Is anyone else being overcharged on their Oyster card when travelling through East Dulwich station

[camberwellconvert]

Hi there

I have a monthly Zone 1 and 2 travel card and make daily journeys from East Dulwich to London Bridge station - where I then walk across London Bridge and then catch the District Line from Monument Station to Whitechapel Station. I do the exact journey in reverse most evenings returning home again.

I have a Zone 1 and 2 monthly travel card that covers this journey that I do Monday to Friday.

Since I returned from my holiday at the end of July, I have incurred additional charges of ?3.20 each day on my Oyster card - charges that have been deducted from my Oyster Pre Pay of which I keep a small balance for when I am required to travel beyond Zone 1 and 2.

I have spent endless hours on the telephone to Oyster and National Rail, all who have proved wholly incompetent and have passed me back and forwards to each other for the past two and half weeks, assuring me that the problem has been noted and is being investigated.

Yesterday, I was told that the reason that I was being charged an additional ?3.20 each day was due to 'gate programming' for the duration of the Olympic and Para olympic games - and that it would all magically correct itself the day after the Para Olympics concluded. In the meantime, the "solution" was for me to keep topping up the pre-pay on the Oyster card and applying for it to be refunded. A "solution" that I find wholly unacceptable and that is of significant inconvenience to me.

I am bemused, to say the least, as to why the gate programming is any different for this period, when I make this exact journey all the other weeks of the year with absolutely no problems.

My new found friends in the ticket office at Whitechapel station tell me that I'm not alone - and that they are aware of at least half a dozen of us with this issue. Is it affecting anyone else? And what sort of explanations and solutions have you been given to this problem?

[the-e-dealer]

I dont know how can I tell?

[camberwellconvert]

I have ?1.60 deducted when I swipe the Oyster reader leaving Whitechapel Station each morning and another ?1.60 deducted when I swipe the Oyster reader returning to East Dulwich each evening.

[StraferJack]

mooching around this site mightgive some background

http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/2012/07/temporary-osis-for-the-olympics/

[the-e-dealer]

Is it something to do with not swiping when you change?

[camberwellconvert]

Thanks for the link StraferJack - can you explain what an "OSI" is? What is describes I suspect is what is at the root of the problem - only I don't get off at Aldgate East or Aldgate station .... what I don't understand though is why I'm being charged extra when I don't step beyond zone 2 and what really brasses me off is that I have to keep topping up and then claiming it back while the problem is sorted?

E-dealer - I am religious about swiping in and out both at East Dulwich and London Bridge - and then again at Monument and Whitechapel - so I don't think that's the problem.

[the-e-dealer]

Why not remove any credit and just leave your travelcard on the Oyster. You will have to see staff I suppose whenever it tries to charge you but they can check with their little box and let you through.

[StraferJack]

Camberwellconvert - I can't help you out much more than that I'm afraid but it does seem to be "a thing" that happens so even if that site doesn't mention Whitechapel, it's probably connected somehow

Posting teh request on that site should elicit some more info

[Bic Basher]

camberwellconvert Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for the link StraferJack - can you explain

> what an "OSI" is?

An OSI allows you to transfer between two stations by foot and only get charged the single fare for one journey instead of two using Oyster PAYG.

Examples of OSI's include Charing Cross National Rail to Embankment, New Cross Gate to New Cross or transferring between London Bridge NR and tube stations.

[antantant]

Are you sure about London Bridge? Travelling from Queens Road Peckham to Euston every day I'm sure I get charged twice if I've forgotten to renew my weekly?

[Bic Basher]

antantant Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you sure about London Bridge? Travelling from

> Queens Road Peckham to Euston every day I'm sure I

> get charged twice if I've forgotten to renew my

> weekly?

The fare from QRP to Euston is ?3.70 peak and ?3.10 off-peak. This will be slightly cheaper once the ELL opens in December as you can travel via Canada Water and is considered a TfL fare, although will take longer to travel. Currently, it's higher as you pay a premium for changing between Southern and the tube at London Bridge.

If you feel you've been overcharged, you can ask for a Oyster Usage Statement at the Euston tube ticket office or go to any Oyster self-service machine at a tube station and you can view your journey history.

[Undisputedtruth]

antantant Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you sure about London Bridge? Travelling from

> Queens Road Peckham to Euston every day I'm sure I

> get charged twice if I've forgotten to renew my

> weekly?

I know what you mean. I sometimes travel from Queens Road Peckham to Euston and the journeys shown on the self service ticket machine at London Bridge looks like a dog's dinner. However, it does eventually show up as a single fare for the journey between Queens Road Peckham and Euston.

[antantant]

Ahhh cool, I have just checked at the self service machines at LB so maybe it has sorted itself out later on. It certainly does look a mess if you check immediately.