Hello all!

I tried to activate my Auto Top-Up at Liverpool Street Station on
saturday, but for some reason it just didn't work.

The charge for the journey was deducted from my Oyster balance, but the
top-up I had requested on-line didn't get credited, and the auto top-up
didn't activate, and still shows as "Ready at Gate" on the Oyster web
site.

I spoke to Oyster customer services, and they couldn't understand it
either, and suggested I just try again.

Now for the question: I touched in at the Liverpool Street tube station.
I'm now wondering if it's expecting me to touch in at one of the mainline
station card readers up on the main concourse?

The Web site just says "...ready to be activated at Liverpool Street
station. Simply touch your Oyster card on any card reader at the station
(but not the ticket machines)."

Doesn't mention whether it means the underground station or the mainline
station.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Tim.

On 9 Sep, 18:31, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:48:40 +0100, Tim Fardell





wrote:
Hello all!

I tried to activate my Auto Top-Up at Liverpool Street Station on
saturday, but for some reason it just didn't work.

The charge for the journey was deducted from my Oyster balance, but the
top-up I had requested on-line didn't get credited, and the auto top-up
didn't activate, and still shows as "Ready at Gate" on the Oyster web
site.

I spoke to Oyster customer services, and they couldn't understand it
either, and suggested I just try again.

Now for the question: I touched in at the Liverpool Street tube station. *
I'm now wondering if it's expecting me to touch in at one of the mainline
station card readers up on the main concourse?

The Web site just says "...ready to be activated at Liverpool Street
station. *Simply touch your Oyster card on any card reader at the station
(but not the ticket machines)."

Doesn't mention whether it means the underground station or the mainline
station.

Any suggestions?

I would be surprised if the main line gates were set up for auto top up
activation as they are not TfL gates - they are National Express gates
and not linked to the Prestige central system (at least as far as I am
aware).

I was going to suggest that because Liverpool Street is so big that
perhaps the same issue as Kings Cross applies with having to nominate a
gateline. However I think I'm wrong about that because Kings Cross LUL
has two National Location Codes which is what causes that particular
issue. Liverpool St just has one NLC but several computers (or did when
I was involved a long time ago!).

The only thing is whether there has been any sort of comms fault between
the Prestige Centre and Liverpool St Station or whether there are local
network issues that might mean the auto top up activation transaction
has not reached device level within the station.

Other than that I'm stumped too.
--
Paul C- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sometimes it simply doesnt work
i have nominated a credit for overcharging at Picadilly circus an
despite the helpline assuring me that it should have bbe picked up on
the card it simply did not do so
I then insisted on a cheque which they kindly sent

HTH Phil

Paul Corfield wrote

I would be surprised if the main line gates were set up for auto top
up
activation as they are not TfL gates - they are National Express
gates
and not linked to the Prestige central system (at least as far as I
am
aware).

Um Liverpool Street NR to Stratford, Seven Sisters, Tot Hale and
Walthamstow Central are available as Oyster PAYG so surely they have to
be ?

--
Mike D

On Sep 10, 7:43*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
Um Liverpool Street NR to Stratford, Seven Sisters, *Tot Hale and
Walthamstow Central are available as Oyster PAYG so surely they have to
be ?

Care to say why they *have* to be when the equipment at all of the
destinations you quote is TfL equipment and *is* linked to the Prestige
Central system?

I know the TOCs have their own central computers (or else buy in a
service) for the management of their gating infrastructure. Why would
they voluntarily link to the Prestige system?

Eh? Unless I'm radically misunderstanding how PAYG works, if it's
valid to use PAYG between Liverpool Street NR and Tottenham Hale NR,
then the gates at both ends surely need to be linked to the Prestige
central system?

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

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 wrote:

On 9 Sep, 18:31, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:48:40 +0100, Tim Fardell

wrote:
Hello all!

I tried to activate my Auto Top-Up at Liverpool Street Station on
saturday, but for some reason it just didn't work.

The charge for the journey was deducted from my Oyster balance, but the
top-up I had requested on-line didn't get credited, and the auto top-up
didn't activate, and still shows as "Ready at Gate" on the Oyster web
site.

I spoke to Oyster customer services, and they couldn't understand it
either, and suggested I just try again.

Now for the question: I touched in at the Liverpool Street tube station. *
I'm now wondering if it's expecting me to touch in at one of the mainline
station card readers up on the main concourse?

The Web site just says "...ready to be activated at Liverpool Street
station. *Simply touch your Oyster card on any card reader at the station
(but not the ticket machines)."

