Collecting TOD from ticket office at Vauxhall

[Welshman]

Well a lot of the places I work if you don't work around the phone signal it is easy to get stuck which is inefficient. Dore and Totley and Liverpool South Parkway (the latter even have pre printed cards for when the TVM fails) were the usual two problem stations pre COVID. From Dore I used to do my usual grip and take note of references then stop Hathersage to Earles Sidings and around Chinley to print TOD recalls and hand them out in Disley Tunnel, making use of the dead signal spaces to check/hand out TOD recalls and good signal spaces to sell/print.

From South Parkway unless they were making local journeys I used to batch print after Warrington and hand them out before Manchester.

Working out little things like that keeps your brain working in what can be a repetitive job.

Fascinating.

I didn't realise your route knowledge also included knowing the varying strengths of the phone signal.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Fascinating.

I didn't realise your route knowledge also included knowing the varying strengths of the phone signal.

I can tell you all the deadspote between Kings Cross and Newcastle if youwant

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I can tell you all the dead spots between Kings Cross and Newcastle if you want

Does it vary depending on mobile service provider?

 

[Welshman]

I thought these people

I can tell you all the deadspote between Kings Cross and Newcastle if youwant

That would be a good specialised subject on "Mastermind"

 

[Wallsendmag]

Does it vary depending on mobile service provider?

Not so much apart from Ferryhill and near Colton Jn

 

[father_jack]

I do TODs without ceremony or drama at the window, however you'll find a lot of the time they only end up at the window is because it's a trainline/raileasy booking that requires the original card and they don't have it. And then the ceremony or drama kicks in.

The TOC were asked at divisional council and supervisory and retail fora years ago to provide written back up that if someone issed a TOD and it had been bought fraudulently the clerk would not be held responsible. They declined.

 

[Haywain]

The TOC were asked at divisional council and supervisory and retail fora years ago to provide written back up that if someone issed a TOD and it had been bought fraudulently the clerk would not be held responsible. They declined.

That's hardly surprising - whilst I understand fully what you have in mind, it would give a freedom to any clerk getting directly involved in such fraud with a friend/accomplice.

 

[Philip]

That's hardly surprising - whilst I understand fully what you have in mind, it would give a freedom to any clerk getting directly involved in such fraud with a friend/accomplice.

That's true, but because of this I don't think ticket office staff who refuse to issue TODs because the wrong card or no card was supplied can be blamed or considered unhelpful etc. If the above scenario happens then I think ID provided with a matching name on the booking is sufficient to issue the ticket, but if no ID is provided then it is dodgy territory for the booking office clerk. Good advice from the ticket office would be to suggest to the customer to contact their booking provider and ask if they can change the collection card to the one they have on them currently.

Refusing to help and issue tickets when it is a TOD machine fault is indeed wrong, unhelpful and military.

 

[father_jack]

That's true, but because of this I don't think ticket office staff who refuse to issue TODs because the wrong card or no card was supplied can be blamed or considered unhelpful etc. If the above scenario happens then I think ID provided with a matching name on the booking is sufficient to issue the ticket, but if no ID is provided then it is dodgy territory for the booking office clerk. Good advice from the ticket office would be to suggest to the customer to contact their booking provider and ask if they can change the collection card to the one they have on them currently.

Refusing to help and issue tickets when it is a TOD machine fault is indeed wrong, unhelpful and military.

Yes, but the name on an ID matching the booking still doesn't mean someone else (or their stolen card or stolen/cloned card details) hasn't made the payment. The seller will, and almost always does change the booking "flag" to any card collect but the palaver for the customer makes the clerk the enemy here. And I have known charging or expensive 0870 or even 09000 telephone numbers to be used by some travel agencies.

Your last sentence though is 100% correct.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Mar 2021 ==

That's hardly surprising - whilst I understand fully what you have in mind, it would give a freedom to any clerk getting directly involved in such fraud with a friend/accomplice.

But "customer service" is still expected to be provided and those who make the decisions haven't got the customer in the inevitable rush (ever) standing in front of them.