Written requests for tickets

[LowLevel]

There's no easy way around it. I've asked for a number of different tickets from a guard by asking for one first and then having them walk off before I could get to asking for the second. I have also asked up front if I could buy more than one ticket, and was given a look like I was crazy because he must have thought for more than one person and there was only me in the whole carriage.

Say hi, I'd like more than one ticket please and ask for them together 99/100 unless you get Mr Grumpy this will be fine. No more complex to do than selling tickets to someone with and without a YP discount for example. If you ask for one ticket, I quote you a price, and you pay up, there's every chance I'd just clear off straight away especially if it was busy or a station was coming up.

 

[Starmill]

Say hi, I'd like more than one ticket please and ask for them together 99/100 unless you get Mr Grumpy this will be fine. No more complex to do than selling tickets to someone with and without a YP discount for example. If you ask for one ticket, I quote you a price, and you pay up, there's every chance I'd just clear off straight away especially if it was busy or a station was coming up.

An evidently sensible approach... what happened in the situation I was thinking of there was my tickets were already printed before I had the chance to ask for the second one or pay for them - I wouldn't pay for the tickets and then ask for another one, that's just wasting everyone's time.

 

[trentside]

I've never had a problem when a ticket has been misissued when paying by RTV. Clerks I have encountered have just keyed a fake RTV into the TIS with code '00000000' or similar, and then stapled the RTV receipt thing the TIS makes onto the misissued ticket to keep for their accounting purposes. This is probably not official policy, but means the passenger doesn't have much hassle.

This is pretty much what we used to do in the ticket office I worked in.

The only difference being after non-issuing the original ticket, we used to input the same voucher details, which would prompt the TIS to ask if this was a duplicate voucher or warrant - if you selected yes, it would process the transaction as normal and then you just submitted the voucher and non-issue with your paperwork for accounts to sort out.

There were more complex methods for when tickets purchased using RTVs were returned at a later date, but it's not something I ever dealt with personally. It involved using manual refund forms and the 'Passenger Refund' sundry credit option to deduct the appropriate amount from the new transaction if I remember correctly!

 

[Starmill]

Perhaps some people are just allergic to doing anything at all with green pieces of paper... They've been mistaken for foreign currency before when I've presented them!

 

[Merseysider]

Perhaps some people are just allergic to doing anything at all with green pieces of paper... They've been mistaken for foreign currency before when I've presented them!

Nevermind green, I've had orange RTVs issued to me, and one member of staff look at it as if it were the Satanic bible before going "do we take these here?"

 

[najaB]

Nevermind green, I've had orange RTVs issued to me, and one member of staff look at it as if it were the Satanic bible before going "do we take these here?"

The more of these tales I hear, the more I value my local ticket office - I've never once had problems booking even slightly weird tickets - sleepers, SailRail, splits, etc. and also they don't bat an eyelid when I've paid with RTV's.

 

[janb]

The more of these tales I hear, the more I value my local ticket office - I've never once had problems booking even slightly weird tickets - sleepers, SailRail, splits, etc. and also they don't bat an eyelid when I've paid with RTV's.

Yeah quite the ego boost for those of us reading this "thinking none of these situations are problems where I work" as well.

 

[Starmill]

Nevermind green, I've had orange RTVs issued to me, and one member of staff look at it as if it were the Satanic bible before going "do we take these here?"

Who issues orange ones!?

 

[bb21]

Who issues orange ones!?

They are fixed-value ones. LM used to.

Green - £1
Blue - £5
Orange - £10
Pink(?) - £20

 

[RJ]

The more of these tales I hear, the more I value my local ticket office - I've never once had problems booking even slightly weird tickets - sleepers, SailRail, splits, etc. and also they don't bat an eyelid when I've paid with RTV's.

I operate on a "treat as you wish to be treated" basis. Not that it always works, else at every ticket office I'd go to, I'd never had any problems getting whichever service is required quickly, without problems and always with please, thank you and a smile . It does happen sometimes though and I always remember the names and faces of the really good clerks. I always write in to Customer Services if I've had great service too.

Nevermind green, I've had orange RTVs issued to me, and one member of staff look at it as if it were the Satanic bible before going "do we take these here?"

I was given a yellow one recently, think it was Merseyrail issued. I always apologise for the poor service leading to the issue of the voucher, especially if issued by another TOC, which tends to amuse people.

 

[Starmill]

I operate on a "treat as you wish to be treated" basis. Not that it always works, else at every ticket office I'd go to, I'd never had any problems getting whichever service is required quickly, without problems and always with please, thank you and a smile .

We can but hope! You can serve me at your ticket office any time you like!!!

Re the RTVs - oooooooooh I see. Those ones. Northern have a totally random design that is white and blue and not watermarked like all the others, and the Southern and Gatwick Express ones are like the others but blue and have logos on in place of just a printed name. I bet Merseyrail don't have to give them out often!

 

[Merseysider]

Who issues orange ones!?

They are fixed-value ones. LM used to.
Green - £1
Blue - £5
Orange - £10
Pink(?) - £20

This is correct - I received £50 worth for going to a 'focus group' in Hull with NRE and FHT the other week.

I think the issuing office was pre-filled in as "Train information services LTD" or something along those lines.

 

[Tom B]

When a student I would often buy apex tickets and might need to buy three or four to make journeys to/from home, relatives etc over the holidays. Habitually, I would research the details online and then write the requirements down, "Fri 12th August, EDB-KGX, cheapest a/p ticket on 10.0," for example. I would usually go up to the window and say I wished to purchase several apex tickets for several different journeys, I'd looked online and written what I wanted down if this was helpful? Staff were always very grateful to have it written down... also means no chance of getting any crucial facts wrong or missing out some vital point.

 

[Universediver]

The person refusing to accept ticket requests on paper may be committing an offence if the customer is disabled.

Under Disability legislation you have to offer the same service to everyone if possible and having a hearing or learning disabled customer being refused custom because the purchase request was made on paper rather than verbal would be in violation of the act.

 

[maniacmartin]

Not in this specific instance, as I don't have a relevant disability.

 

[RJ]

We can but hope! You can serve me at your ticket office any time you like!!!

If you ever find me, feel free to say hello. I wear thick rimmed glasses and usually rock either an afro or cane rows