I am on a Super Off Peak ticket which is valid to depart Paddington until 1600.
The ticket gates are very primitive in nature, and reject Super Off Peak tickets from 1500 (GWR choose to use a supplier that doesn't differentiate between origin/destination).
After my ticket was rejected, I showed it to the attendant, who said "Super Off Peak is not valid after 1500". I then said my ticket was valid until 1600. He then looked at the ticket properly, realised what ticket I actually had, and then let me through.
My next step would have been to produce my reservation for the 1532 from Paddington, but I didn't have to go to that far.
So, well done to this member of staff, for getting it correct in the end, though someone less assertive than me and/or who suffers from anxiety may have struggled with the experience.
However, GWR really ought to change ticket gate supplier and/or ask their supplier to change their software (there are providers out there who will differentiate correctly between valid / invalid tickets*) and also train their staff to carry out a little bit more research before stating tickets aren't valid.
Before anyone says, "why don't you write to GWR?" well, no, I'm not going to do that. An email to Customer Services isn't going to be read by anyone high up within the company. Posting on here probably won't either, but has a far greater chance!
Anyway, I've had my say and consider the matter resolved, but I thought it may be useful to others.
Note that if anyone buys through the forum's ticketing site, and is denied travel when travelling in accordance with their itinerary, I would absolutely support any forum member in that position.
* with the caveat that it can't ever be 100% right, as you have to have cut-offs for the time taken from barrier to train, as well as there being potentially different routes and/or some trains may be valid while others may be invalid within the same time window.
The ticket gates are very primitive in nature, and reject Super Off Peak tickets from 1500 (GWR choose to use a supplier that doesn't differentiate between origin/destination).
After my ticket was rejected, I showed it to the attendant, who said "Super Off Peak is not valid after 1500". I then said my ticket was valid until 1600. He then looked at the ticket properly, realised what ticket I actually had, and then let me through.
My next step would have been to produce my reservation for the 1532 from Paddington, but I didn't have to go to that far.
So, well done to this member of staff, for getting it correct in the end, though someone less assertive than me and/or who suffers from anxiety may have struggled with the experience.
However, GWR really ought to change ticket gate supplier and/or ask their supplier to change their software (there are providers out there who will differentiate correctly between valid / invalid tickets*) and also train their staff to carry out a little bit more research before stating tickets aren't valid.
Before anyone says, "why don't you write to GWR?" well, no, I'm not going to do that. An email to Customer Services isn't going to be read by anyone high up within the company. Posting on here probably won't either, but has a far greater chance!
Anyway, I've had my say and consider the matter resolved, but I thought it may be useful to others.
Note that if anyone buys through the forum's ticketing site, and is denied travel when travelling in accordance with their itinerary, I would absolutely support any forum member in that position.
* with the caveat that it can't ever be 100% right, as you have to have cut-offs for the time taken from barrier to train, as well as there being potentially different routes and/or some trains may be valid while others may be invalid within the same time window.
