transmanche
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- 27 Feb 2011
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The gates installed at East Coast stations already have scanners.Although gates could be equipped with barcode readers, like Eurostar
The gates installed at East Coast stations already have scanners.Although gates could be equipped with barcode readers, like Eurostar
The gates installed at East Coast stations already have scanners.
Print at home seems to be becoming the standard across our neighbouring countries. Only the UK and Ireland seem to be determined to persevere with TOD as the dominant format, possibly influenced by the proliferation of ticket gates. Although gates could be equipped with barcode readers, like Eurostar, which accommodate print at home.
Belgian and French Railways also offer TOD but also offer print at home. Dutch Railways offer print at home for regular single (non-Advance) tickets. You just have to have some kind of ID, matching the name on the ticket. In fact, I don't know anywhere outside the UK that insists that you have to have the payment card. I don't see why Virgin, XC et al insist on the payment card being presented. It can only lead to problems with lost payment cards, or the potential for cards being replaced by banks on an ad hoc basis, which can happen well before the expiry of the original card.
Now does that not count as taking a photograph of security equipment?
I'm pretty sure DB insist on the card you have paid with. It has the last 4 digits on the print out and when the guard arrives he scans the ticket and then swipes the credit card. They do, however, give an option asking if you are going to be using the ticket or someone else when you make the initial purchase.
I'm pretty sure DB insist on the card you have paid with. It has the last 4 digits on the print out and when the guard arrives he scans the ticket and then swipes the credit card. They do, however, give an option asking if you are going to be using the ticket or someone else when you make the initial purchase.
Print@Home is best avoided. If you lose your card weeks (perhaps days) in advance, it can be sorted (with some hassle). Lose it on the day, or perhaps a day or two before and you are then down to luck as to whether or not the guard is strict or not. Who wants to be in that situation?
I got a few P@H tickets when they were new. I do not bother now, and will not. I will collect from the TVM. I do not book with XC as they charge for TVM collection.
If you choose TOD and lose your card on the day or a day or 2 before (assuming you are collecting your tickets on the day of travel) are you not then in the same boat, or is there a way of collecting the tickets without the payment card?
I always collect my tickets a few weeks beforehand (assuming I've booked that far in advance). Leaving it until the day is a bit risky imo.
That's not correct. You can specify to use the payment card, another credit card, a BahnCard, some national ID cards, and a few other miscellaneous things.
If you choose TOD and lose your card on the day or a day or 2 before (assuming you are collecting your tickets on the day of travel) are you not then in the same boat, or is there a way of collecting the tickets without the payment card?
You can survive without the payment card, but you would have to go to the ticket desk, or whatever they call it!!
I collect mine in advance, and keep them safe until the day of travel.If you choose TOD and lose your card on the day or a day or 2 before (assuming you are collecting your tickets on the day of travel) are you not then in the same boat, or is there a way of collecting the tickets without the payment card?
The whole approach seems ridiculously limiting. It means you can't use print at home to buy a ticket for another member of the family. When my son was a student I regularly bought a National Express coach ticket him to then print and use to get home from university 125 miles away. If it can be done for coaches why can't the rail industry just get on and be more flexible for customers?
The whole approach seems ridiculously limiting. It means you can't use print at home to buy a ticket for another member of the family. When my son was a student I regularly bought a National Express coach ticket him to then print and use to get home from university 125 miles away. If it can be done for coaches why can't the rail industry just get on and be more flexible for customers?
I was caught out my this yesterday. A friend came down from Edinburgh to see me and I booked him a train ticket to get home. Noticed EC are now offering print at home so thought I would give that a try and save myself a trip to the station to pick up the tickets.
Unfortunately, when I selected print at home I did not notice that the selection of a debit card, its last four digits and name were for ID and not payment purposes. Result is that my friend boarded at KX yesterday with a ticket in my name not his and was stung for a full fare from London to Edinburgh when the gripper came round, at £150 ish.
I am cross about this. It is my fault for not paying enough attention when booking, but I think that it needs to be made more obvious on the EC website that the person named must be travelling or you will be liable for the full fare. Also, if they are introducing these new systems the revenue protection people should show some discretion in these early stages when people are not familiar with the product and can make a genuine mistake.
Sorry to reopen an old thread. But I thought some of you might be interested to know of the follow-up to the incident described in my post below.
I had lengthy correspondence with East Coast's customer relations team who were unable to issue a refund, but advised me to contact passenger focus. I did this, forwarding all the correspondence and adding a brief resume of the situation, and my friend recently received a full £150 refund. Hurray!
I don't know why companies run under the premise that everyone uses their own cards to book tickets, etc. It's simply not the case in the real world.
Trouble with print at home is they are easy to forge.
Sorry to reopen an old thread. But I thought some of you might be interested to know of the follow-up to the incident described in my post below.
I had lengthy correspondence with East Coast's customer relations team who were unable to issue a refund, but advised me to contact passenger focus. I did this, forwarding all the correspondence and adding a brief resume of the situation, and my friend recently received a full £150 refund. Hurray!
Trouble with print at home is they are easy to forge.
TBH it's your own fault. It's perfectly clear that you are entering info for ID.
Obviously the rail watchdog disagrees....lucky that I applied to Passenger focus for a refund rather than Bungle73 focus!
Is the barcode easy to forge?