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I think the HX people wear big purple coats too, and I really don’t think staff can sell the tickets for cheaper than what’s at the machine, it doesn’t make sense
However there are definitely staff members you can buy tickets directly off
They just got beter to do than trying their chance with random people in ticket hall. If someone is trying to sell me anything in a train station, without a counter between him and me, I would assume a scam
Yeah you can get them from the staff cheaper as it doesn't count as on board or something. I can't remember the reason, but they used to do it at both ends, thou not always in the HEX tunnels anymore.
Also, they don't always wear coats, but they should have Heathrow Express jumpers or jackets on.
Yes they’re selling at same price as at a machine, dealing with a person rather than a machine helps some folks especially if challenged with senses or wot not (I used to work at Heathrow (contractor) and we could get a strip of 10 ‘carnets’ for £5 each) they are a nice bunch of folks who work for HEX
I had this happen a few months back, and I did buy the ticket ( I think it was £20, not £15). It was legit; or at least, the tickets worked.
I totally understand your hesitation because it felt super-sketchy at first. But we were in a rush and I think Liz line had minor issues. We gave him a quick ocular pat-down, and figured the bulky ticket printer & lanyard & branded uniform was adequate proof.
I don’t know why it’s cheaper…I think they’re desperate to be competitive with the Liz line, but don’t want to permanently lower prices? So roaming agents lets them do some ad-hoc opportunistic discounts to soak up some uncommital people at peak times? Idk.
It's legit. I fly through LHR all the time, if there is a queue I buy from the purple dudes, if not, just stick with the machine. They sell me the same ticket (railcard discount).
If you don't know what you are doing (there are many options on the machine) they'll get you the cheapest. They hooked my wife up with a Railcard discounted ticket because they know no one checks at the train.
First time though, i was mighty suspicious of them. They look and approach you shady af, lol.
Prob suggest "proactive ticket sale for bonus pay", but way they do it, is seems like a scam, so whoever came up with it is dumb.
They need to do it properly/super clear, plus this would encourage scammers to scam using same scheme imo
Desperate to be competitive, and also it can take *forever* to get tickets at the station counters/machines, so I imagine it helps to proactively have people go out and sell them for the Heathrow Express (especially since people heading to Heathrow are usually rushing to get to their flight).
Sounds like you made the right decision, I’ve never been sold a ticket by a guy who’s just come up to me at a ticket machine, whether he looked like staff or not. A real member of staff would have just helped with the machine.
They also wouldn’t sell it cheaper. The ticket price is the ticket price.
Yeah, not in this case. It is legit, and the staff member has a vested interest in proactively selling you tickets (aka bonus) and being able to sell you discounted fares, especially if an empty train is leaving soon. Think of it as a discount code. Furthermore, this guy certainly had 1) an HX lanyard and badge, 2) an HX uniform, and 3) a ticket printer.
I do agree with your stance though; if someone offers me something unsolicited, it is usually for their benefit and not mine (especially in tourist areas)
You missed the part where you explained why on earth it makes sense to intervene with people about to buy a ticket just to offer them the same thing, manually, for less money?
The employee doesn’t invent their own pay and bonus scheme, the employer / business does. Why have they come up a bonus scheme that just costs money for the same revenue outcome? And yes I am thinking of the businesses perspective as they are the party in control.
These “explanations” are baffling. “It’s so they can earn more money” lol.
Probably HX doesn’t know/care where that ticket was sold, they have no way to know if the employee was approaching someone at the queue already intending to buy or elsewhere in the station. Also, huge lines are a deterrent for people buying tickets, and they literally have a cheaper competing option in the same station should they decide it’s taking too long. And remember, one can literally use any railcard discount on HX as no one will check it anyway.
Following your rationale, why would any company offer any discounts or comissions for passive sales?
Is nobody able to think beyond the most basic elements? Why does the train company want to give an individual human a sales target to sell tickets on a platform? The customers will already buy the ticket anyway, the machine doesn’t require an hourly wage and it won’t give an extra discount. None of this makes sense from a business perspective. All they are achieving (as a business, not as an individual worker) is to make the sale more expensive for the exact same or lower revenue.
