Can you collect tickets from a different station to the one you chose?

[hi2u_uk]

i booked a ticket online to collect from birmingham new st station however i realised a few days after that i wouldn't be there to collect the ticket. when i rung up virgin they said its not a problem as i can collect it from any ticket machine in the uk

a. if this is true then why is it that i'm always asked to select a specific station ticket machine to collect my ticket from

b. does this apply to every train company in the uk or just virgin

 

[Bletchleyite]

a. if this is true then why is it that i'm always asked to select a specific station ticket machine to collect my ticket from

To ensure that you don't attempt to collect from a station that does not have the facility to issue a pre-booked ticket.

b. does this apply to every train company in the uk or just virgin

All the TOCs.

 

[hi2u_uk]

why on earth are there stations which have machines where you cant collect prebooked tickets ?
i imagine im not the only person who has been in this situation . it should be made clearer that the station you choose online to collect your ticket is not binding

 

[ainsworth74]

why on earth are there stations which have machines where you cant collect prebooked tickets ?

There may be some like that but I'm not aware of them. However there are many stations where there are machines at all. For example my local station Longbeck. So if I bought a ticket from Longbeck and opted to collect from a machine if there was no warning I might well turn up and discover I can't collect my ticket. By forcing me to choose a station this means I won't try and collect from somewhere I can't.

i imagine im not the only person who has been in this situation .

This question has been asked previously on the forum so it's not just you.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There may be some like that but I'm not aware of them.

All of Merseyrail Electrics.

 

[najaB]

why on earth are there stations which have machines where you cant collect prebooked tickets?

Don't forget, there are plenty of stations that don't have machines at all.

 

[yorkie]

why on earth are there stations which have machines where you cant collect prebooked tickets ?

Because many of the stations in the country see relatively low footfall and/or are remote and it costs a lot of money to install a ticket machine.

i imagine im not the only person who has been in this situation . it should be made clearer that the station you choose online to collect your ticket is not binding

Indeed, I think it last cropped up about 2 weeks ago.

 

[headshot119]

All of Merseyrail Electrics.

Wrexham Central for about a year had a machine but you couldn't do TOD from it.

 

[gray1404]

All of Merseyrail Electrics.

Except Liverpool South Parkway

 

[hairyhandedfool]

...it should be made clearer that the station you choose online to collect your ticket is not binding

You fail to understand the general public.

I have had people tell me that at no point were they asked to name a pick up station (and they expected that they "could pick it up at any station"). I've had people tell me that at no point were they told they needed a bank card to collect the ticket(s), or that they "expected that a driving licence was good enough". I've had them tell me that the email doesn't have a collection reference on it ("can you look up my bank card instead?"), or they just didn't bring it along (because they "didn't think [they] needed it"), and they always have "2 minutes to catch the train".

 

[hi2u_uk]

I have just found out that the ticket machine in , University Centre , Birmingham university cannot be used to collect click and collect tickets

 

[najaB]

I have just found out that the ticket machine in , University Centre , Birmingham university cannot be used to collect click and collect tickets

Pedantic, I know, but 'click and collect' is for your Tesco shopping.

 

[Starmill]

Except Liverpool South Parkway

True but even so; that isn't a Merseyrail machine that can dispense ToD.

Most of Merseyrail's don't have a card reader!
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Because many of the stations in the country see relatively low footfall and/or are remote and it costs a lot of money to install a ticket machine.

Let us not start with that!