Need to use the tube today, didn't have enough money on the oyster but had
a few quid in my pocket - 4.80 to be precise. As usual ticket machines not
accepting cash so go to ticket window:

"Can I top up please"

"Sorry, miniumum 5 pounds only"

"It says thats to prevent queues ,there is no queue , only me"

"Sorry, management blah blah more than my jobs worth blah blah..."

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the time I've
finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.

If there's a ****wits-R-Us job agency they must be making a mint on the
commision for getting their candidates work at LU. Utterly ****ing
unbelievable.

B2003

In article , d
wrote:


"Sorry, management blah blah more than my jobs worth blah blah..."

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the time I've
finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.


You poor man. Life must be so hard for you.

E.

On Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:28:23 +0000
eastender wrote:
In article , d
wrote:


"Sorry, management blah blah more than my jobs worth blah blah..."

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the time I've
finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.


You poor man. Life must be so hard for you.

Well, what doesn't kill you etc... I've learnt a valuable lesson today - next
time I have no money on the oyster I'll just dodge the fare. Its **** easy
to do so long as you have a newspaper to hand.

B2003

On Feb 7, 11:28*am, eastender wrote:

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the time I've
finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.

You poor man. Life must be so hard for you.

I agree with him in this instance. If the automatic ticket machine is
out of order (which includes to me not giving change or not accepting
any usually-accepted mode fo payment), then either the ticket office
should handle any transaction that would have been possible at the
machine, or travel from that station should be free of charge.

Neil

"Neil Williams" wrote:

On Feb 7, 11:28 am, eastender wrote:

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the
time I've finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.

You poor man. Life must be so hard for you.

I agree with him in this instance. If the automatic ticket machine is
out of order (which includes to me not giving change or not accepting
any usually-accepted mode fo payment), then either the ticket office
should handle any transaction that would have been possible at the
machine, or travel from that station should be free of charge.

Ditto (i.e. agree about the substantive point, rather than the
associated vitriol).

I've seen it suggested that the GBP5 minimum Oyster top-up rule wasn't
necessarily all that popular among some staff (seen as sidelining ticket
offices etc) - I think some at least initially ignored it - maybe overly
strict adherence to it is an alternative form of protest for a few?
Though I imagine that it must be a qualified rule, with exemptions for
situations such as when none of the ticket machines are accepting cash
(a situation that itself shouldn't be allowed to occur often).

Newsagents and other shops aka 'Oyster Ticket Stops' are of course happy
to take whatever assortment of coins off your hands in return for
topping up your Oyster card.

wrote in message ...

Need to use the tube today, didn't have enough money on the oyster but had
a few quid in my pocket - 4.80 to be precise. As usual ticket machines not
accepting cash so go to ticket window:

"Can I top up please"

"Sorry, miniumum 5 pounds only"

"It says thats to prevent queues ,there is no queue , only me"

"Sorry, management blah blah more than my jobs worth blah blah..."

So I pay by card which takes probably 10 times longer and by the time I've
finished there are 2 people waiting behind - ie a queue.

If there's a ****wits-R-Us job agency they must be making a mint on the
commision for getting their candidates work at LU. Utterly ****ing
unbelievable.

B2003


Right.

You needed to use the Tube today.

As expected, the ticket machines wouldn't accept cash.

You needed to use the ticket window.

You're aware of a notice saying that the ticket office clerk
couldn't accept less than £5 for Oyster top ups.

You're also presumably aware of the fact that this applies to all Oyster
Top-Ups made at ticket offices however funded.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/medi...tro/13958.aspx

And has been the case since Jan 2010.

And yet knowing all this, that the ticket machine most likely
wouldn't accept cash, and that since Jan 2010 the ticket office
couldn't issue top-ups for less than £5, for some reason known only
to yourself, you still decided leave the house with only £4.80 in
cash.

And this is somehow all LU's fault.


michael adams

....

On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:41:04 -0000
"michael adams" wrote:
As expected, the ticket machines wouldn't accept cash.

Perhaps I'm just an optimist but I had assumed they'd worked.

You're aware of a notice saying that the ticket office clerk
couldn't accept less than £5 for Oyster top ups.

Actually I wasn't until he pointed to the tiny notice because I hardly ever
top up using small amounts of cash at the ticket window.

You're also presumably aware of the fact that this applies to all Oyster
Top-Ups made at ticket offices however funded.

You presume wrong.

to yourself, you still decided leave the house with only £4.80 in
cash.

Well since I only need to make one journey and I had enough money I assumed
it would be quicker to pay by cash but Johnny Jobsworth had other ideas.
So he ended up causing what the rule he was following was designed to prevent.
I'm fairly sure the irony was lost on him however.

And this is somehow all LU's fault.

Not somehow, its precisely LU's fault - not having working machines and
instigating a stupid rule. If the rule was any top-ups under 5 quid must be
cash only then fair enough , but to ban ANY top-ups under 5 quid at the
window is just bureaucracy taken to adsurd limits.

