Hi folks,

Not sure if this is a symptom of needing a new Oyster or what, but here
goes:

On Monday, I renewed my monthly Zones 1 to 4 Travelcard at Seven
Sisters, and a warning came up about an incomplete journey, which I
thought was odd.

I proceeded to Warren Street, where I double checked the card on the
machine, and duly proceeded to the Ticket Office, where I was told they
couldn't fix it because it was over 2 weeks ago (2nd March) and I needed
to call the Helpline.

So at work, I phoned the Helpine, who told me that they couldn't fix it,
and I needed to go to a Ticket Office, the unresolved journey in
question apparently being a PrePay journey started at Liverpool Street
NR (WAGN side).

So the following day, I go to Liverpool Street (Tube) Main Ticket
Office, where I'm told that they can't fix it, and I need to call the
Helpline (sound familiar?), and that I should break my journey at Seven
Sisters to touch in/out each time!

By now, I'm less than amused, and I opt to head to Mile End, on the
basis that a non-Zone 1 station might have actually read the briefings
better, or something...The guy there shows me the screen and, again,
tells me I need to call the Oyster Helpline.

Finally, I head across to Marylebone to go to work, arriving there just
as the 12:00 is being announced (some sort of signal failure outside the
station), so I duly touch in. They then decide to run the train fast to
Gerrards Cross, which isn't much use to me, so I decide to nip back out
to grab a drink and a Metro, at which point I get £1 deducted from my
PrePay balance, so I go over to the Ticket Office, which has about 20
people queuing for the single window, because some prat decided that
lunchtime was a good time to empty the Self-Service machines, so those
are all out of service.

Eventually get to the front of the queue, only to be told that they
can't fix it because it's an NR problem, and I need to call the
Helpline...

The weirdest thing about this being that my Oyster is working barriers
just fine, despite the incomplete journey!

So...Any thoughts on this, and who, if anyone, is able to fix it?

Cheers,

Barry

--
Barry Salter, barry at southie dot me dot uk
Read uk.* newsgroups? Read uk.net.news.announce!

Phone or email the helpline and request a printed statement. When you
receive it, highlight where you have been overcharged and sent the
statement in with a covering letter. If you use a station regularly (say at
least 3 times a week) mention this in the letter and your refund will be
added to the card automatically at the barrier.

Don't bother with ticket window or helpline staff. They are mostly hopeless
and the chance of finding one that understands how things work is slim.

The weirdest thing about this being that my Oyster is working barriers
just fine, despite the incomplete journey!

I have an incomplete joourney every single day when I take the mainline
from Ealing Broadway to Paddington. I have to touch in at Ealing
Broadway but cannot touch out at Paddington. It hasn't caused me any
problems - I shouldn't worry about it unless there are any pre-pay
payment implications.

wrote:
The weirdest thing about this being that my Oyster is working barriers
just fine, despite the incomplete journey!

I have an incomplete joourney every single day when I take the mainline
from Ealing Broadway to Paddington. I have to touch in at Ealing
Broadway but cannot touch out at Paddington. It hasn't caused me any
problems

How much is deducted from your card every time you do this? Is it the
correct fare for this journey?

You should be aware that pre-pay isn't valid on National Rail between
Ealing Bdy and Paddington.

PaulO

Paul Oter wrote:
The weirdest thing about this being that my Oyster is working barriers
just fine, despite the incomplete journey!

I have an incomplete joourney every single day when I take the mainline
from Ealing Broadway to Paddington. I have to touch in at Ealing
Broadway but cannot touch out at Paddington. It hasn't caused me any
problems

How much is deducted from your card every time you do this? Is it the
correct fare for this journey?

You should be aware that pre-pay isn't valid on National Rail between
Ealing Bdy and Paddington.


I would assume he has a travelcard, and that therefore no fare is
deducted.

Incidentally, I'd like to salute the genuises at FGW and/or Major
Stations who decided to install barriers at Paddington without Oyster
readers...

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

On 27 Mar 2006 01:33:11 -0800, "John B" wrote:

Paul Oter wrote:
The weirdest thing about this being that my Oyster is working barriers
just fine, despite the incomplete journey!

I have an incomplete joourney every single day when I take the mainline
from Ealing Broadway to Paddington. I have to touch in at Ealing
Broadway but cannot touch out at Paddington. It hasn't caused me any
problems

How much is deducted from your card every time you do this? Is it the
correct fare for this journey?

You should be aware that pre-pay isn't valid on National Rail between
Ealing Bdy and Paddington.


I would assume he has a travelcard, and that therefore no fare is
deducted.

Incidentally, I'd like to salute the genuises at FGW and/or Major
Stations who decided to install barriers at Paddington without Oyster
readers...

Are the gated platforms at Paddington (only 2-5 off the top of my
head) ever used by anything other than trains that run non-stop to
Reading?

--
James Farrar
. @gmail.com

Incidentally, I'd like to salute the genuises at FGW and/or Major
Stations who decided to install barriers at Paddington without Oyster
readers...

Are the gated platforms at Paddington (only 2-5 off the top of my
head) ever used by anything other than trains that run non-stop to
Reading?

I used to catch a very late train back to Ealing Broadway which
occasionally departed from one of the "main" platforms (quite often 3).
However, as Oysters aren't valid on FGWL, is there any need for
readers on these platforms anyway?

M

M J Forbes wrote:
Incidentally, I'd like to salute the genuises at FGW and/or Major
Stations who decided to install barriers at Paddington without Oyster
readers...

Are the gated platforms at Paddington (only 2-5 off the top of my
head) ever used by anything other than trains that run non-stop to
Reading?

I used to catch a very late train back to Ealing Broadway which
occasionally departed from one of the "main" platforms (quite often 3).
However, as Oysters aren't valid on FGWL, is there any need for
readers on these platforms anyway?


Yes there is: Oyster travelcards are valid on FGWL within the zonal
boundary, even though Oyster Prepay is not.

(I've also been on a direct FGWL to Reading with an Oyster travelcard
plus bz6-Reading extension before now, which is admittedly a minority
pursuit).

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org