Tickets valid "As Advertised" - advertised where?

[Greenback]

TVM's are quite limited in what they can do. Until the are able to explain restrictions adequately, sell tickets from other stations, advance tickets, accept refund applications, sell season tickets, extensions, rangers, rovers, extensions, excesses and a dozen other things, they should not be used as a means of reducing ticket office hours or closing them altogether.

They do have their uses though, mostly it's selling simple tickets quickly for local journeys!

 

[MikeWh]

They do have their uses though, mostly it's selling simple tickets quickly for local journeys!

And picking up TOD after ordering online!

 

[island]

I only really use TVMs for collecting online bookings. I recently had a 37-coupon weekend away in Wales (bouncing back and forth between Newport Gwent and Cardiff for rugby matches) and I tied up three TVMs at once in Lewisham collecting all the tickets!

 

[Greenback]

And picking up TOD after ordering online!

Yes, that as well, although I have seen many people go to the booking office here for their ticket collection without even trying the TVM - including a uniformed police officer a few weeks back!

I think some people definitely dislkie the machines! I did at first, but now I am used to them!

 

[BRX]

More than once, I've looked up ticket options on the web, found the best one, then gone to a TVM and haven't been able to find the same fare there.

I've tended to assume that it's because I've unknowingly been looking at some "web only" special offer on the web, but having read the comments above, I think my strategy from now on will be to buy online and collect from the machine.

 

[ainsworth74]

More than once, I've looked up ticket options on the web, found the best one, then gone to a TVM and haven't been able to find the same fare there.

Are you sure you're not looking at advance fares online? They aren't available from TVMs as they are geared for tickets for almost immediate travel and only offer tickets for the next day after 4pm (I think).

 

[BRX]

Are you sure you're not looking at advance fares online? They aren't available from TVMs as they are geared for tickets for almost immediate travel and only offer tickets for the next day after 4pm (I think).

Definitely has been for non-advance tickets.

 

[bb21]

Until the are able to explain restrictions adequately

I would have thought that this would be easy to resolve. Ticket machines can print out relevant restriction texts on a piece of paper (not on ticket stock) together with the purchase of a walk-on ticket. Of course the added cost of new machines and blank paper is a different matter.

sell tickets from other stations
...
rangers, rovers

None of these are that difficult to do technically.

 

[Greenback]

I am not saying that it's difficult, only that they can't do it now! Until they cna do everything or almost everything that a ticket office cna do, they ar enot a substitute for one.