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Newbury Train Station, GWR, Network Rail, Shame Shame Shame |
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Jun 1 2018, 06:24 AM
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From: Newbury
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 1 2018, 07:02 AM) My annoyance was the poor quality of the app; getting home wasn’t really the issue. Oh, didn't appreciate you'd changed gripe. Quite agree the app is very poor quality; but as I was trying to say that isn't unusual, so not surprising. Its simply just a symptom of the malaise that's affecting our home IT capability; ironically as further demonstrated by the signalling issues they had in the morning!
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Know your place!
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Jun 15 2018, 06:31 AM
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From: Newbury
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 14 2018, 11:37 PM) All week the trains have been sht. Currently the 21:32 is ‘Delayed’. Thank you for the insightful and informative status.
Bringing you more seats and faster trains.... any’ll do! So, when the railways were privatised, we were told that private money would bring us far better management and so far better service. Now, some three decades on, after all that money had been invested, what's changed? We still have far too many strikes, far too many service delays, far too many breakdowns. The only 'improvement' seems to be that a few senior managers now get rewards that would 'bring a blush to the cheeks of a Barbary pirate'! What happens when the much heralded 'electrification project' is complete? I think we a ready know; delays, strikes, breakdowns but a nice big bonus for the boss. Triples all round!
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Jun 18 2018, 11:34 AM
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 18 2018, 09:03 AM) Well I just used the machine and it over charged me. No it didn't! It sold you whatever you asked for at the correct price.
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Jun 18 2018, 12:22 PM
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 18 2018, 01:01 PM) The machine charged me peak rate when I didn’t need one. You pressed he button that said something like "Anytime Return To XXXX". I.E. Peak fare. It sold you what you asked for. If you need to buy off peak during the peak period you need to ask a person.
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Jun 18 2018, 03:13 PM
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From: Newbury
Member No.: 98
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 18 2018, 01:56 PM) It there for missold me: it is not necessary to have a peak rate ticket when there are no peak rate trains to catch.
A GWR Rip-off.
And doesn’t the POS machine default to singles and returns on the home page! 😡 Actually, have to agree with you. I've been caught as have a couple of colleagues. On making a complaint, the explanation Biker has given is trotted out. I'm trying to decide if this indicates railway service managers are just thick or deliberatly deceitful. It's this continued failure to deliver basic customer service standards, that are in no way dependent on investment or mode of traction, leading a lot of us to realise that nothing will improve with electrification and the project is just another monumental waste of money. The auto ticket machines are supposed to enable unstaffed stations, clearly the same railway management attitude believing 'IT' will enable single operator trains. Littlecwonder the drivers keep striking!
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Jun 18 2018, 06:51 PM
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I'll keep trying!! The machine would quite clearly say if it was a peak "anytime" ticket. If you press that button then it will assume that that is the ticket that you require. You did not say if you bought the ticket during or after the morning peak. It may be that someone needs to buy an anytime ticket after the morning peak period as they may wish to return during the evening peak. If you need an "off peak" ticket during morning peak hours then you have to speak to a person. AC and OTE please explain why the machine "missold" your ticket and why it " failed to deliver basic customer service standards." As I said, the machine sold you what you asked for!
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Jun 18 2018, 07:33 PM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 18 2018, 07:51 PM) I'll keep trying!! The machine would quite clearly say if it was a peak "anytime" ticket. If you press that button then it will assume that that is the ticket that you require. You did not say if you bought the ticket during or after the morning peak. It may be that someone needs to buy an anytime ticket after the morning peak period as they may wish to return during the evening peak. If you need an "off peak" ticket during morning peak hours then you have to speak to a person. AC and OTE please explain why the machine "missold" your ticket and why it " failed to deliver basic customer service standards." As I said, the machine sold you what you asked for! You've given the answer Biker, if I want to buy an off peak ticket in the morning peak travel period, why do I have to see a person? Why can't I just buy one? There are a good few reasons why I'd want to. For instance, do railway management think it somehow immoral to catch an unreliable bus into Newbury and so arrive in good time, purchase an off peak ticket and then sit in the station cafe for coffee until the off peak train arrives? That's just one reason. The ticket machines are computer configured so someone makes the rules - that someone clearly either concerned that cheeky travellers will jump on a train with an off peak ticket and not be checked by an on train inspector or at the exit gate, or realises that many people will simply pay up. Automatic ticket production isn't a strong suit for GWR is it? Foolishly, I often have a travel card added to my Paddington ticket. Will it operate the Underground or the Waterloo barriers? No. Are those barriers effectively resourced, No. I complained (vigorously) last week. The TfL answer was sorry, some train operators have poor ticket printing facilities. Now, ticketing isn't affected by electrification but does and always did affect customer service.
