It’s a Dogs Life 90 (!)

Pay attention, there may be questions later!

Train 1 goes A -B, train 2 goes B-C, train 3 goes C-D.

Got it? Looks easy? (grab a pencil)

Train 2 was off (“this service no longer runs”), except now, it is not off. Merely earlier. 25 minutes earlier.

Train 1 was also cancelled! But in the time it took to get through on the phone the industrial dispute was solved, the track was relaid, and a new train was built. So although it was cancelled, now it is not. In fact train 1 is a red herring.

Previously, the window between train 1 arriving at B and train 2 leaving, was 30 mins. Now it is 5min (would you like to go and get a piece of paper?). What happens if train 1 is say, 5 minutes late? Will train 2 wait? No. Train 2 is a different company, it will not wait.

The good news is, your ticket is still valid on the the next train 2 – only 40 mins later (maybe make yourself a coffee, and open the calculator app on your phone, you know you’ve got one).

So what is wrong now? Train 2.1 (the later train 2) arrives at C too late for train 3 (another different company, (I really think you’ll need a proper pad of paper and not just the back of an envelope…). So is your ticket valid for the next train 3? Yes, of course, absaloutely, no problem….NO. Actually it is not valid for any train 3 for another 6 hours!

Never mind (start a new page). Here is a better plan (it was going to be plan B, but that’s just too confusing). Take an earlier train from A. Lets call this train 4. Train 4 goes A-Z. (heading away from B , C and D but..) We then catch train 5 which goes Z-C and finish with train 3 (good old train 3) which completes C-D!

This could be a winner? Suprise twist. The tickets say “only valid going by way of B”.

So, given that train 4, A-Z, clearly does not go through B, the $250,000 question is does train 5, Z-C, go through B? Well you might assume that the railway professionals on the phone giving you advice (on the ticket they sold you) would know this kind of thing. You’d be wrong though. Despite every assurance, train 5 does not go through B.

You chose the earlier train? Congratulations, you are now stranded in Z with an invalid ticket. (Tear off your top page and throw it in the bin)

You can probably catch an onward train from Z to B (buying another ticket), but you still missed the train 2 B -C. Please enjoy your 6 hour wait at C.

Oh! You’d like a refund? Just log in and press the refund button.

Well done! just one more step to get your refund. Open the app you downloaded your tickets to (High tech bit now). Do you have an i-phone (NO), an Android phone then (Yes). Click “view tickets” on your android, now click the 3 dots at the top right… (what 3 dots? I don’t have 3 dots! Is this an android app on an android phone? Why yes, I believe it is…). Try pressing help on the app.

“Help” : Would you like help with; refunding your ticket? (Yes).

Please log in and press the refund button.

Next week on IaDL : It’s September, and here is no space for Halloween due to Chxxxxxxs stuff!