Waterloo doesn't even connect with one anyway, so I'll be paying for a journey I won't even make.

Ticket:
Oh, alright then.

Then, the ticket was sold.

This happened again today, with someone on the gateline. It was very early, and the ticket office was closed, but the ticket machines there do not sell from different origins, so was unable to buy the ticket again.

Could the gateline staff not have sold this ticket?

Now tonight he will have to pay extra to get back to St James Park.

The Pinhoe to St James is cheaper than Pinhoe to Central and a favourite of mine but whilst it is cheaper, you can't use Network Cards as St James is out of area. Until a couple of years ago the machine in Pinhoe wouldn't sell tickets to St James Park at all, in fact it wasn't on any SWT machine!

Exeter Central ticket office is hit and miss which is a real shame as their old travel centre was one of the best in the country. All staff now are poorly trained in my experience and much worse than St Davids, who were awful but are now on the whole pretty impressive. Some at Central will do whatever you need, provided you guide them through step by step as they haven't been trained properly and really do try hard and are very friendly, but most are slow (leading to long queues) and either refuse to sell tickets or sell overpriced ones. There are also complete jobsworths (almost on a par with the Platform 1 ticket office at Woking) and the gate staff are some of the worst in the country (not as bad as Manchester!) who really aren't fans of break of journey and challenge routeing on even the most obvious routes.

St Davids barrier staff in the evening happily sell any ticket not on the machines and will do whatever they can to help but Central barrier staff refuse every time. If you try to buy a ticket from another station they insist on proof of a ticket to get there and even then often say buy it when you get there and refuse sale.

 

[RJ]

It's a bit odd really - where I am we're paid to be nice and helpful to customers. This whole nonsense around deliberately making it difficult/refusing legitimate sales is baffling to say the least and directly contradicts what we're required to do in the TSA.

Is there anyone on here that does this, or runs a ticket office where this is normal that can help to make sense of why it's standard practice?

 

[_toommm_]

It's a bit odd really - where I am we're paid to be nice and helpful to customers. This whole nonsense around deliberately making it difficult/refusing legitimate sales is baffling to say the least and directly contradicts what we're required to do in the TSA.

Is there anyone on here that does this, or runs a ticket office where this is normal that can help to make sense of why it's standard practice?

Anyone here work at Sheffield station?