AIBU to think that the Ticket Inspector was a 'Jobsworth'?

I think that rather than using discretion, GoldenAge the inspector realised your cousin had learning difficulties and was confused, and probably doubted her mental capacity. They probably have training about how to deal with people such as your cousin and those with other obvious mental health problems such as dementia.

Bumface

I once got into an argument about a Senior Railcard.

I was travelling about a week after renewing my railcard and I had it with me. A ticket inspector rolled up and demanded to see my ticket so I handed him the ticket and railcard. His face lit up and he said "This railcard went out of date over a week ago". I politely pointed out that it was for the current year and not last year and he blanked me.

He then asked a group of rather stroppy young men for their tickets one of them said "We haven't got tickets. What are you going to do about it?"

The answer must have been nothing as he moved swiftly away down the carriage.

The point I was trying to make in my original post was that the particular inspector I encountered seemed very willing to bend the rules when it came to a menacing group of young, male fare dodgers.

I quite understand that he did not want to take them on but what I failed to mention was that they travelled all the rest of the way to London and then jumped the barrier at the terminus and ran off. I expected them to be escorted from the train by the police at one of the numerous stops or at the teminus, as I have seen happen in the past.

I understand completely how singingnutty must have felt as there was no intention to defraud anybody in their actions and £35 is quite a surcharge. I know it was possible to claim it back but there was the hassle factor to consider. I think anyway that the balance of probability is makes it extremely unlikely that the e-mail was forged.

Truffle43

Harsh as it seems she was just doing her job. Rules are rules and she could probably lose her job if it was picked up elsewhere. If all customers are treated in the same way with rules applied it does make it a fair service. There would be chaos and an out cry if some people didn’t have rules applied and some did.

But surely, that was exactly what happened? The lads with no ticket apparently got away with no rule being applied to them..? I do sympathise with a ticket inspector faced with a stroppy group of lads - but if 'rules are rules' then why not apply them to everyone..?!

i think OP was lucky not to have been charged twice, outbound and return.
i believe travelling without the correct ticket is an offence of strict liability, therefore intention is irrelevant.
agree with GSM.

coaches are cheaper, esp for unplanned journeys.

the main thing is OP's son had a good outcome re hosp visit.
is £35 really that important.
it wouldn't bother me, (esp having evaded paying an earlier £35 due), unless i was living in absolute penury.
which thankfully i am not.
change your mindset OP for a happier life.
all the best.

I went on the train yesterday to meet my sister-in-law. The conductor did the rounds to check tickets and a few seats in front of me there was a person who had a ticket for Transport For Wales trains; the train was Transport For West Midlands so their ticket wasn’t valid. The conductor very politely pointed this out and said he would let it go on this occasion but said the traveler should be careful in future. I thought the conductor handled it politely and very well.

welbeck

i think OP was lucky not to have been charged twice, outbound and return.
i believe travelling without the correct ticket is an offence of strict liability, therefore intention is irrelevant.
agree with GSM.

And the young fare-dodgers? Liability turned out not to be so strict after all.

Feeling really cross . I arrived back from doing the flowers at church to find two communications from the Post Office, one saying they could not deliver a parcel and the second, which is the one which annoys me ,saying that there's a fee to pay and before I can take delivery I must pay £5.
Nowhere does it say where this is coming from, so I could pay £ 5 merely to find it is unrequested mail . Is it too much for the Post Office to put the name/address on the form. I am not moaning about the fee, although it does seem rather excessive, but the fact that I cannot find out if I actually want this letter before I pay it.

Should have applied for Rail ticket sooner 😂

Conductors on the trains I most commonly travel on sell tickets on the train. This seems like a civilised approach.

I think there’s an element of luck with this stuff. I’ve had lots of times where train managers have been really great and flexible when I’ve made a mistake of some kind, but I’ve equally heard situations happening around me where the train manager is showing no flexibility at all. And I agree with the points that other people have made about how unpleasant travelers can be towards staff. That’s public transport for you - all human life is there as they say!

Could the inspector catch the lads jumping over the barrier though? don’t think you can say ‘well I shouldn’t pay because they didn’t’
You were very lucky to not be charged on the way down SingingNutty I wouldn’t make a fuss you were lucky you didn’t get caught on the way down

cannot help but wonder what would happen if your electronic device such as mobile phone ran out of battery
Nana Tuesday you can always use a portable power bank if you are on a long journey or a day out and anyway most trains have charging points under the seat front If they are charged up before a day out and you are not continuously on the phone watching films or listening to music it’s highly unlikely to run out in 12 hours

PS Delighted to hear that your son’s condition has turned out to be less serious than it might have been. It must’ve been a really stressful day for you, and I doubt you were as a resilient as you might as you might have been other times. So not BU, just a bit emotional x

Eil4

Funnily enough I renews my railcard this morning choosing to do so digitally - in the past I would be in a panic in case I lost the card. Now it’s on my phone, happy days!

I renewed my railcard digitally this morning as well. Took less than 5 minutes and I won’t have to do it again for 3 years.

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eek . i though that was a pic of entrails, or a snake.
well, actually . . .
reported.

Suggest you call the delivery office and ask, westendgirl - or pop in if it's close...

lots of delivery scams, beware.

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Reported.

You'd be surprised how many people claim they're waiting for a Railcard to try and blag a cheaper trip. That's why the measurements are in place. So that genuine people are able to claim it back if they have genuinely applied for one and are entitled.

Baggs

Conductors on the trains I most commonly travel on sell tickets on the train. This seems like a civilised approach.

Same for me. Many of the stations on the route I use are unmanned.
However, the train is often so busy that the ticket inspector can't get to everyone. We just pay at the barrier.
I find the staff at Glasgow Central are usually very understanding on the occasions when I have made a mistake.

Since you ask, yes you are being unreasonable. The woman was doing the job she is paid for and applying rules that she is not allowed to set aside.

I realise that you had had a tiring day after probably a lot of anxiety for quite some time, but that is not a excuse for being unreasonable. You did not have a rail-card, so that's that.

A good thing you did not make the remark you were tempted to.