FixMyTransport: fix this: penalty fare

Description

Babu Gurung

I mistakenly boarded 18:30 train instead of my actual train that was due to at 18:45 from Lonon Paddigton to Swindon and was charged a penalty fare of GBP56.00. I boarded at the very last moment at about 18:27 so didn't hear about any announcement regarding the penalty fares as the train was crowded and I was rushing through the compartments to get a seat for myself but failed to get one and had to travel standing for the whole journey. I paid the penalty to the collector by my debit card. I just wonder if that amount of penalty fare was reasonable or not and whether or not I should be charged the penalty fare at all since I didn't take that train purposely..who would take a train leaving only 15 minutes early when u knew u might have to pay penalty of that huge amount?...pls help

Comment

Problem History

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1 Babu Gurung reported the issue on FixMyTransport. close 14:51 29 Oct 2012 #
2 Babu Gurung wrote to First Great Western Railway close 14:51 29 Oct 2012 #

Here is the letter that Babu Gurung wrote.

penalty fare

I mistakenly boarded 18:30 train instead of my actual train that was due to at 18:45 from Lonon Paddigton to Swindon and was charged a penalty fare of GBP56.00. I boarded at the very last moment at about 18:27 so didn't hear about any announcement regarding the penalty fares as the train was crowded and I was rushing through the compartments to get a seat for myself but failed to get one and had to travel standing for the whole journey. I paid the penalty to the collector by my debit card. I just wonder if that amount of penalty fare was reasonable or not and whether or not I should be charged the penalty fare at all since I didn't take that train purposely..who would take a train leaving only 15 minutes early when u knew u might have to pay penalty of that huge amount?...pls help
3 First Group Response responded to Babu Gurung close 14:57 29 Oct 2012 #

Thank you for contacting First Great Western. We confirm receipt of your e-mail and aim to forward a full response within 5 working days. If you have a more urgent issue that needs resolving please telephone on 08457 000125 where we will try to give a faster resolution.

Please note that you will not be able to reply direct to this email, however if you wish to contact us further by email then please use the address below.

[email address]

Thank you for contacting First Great Western. We confirm receipt of your e-mail and aim to forward a full response within 5 working days. If you have a more urgent issue that needs resolving please telephone on 08457 000125 where we will try to give a faster resolution.

Please note that you will not be able to reply direct to this email, however if you wish to contact us further by email then please use the address below.

[email address]
4 FGW Customer Relations responded to Babu Gurung close 09:18 31 Oct 2012 #

First Great Western
Customer Services Team
FREEPOST
SWB40576
Plymouth
PL4 6ZZ

Tel: 08457 000 125
Fax: 08456 008 363
[First Great Western Railway problem reporting email]

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

Ref: 6775156

Dear Customer

Thank you for your email of 29 October 2012. I am sorry you had a problem on your journey from London Paddington to Swindon>, because you did not realise you were travelling with the wrong ticket.

We do try to make it clear, by marking all our tickets with "See restrictions" and we will always explain these if you ask. Or you can see them when you book online. Also, all tickets bought in advance are marked as "Valid only on specified train", because they are not flexible and in most cases you can only use them on the service where you have your seat reservations.

If you travel on one train with a ticket specifically limited to another, your ticket does not cover the new journey. Then we will ask you to buy a new ticket at the full price, or the Train Manager can ask you to leave the train. The £56.00 ticket which you were issued is the cost of an Anytime Single from London Paddington to Swindon which, as you were travelling at a peak time, is the correct fare.

I do appreciate you did not realise this, but it is marked on the ticket and it is the customer's responsibility to check their ticket is valid for the train they are on.

Thank you again for your email and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Samantha Bishop
Customer Services Advisor

*** Your feedback is really important to us so we would be very grateful for a couple of moments of your time to complete our customer satisfaction survey. If you would like to participate, please click on the link below. ***

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BRMTRJC

First Greater Western Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 05113733.
Registered office: Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 1HL

First Rail Holdings Limited. Registered in England No. 5154485. Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6LG.

This message is confidential. It may not be disclosed to, or used by, anyone other than the addressee. If you receive this message in error, please advise us immediately.

Internet email is not necessarily secure. First does not accept responsibility for changes to any email which occur after the email has been sent. Attachments to this email could contain software viruses which could damage your system. First have checked the attachments for viruses before sending, but you should virus-check them before opening.

For more information on our range of services or to book your tickets online, please visit:- http://www.firstgroup.com

First Great Western
Customer Services Team
FREEPOST
SWB40576
Plymouth
PL4 6ZZ

Tel: 08457 000 125
Fax: 08456 008 363
[First Great Western Railway problem reporting email]

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

Ref: 6775156

Dear Customer

Thank you for your email of 29 October 2012. I am sorry you had a problem on your journey from London Paddington to Swindon>, because you did not realise you were travelling with the wrong ticket.

We do try to make it clear, by marking all our tickets with "See restrictions" and we will always explain these if you ask. Or you can see them when you book online. Also, all tickets bought in advance are marked as "Valid only on specified train", because they are not flexible and in most cases you can only use them on the service where you have your seat reservations.

If you travel on one train with a ticket specifically limited to another, your ticket does not cover the new journey. Then we will ask you to buy a new ticket at the full price, or the Train Manager can ask you to leave the train. The £56.00 ticket which you were issued is the cost of an Anytime Single from London Paddington to Swindon which, as you were travelling at a peak time, is the correct fare.

I do appreciate you did not realise this, but it is marked on the ticket and it is the customer's responsibility to check their ticket is valid for the train they are on.

Thank you again for your email and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Samantha Bishop
Customer Services Advisor

*** Your feedback is really important to us so we would be very grateful for a couple of moments of your time to complete our customer satisfaction survey. If you would like to participate, please click on the link below. ***

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BRMTRJC

First Greater Western Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 05113733.
Registered office: Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 1HL

First Rail Holdings Limited. Registered in England No. 5154485. Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6LG.

This message is confidential. It may not be disclosed to, or used by, anyone other than the addressee. If you receive this message in error, please advise us immediately.

Internet email is not necessarily secure. First does not accept responsibility for changes to any email which occur after the email has been sent. Attachments to this email could contain software viruses which could damage your system. First have checked the attachments for viruses before sending, but you should virus-check them before opening.

For more information on our range of services or to book your tickets online, please visit:- http://www.firstgroup.com