Problems with buying tickets/seat reservations in advance after 6:00pm (Paddington and elsewhere)

[whole diary]

[bobm]

I know you cannot buy most Advance Tickets after 6pm the night before and seat reservations for some early morning trains close at the same time but is it now the case you cannot reserve any seats for future journeys after 6pm?

I know I have done it before but was told tonight by a booking clerk at a large FGW^▸ (First Great Western) station that it wasn't possible and to come back tomorrow.

[Ollie]

Some stations vary, on the NRE^‡(resolve) website station pages, some will show seperate times for when Advance bookings are available.

Edit: having looked at a couple FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stations, it seems they don't now?

[grahame]

Aren't manned ticket offices supposed to sell you the full range of tickets?

I'm in London and was passing Paddington a few minutes ago.  Advanced Ticket counters all closed.   One guy say (just waiting for customers) in "Travel Today", refused to sell me tickets for Wednesday evening.  He advised me to phone ("up to 22:00") as he's not set up to issue tickets for future dates ...

Hey, ho .. I know it says "travel today", but I though there was a requirement if there was a manned ticket office open at a station for them to sell a full range of tickets ...

On Wednesday, I'll be rushing into Paddington, no time to queue ...

[johoare]

I work in IT.. You work in IT.. we know that it has to be possible? Surely?

[Chris from Nailsea]

I also know that the First Great Western member of staff at our local manned (part-time) station has been known to apparently decide for himself whether he will sell tickets or not ... 

[grahame]

I work in IT.. You work in IT.. we know that it has to be possible? Surely?

Yu would have thought so technically.  I was wondering if the limit is programmed into the machines at the "today" counter even when no other counter are open, or trained into the counter operatives 

Actually a serious question as I was unable to purchase full ticket range from a station where there was a manned ticket office open, which I understood to be a franchise requirement.

[bobm]

I have certainly been told in the past that I could not buy advance tickets after 18:00 even though I didn't want tickets for the next day but further ahead.

[LiskeardRich]

are the ticket office staff not commisioned, I am assuming not or surely they would jump at the chance to sell advanced tickets

[johoare]

I work in IT.. You work in IT.. we know that it has to be possible? Surely?

Yu would have thought so technically.  I was wondering if the limit is programmed into the machines at the "today" counter even when no other counter are open, or trained into the counter operatives 

Actually a serious question as I was unable to purchase full ticket range from a station where there was a manned ticket office open, which I understood to be a franchise requirement.

Well yes.. Though not good customer service if so? Are you going to question FGW^▸ (First Great Western) about this?

[JayMac]

If such staff want to be so inconsiderate to the needs of their customers then they should carry on as they are. Their employers will continue to provide more and more automated points of sale and these staff will soon find themselves out of a job.

The 'Tickets for Today' and 'Advance Travel Sales' parts of Paddington booking office use exactly the same ticket issuing system so it can only be local instruction or laziness on the part of the staff member to not sell a ticket for travel the next day. Even the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) will do that after 6pm. I'm surprised this staff member didn't suggest that - another option that could make his/her job obsolete if they want to continue being unhelpful.

I'm also wondering if there is a general morale problem at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) at the moment. The amount of staff I overhear, or even when engaging in conversation, complaining about their lot and the lack of support from management, has noticeably risen in recent times. I get the impression that FGW is in wind down mode at the moment.

If a station has manned ticket facilities (from where the operator is obliged to offer impartial retailing) the full range of tickets has to be offered. This is part of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement and is binding on all operators as a condition of the licence issued to them by the Regulator to operate passenger rail services.

I would be complaining to FGW about the staff member concerned.

[Southern Stag]

http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/SCHEDULE%2017%20-%20December%20%2712.pdf

That's from the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, Schedule 17, which is the list of ticket offices on the network. A lot of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stations either don't offer reservations at all, or only offer them between certain times. The note for Paddington has a different wording to the rest of the stations, it states Advance Purchase tickets will only be sold between 0700 and 2100. Other stations say tickets requiring reservations will only be sold between certain times. So whether that means Paddington only offers Advance Purchase tickets between 0700 and 2100 or will only sell any ticket in Advance between 0700 and 2100 is unclear. It's possible the Today Ticket Only windows aren't connected to the reservation system, so can't offer Advance Purchase tickets, but they should still presumably be able to sell walk up tickets in advance.

[paul7575]

are the ticket office staff not commisioned, I am assuming not or surely they would jump at the chance to sell advanced tickets

As far as I've been told in the past, commission cannot be paid to ticket office sales or revenue protection staff, I'm pretty sure the penalty fare rules specifically rule the latter out.

On train staff can receive commission because revenue is not their primary role.

Paul

[EBrown]

commission cannot be paid to ... revenue protection staff, I'm pretty sure the penalty fare rules specifically rule the latter out.

Close but not quite. Southern for example pay their Revenue Protection Staff 5% commission.

It is in FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) Penalty Fare 'contract' that no authorised collector will gain any commission. The documents Southern sent to the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) are different and stated 5% (which was approved). Interestingly, you cannot get a Penalty Fare from anyone not wearing uniform from FGW (it's also in their contract that all authorised collectors will wear uniform at all times when 'collecting'.

With regard to the actual post, it's utter twaddle - there is no difference, just the date field for tickets. Lazy.

[grahame]

Hmmm ... I asked the question for clarification - my understanding that if there was a manned ticket facility, it should be able to sell all tickets at all times it's manned from the Ticketing and Settlement agreement. Logically, it's OK to split that to "today" and "advanced" where both are open, but if one's shut my understanding was always that the other had to offer a full range.   It sound like that may not actually be the case - "Advance Purchase tickets will only be sold between 0700 and 2100" in the quote - or at least that any breaking of the settlement rules has sanction higher than the staff member.

But - agreed - it's the sort of situation that lessens the use of staff at all.   I sat on the concourse, ordered my tickets online, grabbed a coffee and waited a few minutes, and collected them from a machine. Thank goodness I wasn't hanging around for the two hours that is sometimes suggested.  Interestingly, fares available right up to departure ended up cheaper than tethered ... and there's yet another "huh" about the system!

Comment also made above about the loss of morale.   Perhaps that explains getting on the TransWilts at Melksham the other day and - most unusually - train manager disappearing into rear cab and not reappearing to sell tickets to those just let onto the train.   Result - need to talk way through barrier at Swindon to buy ticket (Melksham -> London walkup superoffpeak).  It could have been that there was something wrong with the ticket machine with the train manager, but it would have been nice to be told and to be advised what was expected of us in the circumstances;  I can imagine others making the connection arriving at Paddington unticketed, and being asked why they had not bought at the Swindon opportunity.

[stationstop]

Unfortunately it's the usual story- there are a certain number of colleagues who are on permanent morale downers and that will never change.. despite probably never having it so good career wise.

Despite this there are some of us who are a little more jovial and this won't necessarily change!