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Jun 18 2018, 07:46 PM
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QUOTE (On the edge @ Jun 18 2018, 08:33 PM) You've given the answer Biker, if I want to buy an off peak ticket in the morning peak travel period, why do I have to see a person? Why can't I just buy one? There are a good few reasons why I'd want to. For instance, do railway management think it somehow immoral to catch an unreliable bus into Newbury and so arrive in good time, purchase an off peak ticket and then sit in the station cafe for coffee until the off peak train arrives? That's just one reason.
The ticket machines are computer configured so someone makes the rules - that someone clearly either concerned that cheeky travellers will jump on a train with an off peak ticket and not be checked by an on train inspector or at the exit gate, or realises that many people will simply pay up.
Automatic ticket production isn't a strong suit for GWR is it? Foolishly, I often have a travel card added to my Paddington ticket. Will it operate the Underground or the Waterloo barriers? No. Are those barriers effectively resourced, No. I complained (vigorously) last week. The TfL answer was sorry, some train operators have poor ticket printing facilities.
Now, ticketing isn't affected by electrification but does and always did affect customer service. Off peak tickets can be purchased from the machines well before the first off peak train. ( I think it's about 20 mins). Why would you need to buy one before that? And if you do, just see a person. Travelcards will operate all TFL barriers. (Unless you damage it)!!!
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Jun 18 2018, 08:10 PM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 18 2018, 07:51 PM) I'll keep trying!! The machine would quite clearly say if it was a peak "anytime" ticket. If you press that button then it will assume that that is the ticket that you require. You did not say if you bought the ticket during or after the morning peak. It may be that someone needs to buy an anytime ticket after the morning peak period as they may wish to return during the evening peak. If you need an "off peak" ticket during morning peak hours then you have to speak to a person. AC and OTE please explain why the machine "missold" your ticket and why it " failed to deliver basic customer service standards." As I said, the machine sold you what you asked for! I didn’t ask for it; I chose it. It is selling a ticket that is not needed, I was going to Reading and back.
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Jun 18 2018, 08:41 PM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 18 2018, 08:46 PM) Off peak tickets can be purchased from the machines well before the first off peak train. ( I think it's about 20 mins). Why would you need to buy one before that? And if you do, just see a person. Travelcards will operate all TFL barriers. (Unless you damage it)!!! If the product is on general sale, why should it be restricted? Isn't it an arrogance on behalf of GWR to assume it can dictate my purchasing arangements. I agree, I can see a person, but that seems to fly in the face of the automation GWR are trying to get me to accept. Frankly, I don't like using the machines and would far rather be served by a person. Why can't GWR properly resource ticket offices at peak times? As for damaging tickets, I keep mine in a stiff clean wallet and because I've mentioned this to a good few colleagues, it's not just me. Odd really, SWR sourced tickets work at GW barriers and I've kept an Oyster card operating since they were first issued.
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Jun 19 2018, 06:29 AM
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jun 18 2018, 09:10 PM) I chose it. My case rests!
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Jun 19 2018, 06:35 AM
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QUOTE (On the edge @ Jun 18 2018, 09:41 PM) If the product is on general sale, why should it be restricted? it is an attempt to avoid passengers boarding a train on which their ticket is not valid and hence encountering a penalty fare or worse. QUOTE (On the edge @ Jun 18 2018, 09:41 PM) As for damaging tickets, I keep mine in a stiff clean wallet and because I've mentioned this to a good few colleagues, it's not just me. Odd really, SWR sourced tickets work at GW barriers and I've kept an Oyster card operating since they were first issued. The tickets rely on a magnetic strip on the back to read data by the gatelines. If damaged (usually by having them near a mobile phone) they do not work. Far from perfect I agree, and the railway companies are moving towards "smart ticketing". Travelcards are single use and would not warrant incorporating the technology of that such as Oyster which are multiple use tokens.
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Jun 19 2018, 06:43 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 19 2018, 07:29 AM) My case rests! Ill rephrase it: I selected it, but it shouldn’t be there to select; a GWR rippoff. Selling peak rate tickets when there are no peak rate trains to catch.
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Jun 19 2018, 07:03 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jun 19 2018, 07:35 AM) it is an attempt to avoid passengers boarding a train on which their ticket is not valid and hence encountering a penalty fare or worse.
The tickets rely on a magnetic strip on the back to read data by the gatelines. If damaged (usually by having them near a mobile phone) they do not work. Far from perfect I agree, and the railway companies are moving towards "smart ticketing". Travelcards are single use and would not warrant incorporating the technology of that such as Oyster which are multiple use tokens. The restriction on the machine then must be seen as GWR not trusting its customers to be reasonable intelligent people. The same effect could easily have been achieved using a banner or such like warning people that off peak trains don't arrive 'till 9.00. But, OK, it's down to a paternalistic attitude. It's ironic then, that the barrier issue is news to me. Well aware of how the strip works, but not of the need not to keep in proximity to mobile phones etc. Will certainly give that a try and report back. So, again, a simple warning might pay massive service dividends.
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