A while ago my wife had to go to London on a training course, so her work ordered her a train ticket through whatever arrangements they have (I'm being deliberately vague here!).
In the end she couldn't travel, but another colleague was prepared to go in her place to avoid wasting the cost of the ticket. However, the ticket was overprinted with her name, so I suggested she lend her (trustworthy!) colleague her debit card with, of course, her name embossed in the unlikely event of the train conductor demanding any ID.
The ticket was accepted without question or ID verification but ...
- did anyone - my wife, her colleague or the business - do anything wrong here? If the colleague had been challenged and had no appropriate ID, could she have been forced to buy a new ticket or even prosecuted? Does the printing of a name on the ticket affect its validity, and would there be any difference if it were an anytime return, off-peak return or advance?
In the end she couldn't travel, but another colleague was prepared to go in her place to avoid wasting the cost of the ticket. However, the ticket was overprinted with her name, so I suggested she lend her (trustworthy!) colleague her debit card with, of course, her name embossed in the unlikely event of the train conductor demanding any ID.
The ticket was accepted without question or ID verification but ...
- did anyone - my wife, her colleague or the business - do anything wrong here? If the colleague had been challenged and had no appropriate ID, could she have been forced to buy a new ticket or even prosecuted? Does the printing of a name on the ticket affect its validity, and would there be any difference if it were an anytime return, off-peak return or advance?