Back in February 2006 I had the misfortune to catch a train to Richmond from Waterloo. Unfortunately it was impossible to buy a ticket with out a very long wait which meant I would miss that train I was hoping to catch. So I thought I would pay the extension from Zone 3 to zone 4 on my Oyster card on the train. How wrong can one be. The trained was packed to the point of bursting; sardines should be especially grateful that they are not treated like human beings. Purchasing a ticket was impossible and the idiotic announcements from the guard to visit him in his cubicle in the middle of the train was risible – you would have to be a prop forward of international renown to get five feet let alone a 100 yards to buy a ticket.
Arriving at Richmond I was greeted with the South West Trains answer to the Praetorian Guard and surcharged £20. This rip off is a scam by South West Trains to fleece the passenger. Create a shoddy service and then rip them off when they are unable to buy a ticket. I suppose the thought has never occurred to these clowns to install ticket machines on the trains – of course not – why close a handy revenue stream.
“I am left with the indelible impression that as you would appear to be incapable of selling tickets on or off your trains your only course of action is to rely on your squads of ill-mannered goons to fleece the general public……………………..”
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