Winchester TVM Rant

[Mark_re]

So, Winchester 0900 this morning -- two of the three TVMs on the southbound platform were out of action (one had a back square on the screen, the other had a comedy Windows 98 Control Panel open). There was one man serving at the ticket counter. The queues were horrendous. Of course, the one remaining TVM had someone painstakingly letter-by-letter tapping out an advance purchase collection code and about 6 people waiting behind her, similarly clutching their iPhones.

The northbound platform was a similar situation. And only one of the TVMs there accepts cash payments. So I ended up spending about 20 minutes trying to get a ticket, then had to pay with card, which I didn't want to do. Thank goodness I was getting an XC service, as it was, of course, running late. Come on SWT!

 

[yorkie]

I urge you to contact SWT.

Their charter states:

• We will use reasonable endeavours to make sure that you should not need to queue at a point of sale (excluding the internet or telephone bookings) for more than five minutes during times of peak demand or for more than three minutes at any other time. We monitor queues so that we can take action to reduce them where possible. We will display the times of peak demand applicable to each point of sale at a location nearby that is accessible to the public at all times.

Inform them that this target was missed, and ask them to confirm that after a significant wait that you should be entitled to buy on-board, ask them how long you have to wait before you can buy on-board. If they say that you have to wait indefinitely then complain to Passenger Focus, your MP and the DfT as in that case their charter is effectively meaningless.

 

[Oracle]

I hope that you can at least read the screens when they are working! Ours, at ANF, is so placed as to be impossible to read in sunlight. Great fun when there are several punters behind you wanting to use it with the train approaching!

 

[Roylang]

The ones outside Winchester station are exactly as you describe. Sun out? Not a hope of reading them.

Edit: Although I may be thinking of the cash machine?

Roy

 

[embers25]

During Rainbow Day a lady at Winchester raised the issue of not being able to read the screens in sunlight with the managers on duty and the listened, said they couldn't see the problem then joked about "people always complaining" after she walked away! So don't hope for much resoluion any time near soon!

 

[Roylang]

During Rainbow Day a lady at Winchester raised the issue of not being able to read the screens in sunlight with the managers on duty and the listened, said they couldn't see the problem then joked about "people always complaining" after she walked away! So don't hope for much resoluion any time near soon!

This seems to be an all to familiar attitude which, to be honest, seems to creeping onto this forum (not aimed at you, just at what you report). It seems more and more frequent that we see the atitude that the railways are there to serve the people that work in it, rather than to act as a service for the traveller.

Yorkie posting something along these lines the other day (could not find it to link when I looked - sorry).

Beeching's cuts were a terrible day for UK railways and, today, thankfully they are recovering, albeit slowly in some areas. However, if the service available starts to forget who it serves, McNaulty may be seen in a similar light in a few years time as he closes lines that people stop using.

Roy

 

[Mark_re]

During Rainbow Day a lady at Winchester raised the issue of not being able to read the screens in sunlight with the managers on duty and the listened, said they couldn't see the problem then joked about "people always complaining" after she walked away! So don't hope for much resoluion any time near soon!

I have witnessed people complain about that very issue. The TVM to the left of the entrance on the Platform 2 side is hopeless. If it's cold the touch screen doesn't work and if it's sunny, you can't read it.

 

[bb21]

I think you need to complain to SWT as I don't find it reasonable at all to have to wait 20 minutes in order to buy a ticket. If this were the case then I would expect the guard on the train to be informed and a full range of tickets being available onboard.