Expert advice needed - so this is obviously the place to ask.

Contrary to my advice, my wife bought her annual Zone 1-4 from the
national rail booking office at Liverpool Street, rather than the
Underground. [From South Park, Ilford she can travel via Ilford/Seven
Kings or Barking, so there's choice of national rail, Underground or
various permutations thereof]

She was sold a paper ticket, which has failed and had to be replaced
twice in less than a month, making the Gold Card a Q-builder rather
than a Q-buster.

How can she swap it for an Oyster, which will be more reliable and
quicker to use?

If the answer is surrender for refund and re-buy, what's the penalty
likely to be? I've been rummaging around the web without finding an
answer

Thanks

Ken

Ken Welsby wrote:

Expert advice needed - so this is obviously the place to ask.

Contrary to my advice, my wife bought her annual Zone 1-4 from the
national rail booking office at Liverpool Street, rather than the
Underground. [From South Park, Ilford she can travel via Ilford/Seven
Kings or Barking, so there's choice of national rail, Underground or
various permutations thereof]

She was sold a paper ticket, which has failed and had to be replaced
twice in less than a month, making the Gold Card a Q-builder rather
than a Q-buster.

How can she swap it for an Oyster, which will be more reliable and
quicker to use?

If the answer is surrender for refund and re-buy, what's the penalty
likely to be? I've been rummaging around the web without finding an
answer

Thanks

Ken

I can only help you with the basics on this one.

As she bought it from a National Rail ticket office she can't have it
swapped onto an Oyster card as NR ticket offices by and large don't
issue Travelcards loaded on Oyster - and no 'one' station does (various
TfL literature has claimed that Walthamstow Central does, but IIRC it's
been established on this group that that information is incorrect).

To get it on Oyster she needs to buy it from TfL - so from a Tube
station, TfL Info Centre, online from the website or down the phone.

I was going to say she won't be eligible for the 5% or 10% Passengers
Charter discount should it apply, but I've just remembered 'one' has
done away with that anyway.

So she'll need to apply for a refund for her present ticket (preferably
not mentioning that she intends to switch to Oyster - they might be
difficult if she does) then buy it anew from TfL. I don't know how easy
the process of surrendering it will be.

On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:56:41 +0100, Ken Welsby wrote:

If the answer is surrender for refund and re-buy, what's the penalty
likely to be? I've been rummaging around the web without finding an
answer

If you've used it for (say) 2.3 months, you get refunded the cost of
the ticket less 2.3 times the cost of a monthly season.

If you've used it for less than a month, however, you get charged for
weeklies instead (I'm not sure of the exact method of calculation).

There may be a £5/£10 administrative charge on top.

Mizter T wrote:

As she bought it from a National Rail ticket office she can't have it
swapped onto an Oyster card as NR ticket offices by and large don't
issue Travelcards loaded on Oyster - and no 'one' station does (various
TfL literature has claimed that Walthamstow Central does, but IIRC it's
been established on this group that that information is incorrect).


Slight update:

One window (on the bus station side) of the 'one' ticket office I
*think* now says it has Oyster (if I read the sign correctly this morning).

Also, they have installed (in the same area) a TFL Quick Ticket (credit
card Oyster) machine. This is now installed and switched on but doesn't
seem be actually have been commissioned into service yet.

And the tobacconist (one of the three Ticket Stops recommended by TFL)
is still shut for refurb.

Getting better slowly.

On Thu, 12 Oct 2006 23:06:41 +0100, Dave Newt
wrote:

Mizter T wrote:

As she bought it from a National Rail ticket office she can't have it
swapped onto an Oyster card as NR ticket offices by and large don't
issue Travelcards loaded on Oyster - and no 'one' station does (various
TfL literature has claimed that Walthamstow Central does, but IIRC it's
been established on this group that that information is incorrect).


Slight update:

One window (on the bus station side) of the 'one' ticket office I
*think* now says it has Oyster (if I read the sign correctly this morning).

You would be correct that there is such a sign. Whether the window
actually can issue Oyster cards I do wonder about. Quite why only one
window is so equipped I do not know - it is also the window that is most
often shut!

Also, they have installed (in the same area) a TFL Quick Ticket (credit
card Oyster) machine. This is now installed and switched on but doesn't
seem be actually have been commissioned into service yet.

Indeed - I was somewhat gobsmacked when that materialised.

And the tobacconist (one of the three Ticket Stops recommended by TFL)
is still shut for refurb.

Getting better slowly.

I wonder what the poor staff (both LU and One) are having to put with
though. When the changes to Oyster pre-pay "non validation" charges are
introduced in November I do wonder what on earth is going to be done at
Walthamstow. There is no facility to read or reset cards.

I notice we have not had one of our "3,000 police and ticket inspectors
welcome you to Walthamstow days" recently. Can't think why!
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

asdf wrote:
On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:56:41 +0100, Ken Welsby wrote:

If the answer is surrender for refund and re-buy, what's the penalty
likely to be? I've been rummaging around the web without finding an
answer

If you've used it for (say) 2.3 months, you get refunded the cost of
the ticket less 2.3 times the cost of a monthly season.

If you've used it for less than a month, however, you get charged for
weeklies instead (I'm not sure of the exact method of calculation).

There may be a £5/£10 administrative charge on top.

Thats about right. Just tell them you don't need to do the journeys
any more, then rebuy your travelcard at an LUL station.

Paul Corfield wrote:

I notice we have not had one of our "3,000 police and ticket inspectors
welcome you to Walthamstow days" recently. Can't think why!

Actually, funny you mention that, but there was one Thursday or Friday
just gone.

It was FAR more shambolic than usual, with all the inspectors and police
CRAMMED into the area between the gates and escalators, with the net
result of people arriving at the top of the escalators being suddenly
pushed into a huge line of people unable to approach the gates because
there was a throng of inspectors interviewing people right in front of
the gates.

I'm amazed there wasn't a top-of-escalator pile-up of bodies, to be honest.

Livid? I nearly said something! :-)