An expensive train journey – Transcription and language notes
A ticket I had booked through thetrainline.com had not arrived the day before we were travelling (or traveling US). The helpline said it would be available at Reading station on the morning of travel. Despite their best efforts the Reading staff could not find it, so I had to buy another ticket.
The next day, the ticket arrived at our home. Whether this was the original ticket much delayed, or the one intended for Reading station, I have no idea. I requested a refund on 7 November (or the 7th November).Two months later, thetrainline said I would receive a £36.30 refund in 15 days. But four weeks after that, it said I would not receive a refund as I had failed to collect the ticket at Reading.
Language notes
helpline – a telephone service providing help with problems
Reading – if you wrote ‘Redding’ that is exactly the sound you heard. Reading is a large town south-east of Oxford.
on the morning of travel – a formal, official way of saying ‘ on the morning I / he was travelling or will travel’
intended for = meant / destined for, which should have gone to …
to request – to ask politely or formally
a refund – money paid back, a reimbursement; Did you notice the stress is on the first syllable?
7 November – the spoken version of this always has ‘the‘ and ‘... th‘ (or equivalent) and ‘of‘
a £36.30 refund – a refund / reimbursement of £36.30 Did you notice you say the ‘pounds’ between the pounds and the pence, and that you do not have to say the word ‘pence’?
to fail to – to omit or neglect to ….