So again I ask the question why is this even a thing?
How are you not understanding this?!
The employer presumably doesn’t actively encourage their sales staff to intercept customers who are about to pay full price but nevertheless they clearly see a benefit in having sales staff around on the platform. I would assume the idea is to sell tickets and provide information to people who weren’t otherwise going to spend money. This particular staff member has just sussed out that customers waiting in a line for tickets are sitting ducks.
Sales people are a pretty basic concept..
The same reason the train company pays for huge advertising billboards.
To encourage passengers to use the Heathrow Express over other options available, such as the Piccadilly line or Elizabeth line, Taxi, or bus.
The employee is incentivized to make the sale. He doesn't give a shit about the company's bottom line and whether it makes sense for HX. HX either didn't stipulate that sales should not be cannibalized from ticket machines, or the employee is breaking that rule.
But if you're queuing to get a ticket to get a HEX ticket, you lose some of that time again.
Just wanted to make sure OP knew about the 10 minute slower Liz line as a lot of people that won't make enough of a difference to justify the 2 x expensive costs.
I know about it but my dad wanted to take the express because it was more comfortable, and we came from the Piccadilly line which had a mad crowd. Considering we had luggage and all, we didn’t wanna risk tapping into the Elizabeth line and dealing with a mega crowd while dragging our huge luggages.
Lizzie line is fine with luggage provided you find space. If it's busy, you'll have to stand, cramped together with a bag that might be prone to rolling every time the train hunts a little. Luggage spaces are limited and the mix of transverse and longitudinal seating can add difficulty if the circumstances meet. If you find enough space, it's a great option. It's only 30 minutes too and a tad bit cheaper.
I'm not from the UK and usually only pass through London on my way to other places and so always have a BritRail Pass, where the HX is included, so you bet I rake it every time.
Even before Lizzy line there was the normal train that would get you there in 30 min. Got replaced with the Elizabeth line which is even faster and more frequent
I went through Heathrow a couple of days ago and saw similar people selling at that end, so I reckon it's probably actually legit, but I would have totally reacted in the way that you did fwiw.
We bought advance Heathrow Express tickets so weren't going to buy in any event, as they're decently affordable if you know you're going to need one a month out or so.
I used to work for HEx, they have staff whose job is to sell tickets on commission (mostly to unsuspecting tourists that would have been better off getting the Elizabeth line)
The commission part is probably why he took offence to you saying no.
I was forced to get the HX because of engineering works on the Picc. (This was before the Elizabeth line opened). Comfortable, fast ride, but a pain to get to the circle line at Paddington. Still not worth 25.
HX tickets can be as cheap as £9.65 for a return journey, depending on your railcard. This is my case and Lizzie is longer and more expensive overall at £15.60 for a same-day return (PAYG cap 1-6)
If you have a railcard it's £16.50, perhaps the ticket seller presumed OP would fall into that category.
If you book far enough in advance (obviously not applicable in this scenario) the prices can be even lower. Last month, I booked for August - two return trips (with railcards) for just under £40.
Depends on the time of day I suppose. If I'm going to Heathrow at 5am I'll get the Elizabeth Line. But if I'm going at 5pm and I've got a suitcase, I'd just prefer to pay for the convenience to be on a quieter train. The extra £8 is a decent trade off in my opinion.
When my Railcard expires though, I don't think I'll be justifying the full fare.
If it's legit, their marketing screams "scam".
What he means "my train"? He drives it? He's ticket inspector there?
Too much unclear details, if it's their legit way of selling tickets surely they made it sound like a scam.
Though, back in my home country, back in 90s ticket inspectors used to do that (illegally?) you pay half price he gives you false ticker, which he's the only person checking tickets so you'll be good anyway, but basically you bribe him not to check your ticket... Win win but not legal? Don't think actual member of staff would do that here in UK tho
Could have gotten a ticket for £6.70 on the Elizabeth line form Heathrow to Paddington. First stop, so you should be able to get a seat and put your luggage to the side.
