What a way to run a railway!

[OhNoAPacer]

So I booked tickets on-line, usually I get them posted but due to an oversight I left the pick up from machine box ticked, oh well, a bit annoying and inconvenient but teach me to take more care. Anyway I decided to pop to the station this evening, and the machine would not work, it gave a 'due to technical error we cannot retrieve your details from TOD' message, or one very like it. I went to the ticket office and was told that it was a software fault, it had been faulty since Friday and that someone was coming to see it tomorrow, then I was asked when I was travelling, when I said Friday I was informed that they can only issue the tickets on the day.
So, as far as I can see I have done my part of the contract in paying and then following the instructions for receiving my tickets only to be hit by a technical fault, which okay these things happen, but to then be subject to a bureaucratic rule that is not in any way passenger friendly is one of those things that should not happen.
I am usually quick to defend the railways but they do not make it easy when they insist in coming up with anti-passenger rules such as this.

 

[yorkie]

You are travelling on Friday, and have been told you can collect tickets from your origin station before departure, is that correct?

If so, I am not sure what the problem is? Or have I misunderstood?

 

[bb21]

Well they have four days to fix the problem the way I see it. If you still cannot collect on Friday and was turned away from the ticket office on that day then I think there would be a much better ground for complaint.

 

[Greenback]

It is inconvenient if you have made a special trip to the staion to collect from the TVM, but these things happen in all walks of life.

I doubt it is a deliberate rule that is there to inconvenience people. As my days in the ticket office ar enow long gone, I can't remember exactly why we couldn't issue online tickets in advance, but we could only do it on the day of travel. As far as I can remember, the booking could only be retrieved from the central database that day.

The process was called TOD - Ticket on Departure - not TAFDA (Tickets a Few Days Ahead), and in those days it was intended as a last resort. I assume nothing has changed!

 

[beeza1]

As most of my journeys start at an unmanned station with no TVM I normally book my tickets online which allows me to "split" and reserve a seat ,I usually collect them a couple of days before travel from my local "mainline station", I have often wondered what I would have to do if the machine was not working.It is a 15 miles round trip for me to collect my tickets, and due to time constraints I doubt I would have time to make a second visit to the station, so what would be my options?

 

[Urban Gateline]

I'm guessing (and it is only a guess) that the OP doesn't live that close to their local station so it was an inconvenience to go there and then not be able to pick up their tickets. Although if that is where they are travelling from then picking them up on the day of travel shouldn't be much different, only maybe the time cost of having to get there a bit earlier to pick up the tickets.

 

[jon0844]

I ordered some tickets online to get points last Saturday (via East Coast) and when trying to collect at King's Cross, the EC machines I tried all said there was a problem - suggesting the fault was with my debit card (used to make the purchase).

I then walked over to the FCC machines and it worked straight away.

It did get me wondering what would happen if my booked tickets couldn't be found or issued - and I then missed my train or had to buy new tickets (which in my case at King's Cross would have also meant missing my train as I would never get to queue up and sort it out before the train went) and then seek a refund for the ones I couldn't collect.

I am therefore most keen to pick up as far in advance as I can, not actually on departure as the name suggests!

 

[bb21]

It did get me wondering what would happen if my booked tickets couldn't be found or issued - and I then missed my train or had to buy new tickets (which in my case at King's Cross would have also meant missing my train as I would never get to queue up and sort it out before the train went) and then seek a refund for the ones I couldn't collect.

That is exactly what I had to do on a couple of occasions. I managed to get a full refund for the tickets I had to buy on the day.

 

[island]

Judging from the OP's location, I suspect his/her local station may be operated by Northern Rail. Northern cannot issue ToD from its booking office machines without going through a substantial faff, so it seems reasonable for the clerk to ask the OP to attempt to collect the tickets from the TVM on the day of travel after the fault has been repaired.

 

[beeza1]

so it seems reasonable for the clerk to ask the OP to attempt to collect the tickets from the TVM on the day of travel after the fault has been repaired.

To return to my question post #5, my journeys start at an unmanned station, what would my options be?

