Season Ticket Issue

[323235]

Hi All,

Today I went to my local Northern station and asked for a monthly ticket for my usual commute but as a result of the man being over helpful I ended up being convinced to buy a ticket for a month and a day, I realised after boarding my train that the extra day was useless to me as I'm on annual leave from the previous Friday to the ticket expiry on the 1st July.

I have already emailed Northern about it. Is this the best way to deal with it. I was going to ask at the station tomorrow when it is open but expect that he won't be able to change it back to what I actually wanted in the first place now.

Any advice is much appreciated. I'd quite like the 3.20 back (even if it's in travel vouchers) as I'm on a tight budget this month and didn't intend to spend the extra. At the time of purchase I had in my head he was talking about the previous Friday (24th). I've never been asked if I want to buy an additional day before.

 

[dquebec]

There will be a £10 admin fee applied to any part-refund, so no.

You did agree to the purchase, so you have no recourse.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

If you can get to an open Northern ticket office tonight, you might be able to get it changed at no cost to yourself. Second option I can think of is handing it in for refund on the last day you use it and explain what has happened, maybe they'll waive the admin fee. Third option is the "Customer Experience Centre", but given they work for Carillion rather than Northern (and know bugger all about tickets IME) I honestly don't know how well that would work out.

 

[crehld]

What exactly did you ask for?

Did you just ask for a monthly season, but were offered a month +1 day season instead? Or did you say you wanted a ticket / tickets to cover one month +1 day's travel?

If you just asked for a monthly season, but were sold something else after being erroneously convinced (or dare I say misled (be it intentional or otherwise)) it would be better for you despite the fact it wasn't, then I think you have grounds to go back to the station and ask and be sold the correct ticket along with a refund for the overpayment. And, if this is the case, I see no grounds for a £10 admin fee to be levied.

Of course, if you asked for 1 month + 1 day and then changed your mind I think you'd be better off just sticking with what you've got, although asking won't hurt.

 

[323235]

Thank you for all the posts so far. I asked for a monthly ticket , I never had any intention of buying anything more than a monthly ticket , in fact I've never considered getting a month and a day ticket ever. I'll ask at the station tomorrow about it see what he says, assuming it's the same man.

 

[crehld]

If you asked for a monthly ticket then you should have been sold a monthly ticket.

I can see how the clerk might have tried to be helpful (perhaps they thought a monthly +1 day would have been cheaper, though I can't quite fathom the logic there?), but it's quite clear the clerk was mistaken and you were misled into to purchasing a product which wasn't suitable for your requirements. Take it back, point out the error and ask to be given the appropriate ticket and a refund for any erroneous overpayment.

 

[TEW]

I'm guessing the monthly season ticket would expire on the Thursday, so the clerk offered to add an extra day so it would finish on the Friday. Then the next monthly could be bought on the Monday rather than Friday, avoiding paying for the weekend.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I can see how the clerk might have tried to be helpful (perhaps they thought a monthly +1 day would have been cheaper, though I can't quite fathom the logic there?)

1st July is a Friday, so I am assuming that the clerk was attempting to be helpful by having the season ticket finish on the last day of a working week, which would be cheaper than buying a day single/return on that day. The new ticket could then start after the weekend.

I'm unsure why the OP bought a monthly season ticket if they were only going to be in work for three weeks, though.

 

[father_jack]

I can see how the clerk might have tried to be helpful (perhaps they thought a monthly +1 day would have been cheaper, though I can't quite fathom the logic there?), but it's quite clear the clerk was mistaken and you were misled into to purchasing a product which wasn't suitable for your requirements. Take it back, point out the error and ask to be given the appropriate ticket and a refund for any erroneous overpayment.

1st July is a Friday, so I am assuming that the clerk was attempting to be helpful by having the season ticket finish on the last day of a working week, which would be cheaper than buying a day single/return on that day. The new ticket could then start after the weekend.

What does happen is if the clerk knew his stuff on the previous ticket is that he'll have offered the extra day/days to run up to the Friday of the week of the expiry, but where the pitfall is that the TIS repeats the same POV unless the next clerk resets it to a month. It actually makes a good clerk look bad when this happens- but the next clerk should be checking.

 

[yorkie]

He was trying to be helpful. Normally, if you work Mondays-Fridays, it would benefit you to do this. Go back to the ticket office at the earliest opportunity.