KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Southeastern apology for train ticket error

By: KentOnline reporter multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 13:43, 02 February 2010

Updated: 18:35, 02 February 2010

Georgina, 5, Mark and Rebecca Simmonds, of Halfway, with the refund claim forms and Takarra, their Northern Inuit dog

by Emma Grove

egrove@thekmgroup.co.uk

Train firm Southeastern has apologised to a family after a series of mix-ups left them paying more than £100 extra for fares - and then being given tickets 500 miles from where they wanted to go.

Mark and Rebecca Simmonds had driven from their Sheppey home to Sittingbourne station to buy a ticket to Thurnscoe, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

mpu1

The couple were heading up there with their youngest daughter, five-year-old Georgie, to buy a dog.

They had researched the ticket prices online and were expecting to pay about £120.

When they arrived at the booth they were told it would cost £232.70 and when they queried the price, they were told this was definitely right and they must have looked at the wrong section.

Eventually they paid the extra cost and boarded the 10.37am train last Tuesday.

It was only when the ticket man came round they realised they had been sold tickets to Thurso, which is the most northerly town on the British mainland - home to the country's most northerly railway station and 503 miles away from Thurnscoe.

Rebecca, of Queenborough Road, Halfway, said: "The ticket man said 'you're going a long way, you're not going to get there within a day'. When we said it's not that far he told us Thurso is at the other end of Scotland."

mpu2

The Simmonds, who have four other children, were advised to stay on the train until St Pancras, where they would be able to get a refund.

But this was refused because it is a different train company which operates in London.

They then had to pay out again for the correct tickets, from Sittingbourne to Thurnscoe, at a cost of £131.20.

There was a happy end to the day though as the Simmonds, who already have one Northern Inuit dog named Timber, eventually made it to Thurnscoe and returned with another dog, which they have named Takarra.

However, they are still waiting for their refund from Southeastern.

Southeastern has apologised for the error and said they can expect a refund as soon as possible.

A spokesman said: "We apologise if there has been a problem in this particular case.

"We are currently looking into this case as a matter of urgency to establish the facts and are working with the passenger to get it resolved as quickly as possible."


Thurso/Thurnscoe factfile

Read more

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024