Posted by Back in August 2025, I successfully appealed an unfair charge because of TfL’s bad IT systems and the fact that their website was not only down during the time I went through the Blackwall Tunnel but it was also misleading which you can read about here: The UX of TfL’s Blackwall Tunnel: Deceptive patterns and Technical Debts, (September, 2025).
They wrote me a letter to say that they had cancelled the debt in August 2025. I wrote back saying I hadn’t received payment and could they send me a cheque as I didn’t mind. They then wrote me a letter on 13th October 2025 telling me that the £90.00 was refunded back to my card on 22/08/25 or thereabouts. Thus, no new information, just repeating what they had said in their previous letter, despite the fact I had explained to them quite clearly that I couldn’t have received it and had no record of receiving it.
I rang the TfL generic helpline number which is on the letter and after hearing a 5-minute warning not to be rude to any member of staff trying to help me I got through to a very helpful person called Nigel.
I explained that they didn’t refund me anything as my card was frozen after some fraudulent activity tried to happen on it (I tried to buy a prom dress from a dodgy website and three months later they still had my information and were trying to begin by claiming £0.01 with a view to setting up a direct debit that I would never notice). My bank issued me a temporary virtual card and then sent me a new card with the full number on it. I couldn’t put the temporary virtual card on my TfL account so I never got the money.
They have no record of it not being received so Nigel had to raise it with his manager, no reference number here either, I guess he will have to handwrite it or do it verbally, and he said Fingers crossed whilst charming and conversational is not what you want to hear. However, if I don’t hear back VIA LETTER in 10 business (or so) days I have to phone the line again.
Today 22nd October, I got another letter to repeat that the payment was successfully refunded, which it wasn’t, despite me writing them a letter a week ago to tell them exactly that. They also advise me to contact my bank to request this refund using an authorisation code. So, if it has been successfully refunded, why are they offering me an authorisation code? And, what is an authorisation code?
I contacted my bank who have no record of any refund, no idea what TfL are talking about, nor what an authorisation code is or how to use it. I also rang the TfL helpline again and got a really lovely lady who had no idea what an authorisation code is, either. Nor, do I. I have no idea what an authorisation code is.
Consequently, I don’t think that the Contracts and Operations Manager, and supposed author of this letter, has any idea how the IT systems work and that no one else, except him, knows to what he is referring when he talks about an authorisation code.
So, I went back to my bank to get it in writing that the payment has not been received for all the reasons noted above and the bank suggested that I have my case referred to a special dispute team because that is the only way to get my money back.
I should be asking TfL at this point to cover the costs of the time and materials (stamps, walking to the post office, letters, envelopes, pens, energy, etc.) it has taken me to find out how to get my money back which is ridiculous in 2025. I should be able to do this electronically, not time travel to back to 1989 to phone people up and write letters.
In the meantime, I will be using this as a case study in how not to design a mobile app on my HCI course when I tidy it up, because I am back to thinking yet again that I’ll have the course of my dreams with a bit more tweaking. And, I won’t feel quite as cranky about how much time I have spent thinking about how bad TfL’s drive app/website/organisation/systems/letter writing and communication is without doing something positive. It is better instead to focus on all the ways in which it could be improved which I will do and then share with my students.
I cannot wait to get started.