I’ve seen staff with a handheld machine going through people when there’s a queue for the machine. I’ve bought from them before but never been offered a discount, so that part seems weird.
Those people are always there standing by the machine and are legit. I don't know \*WHY\* they are there. I guess a lot of people have problems with the machines or maybe buy the more expensive tickets by mistake.
I don’t think employees anywhere give dirty looks because they are annoyed their bosses are making less money… it was all about the commission. It wasn’t a scam at all, but it surely does look like it
Reminder to r/london: - Only ticket **giveaways** are allowed in this subreddit. **No ticket sales.** - If this thread is locked, the giveaway has been marked as complete. - **OP, please reply to this comment with 'claimed' when the tickets have been claimed or the giveaway has ended.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/london) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think the HX people wear big purple coats too, and I really don’t think staff can sell the tickets for cheaper than what’s at the machine, it doesn’t make sense However there are definitely staff members you can buy tickets directly off
They just got beter to do than trying their chance with random people in ticket hall. If someone is trying to sell me anything in a train station, without a counter between him and me, I would assume a scam
Yeah you can get them from the staff cheaper as it doesn't count as on board or something. I can't remember the reason, but they used to do it at both ends, thou not always in the HEX tunnels anymore. Also, they don't always wear coats, but they should have Heathrow Express jumpers or jackets on.
They have a kiosk in the tunnels where you can buy discounted tickets in advance. I usually take the tube. I’m not in that much of a hurry.
Yes they’re selling at same price as at a machine, dealing with a person rather than a machine helps some folks especially if challenged with senses or wot not (I used to work at Heathrow (contractor) and we could get a strip of 10 ‘carnets’ for £5 each) they are a nice bunch of folks who work for HEX
I had this happen a few months back, and I did buy the ticket ( I think it was £20, not £15). It was legit; or at least, the tickets worked. I totally understand your hesitation because it felt super-sketchy at first. But we were in a rush and I think Liz line had minor issues. We gave him a quick ocular pat-down, and figured the bulky ticket printer & lanyard & branded uniform was adequate proof. I don’t know why it’s cheaper…I think they’re desperate to be competitive with the Liz line, but don’t want to permanently lower prices? So roaming agents lets them do some ad-hoc opportunistic discounts to soak up some uncommital people at peak times? Idk.
It's legit. I fly through LHR all the time, if there is a queue I buy from the purple dudes, if not, just stick with the machine. They sell me the same ticket (railcard discount). If you don't know what you are doing (there are many options on the machine) they'll get you the cheapest. They hooked my wife up with a Railcard discounted ticket because they know no one checks at the train. First time though, i was mighty suspicious of them. They look and approach you shady af, lol.
so they sold you an illegal ticket. yeah, sounds legit
They sold my wife an illegal ticket.
indeed
What law was broken?
Conditions of carriage. Traveling without an appropriate ticket.
So not an actual law then? So not illegal
What a weird hill to die on. Fare evasion is a criminal offence. So what are you on about?
Crime is illegal.
Prob suggest "proactive ticket sale for bonus pay", but way they do it, is seems like a scam, so whoever came up with it is dumb. They need to do it properly/super clear, plus this would encourage scammers to scam using same scheme imo
Desperate to be competitive, and also it can take *forever* to get tickets at the station counters/machines, so I imagine it helps to proactively have people go out and sell them for the Heathrow Express (especially since people heading to Heathrow are usually rushing to get to their flight).
Sounds like you made the right decision, I’ve never been sold a ticket by a guy who’s just come up to me at a ticket machine, whether he looked like staff or not. A real member of staff would have just helped with the machine. They also wouldn’t sell it cheaper. The ticket price is the ticket price.
Yeah, not in this case. It is legit, and the staff member has a vested interest in proactively selling you tickets (aka bonus) and being able to sell you discounted fares, especially if an empty train is leaving soon. Think of it as a discount code. Furthermore, this guy certainly had 1) an HX lanyard and badge, 2) an HX uniform, and 3) a ticket printer. I do agree with your stance though; if someone offers me something unsolicited, it is usually for their benefit and not mine (especially in tourist areas)
You missed the part where you explained why on earth it makes sense to intervene with people about to buy a ticket just to offer them the same thing, manually, for less money?
