Spotted this linked from the, er, GC website:

http://www.bitterwallet.com/its-offi...er-train/13530

Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
the general deterioration in on-board service.

In message
<a39352fb-38e4-4a90-bfd2-90ce160381fe>, at
15:58:50 on Wed, 17 Jun 2009, EE507 <ee507> remarked:
>Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
>uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
>threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
>the general deterioration in on-board service.

Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak
on an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?

On Jun 18, 7:48 am, Roland Perry <rol> wrote:
> In message
> <a39352fb-38e4-4a90-bfd2-90ce16038>, at
> 15:58:50 on Wed, 17 Jun 2009, EE507 <ee> remarked:
>
> >Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
> >uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
> >threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
> >the general deterioration in on-board service.
>
> Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak
> on an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?

They threaten to charge the full anytime fare, but I haven't witnessed
any skirmishes myself.

Simon Field wrote:
> On Jun 18, 7:48 am, Roland Perry <rol> wrote:
>> In message
>> <a39352fb-38e4-4a90-bfd2-90ce16038>, at
>> 15:58:50 on Wed, 17 Jun 2009, EE507 <ee> remarked:
>>
>>> Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
>>> uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
>>> threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
>>> the general deterioration in on-board service.
>> Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak
>> on an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?
>
> They threaten to charge the full anytime fare, but I haven't witnessed
> any skirmishes myself.

I've never seen anyone being excessed from a former Saver on NXEC, either.

It's probably not a very frequent occurrence... the Off Peak fare on
NXEC is the former Business Saver fare, and valid for return travel in
the evening peak. The regulated former Saver fare is Super Off Peak.

I think a lot of business travellers using flexible tickets and not
travelling up in the morning peak get the Off Peak fare rather than the
Super Off Peak, because of the ability to get any train home.

Leisure travellers are increasingly using Advance tickets.

Roland Perry wrote:
> In message
> <a39352fb-38e4-4a90-bfd2-90ce160381fe>, at
> 15:58:50 on Wed, 17 Jun 2009, EE507 <ee507> remarked:
>> Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
>> uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
>> threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
>> the general deterioration in on-board service.
>
> Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak
> on an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?

They excess. Which is exactly what they're supposed to do - they don't
get to make up the ticket's T&Cs (which are published on the National
Rail website) on the spot. They just apply them in a very strict and
customer unfriendly manner (which most TOCs do these days IMX).

"Roland Perry" <roland> wrote in message
news:faum
> In message
> <a39352fb-38e4-4a90-bfd2-90ce160381fe>, at
> 15:58:50 on Wed, 17 Jun 2009, EE507 <ee507> remarked:
>>Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
>>uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
>>threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
>>the general deterioration in on-board service.
>
> Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak on
> an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?

I think that threat when I've heard it has referred to Advance tickets only.

Paul

On 18 June, 09:51, "Paul Scott" <notvalidpmsc>
wrote:
> "Roland Perry" <rol> wrote in message
>
> news:faum
>>
> I think that threat when I've heard it has referred to Advance tickets only.
>
> Paul

I was 'threatened' by a XC employee who told me that my National
Express Super Off Peak Return wasn't valid on his Edinburgh - York
train. This happened as I was trying to pay for Weekend First. He
'graciously' let me pay the upgrade of £15. Wish I hadn't bothered, XC
make NXEC look good!

There's something to be said about a fares 'simplication' that leaves
the conductors confused...!

In message <ttmdnZhp27oKaqTXnZ2dnUVZ8l2dnZ2d>, at 09:15:14 on
Thu, 18 Jun 2009, Jeremy Double <jmd.nospam> remarked:
>It's probably not a very frequent occurrence... the Off Peak fare on
>NXEC is the former Business Saver fare, and valid for return travel in
>the evening peak. The regulated former Saver fare is Super Off Peak.
>
>I think a lot of business travellers using flexible tickets and not
>travelling up in the morning peak get the Off Peak fare rather than the
>Super Off Peak, because of the ability to get any train home.

That's what I do, mainly because the equivalent ticket on EMT is *not*
valid in the evening peak.

