"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
.li...
On Mon, 24 Nov 2008, Stephen Osborn wrote:

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...
On Sun, 23 Nov 2008, Stephen Osborn wrote:

"Andrew Heenan" wrote in message
...
"Stephen Osborn" wrote:

Also it is rather daft that an Oyster can only have auto top-up
enabled when it used for a journey and not at a Tube ticket office.

Auto means auto. I don't see the problem.

The key word is 'enabled'. I have an Oyster that used to have a
Travelcard on it but now has PAYG. I would like to have auto top-up
but to *enable* auto top-up I have to use it for a journey at a Tube
station, indeed at a specified Tube station.

But to get to a Tube station, as I live in SE London, I would have to
take an Overground train and so I would normally buy a one day
Travelcard at the train station. To use my Oyster at the Tube station
I would either need to buy a train return ticket instead or use my
Oyster PAYG when I had a valid Travelcard. Either of those would mean
I was paying extra for the privilege of switching on auto top-up.

Yes. Paying one pound extra. Once.

If that's too much, let me know - i would be quite happy to pay it for
you.

Not a problem for me but it would be for some people. However the key
point is that it is a totally unnecessary obstacle.

An unnecessary but incredibly minor obstacle.

Essentially there are no Tube stations in SE London. So I don't think an
unnecessary obstacle that applies to c. ¼ of London's population is
incredibly minor.

It does not seem unreasonable to want to go up to a Tube ticket office
and ask for auto top-up to be switched on. In a well designed system
that would be possible at *any* Tube ticket office - so I would be able
to just pick one that does not have a queue when I am passing through.

Agreed. But that doesn't stop the complaint you're making being a
complete
non-issue.

So you agree that the system should be different to what it is now and
then say that wanting the system to be different to what it is now is a
non-issue. Those seem to be contradictory thoughts.

No, not at all. It would be an improvement if you could activate auto
top-up at a ticket machine or ticket office, but such a minor one that its
value is negligible, ie a non-issue.

You seem to be missing the meaning of the words you are using.

You say that the system would be better if auto top-up could be activated at
a ticket office. Therefore it is an issue, for potentially several million
people.

Then you say that it is so small that it is not an issue.

Therein lies the contradiction.

--
regards

Stephen