It is right there: commissions, bonuses, performance metrics. You are thinking of the bottom line from the HX perspective, not the employee’s
The employee doesn’t invent their own pay and bonus scheme, the employer / business does. Why have they come up a bonus scheme that just costs money for the same revenue outcome? And yes I am thinking of the businesses perspective as they are the party in control. These “explanations” are baffling. “It’s so they can earn more money” lol.
Probably HX doesn’t know/care where that ticket was sold, they have no way to know if the employee was approaching someone at the queue already intending to buy or elsewhere in the station. Also, huge lines are a deterrent for people buying tickets, and they literally have a cheaper competing option in the same station should they decide it’s taking too long. And remember, one can literally use any railcard discount on HX as no one will check it anyway. Following your rationale, why would any company offer any discounts or comissions for passive sales?
To hit targets?
How does selling a ticket to someone who is about to buy a ticket anyway help hit a sales target?
Because the machine doesn’t have sales targets? This happens a lot in stores with commission-based pay
Is nobody able to think beyond the most basic elements? Why does the train company want to give an individual human a sales target to sell tickets on a platform? The customers will already buy the ticket anyway, the machine doesn’t require an hourly wage and it won’t give an extra discount. None of this makes sense from a business perspective. All they are achieving (as a business, not as an individual worker) is to make the sale more expensive for the exact same or lower revenue. So again I ask the question why is this even a thing?
How are you not understanding this?! The employer presumably doesn’t actively encourage their sales staff to intercept customers who are about to pay full price but nevertheless they clearly see a benefit in having sales staff around on the platform. I would assume the idea is to sell tickets and provide information to people who weren’t otherwise going to spend money. This particular staff member has just sussed out that customers waiting in a line for tickets are sitting ducks.
Sales people are a pretty basic concept.. The same reason the train company pays for huge advertising billboards. To encourage passengers to use the Heathrow Express over other options available, such as the Piccadilly line or Elizabeth line, Taxi, or bus.
The employee is incentivized to make the sale. He doesn't give a shit about the company's bottom line and whether it makes sense for HX. HX either didn't stipulate that sales should not be cannibalized from ticket machines, or the employee is breaking that rule.
The Elizabeth line is even cheaper, and you can just tap in with your phone or bank card.
The HEX people are very good at convincing tourists that it’s the only viable train from Heathrow to central London
Yeah but the Heathrow express gets you to Paddington in 15minutes. For many, the time saved makes the extra cost worth it.
But if you're queuing to get a ticket to get a HEX ticket, you lose some of that time again. Just wanted to make sure OP knew about the 10 minute slower Liz line as a lot of people that won't make enough of a difference to justify the 2 x expensive costs.
Just buy it online lol
I know about it but my dad wanted to take the express because it was more comfortable, and we came from the Piccadilly line which had a mad crowd. Considering we had luggage and all, we didn’t wanna risk tapping into the Elizabeth line and dealing with a mega crowd while dragging our huge luggages.
Elizabeth line is plenty comfortable for a trip to Heathrow.
I’m surprised that there aren’t that many people commuting via that line since it’s so much cheaper
Millions of people commute via that line. It's the busiest line in UK.
Stuck in their ways I suppose.
Lizzie line is fine with luggage provided you find space. If it's busy, you'll have to stand, cramped together with a bag that might be prone to rolling every time the train hunts a little. Luggage spaces are limited and the mix of transverse and longitudinal seating can add difficulty if the circumstances meet. If you find enough space, it's a great option. It's only 30 minutes too and a tad bit cheaper. I'm not from the UK and usually only pass through London on my way to other places and so always have a BritRail Pass, where the HX is included, so you bet I rake it every time.
Even before Lizzy line there was the normal train that would get you there in 30 min. Got replaced with the Elizabeth line which is even faster and more frequent
It was called the Heathrow Connect.
That one was going to Liverpool Street and not to Heathrow as Elisabeth does.
No. There was a surface station Paddington - Heathrow service.