In message
<e74af7aa-40dc-4ed6-85b0-f5a4eda7cffe>, at
01:03:30 on Thu, 18 Jun 2009, Simon Field <ee507> remarked:
>> >Personally, I never had issues with GNER grippers (in contrast to many
>> >uk.railway GNER-hating whingers), but I have noticed an increase in
>> >threatening announcements about ticket validity under NXEC, adding to
>> >the general deterioration in on-board service.
>>
>> Do they threaten to charge a full fare to anyone travelling in the peak
>> on an off-peak ticket - or are they happy to excess in that situation?
>
>They threaten to charge the full anytime fare, but I haven't witnessed
>any skirmishes myself.

Thanks for that. We were discussing this exact issue in another recent
thread, and I was in the minority when I said I thought they threaten
that (even if they end up excessing - as some others report).

On Jun 18, 10:51 am, billy.shea...@o2.co.uk wrote:
> On 18 June, 09:51, "Paul Scott" <notvalidpmsc>
> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
> I was 'threatened' by a XC employee who told me that my National
> Express Super Off Peak Return wasn't valid on his Edinburgh - York
> train. This happened as I was trying to pay for Weekend First. He
> 'graciously' let me pay the upgrade of £15. Wish I hadn't bothered, XC
> make NXEC look good!
>
> There's something to be said about a fares 'simplication' that leaves
> the conductors confused...!

Had it been a National Express Super Off Peak Return, it wouldn't have
been valid on his train.

I'm assuming it was simply a Super Off Peak Return...?

On Jun 18, 10:51 am, billy.shea...@o2.co.uk wrote:
> On 18 June, 09:51, "Paul Scott" <notvalidpmsc>
> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> I was 'threatened' by a XC employee who told me that my National
> Express Super Off Peak Return wasn't valid on his Edinburgh - York
> train.

Do you mean your "any permitted" super off peak return? The only TOC-
specific walk-up fares on this route are in first class, and ticket
conditions are those of the operator setting the fares: NXEC.

On Jun 18, 12:07 pm, John B <s> wrote:

> On Jun 18, 10:51 am, billy.shea...@o2.co.uk wrote:
>
> [snip]
>>
> Had it been a National Express Super Off Peak Return, it wouldn't have
> been valid on his train.
>
> I'm assuming it was simply a Super Off Peak Return...?
>

....priced by NXEC.

Why oh goddamn why couldn't all the TOCs have agreed to shoe-horn the
existing ticket types into the same new fares types I don't know - an
NXEC Super Off-Peak being equivalent to a VWC Off-Peak, as both are
really the regulated Saver fare. I want to smash the heads of those
responsible together with a certain degree of force.

On Jun 18, 12:23 pm, Mizter T <mizte> wrote:
> On Jun 18, 12:07 pm, John B <s> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> ...priced by NXEC.
>
> Why oh goddamn why couldn't all the TOCs have agreed to shoe-horn the
> existing ticket types into the same new fares types I don't know - an
> NXEC Super Off-Peak being equivalent to a VWC Off-Peak, as both are
> really the regulated Saver fare. I want to smash the heads of those
> responsible together with a certain degree of force.- Hide quoted text -

He implied he was travelling on a weekend or bank holiday, so XC's
weekday off peak restrictions wouldn't have applied anywhere on the
route of the train. The story doesn't stack up - I suspect an invalid
NXEC Advance ticket was being used.

John B <spam> wrote:
> Had it been a National Express Super Off Peak Return, it wouldn't have
> been valid on his train.
>
> I'm assuming it was simply a Super Off Peak Return...?

Isn't it on that funny bit of the ECML (was it York-Newcastle?) where
tickets are 'Route: NXEC only' or 'Route: XC only' but no interavailable
flexible tickets? Why /is/ that allowed, anyway?

Theo

On 18 June, 12:28, Simon Field <ee> wrote:
> On Jun 18, 12:23 pm, Mizter T <mizte> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
> He implied he was travelling on a weekend or bank holiday, so XC's
> weekday off peak restrictions wouldn't have applied anywhere on the
> route of the train. The story doesn't stack up - I suspect an invalid
> NXEC Advance ticket was being used.

> > > I'm assuming it was simply a Super Off Peak Return...?

That's correct. I added National Express because they price the route,
and decided that a Business Saver would be an Off Peak Return, whereas
I think the other TOCs made the Saver an Off Peak Return. Hence the
confusion. The fare from London to Wick was £138.90 "Any Permitted
Route", should Inspector Field need further evidence. ;)