Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 00:40:39 -0000, "John Salmon"
wrote:

Right, I've done it now. It's quite an annoying 'form' - I correctly entered
my phone number (five digits, space, six digits) but it wouldn't accept it
as correct until I removed the space. Anyway, I asked three pertinent
questions, and I have asked for a reply by email. If anything useful comes
back, I'll post it here.

Same response if you enter a valid 10-digit phone number, as in 01nnn
nnnnn. We still have them round here, despite what some computer
programmers think...

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

"MIG" wrote
Mizter T wrote:
I've still got to reply to your post upthread still (and the other post
about Oyster, and a million and one others too!) but I rather fear this
is a muddling of two separate issues - lost Oyster cards that have been
returned to ticket offices (or wherever), and *surrendered* Oyster cards
returned because the holder didn't want them any more. In the case of the
latter the deposit is returned plus I think those cards do then get
re-issued (dunno what quality control process there might for for that
though).

Oh I remember now. I think it was the one where someone thought that
they'd been issued an old card with an expired season on it ...

Yes, that was me... I said that I thought they may have put a season on it
in order to issue it 'free' during the short period they were doing that
(2007?) I promised to follow that up, but I hit a problem when I tried to
do that...

I decided not to phone the Oyster helpline, because I know it takes a long
time to get someone to answer. So I navigated online (with some
difficulty - it's not exactly obvious) to the page entitled 'Help and
Contact'. Unfortunately this asked for the answer to my 'security
question', which I'm sure I would know, if I knew the question, which of
course it doesn't tell me, and I've forgotten! So I've had to go back and
reset the question and answer. Now trying again...

Pause...

Right, I've done it now. It's quite an annoying 'form' - I correctly entered
my phone number (five digits, space, six digits) but it wouldn't accept it
as correct until I removed the space. Anyway, I asked three pertinent
questions, and I have asked for a reply by email. If anything useful comes
back, I'll post it here.

Meanwhile, I'm still enthusiastic about Oyster, but this is wearing me
down...

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

In message
MIG wrote:

On 3 Feb, 21:46, Graeme wrote:
In message
* * * * * MIG wrote:





On 3 Feb, 20:29, Graeme wrote:
In message
* * *
* * MIG wrote:

On 3 Feb, 12:02, Graeme wrote:
[snip]
The person you handed it too was probably not in a position to know
what would happen next.

But they were in a position to make sure that something did.

Not necessarily, they just put it in the system and let that take care of
it.

Maybe so, but that would ensure that no information got back to the punter
before they'd bought another card. *Effectively the same as binning the
original. *Time was of the essence.

How do you propose they did that?

Well, if one registers a card, presumably one provides contact
details. This was why my first thought was to establish if it was
registered and provide the details so that the punter could be
contacted.

The likelyhood is all they would have would be his address so nothing was
going to happen in a hurry.





That was why I phoned immediately on finding it, in the hope that
necessary messages could get through. *I niaively thought that by
calling the helpline and giving the serial number, I could save the
punter a lot of hassle.

Hadn't realised that you'd phoned in, no wonder the woman reiterated that
you shouldn't use it. *Without the actual card I suspect there is nothing
they can do.


I phoned immediately, and spoke to a man as it happened, and established
that it was a registered card. He didn't seem to be too concerned about me
using it, but didn't offer to do anything with the details and told me to
hand it in.

Because he needs the physical card to do anything. He can't go handing out
addresses willy-nilly.


--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On Feb 3, 8:56*pm, MIG wrote:

Are we talking about the Oyster card now or the umbrella?

The card.

Assuming the former, it is beyond doubt that there are physical
opportunities to get the refund. *That doesn't mean that there are
many circumstantial opportunities.

There are plenty, if you want it - i.e. all LUL ticket offices. Most
people won't want it. But it is, unlike many systems worldwide (and,
admittedly, unlike the Visitor Oyster), an option.

