Chris Read wrote:
"Michael Hoffman" wrote:

Can this be legal? If there was never any indication that the Bus Savers
could expire, then it seems like it would be a violation of the Unfair
Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations.

But did TfL say the tickets would never expire? I bet they didn't.

It doesn't matter. If they didn't provide an expiration date when the
contract was made, then the contract should be enforceable at law until
the six year statute of limitations runs out. It is unfair for them to
be able to unilaterally decide on an expiration date later without
providing a refund. This seems to fall under several of the unfair terms:

(d) permitting the seller or supplier to retain sums paid by the
consumer where the latter decides not to conclude or perform the
contract, without providing for the consumer to receive compensation of
an equivalent amount from the seller or supplier where the latter is the
party cancelling the contract;

(f) authorising the seller or supplier to dissolve the contract on a
discretionary basis where the same facility is not granted to the
consumer, or permitting the seller or supplier to retain the sums paid
for services not yet supplied by him where it is the seller or supplier
himself who dissolves the contract;

(g) enabling the seller or supplier to terminate a contract of
indeterminate duration without reasonable notice except where there are
serious grounds for doing so;

(i) irrevocably binding the consumer to terms with which he had no real
opportunity of becoming acquainted before the conclusion of the contract;

(j) enabling the seller or supplier to alter the terms of the contract
unilaterally without a valid reason which is specified in the contract;

(o) obliging the consumer to fulfil all his obligations where the seller
or supplier does not perform his;

Allowing four months to use up residual stocks doesn't sound like an unfair
contract to me, anyway.

When it has previously been much longer than four months, even when the
price for new savers has gone up, I don't think it is fair or reasonable
to change it now without warning.

If anyone does sue TfL successfully on this matter, remind me to let my mum
know. She's still walking around with a purse full of Multi Ride tickets and
'scratch panel' One Day Bus Passes!

If she bought them more than six years ago, then they are worthless.
--
Michael Hoffman