London Underground/Oyster recently introduced this new ruling to remind all users to touch in/touch out of the gates at the gantry to ensure that they are paying the correct fare. I thought it was a good strategy to catch people who has been dodging fares until I became a victim of their system myself over the weekend which is aimed at protecting their maximum profits with little or no concern for the millions of passengers like me.
The story goes that the gantry at Oxford Circus was apparently faulty on 26 Nov and it did not register my Oyster card when I touched in and I ended up paying a maximum fine of £4 for nothing (See screenshot). I went to argue at the tube counter today but I was not sure if it was the stupidity of the staff over at the counter or they simply did not see a point to entertain an Asian like me. After trying to explain my situation for 10 min and thoroughly annoying the long queue that was fast snaking behind me, I simply gave up with a Oyster card registration form that has a Helpdesk number to call. And you probably guessed it, it is not a Free number! I swear I am going to avoid the tube at all costs in future and going back to my faithful bike and reliable pair of legs instead.
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1 comment:
I agree! What a rip off the tubes are! Often I pay more than I have to, for example when I have to get out of the station because of congested trains or if I got in at the wrong station - £4 deducted straightaway. And even though the authorities would say you can claim it back, it's never a straight-forward procedure. And every time, I didn't think it was worth my time claiming a refund. :( Sucks.
Anyway. Have a happy Christmas and great new year ahead - hopefully without too much public transport! :)
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