Return portion restrictions

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

You are indeed right with your analysis TLM. It shouldn't be allowed to use a return portion of a CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) in such a way. Logic and common sense would say so. But if, as you say, a "booking engine says you can use the 0730 from Swindon", then as you quite rightly point out, the passenger has got implied permission to legitimately make the journey.

[SDS]

Booking engines sometimes allow you to over-travel to the London Terminal on a Not London ticket to come back 1 stop. Doesn't mean its a valid route.

[inspector_blakey]

Booking engines sometimes allow you to over-travel to the London Terminal on a Not London ticket to come back 1 stop. Doesn't mean its a valid route.

Fair point, but that's poor customer service from the railway industry as a whole (putting things politely), isn't it? Putt yourself in the position of a passenger who had used a booking engine (which supposedly applies the routeing guide) to buy a ticket for their intended journey only to find out that the ticket they had been sold wasn't valid, depite them doing everything in their power to buy the correct product: wouldn't you be slightly piqued?!

[paul7575]

For goodness sake, why is almost everyone so instant these days that if something isn't written down in black and white then it doesn't count and that you have "them" on a "technicality". It really is quite straight forward - the clue is in the name of the ticket.

That wasn't the point of my post.

I was simply pointing out that the subheading in the manual doesn't match what the article is on about. That's just bad English, but it also means that when the railway wants to challenge someone who is trying to use a technicality, the manual becomes open to argument. 

Paul

[SDS]

Booking engines sometimes allow you to over-travel to the London Terminal on a Not London ticket to come back 1 stop. Doesn't mean its a valid route.

Fair point, but that's poor customer service from the railway industry as a whole (putting things politely), isn't it? Putt yourself in the position of a passenger who had used a booking engine (which supposedly applies the routeing guide) to buy a ticket for their intended journey only to find out that the ticket they had been sold wasn't valid, depite them doing everything in their power to buy the correct product: wouldn't you be slightly piqued?!

I must be honest here, I rarely buy [full] tickets and have had free travel for most of my life. Be it like now TOCNE, or as a nominee or as a dependant.

But I would also use common sense and see "Not London"/ "Not Underground"/ "Not on a Tuesday on an even month in the lunar cycle which follows an odd month". And realise what it means (obviously the last one virgin are yet to introduce).

[TerminalJunkie]

But I would also use common sense and see "Not London"/ "Not Underground"/ "Not on a Tuesday on an even month in the lunar cycle which follows an odd month". And realise what it means

And yet you have a problem with the words 'By any train'...

[SDS]

In conjunction with other rules....

[Brucey]

I think this thread and others (e.g. the Heart of Wessex ranger thread) are excellent candidates for demonstrating what a mess our fares system is in.

We may understand many of the technicalities, either because we work for the railway or as regular customers (with an interest) look at the restrictions regularly enough to understand them.  But this simply isn't the case for most people.  They will believe what the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) website tells them (and why shouldn't they?) and what they read on the NRE^▸ (National Rail Enquiries) website.

Take the "By any train" example.  It would be very simple for "After 0930" to be inserted into the return restrictions.  So why not do that?  Although it may seem obvious to some, I don't think it should be assumed that the return should be used after the outward portion unless this is written down somewhere.

And the Heart of Wessex Ranger thread just goes to show that ticket restrictions are different depending on where you find them (possibly due to outdated information not being removed/updated).

My personal opinion is that restrictions should be made simpler and also printed on the ticket.  Something like "Any Permitted, See Restrictions" at present, would be better as "After 0930" or "Not between 1600 and 1900".  If the restriction doesn't fit on the ticket, it shouldn't be allowed.