"Challenging a rail fine cost me ^25 ^ and my train company ^1,500" James Daley

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

If you lose a ticket, or fail to collect it before travelling, it is nobody's fault but your own.

[ChrisB]

Doesn't stop someone requesting a refund though!

Customers are at fault here...if fraud was no issue, I'm sure it might be considered.

[Chris from Nailsea]

If you lose a ticket ... it is nobody's fault but your own.

Indeed. That is no doubt why you tried to disappear under your seat when the conductor appeared, on a previous occasion reported here on the Coffee Shop forum. 

[JayMac]

I was busy FINDING my ticket, not avoiding a ticket check. I succeeded in my quest.

I've a good mind to take CfN to court for the subtext and implication in his post. My reputation and standing in the community is being damaged by these unfounded and scurrilous accusations.

On second thoughts I'll not bother. Truth is I don't have any reputation or standing.

[Tim]

It's possible that in this case the tickets were issued and one was left in the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) hopper. There's very little in the way of checks and balances once that has happened.

I agree.  Leaving the ticket in the hopper (or anywhere else) is clearly the fault of the customer and I'd be happy with no refund being given in such circumstances.  I do think that a refund in the case of genuine non-collection (ie when the computer knows that no ticket of that number has been printed) would be good customer relations.   

I'm not a big fan of analogies with retail purchases

Maybe not but all passengers will have experience of retails purchases and an therefore expectation to be treated as well by the railway as by Tescos of M&S.   Customers will use the retail sector as their benchmark of what is "fair"

[ChrisB]

Tickets can get stuck between printer and dropping into hopper! Very rare, but I know a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) that played up (needed bashing hard in the right place for it to drop), i reported it. Seems to be fixed. It appears they can track exactly which tickets in a stream have printed, as they agreed with me which ticket part was missing.

Only known it happen to one TVM, once.

[Fourbee]

I do think that a refund in the case of genuine non-collection (ie when the computer knows that no ticket of that number has been printed) would be good customer relations.   

Southern will do that (not on advances though) for all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) as long as they have not been collected and you go through their online+paper process:
http://www.southernrailway.com/offers/money-back-guarantee/

[ChrisB]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) will refund the same ticket types if uncollected, few, if any, questions asked, directly back to the account used to purchase. Email confirmations all the way too, I was very impressed