Gates won't accept tickets

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Most gatelines will stack the last dozen or so retained tickets, making retrieval easier. The problem comes when an incorrectly retained ticket goes straight into the hopper.

I regularly have Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) issued tickets fail to operate the barriers at Temple Meads.

On a semi-related matter. Earlier this evening I had a rather moody gateline staffer insist that I put my ticket through the gateline even after I'd shown it to her and explained that I needed to retain it for a Delay Repay claim. She was even moodier when the ticket was swallowed and she had to retrieve it.

[thetrout]

I've had lots of problems like this. Even with BoJ^▸ (Break of Journey) tickets as I'm sure you'll have read in the past.

I'm intrigued about the Gateline issue you had at BTH^» (Bath Spa - next trains) swrural. There are a few tickets that I purchase and use to Break the Journey there an 9 times out of ten, it'll let me out and back in again without drama.

It's the same at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). (Although recently, one particular ticket I purchase always rejects now; yet it's validity via BRI has not changed)

However most of the time I show the human on the Gateline my ticket and ask to go through the 'Wide Barrier' as I normally carry my tool bag and don't particularly like being eaten by the barrier

Most members of staff don't object to BoJ and some even recommend it during periods of disruption for a less expensive nice cup of coffee.

London Underground however is quite a different story I'd say more certainly often than not. On my last visit to London I had both ends of the scale, an excellent use of common sense where I had invalidated my X London ticket after exiting the station (on request) due to the ones inability to control ones bodily functions, found a karzi and realised I was much, much closer to another London Underground station than to walk back to the one I had originally exited from. I was upfront and honest with the chap who opened the gateline and could clearly see the logic I had applied, let me through and wished me a pleasant weekend.

The complete lack of common sense I had was when I hadn't actually broken my journey at all and for a change, bodily functions (Apart from maybe missing a directional sign) were not involved. This was at Kings Cross where I came off a Piccadilly Line Service, followed the signs for the Circle Line. Went out one gateline and around to another, ticket refused to let me back in. Spoke to a staff member who clearly didn't believe I had just come off the Piccadilly line and refused to let me back in. Asked to speak to a manager and was told the same. Then I asked that if I was lying could they pull the CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) from the other gateline. The guy opened rather irritated, then the gate.

Sometimes I think with these barriers it's very much a case of guilty until proven innocent. Something personally I am not a fan of by any means...

[swrural]

I've had lots of problems like this. Even with BoJ^▸ (Break of Journey) tickets as I'm sure you'll have read in the past.

I'm intrigued about the Gateline issue you had at BTH^» (Bath Spa - next trains) swrural. There are a few tickets that I purchase and use to Break the Journey there an 9 times out of ten, it'll let me out and back in again without drama.
.........snip

We exited BTH via the lift as, although we are fit, I have a dodgy left ankle and my wife has just done in her knee, the latter thankfully on the mend.  When I step off a pavement or a stairway, I have to be careful the tendon doesn't snap again, as it has done countless times (that is what it feels like anyway).   I suppose I ought to ask a sawbones if anything can be done.

So we use the lift.  At the bottom, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), there was a separate small gateline but I am sure you, Trout, will remember the layout better.  It is this gateline that would not work, so perhaps that is the reason.  From the OPs^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter)' contributions, it sounds as though it is this advantix thingummy that may be problematic.  It can't be our mobile phone influence because , as I think I explained, our mobile phones are normally off, as, when we are together, there is nobody else with whom we wish, telephonically, to converse.

We use the mobiles solely to locate each other in crowded supermarket aisles, car parks and the like, by prior arrangement.

Incidentally, we find the facilities for pax at Bath first class.

[BerkshireBugsy]

The ticket gates at Guildford usually reject my guard-issued tickets on the North Downs Line.

I haven't yet looked into where MDN is (as per original post) but certainly if I buy a weekly ticket on board the North Downs Line service it rarely gets accepted by the barriers at Riegate even though it is an end  point. I also have been led to believe (on here I think) that the old gateline at Reading would let you out on BoJ^▸ (Break of Journey) but wouldn't let you back through within a short time (not sure what a "short time" is though:)

[JayMac]

I haven't yet looked into where MDN is (as per original post)

MDN = Maiden Newton in Dorset.

A gentle reminder to all. Please include the full name of a station at least once in a post before resorting to three letter codes. In fact, it's helpful to do this for all abbreviations/acronyms/initialisms.

And yes, I'm guilty of failing to do this on occasions. Do feel free to tell me off. 

[BerkshireBugsy]

I haven't yet looked into where MDN is (as per original post)

And yes, I'm guilty of failing to do this on occasions. Do feel free to tell me off. 

I feel a challenge ahead BnM (BignoseMac)

[ChrisB]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff told me that the gates are programmed to leave a 20 minute gap before allowing you back through a gateline.

This is the same across TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) too

[BerkshireBugsy]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff told me that the gates are programmed to leave a 20 minute gap before allowing you back through a gateline.

This is the same across TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) too

That makes sense. Normally my morning routine sees me exit the gate line and try to come back through within 10 so I believe you are right.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.  At Bristol Temple Meads, if you simply wanted to nip out to WHSmiths (other newsagents are available, but not quite as close) just beyond the barrier for two minutes, to buy a newspaper and a pen refill to enable you to complete the crossword, you'd therefore have to haggle with the barrier staff to let you back in to the station? 

[bobm]

Even worse if you just wanted to post a letter...

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yes, I've done that, too - in fact, on one occasion, rather than hassle the barrier staff to let me out and then straight back in again, I've reached over and cajoled some random little old lady standing there to post an item for me ... 

[swrural]

What a nightmare it all is, I cannot imagine why we use our car normally.  All fun though.  Sorry about MDN.  I was quite proud of using the look up facility (called Google) so that I could come over all knowledgeable, but in this case I had not remembered whether I looked it up with Google or whether I looked it up in GrahamE's helpful tables.

I discovered btw, that if you put in three letter station codes to Google, you discover there are a lot a duplicate places on Indian Railways.    

It doesn't take much to earn a yellow card on here does it?   

[TonyK]

It doesn't take much to earn a yellow card on here does it?   

A quick bite on someone's arm normally suffices...

[Southern Stag]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff told me that the gates are programmed to leave a 20 minute gap before allowing you back through a gateline.

This is the same across TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) too

It is for a logical reason though, it's meant to prevent people passing there tickets back to someone else and them putting it through to allow them access. With season tickets or Travelcards if there was no time limit it would work.

[Surrey 455]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff told me that the gates are programmed to leave a 20 minute gap before allowing you back through a gateline.

This is the same across TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) too

Hmm... not so sure about this. On occasions when I have to change trains I'll often pop out for a smoke / bite to eat / coffee. My experience is that it seems to be about 5 minutes before I'm allowed back in on SWT^▸ (South West Trains) when using my all zones annual travelcard at Raynes Park, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon. At Paddington and Ealing Broadway I recall it was about 10 minutes before the gate would let me back in there. If I'm on a different ticket I'll usually approach gateline staff and say I'll be back in a few minutes.