TfL promises automatic refunds after Eltham station card reader problem
Written as a pitch to Simon Murfitt at Newsquest. Feedback was positive and I was told this piece would be used, but it was never released.
Transport for London (TfL) has promised automatic refunds after some pay-as-you-go travellers at Eltham station were charged abnormally high fares.
According to a TfL spokesperson, the issue was caused by a loss of communication with the station’s card readers.
They said: “We’re very sorry to any commuters affected by this, and are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. We will automatically refund any customers impacted by this as soon as communication is restored.”
They added that measures were being taken to mitigate the issue, and that Oyster card users were not affected.
Eltham local Callum Shannon woke up on October 20 to a £38.80 daily travel charge — much higher than his usual £12.80 commute.
The 31-year-old economist said: “I logged on to my TfL account and saw no tapping in or out at Eltham for the past week had been recorded, so the fare had defaulted to the daily maximum.
“It’s happened to my husband and all my neighbours too.”
Mr. Shannon secured a refund of over £50, but said the process was “clunky”. After an error with the TfL web portal, he spent over an hour on the phone with customer service.
He added: “I’m using paper tickets until they fix this.”
Customers who do not receive their refund within five working days can check their journey histories at contactless.tfl.gov.uk.
They can also contact TfL customer service at 0343 222 1234.