solar penguin wrote:
I'm starting to get a theory that some people are just
magically lucky when it comes to new hi-tech gadgets. The equipment
just always works _perfectly_ for them, while the rest of us have to
struggle with all sorts of errors and failures and crashes and bugs and
breakdowns.

Of course, the magically lucky elite have an unfair advantage over the
rest of us -- and they don't even know it. That's why they see no
problems in forcing us to use the advanced technology that works for
them, even though we would be _much_ better off sticking with older,
more reliable technology that we're comfortable with.

Oysters are just one example of this. But the problem's everywhere!

Based on my experience of living in London, commuting in London using
Oyster, and being surrounded by friends and colleagues who do the same,
the people for whom Oyster works fine nearly all the time
encompasses... err... all of them, while the people who are cursed with
errors and failures and crashes and bugs and breakdowns are... two
people on Usenet.

(the only problem I've had with Oyster was forgetting to renew my
season ticket, not touching in at Finsbury Park because you don't need
to if you have a season ticket, being stopped by inspectors while
changing trains at Green Park and PF-d £20 for using PP without
touching in. Which was more my fault than Oyster's anyway...)

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

solar penguin wrote:

Tourists? What the **** have tourists got to do with anything?

This thread was about tourists being 'ripped off' by paying full fares on London
Transport.

And now you're saying the reason that we've got to put up with it is
because it might be better for tourist scum who shouldn't even be
polluting our country with their presence in the first place!

I take it you've never left the country.

Call me a stagnant old stick-in-the-mud if you like, but I really do
believe TfL and friends should be looking after the interests of people
who actually _vote_ for them!

I think you should actually try and follow a discussion before posting.

E.

In article ,
uk (tim.....) wrote:

"eastender" wrote in message
...
Boltar wrote:

but people who are here just for a day or 2 and want to tour the
city will want 1 day travelcards which Osyer doesn't support.

Wrong - pre-pay Oyster caps at a cheaper rate than travelcards.

Only if one doesn't want to use NR

For now. Anyone noticed the effect of the January fare changes? I see a
Saver Return from Cambridge to Zones 1/2 is still cheaper than one to
Putney (Zone 2).

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article .com,
() wrote:

Since I moved from the South East, I only go to London about once a
month now, and since I got my Oyster in Feburary, every trip, bar 1
I have had a problem on.

First time, the gates weren't working at Tott Ct Rd and I got an
unresolved jrny (charged 50p too much), another time I had an odd
journey: -
"Canary Wharf - Unfinished
Unstarted - Cockfosters" - ended up being overcharged by 50p
One time, I was interchanging between NR and LU at Elephant &
Castle, and didn't realise they were 2 separate stations, so didn't
touch out when leaving NR station - paid another 50p.
My last trip. Due to Overcrowding at Bond St (IIRC), they were
exiting everyone by the Fire exit - couldn't touch out, and ended up
with a 70p charge. Later on the same day, I did a journey Westminster
- Canary Wharf, Heron Quays - Cockfosters. It got put down as
Westminster - Heron Quays, and Unstarted - Cockfosters, paid another
50p.

And the ripoff about it - trying to call their phoneline would
almost certaintly end up costing more than the 50p you've lost, so most

people (Including me) don't bother.

On the last occasion, I went to the Ticketoffice to see if he could
fix it, he seemed bemused about all of my problems, and said "That's
Oyster for you" - which sums it up nicely for me.

When I had an unresolved journey (partly my fault as I entered using the
wrong ticket) I got a full refund and a free extra credit of the same £1
50, all from the phone line. My card is unregistered.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article . com,
(Earl Purple) wrote:

If the tourist lands at Gatwick? I assume you can't buy Oyster
Cards at Gatwick.

Tourists are meant to be ripped off by travelling on Gatwick Express to
Victoria where they get their Oyster cards.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Earl Purple wrote:

If the tourist lands at Gatwick? I assume you can't buy Oyster Cards at
Gatwick.

The integration of rail with tube and bus is of course important, although in other
countries I've been to the aiport train is certainly not part of the city metro. Once
you get to Victoria you can buy your Oyster.

E.

"tim....." wrote:

"eastender" wrote in message
...
Boltar wrote:

but people who are here just for a day or 2 and want to tour the city
will
want 1 day travelcards which Osyer doesn't support.

Wrong - pre-pay Oyster caps at a cheaper rate than travelcards.


Only if one doesn't want to use NR.

For most tourists touring central London this is not an issue.

E.

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:


If you want to throw your money away, it is of course your inalienable
right to do so.

I don't _want_ to. I ended up having to do it because it seemed like
the least worst option. How much _more_ money would I have found
myself losing if I'd stuck with that unreliable technology?

However, why didn't you go to a ticket office?

Because there's no Underground ticket office anywhere near me! But I
asked in both the local newsagents that do Oyster, and they both said
there was nothing that could be done.


I use my Oyster pretty infrequently (about 10 journeys in 2006) and it
works fine technically.

That's lasted for four times as many journeys as mine did. I'm
impressed. What's your secret?

I guess I'm part of that lucky elite group too! Living in London, use
my Oyster almost daily, and haven't had any problems at all. I love
that I just don't have to worry about buying tickets or queueing at all
with auto top-up on it.
I don't know of any friends that have had problems either. Are you sure
it might not just be you who's in the minority here, and are you sure
you haven't just walked through gates even though you got an error beep
or anything?

Paul Terry wrote:

In message .com,
Boltar writes

Sure , you can use it in prepay mode but you'll pay through the nose if
you make more than a few journeys whereas a travelcard is a one off
cost.

PAYG is capped at or below the rate of the equivalent one-day travel
card and is therefore generally the cheaper alternative.

Really? Well thats news to me when I used it once for 3 trips and
didn't have enough to make a 4th even though I'd had the equivalent
value of a travelcard on it. Bug in the system? And what about the
maximum fare being deducted if you don't swipe it? That doesn't happen
with a travelcard.

B2003