Neil

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On Feb 3, 9:03*pm, MIG wrote:

The question is whether they actually want them back, or whether they
just want £3 extra from a couple of million people. *They have to go
through the motions of taking them back either way.

The cards actually cost a couple of quid to buy from a supplier. If
they didn't charge the deposit and retain it unless a working card is
returned, that would need to go on the fares.

TfL, while subsidised, are not a charity. They have to cover their
costs.

Neil

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On Feb 3, 9:29*pm, Graeme wrote:

A total focus on telling me that I wasn't allowed to use it.

Because that's what her training says. *

And quite right if it had a non-transferrable season ticket on it
(fraud) or if it had money on it (theft, I suppose, just as if you
spent money in a wallet you found on the floor).

Neil

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On Feb 4, 8:27*am, Graeme wrote:
The likelyhood is all they would have would be his address so nothing was
going to happen in a hurry.

And as the punter presumably had the need to travel pretty soon after
losing it (possibly immediately), the likelihood is that he already
had a new one and would perhaps later have reported it lost/stolen and
had it blocked and any outstanding balance refunded or moved to the
new card, which I think you can do with a registered card.

Neil

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On 4 Feb, 07:27, Graeme wrote:
In message
* * * * * MIG wrote:





On 3 Feb, 21:46, Graeme wrote:
In message
* * * * * MIG wrote:

On 3 Feb, 20:29, Graeme wrote:
In message
* * *
* * MIG wrote:

On 3 Feb, 12:02, Graeme wrote:
[snip]
The person you handed it too was probably not in a position to know
what would happen next.

But they were in a position to make sure that something did.

Not necessarily, they just put it in the system and let that take care of
it.

Maybe so, but that would ensure that no information got back to the punter
before they'd bought another card. *Effectively the same as binning the
original. *Time was of the essence.

How do you propose they did that?

Well, if one registers a card, presumably one provides contact
details. *This was why my first thought was to establish if it was
registered and provide the details so that the punter could be
contacted.

The likelyhood is all they would have would be his address so nothing was
going to happen in a hurry.







That was why I phoned immediately on finding it, in the hope that
necessary messages could get through. *I niaively thought that by
calling the helpline and giving the serial number, I could save the
punter a lot of hassle.

Hadn't realised that you'd phoned in, no wonder the woman reiterated that
you shouldn't use it. *Without the actual card I suspect there is nothing
they can do.

I phoned immediately, and spoke to a man as it happened, and established
that it was a registered card. *He didn't seem to be too concerned about me
using it, but didn't offer to do anything with the details and told me to
hand it in.

Because he needs the physical card to do anything. *He can't go handing out
addresses willy-nilly.

What has that got to do with anything? I wasn't asking for the
details; I was giving the serial number to the people who had the
details.

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On 4 Feb, 07:45, Neil Williams wrote:
On Feb 4, 8:27*am, Graeme wrote:

The likelyhood is all they would have would be his address so nothing was
going to happen in a hurry.

And as the punter presumably had the need to travel pretty soon after
losing it (possibly immediately), the likelihood is that he already
had a new one and would perhaps later have reported it lost/stolen and
had it blocked and any outstanding balance refunded or moved to the
new card, which I think you can do with a registered card.

Neil

It was an early evening. He/she may not have known. It would save a
lot of panic and searching in the morning if needed the next day (it
was just before PAYG acceptance on NR and seemed likely to have been
lost by someone who was on their way out of London on NR, but it might
have had a season on it).

There were a number of reasons why I thought it was worth making the
effort.

Obviously I am alone in this.

Conflict of Oyster Cards
 

On 4 Feb, 07:43, Neil Williams wrote:
On Feb 3, 9:29*pm, Graeme wrote:

A total focus on telling me that I wasn't allowed to use it.

Because that's what her training says. *

And quite right if it had a non-transferrable season ticket on it
(fraud) or if it had money on it (theft, I suppose, just as if you
spent money in a wallet you found on the floor).

Neil

But rather superfluous when I was handing it to her and suggesting
contacting the punter.