SamB wrote:
Southern seem to have not read these instructions on the ATOC page, as
I have numerous problems with this issue.

I travel from Brockley (South London, near New Cross) to Kings Cross
Thameslink. A return fare for KXT costs £1.60, the same as a return to
London Terminals (that's with railcard discount). Herein lies the
problem. If you go to the ticket machine, and request a KXT ticket,
you'll be confronted with two options - KXT, or KXT (not via
Underground). Both of these cost £1.60. I generally choose the first
one (as it implies you can go via Underground... is that true?).
However, when it prints this ticket, it prints out a London Terminals
ticket. If you do choose the not via Underground ticket, you do get a
KXT ticket.

Sometimes I go from New Cross, or St Johns, both on South Eastern,
rather than Southern. Their price for KXT is different (15p more than
London Terminals), and therefore it doesn't have the problem of
printing the London Terminals ticket.

I assume the problem is that Southern haven't programmed their
ticketing system properly, which is why I get a ticket for London
Terminals. Fortunately, the gates at KXT will more or less let anything
through, shown by my getting through once despite having put my return
ticket in rather than my out part!


Interesting. My initial reaction, from having heard similar tales from
other people, is that you'd be correct in saying Southern have made a
mess of programming their ticket machines. Doesn't really give one an
awful lot of confidence that they'll spew out the right ticket does
it?!

I guess you could always write to Southern about this, whether your
comments will reach anyone who's got any responsability for this is
another thing!

It's also interesting to hear the gates at KX Thameslink don't appear
to be very discriminating. I guess it's possible that either:
(a) whilst your ticket has the destination printed as London Terminals,
the magnetic strip is coded correctly, though this does seem unlikely;
(b) the gates at KX Thameslink accept 'London Terminals' tickets as
they are valid for journeys to there from points north on the
Thameslink route.

It's still somewhat bizarre that the gates accepted your return rather
than your outbound ticket, just as well it gave it back to you.

To be fair I suppose that thet KX Thameslink gates have to accept
several different ticket types so perhaps it's just good sense that
they're not too discriminating. That said, a ticket is either valid or
it isn't. But of course in your case you've been sold a ticket that was
advertised as being valid though it seemingly isn't, so it's just as
well you're let through the gates!