Sold the incorrect tickets for my journey (A Rant)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

The cheapest ticket to London from Southampton is in fact a Southampton - Brighton ticket routed Not London (valid via Clapham Jn), then a single from Clapham is dead cheap.

thetrout was talking about First Class fares. Southampton - London SOUTHERN ONLY is a bargain ^39.40 day return or ^44.40 period return.

Travelling short to CLJ First Class on a SOU-BTN NOT LONDON ticket would cost ^76.60 for both day and period returns. Then there's another ^7.80 to get to and from Waterloo/Victoria.

[Brucey]

eightf48544, I think my post was in routeing language .  I'm not even sure I understand it myself sometimes.  Most of the public won't have a clue about routeings or that the routeing guide exists.  And why the e in routeings?

My simple advice if you are unsure about a route ... stick it into the National Rail Enquiries website with a via and see what ticket is suggested.  On most occasions, the NRE^‡(resolve) enquires website is correct with routeing.

[vacman]

Vacman
Whilst the customer has responsibility, what do you do when the clerk refuses to sell you the right ticket?

I was referring to the part about the railcard discount

[eightf48544]

My simple advice if you are unsure about a route ... stick it into the National Rail Enquiries website with a via and see what ticket is suggested.  On most occasions, the NRE^‡(resolve) enquires website is correct with routeing.

Thanks that's good advice. I found out that Selby can be routed direct, via Leeds or York, Off Peak for the same price.

[JayMac]

The other bit of advice I'd give about routeings, if you are not sure, is to ask here on the forum in Fare's Fair. I'm more than happy to look through the Routeing Guide on a fellow forum members behalf.

Or you can have a go yourself. Be warned though, The Routeing Guide is an unwieldy, fiendish set of documents designed, in all probability, by the devil himself!

http://www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-settlement-plan/routeing-guide

[TerminalJunkie]

And why the e in routeings?

Because that's how you are supposed to spell it; you only take the e out if you're lazy, thick, or American.

[JayMac]

According to my copy of the OED^▸ (Oxford English Dictionary), both spellings of the present participle of route are fine. It can be spelt routing or routeing. The former is not referred to as a US spelling. Or one to be used by lazy or thick people. 

[inspector_blakey]

It is, however, more open to confusion with 'boring holes or grooves in wood using a router', or the present participle of a verb describing something going very wrong on the battlefield.

Although of course in both those cases it's pronounced to rhyme with "trout" rather than "root"

[Ollie]

To show Star is able to do it

[WelshBluebird]

Out of curiosity, someone mentioned earlier that it is the customers responsibility to make sure they have the correct tickets. Maybe I am being naive, but how are the general public supposed to know? Most people don't even know what the routeing guide is (or that one exists), let alone able to work out if the ticket they have been sold (by someone who should know what is correct and what is not correct) is right or not.

[ChrisB]

One asks?.....or enquires of websites?

[WelshBluebird]

One asks?.....or enquires of websites?

Staff are not always correct (as this very thread shows), and the websites are not always correct either (or the staff do not believe the website is correct - theres a thread on another rail forum about someone who bought a ticket online but was told when travelling that it is not valid for his journey, even though they bought it from that ToCs website).

[ChrisB]

print everything off from websites and they've got to allow you to travel....if you feel unsure. ditto at the ticket office - if you aren't sure, get them to priont out route / timings and add the station stamp.

[rogerpatenall]

print everything off from websites and they've got to allow you to travel....if you feel unsure. ditto at the ticket office - if you aren't sure, get them to priont out route / timings and add the station stamp.

Well, that is all very well for people, geeks, like us who frequent blogs, but what about the 99.9% of passengers who do not understand routing options, etc, etc. They put their trust in the clerk or the website that they use, and frequently get robbed. My ex travelled this week from Tunbridge Wells to Barnstable and back, and in spite of going in advance to the station at a quiet time to discuss the options in buying her ticket, was sold the 'easy option' at great cost. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

print everything off from websites and they've got to allow you to travel....if you feel unsure. ditto at the ticket office - if you aren't sure, get them to print out route / timings and add the station stamp.

Hmm.  I'll try that, with Jacob at Nailsea & Backwell, tomorrow morning ...