Lack of ticket on departure on Merseyrail

[Gareth Marston]

Let us say that Merseyrail introduce TOD, and everyone now uses that, rather than the booking office and booking clerk. This then means that the guvnor's decide to close the ticket offices and you then have a complex enquiry about routing that you want answered, how do you get the TVM to answer this?

A lot of people who come in to Newtown station Booking Office to collect their internet tickets then want some sort of Customer Service on top. do they want customer service or do they want "cheap tickets"? A lot of folk across the Uk just get more expensive tickets (Trainline & others Booking fees on the Anytimes & Off Peak) and no customer service from a TVM.

Informed Buyers or sheep?(stimulating discussion here)

 

[35B]

No different from those who research purchases in store, then buy off Amazon. People want cheap AND service.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Let us say that Merseyrail introduce TOD, and everyone now uses that, rather than the booking office and booking clerk. This then means that the guvnor's decide to close the ticket offices and you then have a complex enquiry about routing that you want answered, how do you get the TVM to answer this?

You actually think most Merseyrail ticket office staff are competent to answer a “complex enquiry about routing”?

I grew up with Merseyrail and my experience is that they mostly aren’t great at knowing about anything off Merseyrail even that isn’t complex.

They would be better in my view fitting TVMs and getting staff out on the platforms.

 

[Dai Corner]

A lot of people who come in to Newtown station Booking Office to collect their internet tickets then want some sort of Customer Service on top. do they want customer service or do they want "cheap tickets"? A lot of folk across the Uk just get more expensive tickets (Trainline & others Booking fees on the Anytimes & Off Peak) and no customer service from a TVM.

Informed Buyers or sheep?(stimulating discussion here)

You need to set up a ticket retailing website so you can collect the commission without the bother of face-to-face contact or carrying passengers

 

[185143]

You actually think most Merseyrail ticket office staff are competent to answer a “complex enquiry about routing”?

I grew up with Merseyrail and my experience is that they mostly aren’t great at knowing about anything off Merseyrail even that isn’t complex.

They would be better in my view fitting TVMs and getting staff out on the platforms.

I had to go and get a railcard leaflet and point out where it said the minimum fare doesn't apply to advances once. And that was at one of the busier stations with an MtoGo. One of the ticket offices I had down as one of the better ones on the network too!

That said, I've had some odd tickets out of Hooton's MtoGo before, a GM Wayfarer for about 4 days later springs to mind!

 

[faddy]

You actually think most Merseyrail ticket office staff are competent to answer a “complex enquiry about routing”?

I grew up with Merseyrail and my experience is that they mostly aren’t great at knowing about anything off Merseyrail even that isn’t complex.

Only a few months ago Conway Park when asked for a LM Super Off-Peak from Liverpool to London told me "We don't sell those here". Even at Liverpool South Parkway which was then serving as Liverpool's terminus during the Lime Street shutdown, a supervisor had to intervene to explain that the ticket had to have origin Liverpool Lime Street not Liverpool Stations.

I've had interesting experiences over the years trying to buy railcards from Merseyrail stations too. On the plus side when I worked in Bootle, staff there seemed to think that if you renewed a weekly Zone ticket a couple of days before expiry they had to add two days to the new expiry date. Which was nice.

And my son bought an Off Peak Annual Trio ticket a few years ago which consisted of the correct sticker but stuck to an anytime Trio card.

 

[embers25]

Do any merseyrail stations have TOD yet (ideally Moorfields or St James)?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Do any merseyrail stations have TOD yet (ideally Moorfields or St James)?

afaik, nothing has changed - but if you can get to Moorfields or James Street, the Virgin and Northern machines at Lime Street aren't too far away.

 

[embers25]

afaik, nothing has changed - but if you can get to Moorfields or James Street, the Virgin and Northern machines at Lime Street aren't too far away.

No worries, thanks

 

[Clip]

Instead of Merseyrail and The Trainline fighting over who gets what share of the pie, maybe if they got their act together and sorted out a ToD, then there would be a bigger pie for them to share?

When my old car died, I started using MerseyRail + TPE to travel for work to West Yorkshire. Lack of ToD on MerseyRail meant expensive walk-up fares and no seat reservations on TPE so I often had to stand. Solution: I bought a new car ASAP and the railway lost a customer.

I wouldve got an app or two on my phone or bought them all in advance rather than a new car but I can see the appeal of one

 

[Skie]

Merseyrail accept e-tickets (their RPO's and gateline staff are being re-educated...) so TOD isn't that necessary now if you aren't travelling into an area that still doesn't accept that type of ticket.

 

[JBuchananGB]

This is an old thread, and it seems nothing has changed, I would still have to travel a long way to find anywhere to collect a ticket on departure. It is said above that Merseyrail will accept e-tickets. I think they will also accept m-tickets. My daughter coming here from London always carries her tickets purchased from VTWC as an m-ticket on her phone, and uses Merseyrail for the last leg of the journey.

Another twist on AP tickets and Merseyrail is that when I ordered tickets on-line and had them posted to me, the Merseyrail barriers at both Southport and Liverpool Central rejected them with SEEK ASSISTANCE 106, which means unrecognised ticket type. The gate line staff waved me through.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Only a few months ago Conway Park when asked for a LM Super Off-Peak from Liverpool to London told me "We don't sell those here". Even at Liverpool South Parkway which was then serving as Liverpool's terminus during the Lime Street shutdown, a supervisor had to intervene to explain that the ticket had to have origin Liverpool Lime Street not Liverpool Stations.

Classic lazy, poorly-trained Merseyrail ticket office staff who do seem to do quite well in promoting the benefits of the idea of closing all the ticket offices (replace Mtogo with an M&S Simply Food or something; Mtogo is a rubbish ticket office with a rubbish convenience store attached - you can't even get a cup of tea!) and installing TOD-enabled TVMs.

It's very sad, as having staffed stations should be a massive benefit, providing friendly and highly-skilled service. But too many of them do nothing of the sort and really can't be bothered doing so.

 

[island]

My limited experience with Miseryrail is that few clerks care/are competent enough to sell anything other than straight singles/returns to Liverpool (or other stations on the line) and Saveaways.

 

[Ianno87]

Classic lazy, poorly-trained Merseyrail ticket office staff who do seem to do quite well in promoting the benefits of the idea of closing all the ticket offices (replace Mtogo with an M&S Simply Food or something; Mtogo is a rubbish ticket office with a rubbish convenience store attached - you can't even get a cup of tea!) and installing TOD-enabled TVMs.

I've always thought MtoGo was a neat concept...just underwhelmingly implemented.

....Get Tesco or somebody to run it? Like how the Tesco opposite my office has a Post Office in it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've always thought MtoGo was a neat concept...just underwhelmingly implemented.

....Get Tesco or somebody to run it? Like how the Tesco opposite my office has a Post Office in it.

Fair point. The concept is reasonably solid (though I think realistically it's a bit of a 1990s concept overtaken somewhat by improved TVMs, online purchase and mobile ticketing), the implementation is rubbish.