Doesn't mention whether it means the underground station or the mainline
station.

Any suggestions?

I would be surprised if the main line gates were set up for auto top up
activation as they are not TfL gates - they are National Express gates
and not linked to the Prestige central system (at least as far as I am
aware).

I was going to suggest that because Liverpool Street is so big that
perhaps the same issue as Kings Cross applies with having to nominate a
gateline. However I think I'm wrong about that because Kings Cross LUL
has two National Location Codes which is what causes that particular
issue. Liverpool St just has one NLC but several computers (or did when
I was involved a long time ago!).

The only thing is whether there has been any sort of comms fault between
the Prestige Centre and Liverpool St Station or whether there are local
network issues that might mean the auto top up activation transaction
has not reached device level within the station.

Other than that I'm stumped too.
--
Paul C- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sometimes it simply doesnt work
i have nominated a credit for overcharging at Picadilly circus an
despite the helpline assuring me that it should have bbe picked up on
the card it simply did not do so
I then insisted on a cheque which they kindly sent

HTH Phil

Thanks folks. Sounds like it was probably just a transient communications
error. I'll try again.

On 11 Sep, 11:07, John B wrote:
On Sep 10, 7:43*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

Um Liverpool Street NR to Stratford, Seven Sisters, *Tot Hale and
Walthamstow Central are available as Oyster PAYG so surely they have to
be ?

Care to say why they *have* to be when the equipment at all of the
destinations you quote is TfL equipment and *is* linked to the Prestige
Central system?

I know the TOCs have their own central computers (or else buy in a
service) for the management of their gating infrastructure. Why would
they voluntarily link to the Prestige system?

Eh? Unless I'm radically misunderstanding how PAYG works, *if it's
valid to use PAYG between Liverpool Street NR and Tottenham Hale NR,
then the gates at both ends surely need to be linked to the Prestige
central system?


But the PAYG balance is held on the ticket, so the NXEA gates don't
have to have a 'live' link to Prestige. I would imagine that all the
necessary details are exchanged between the systems over night, but
that the NXEA system may currently not be able to activate auto-top up
as this will be a Prestige 'function' not a NXEA 'function'. Once auto
topup has been activated on the card, the NXEA gates can add the
balance when needed (i.e. balance falls below £5.00) and tell Prestige
to charge the relevant bank card when data is exchanged.

Had the same problem with two cards (myself & partner) which should
have topped-up when we touched in at "King's Cross (Met, Circle, H&C)"
on our day trip to London on 10 Sep. Didn't realise there was a
problem until we tried to exit King's Cross heading for our train home
and one of the cards wouldn't let us through as it was out of credit.
Logged a complaint last night via the TFL web site, but no response as
yet. We're visiting again before the automatic 7-day refund kicks in,
so may have to resort to ringing the help line to sort it out.

"obel15k" wrote
Had the same problem with two cards (myself & partner) which should
have topped-up when we touched in at "King's Cross (Met, Circle, H&C)"
on our day trip to London on 10 Sep. Didn't realise there was a
problem until we tried to exit King's Cross heading for our train home
and one of the cards wouldn't let us through as it was out of credit.

I thought 'out of credit' Oyster cards wouldn't let you *in* to the system,
rather than out.

On Sep 11, 7:14*pm, "John Salmon" wrote:

"obel15k" wrote

Had the same problem with two cards (myself & partner) which should
have topped-up when we touched in at "King's Cross (Met, Circle, H&C)"
on our day trip to London on 10 Sep. Didn't realise there was a
problem until we tried to exit King's Cross heading for our train home
and one of the cards wouldn't let us through as it was out of credit.

I thought 'out of credit' Oyster cards wouldn't let you *in* to the system,
rather than out.

Indeed - the Oyster PAYG system allows cards to get into negative
credit on exit - however it does kick up a fuss if one has been
charged the £4 'max cash fare' charge, though possibly only if you've
been subject to two such charges (commonly connected with journeys
timing out and out-of-station interchanges and the system failing to
disentangle it all - hopefully recent system changes should make such
occurrences less likely, if perhaps not putting a stop to them
altogether).

On 11 Sep, 19:14, "John Salmon" wrote:
I thought 'out of credit' Oyster cards wouldn't let you *in* to the system,
rather than out.

It seems that my partner managed to "break in" on our return journey
by tailgating a group having problems with ordinary tickets and who
were being allowed through by a member of staff. Still waiting for the
online Journey History to be updated for both our cards so I can work
out what happened.