If you've never used any kind of machine in your life, perhaps:
however, if you've successfully managed to buy a Mars bar or a condom
from a vending machine, the Tube machines are hardly a complex
development on that.

I take it that you've never actually tried to use a modern ticket
machine then. You're lucky. Trust me, they're a _lot_ more complex
than a chocolate vending machine. At least the NR ones at my local
station are. I assume the TfL ones are just as bad.

You see, chocolate machines usually just list half-a-dozen or so
different types of chocolate bars, clearly marked, each one with its own
button. You press the button to choose the type of bar you want. Nice
and simple.

I much prefer the new machines over the old Quickfare ones, where if you
were not lucky enough to be going somewhere with a button, you *had* to
queue up at the ticket office. And to say the old Quickfare machines were
simple is a little, erm, simplistic. Once you know the instructions its
simple, but for anyone not familiar with basic railway tickets, to be
confronted with a HUGE panel of a hundred buttons and various flashing
lights looking like the original USS Enterprise was incredibly overwhelming.

Sadly, they've phased out the ticket vending machines that have
different buttons for each destination, and replaced them with those
awful new ones with touch screens. Not that it's obvious that they're
touch screens. The very first time you use one, you're looking you
waste a lot of time looking for some mouse-style thing to control it!
Once you've finally figured out what's going on, then the nightmare can
really begin.

The opening screen that says "Touch The Screen To Start" escaped your
notice..?

The ticket you want is _never_ on the quick list on the first screen.
You select the "More destinations" button icon. It's usually not on the
second screen either. You select "Station finder A-Z". A keyboard pops
up on screen, but it's the wrong size, shape and angle for touch
typists. Pecking at each letter in turn, you type out the name of your
destination.

To actually criticise the machine for not have the same dimensions as a
touch-type keyboard is ridiculous! You are just typing in a station name,
not a 400 page report!

As you type, the list of stations above it gets whittled down until
there's only one left matching what you typed. You then have to select
that one. Why!?! If it's the only one matching, it's obviously the
only one you could want. Why do they make you do extra work by
selecting it? It should just select itself automatically.

I actually think that would be more confusing if the keyboard dissapeard
halfway though my typing the name in, and selecting the station name even if
it is the only one left is useful for confirmatory purposes.

Anyway, once that's done, you're presented with a list of ticket types
and routes, that can be _very_ confusing if you don't know exactly what
you want. For example, on Sundays it still offers a ticket from Gipsy
Hill to Belvedere, route Not London, despite the fact that there doesn't
seem to be any obvious way of doing that journey with the Sunday
services! The machine makes no attempt to suggest which ticket is
likely to be best or most appropriate for your journey, the way a human
clerk should.

Yes - this is the single biggest drawback of the machines, though it should
be noted that the Quickfares wouldn't have been more helpful either. My
personal bugbear is that ticket selections have an INFO screen that should
be used to describe the various routes and restrictions that each ticket
has... but if you press it, most TOC's have just entered "See Notices". Only
a few TOC's actually fill these out fo any use.

It's _much_ quicker and less complex to ust say "Return, Belvedere,
please," than all that messing about with the touch screens.

Yes, but you have to wait behind the tens of people who want to book
reservations, find out times, renew season tickets, purchase railcards etc
etc etc before you get to do that. A machine is much quicker, though I
always find out what ticket is best via The Train Line or other website and
then go to the machine knowing what ticket I need, and how much it is going
to cost.

Now, if only they could allow the machines to accept NR Rail Vouchers!

Best Wishes,
LEWIS