On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:30:07 +0100, " wrote:

I bought a cheap day return from Paddington ("London Terminals"), but
on the return journey the train stopped at a station which was more
convenient, so I got out. I was expecting, especially after following

Cheap day return tickets allow you to break the journey on both the
outward and return trips.

How confusing! Not that long ago the same company made me buy two
returns, Paddington to Reading and Reading to Bath, so that I could
stop off and have lunch with friends on the way. But if I'd had a
cheap day return it seems I could have done so anyway.

From the National Conditions of Carriage:

"16. Starting, breaking or ending a journey at intermediate stations
You may start, or break and resume, a journey (in either direction in
the case of a return ticket) at any intermediate station, as long as the
ticket you hold is valid for the trains you want to use. You may also
end your journey (in either direction in the case of a return ticket)
before the destination shown on the ticket. However, these rights may
not apply to some types of tickets for which a break of journey is
prohibited, in which case the relevant Train Companies will make this
clear in their notices and other publications."

But really, how can you know? I'm sure such details aren't in the Help
text you can access when buying from the machine. When you enter the
details of your journey in the machine and are offered 8 different
fares, is it reasonable to expect you to note down all their names and
consult a copy of the NCC before return to make your choice?

--
Jo Lonergan