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Sam W
8,406 posts
Sam W
@SamMarkWill
Mostly tweeting about roller coasters and/or public transport.
"The Fool rambles on as a fool does, restless and slipping further into an existential funk."
London
Joined January 2014
- So, this afternoon I got home to find a lovely letter from @northernassist telling me about how they wanted to prosecute me for using the below ticket to travel on the specified route at a peak time. I paid £1.90 less than the fare they say I should have paid. A thread 🧵
- UPDATE: WE DID IT!!! I'm delighted to say that last night I got a message from the Debt Recovery unit at @northernassist confirming that they will "be taking no further steps against [me]". That said, the problems at the heart of my case are FAR from solved. A follow-up thread 🧵So, this afternoon I got home to find a lovely letter from @northernassist telling me about how they wanted to prosecute me for using the below ticket to travel on the specified route at a peak time. I paid £1.90 less than the fare they say I should have paid. A thread 🧵
- Replying to @SamMarkWillWould much appreciate if people like/share this thread so the likes of @LouHaigh may see it. There were multiple people caught out by this on *literally* just my carriage on that day. TOCs must do better; why would anyone get the train if this is how they will treat you?
- Replying to @SamMarkWillSo, what needs to change? Northern: make it clearer that an "Anytime" ticket *isn't* Anytime with a Railcard. Leave app users no room to doubt. Railcard: publicise your restrictions better. Ideally simplify them or just scrap them entirely whilst you're at it.
- Replying to @SamMarkWill.@jackfifield has done great work; he found that some people are getting fined hundreds for similarly tiny infractions. Worth saying: unlike say a parking fine, if Northern succeed in prosecution, this will go on someone's criminal record for their whole life.
- Replying to @SamMarkWillI've emailed the revenue protection team with all the info I can, so I hope this will work out OK. However, I'm understandably worried that an innocent mistake over a confusing and opaque rule - that only saved me £1.90! - will lead to a punishment of £100s and a criminal record.
- Replying to @SamMarkWillYou may be wondering - "the ticket says Anytime Single, why wasn't it valid"? This is because of a tiny bit of fine print in the 16-25 Railcard T&Cs about a minimum fare of £12 pre-10am. Most notably, it doesn't apply in August.
- Actual sabotage that the BBC ran with the least flattering image of all the ones I sent 😭
- Replying to @SamMarkWillOne last piece of irony. The reason I was going London on that day was to sit my driving theory. The quality of transport up North makes driving a near necessity, sadly, and I couldn't find any test availability in Greater Manchester/Leeds/Liverpool that month.
- Replying to @SamMarkWillOnce on the train, the conductor tells me my ticket is invalid due to Railcard restrictions. I immediately offer to pay for a new ticket, or even take a Fixed Penalty Fare if needs be. He says I can't do either; he must report it and Northern may prosecute me.
- Replying to @SamMarkWillHe files his report whilst I Google the rules. I figure out it's due to the £12 pre-10am thing, by which stage his report is already gone. I ask him whether the fact I'm going on to London (AKA: spending more than £12 for my journey overall) changes anything. He basically shrugs.
- Replying to @SamMarkWillOn the morning of travel, when I book on the Northern app, I scroll down until I get to that "Cheapest" Anytime service (as you can see). Nowhere is it made EXPLICIT that my Railcard will not, in fact, be valid on any services before 10am this time. That was my mistake...
- Replying to @SamMarkWillSo, I need to get a pre-10am train to Manchester on September 5th. After I plan to arrive, I'll have about 1 hour before changing to a London train. I'd travelled on this particular pre-10am service a couple of times in August, using the @_Railcards discount with no problems.