B2003

wrote in message ...
On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:41:04 -0000
"michael adams" wrote:
As expected, the ticket machines wouldn't accept cash.

Perhaps I'm just an optimist but I had assumed they'd worked.

Eh ? You just posted this -

"As usual ticket machines not accepting cash so go to ticket window:"

In an ideal world "everything would work", "everyone would agree
with everybody else". "there would be enough of everything
to go round", and everybody would be happy" blah blah blah.

But life's not like that, is it ?

In such circumstances, unless you're stony broke and have no choice
in the matter, going anywhere with just £4.80 in cash in your
pocket is just dumb.

Whatever the circumstances.


You're aware of a notice saying that the ticket office clerk
couldn't accept less than £5 for Oyster top ups.

Actually I wasn't until he pointed to the tiny notice because I hardly ever
top up using small amounts of cash at the ticket window.

You're also presumably aware of the fact that this applies to all Oyster
Top-Ups made at ticket offices however funded.

You presume wrong.

to yourself, you still decided leave the house with only £4.80 in
cash.

Well since I only need to make one journey and I had enough money I assumed
it would be quicker to pay by cash but Johnny Jobsworth

Johnny Jobsworth - i.e somebody with a job he/she needs to hold onto,
in order to put a crust on the table. Unlike yourself and Esther Rantzen.

Esther Rantzen regularly got top ratings and so had no fear of losing her
job. What's your excuse I wonder ?

That £4.80 cash sounds mighty suspicious to me. Some sort of daily allowance
maybe ?

had other ideas.
So he ended up causing what the rule he was following was designed to prevent.
I'm fairly sure the irony was lost on him however.

And this is somehow all LU's fault.

Not somehow, its precisely LU's fault - not having working machines and
instigating a stupid rule. If the rule was any top-ups under 5 quid must be
cash only then fair enough , but to ban ANY top-ups under 5 quid at the
window is just bureaucracy taken to adsurd limits.

No it isn't. It saves Guardian reading tickets clerks from having
to agonise for minutes on end over whether to use their discretion
in particular circumstances.

In any case if your attitude on this NG is in any way typical of
your approach to LU staff, then I'd be surprised if any would ever
be tempted to show you any discretion under any circumstances.

So you'd stil be moaning, whatever the rule.


michael adams

...



B2003

On Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:18:27 -0000
"michael adams" wrote:
Perhaps I'm just an optimist but I had assumed they'd worked.

Eh ? You just posted this -

"As usual ticket machines not accepting cash so go to ticket window:"

Like I said, I was being optimistic. And which bit of me not knowing about
the 5 quid rule didn't you understand? I haven't used the tube to commute
on a regular basis for about 3 years so why would I?

In an ideal world "everything would work", "everyone would agree
with everybody else". "there would be enough of everything
to go round", and everybody would be happy" blah blah blah.

It doesn't require an ideal world for LU to fix their ****ing ticket machines.
Just competant management.

In such circumstances, unless you're stony broke and have no choice
in the matter, going anywhere with just £4.80 in cash in your
pocket is just dumb.

I'd already bought something else. So what? Have you never heard of cards?
This is 2012 , not 1970.

Johnny Jobsworth - i.e somebody with a job he/she needs to hold onto,
in order to put a crust on the table.

Cue violins...

Esther Rantzen regularly got top ratings and so had no fear of losing her
job. What's your excuse I wonder ?

Your grammer is perfect but you're making no sense whatsoever. Are you a bot?

That £4.80 cash sounds mighty suspicious to me. Some sort of daily allowance
maybe ?

No , its what known as "change". Now you get that when you go to a shop and
buy stuff like , oh sandwiches, for a tenner. Hasn't your carer explained all
this to you?

No it isn't. It saves Guardian reading tickets clerks from having
to agonise for minutes on end over whether to use their discretion
in particular circumstances.

Well admittedly if they're Guardian readers then any common sense decision will
be difficult since anyone who reads that sorry rag generally doesn't have any.
But one lives in hope.

In any case if your attitude on this NG is in any way typical of
your approach to LU staff, then I'd be surprised if any would ever
be tempted to show you any discretion under any circumstances.

Being pleasant with him didn't work. Next time I won't bother.

So you'd stil be moaning, whatever the rule.

All I'll say is - thank god for cars.

B2003

"michael adams" wrote:

wrote::
As expected, the ticket machines wouldn't accept cash.

Perhaps I'm just an optimist but I had assumed they'd worked.

Eh ? You just posted this -

"As usual ticket machines not accepting cash so go to ticket window:"

In an ideal world "everything would work", "everyone would agree
with everybody else". "there would be enough of everything
to go round", and everybody would be happy" blah blah blah.

But life's not like that, is it ?

In such circumstances, unless you're stony broke and have no choice
in the matter, going anywhere with just £4.80 in cash in your
pocket is just dumb.

I've have to chip in and disagree strongly with the above.