Maidenhead station ticket office - Sunday 5th January pm

[whole diary]

[johoare]

This is just an observation rather than a grumble, but when I went to renew my monthly season ticket for tomorrow this afternoon (to avoid the queues tomorrow) I was confronted by....erm... a very long queue.. This is because only one of the three ticket windows were open.

I know there are many reasons that they could only open one but if at all possible all three should have been open today really.

I had to settle for a weekly from the machine as I didn't have time to wait in the queue for my monthly ticket. I must remember to order my season ticket on-line in future. I always forget until it is too late 

[bobm]

Interestingly I was at Swindon this morning to pick up a rover, because I had left it too late to do on line, and only one window was open.

The queue was over 10 minutes long and I actually let two people in front of me as they were in danger of missing their trains.

Wonder if it is staff taking their holidays before the schools go back?

[Southern Stag]

I wonder if there was a much larger than normal number of people purchasing season tickets for tomorrow as they return to work after the Christmas break. Perhaps something FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should have planned for but it could have been a larger number of people than usual purchasing tickets.

[bobm]

There were a couple buying season tickets but most of the delays at Swindon were due to people making advanced bookings.

I guess you could take the view they could have done them on line - but then there would be no ticket office staff on a Sunday probably.

[grahame]

Reports already of queues at Chippenham long enough to force TransWilts passengers to make a dash over the bridge (oops - "scamper" is what they said) as the Westbury train came in.  I think that may be OK(ish) as the line south from Chippenham isn't a penalty fare one, and the conductor was approached.

[NickB]

I renewed at Maidenhead on New Year's Eve (avoiding the price rise) and can report that three windows were open  (11am ish).

This was good news as I had about 50 compensation vouchers to cash in.  It took about an hour in total.

In previous years (where I have created a similar delay) only one window has been open, despite many clerks scuttling behind the scenes.  They refused to open another window despite being asked nicely, so effectively it was impossible to buy a ticket at Maidenhead for over an hour.

Some notes on this:
- Instead of continually b*tching at me for an hour about how difficult it is to manually enter a refund ticket, how about you think about the ^4000 I'm paying you, in one go?
- If you think the process is onerous, speak to someone above your pay grade about it and maybe the process can be changed.  As a customer, I can't do much about it other than smile at you.
- If, by my persistence (and pendantism), I've accrued ^350 of refund vouchers over a year perhaps spare a thought for how cr*p my commuting year has been, rather than having a hissy/huffy fit at me for an hour.

Thanks

[bobm]

Along the way I pick up a number of refund vouchers which means I then have to go to the station when I want to use them.

The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) tickets website has had a section to fill in the number from electronic vouchers for a while - but it seems these are never issued.

I don't mind going to the station as it is only a 10 minute walk for me or I can buy when passing through another one and it is good to support the booking office for the days when I really need them - but I agree NickB, please don't complain when I want split tickets or a particular seat or sleeper berth.

[ChrisB]

Some notes on this:
- Instead of continually b*tching at me for an hour about how difficult it is to manually enter a refund ticket, how about you think about the ^4000 I'm paying you, in one go?
- If you think the process is onerous, speak to someone above your pay grade about it and maybe the process can be changed.  As a customer, I can't do much about it other than smile at you.
- If, by my persistence (and pendantism), I've accrued ^350 of refund vouchers over a year perhaps spare a thought for how cr*p my commuting year has been, rather than having a hissy/huffy fit at me for an hour.

Thanks

Can't disagree with anything here! "Not my fault, Guv!"

[johoare]

And funnily enough there was an even longer queue this morning,.. hence thinking Sunday afternoon would have been a good time to get a ticket (silly me).. I could almost look smug going through the gate with my pre booked ticket.. Only I had wanted a monthly but only had a weekly one.. Oh well...

[SDS]

The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) tickets website has had a section to fill in the number from electronic vouchers for a while - but it seems these are never issued.

Thats all to do with ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) and the RSP.
The 'greenies' or RTV are issued by the relevant TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and a record I believe is stored remotely somewhere in serverland. If you use an RTV at the same company that issued it, it still needs to be accounted for, money transferred for that voucher to the RSP account, divided up according to the wonderful rules of ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services). The issuer of the ticket (not the RTV) gets the 9%/5% agent commission.
If you use it at another TOC, including online (as FGW is done by ATOS I believe), then the process is even more stupidly complicated. Same as above but the issuer of the RTV has to pay the issuer of the ticket the 9% / 5%.

Confused?? Welcome to ORCATS

[BBM]

Just to report 'live' from Twyford that the ticket office is currently closed because the staff can't get into it! A locksmith has been summoned.

[Lee]

You can almost hear urgent "Breaking News" type music playing in the background, cant you? 

"And now over to bobm for the weather"...

[BBM]

i could have given you a weather report from Twyford, it was damn cold waiting for the 0723 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) after the 0654 mysteriously disappeared from the screens and the 0705 got a minute later with each passing minute... 

[NickB]

i could have given you a weather report from Twyford, it was damn cold waiting for the 0723 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) after the 0654 mysteriously disappeared from the screens and the 0705 got a minute later with each passing minute... 

I was waiting for that train at Maidenhead.  Twas an unfunny joke.
Currently under discussion on the Oxford line thread...