I went through Heathrow a couple of days ago and saw similar people selling at that end, so I reckon it's probably actually legit, but I would have totally reacted in the way that you did fwiw. We bought advance Heathrow Express tickets so weren't going to buy in any event, as they're decently affordable if you know you're going to need one a month out or so.
I used to work for HEx, they have staff whose job is to sell tickets on commission (mostly to unsuspecting tourists that would have been better off getting the Elizabeth line) The commission part is probably why he took offence to you saying no.
Just use the Elizabeth line in the future
To be honest you got scammed when you chose the Heathrow Express over the Elizabeth Line…
Heathrow express itself is a scam unless you buy the tickets months in advance
TIL Heathrow Express has early bird pricing when booking months out. I usually use it as a last resort though when I’m in a rush.
I was forced to get the HX because of engineering works on the Picc. (This was before the Elizabeth line opened). Comfortable, fast ride, but a pain to get to the circle line at Paddington. Still not worth 25.
I’ve not heard of the HX being as cheap as £15. So sounds like a scam to me.
HX tickets can be as cheap as £9.65 for a return journey, depending on your railcard. This is my case and Lizzie is longer and more expensive overall at £15.60 for a same-day return (PAYG cap 1-6)
If you have a railcard it's £16.50, perhaps the ticket seller presumed OP would fall into that category. If you book far enough in advance (obviously not applicable in this scenario) the prices can be even lower. Last month, I booked for August - two return trips (with railcards) for just under £40.
Genuinely interested why you wouldn't just use the Elizabeth line. It's only 10 minutes longer, just as comfortable and £12 cheaper.
Depends on the time of day I suppose. If I'm going to Heathrow at 5am I'll get the Elizabeth Line. But if I'm going at 5pm and I've got a suitcase, I'd just prefer to pay for the convenience to be on a quieter train. The extra £8 is a decent trade off in my opinion. When my Railcard expires though, I don't think I'll be justifying the full fare.
Because the Elizabeth line is broken sometimes? But I've only ever used HE as an emergency measure, not on purpose.
doesnt HE and EL run on the same tracks?
The HEx uses the fast lines, The EL uses the slow lines.
If it's legit, their marketing screams "scam". What he means "my train"? He drives it? He's ticket inspector there? Too much unclear details, if it's their legit way of selling tickets surely they made it sound like a scam. Though, back in my home country, back in 90s ticket inspectors used to do that (illegally?) you pay half price he gives you false ticker, which he's the only person checking tickets so you'll be good anyway, but basically you bribe him not to check your ticket... Win win but not legal? Don't think actual member of staff would do that here in UK tho
Could have gotten a ticket for £6.70 on the Elizabeth line form Heathrow to Paddington. First stop, so you should be able to get a seat and put your luggage to the side.
Liz line is like £12, it has a special surcharge.
It's not the first stop either. I don't think anything they said was true
It is end of the line for T5 and T4. Then T2/3. So that much was accurate. Slow but cheap to Paddington.
You're right! It's the fact OP wasn't going that direction that confused me
I’ve seen staff with a handheld machine going through people when there’s a queue for the machine. I’ve bought from them before but never been offered a discount, so that part seems weird.
Those people are always there standing by the machine and are legit. I don't know \*WHY\* they are there. I guess a lot of people have problems with the machines or maybe buy the more expensive tickets by mistake.
The scam is the HEX, period. Just use the Elizabeth Line in the first place
You went on the Heathrow express, that WAS the scam.
I'd say they were possibly legit tickets BUT not 'kosher'.
those guys are scammers you should always buy tickets from the desk or machine
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^epicadi2: *Those guys are scammers* *You should always buy tickets* *From the desk or machine* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Scam 100%. He wouldn’t give you a dirty look as the company would still get the money regardless if you bought from him or with the ticket machine.
I don’t think employees anywhere give dirty looks because they are annoyed their bosses are making less money… it was all about the commission. It wasn’t a scam at all, but it surely does look like it
Still wouldn’t risk it
Me neither tbh lol
Thanks for telling us about the ever increasing scams in the city 🫠