 

[Welshman]

If you book with East Coast and your departure station is without a TVM, they will post the tickets to you, free of charge,

 

[OhNoAPacer]

The issue here is actually about the poor customer service that unfortunately does seem to pop up with regularity on the rail network, the passenger is supposed to be fully aware of NRCOC, routing guides, permitted routes, and any other number of things that can trip up the unwary, and of course should they transgress then mercy is there very often none, but when something goes wrong the other way, then it is like meeting the god of 'them's the rules guv'.
Machines break down, I know, fact of life, but when this does happen then the default should be 'how can we help this passenger'.
As it happens on this occasion I may well be able to start my journey from the originating station, but it will actually cause me some problems, however my usual journey is to travel Whitehaven to Northampton return, but often I am starting from a station south of Whitehaven so purchase a single to Whitehaven and then commence my journey, so no opportunity there to collect on the day, unless I get off at Whitehaven, get my tickets and hence miss the train I am already on. This would be an interesting situation should I have an advance ticket, did I miss the originating train through my own fault, or was it an internal railway issue.
It may well be a faff to issue tickets early, and yeah I have no doubt that ticket clerks often curse the system they have had thrust upon them (heard them do so) but it would seem that the faff is always to be borne by the passenger.

 

[bb21]

If the station you are starting your journey from has a ticket machine to collect the tickets from then I don't see the big deal with it. If it does not, then I can sympathise with your dilemma. If the latter is true, did you explain this to the clerk?

If you would encounter considerable difficulty collecting your ticket on the day of travel, and have no convenient way of collecting it between now and then, I suggest that you contact Northern directly about your situation.

 

[island]

To return to my question post #5, my journeys start at an unmanned station, what would my options be?

I would suggest (a) see post 11 and (b) try not to divert from the OP's question

 

[beeza1]

I would suggest (a) see post 11 and (b) try not to divert from the OP's question

With regards to (a), not really an option due to various reasons,
(b), in what way am I diverting from the OP's question? the discussion is about what to do if the TVM is not working when you go to pick up pre booked tickets, my question is on the same subject, but with the added "complication" if you like, that my journeys start at an unmanned station.

 

[Greenback]

The issue here is actually about the poor customer service that unfortunately does seem to pop up with regularity on the rail network, the passenger is supposed to be fully aware of NRCOC, routing guides, permitted routes, and any other number of things that can trip up the unwary, and of course should they transgress then mercy is there very often none, but when something goes wrong the other way, then it is like meeting the god of 'them's the rules guv'.

While incidents do undoubtedly happen, based on my own observations and experiences there are far more examples of good customer service than bad. Perhaps it is because we only really read or hear about the bad ones, often through this very forum, that it seems otherwise.

As just one example, I have found myself on the wrong train and going in the wrong direction (so not having a valid ticket) and been allowed tot ravel back with no hassle at all. I have also had a lot of help when thigns have gone wrong, most notably at Bristol when I was in danger of missing my last connection of the day.

Machines break down, I know, fact of life, but when this does happen then the default should be 'how can we help this passenger'.

I think that when there is something like a TVM breakdown, staff are normally more than happy to do what they can. I have personally seen people at my local station who have been unable to retrieve a booked ticket being allowed to travel on the evidence of a scrawled booking reference, never mind a printed confrimation email.

Again, we don't normally know about these things unless we see or experience them for ourselves as a) they don't make good media headlines and b) the traveller is unlikely to make a big issue of being treated fairly as oppsed to when they feel aggrieved!

I usually try and mitgate against such possibilities happening as much as I can. I do get tickets posted to me when I can, but otherwise I will allow plenty of time to retrive tickets wherever possible, so that I have wiggle room to try and get some assistance to sort things out.

As it happens on this occasion I may well be able to start my journey from the originating station, but it will actually cause me some problems, however my usual journey is to travel Whitehaven to Northampton return, but often I am starting from a station south of Whitehaven so purchase a single to Whitehaven and then commence my journey, so no opportunity there to collect on the day, unless I get off at Whitehaven, get my tickets and hence miss the train I am already on. This would be an interesting situation should I have an advance ticket, did I miss the originating train through my own fault, or was it an internal railway issue.
It may well be a faff to issue tickets early, and yeah I have no doubt that ticket clerks often curse the system they have had thrust upon them (heard them do so) but it would seem that the faff is always to be borne by the passenger.

Maybe I shouldn't ask this, but why not just buy a ticket from the originating station in the first place? Is it because you don't want to decide (or don't know) your starting station at the time of purchase? It just seems to add another level of complication at which things can go awry.

 

[maniacmartin]

While incidents do undoubtedly happen, based on my own observations and experiences there are far more examples of good customer service than bad.

I think this is partly down to where you live and who your local TOC is, and which staff you deal with. Some TOCs are much better than others. If your local TOC is rubbish then that's how you perceive the railways generally.

 

[Greenback]

I think this is partly down to where you live and who your local TOC is, and which staff you deal with. Some TOCs are much better than others. If your local TOC is rubbish then that's how you perceive the railways generally.

Yes, that is very true. When on my travels I often feel I am very lucky with my local train operators, though that view is not universal, particularly with those users around here who have never experienced Cross Country!