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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/OutsideEducational35 on 2024-09-11 17:46:38+00:00.
TIFU and got screwed by the great British Railway.
I'll start my story by saying, I don't travel by train often, perhaps 2/3 times a year.
However on this occasion the missus was out visiting a friend, and had taken the car. Queue her finding herself in hospital and me, in my blind panic, deciding to once again put my faith in our great railways.
The journey was simple according to Google maps, I'd spend 20 minutes travelling into London followed by a nice hour and a half direct line to Manchester. All in all, £60.
Here is the first of many fuck ups. Despite this being the only reasonable route to take, the ticket machine, in it's great wisdom, does not by default sell you a ticket that allows moving through London. It does not warn you that you won't be able to travel through London. It does not prompt you, whether you will be travelling through London. It doesn't even, dare I say, ask your route.
A to B, I was nieve to believe that I should simply place my destination in the destination input box.
And so I find myself at London Euston, being told my ticket is not valid through London. After of course, being allowed through the barriers on a train who's only destination was in fact, London.
So I need to go to the ticket counter, and exchange my ticket, says the ever helpful dreary eyed minimum wage worker.
'Dont worry, you've got plenty of time'
And so off I plod l, spending £80(!) to purchase a ticket, not to my destination, but to the first stop outside of London, at which point my original ticket would be valid.
Ah! I believed, the ticket counter man has done me a solid I thinks, we've cracked the system and I've saved the almost £200 he wanted to charge me for the entire journey again.
So off I jog, plenty of time left, back down to the gate with my new ticket. But how bizarre, the platform is closed. 'Excuse me sir!' I say to the man who'd sent me away last time, 'I have the ticket!'.
'The Platform is closed sir.'
'But I can see the train, mere meters away, with the doors open and people boarding'.
'The platform is closed sir.'.
For those not aware, such as I, the platform closes about a million years before the train actually departs.
Ok. Back I trod, to try again. Next train to my destination is in 30 minutes, I'll buy the first ticket outside of London from here, and then my original ticket will be valid and all will be well.
£23.59. Nice.
And off I stroll, to my next gate. This time taking NO RISKS! I shall stand here and watch the television until my platform appears and SPRINT there. I shall be the first person aboard.
Ticket Man: 'This is an off-peak ticket sir'.
Me: 'What is off-peak?'
Ticket Man: 'You can travel on this ticket from 7PM'.
Me: 'Its currently 3PM'.
Ticket Man: 'You can exchange your ticket at the ticket desk, don't worry, you have plenty of time'.
Ive heard this one before...
So I spend myself a further £60 to upgrade my ticket to an anytime ticket.
And I RUN to the platform to discover that this train is in fact, not stopping at the stop I'd purchased on the ticket anymore. The next train stopping at the stop I'd purchased a third ticket for though, would be around in about 20 minutes and it did go to my final destination to.
Ok.
So I plod myself down to the next platform. Only to find, this train is not stopping at my tickets destination either, in fact, no trains are stopping there. There is a bus replacement, but I'll have to take myself to a different station first to get it.
I explain to the not so kind man, that I did not in fact actually want to get off at this stop. It was merely a ruse in order to get me out London, and therefore I didn't care that it wouldn't stop there.
But alas, to no avail, as the train wouldn't be stopping there my ticket was invalid, despite the fact it was scheduled to stop there.
breathe
So I give up, I purchase a ticket to my final destination from London Euston for the grand price of £180, on peak.
At least I have a Railcard, so it softens the blow a bit.
So off I wander, head in hands, wondering how I'm going to explain to my seriously injured wife that I've just spent god knows how much for what was a two hour drive.
'Can I see your Railcard sir?'.
Of course, let me just get it off my phone.
No battery.
I hadn't exactly intended to spend the last 2 1/2 hours wandering around London Euston train station, urgently Google mapsing stuff.
Me: 'Whatever it is I'll pay it can my railcard is on my phone just let me on the train please I have so many tickets'.
Ticket Man: 'Youll have to go to the ticket booth, don't worry, you've got plenty of time.'.
Don't worry you've got plenty of time.
Don't worry you've got plenty of time.
Don't worry you've got plenty of time.
Those words haunt me.
And off I plod, to see the black lady with the curly hair and the rainbow key holder thing (you know who you are)... One... Last.. Time.
An additional £45'ish later and I have the golden ticket.
I walk onto the platform.
I stand and look upon the train.
I wonder at the marvel of it's shiny exterior.
I look inside, as I climb the steps of victory
I finally managed sit down, I charge my phone.
The missed calls come in. I call back.
Wifeys Friend: 'Are you on your way?''
Me: 'I'll be there soon'
Wifeys Friend: 'Oh well, they're transferring her to HOSPITAL LIKE 5 MINUTES AWAY FROM HOME'
Me: 'Oh fuck, ok I'll have to come back'.
Wifeys Friend: 'Dont worry, you've got plenty of time'
Those words haunt me.
£64 ticket home. Not valid via London.
EDIT: Wife is in fact, not that seriously injured.
TL;DR - I purchased like, a million tickets only to fuck up every single train i tried to board to get to the same place, in some vain attempt to visit my wife who had seriously injured herself, only to end up back home and about £400 shorter.