A friend was using the TVM at Navigation Rd (near Altrincham on the Stockport - Chester line) - he reports:
I was collecting tickets for journeys I’m making later this week. So, since no one else was around I thought I’d try the “Promise to Pay” option again; it is not good…
The first screen you get is the “Choose one of the quick selections” – I was offered Halifax or Leeds
So, on the same screen I chose “Find other selections”
A new screen comes up the selections are worse, I now had Leeds, Dewsbury, Walsden (Not Walkden, I don’t even know where this is, presumably near Leeds) or London Terminals. It obviously thinks Navigation Road is in West Yorkshire.
So, I then manually input a destination and chose to put in MAN, which slightly confusingly offered me a selection of Manchester Piccadilly, Man OX RD, Man Victoria, Deansgate or All Manchester stations. I chose the All option.
It then asked me when I was travelling, “Now” or “Later” were the only options available but others were greyed out. I chose later and you go to a digital clock which you must then input whether you are Leaving After or Arriving By – the digital clock is on a +/- system. I’d lost the will to live by now and gave up. There could have been more questions, I’d not stated if I wanted a return or how many tickets, if I had a railcard, if I was a child, etc., etc.
Whatever you do make sure you have a plastic card with you.
To be serious, is it beyond the will of Northern to have the first screen give you (say) … Piccadilly, Stockport, Knutsford, Delamere and Chester? With the second screen giving you (say) Altrincham, Hale, Northwich, Euston.
Why can’t the P2P ticket be a single selection which just shows the station you are leaving from and the time of you acquired the ticket? If you had a family of 4 it could take you 15 minutes to sort the current system out.
Why it has to be so difficult and is not user friendly.