• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Northern Ticket Machine - another rant!

Status
Not open for further replies.

table38

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
1,812
Location
Stalybridge
OK whilst I was out and about sleuthing, I thought I'd investigate the new(ish) ticket machine at Flowery Field and see if it really is local-scrote-proof.

And very nice it is too!

F01.jpg


It's about 8pm and lets say I'm off into town for a few drinkies.

F03.jpg


But there is no Cheap Evening Return. If I push the top right (off peak day return) it lets me buy one of those).

F04.jpg


But what's this? If I drill down "Popular Destinations", there it is!

F05.jpg


And curiously, if I try to buy an off peak return from that screen, it even warns me that there is a cheaper ticket!

F06.jpg


But it doesn't do this from the most obvious first screen.

So... I wonder how many people just walk up and cost themselves an extra £1.55?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Andrew Nelson

Member
Joined
28 Jun 2010
Messages
702
Is that one of the Card Only Machines, with the sign saying you must buy a ticket before boarding the train, even though this is entirely untrue, unles it becomes a legal requirement for everyone in the UK to have a credit/debit card?
 

transportphoto

Established Member
Associate Staff
Quizmaster
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Messages
4,570
Well I do like those machines, made by Parkeon, same as the TODler machines introduced to stagecoach :smile: I don't think displaying prices is really required from start, much prefer the older, select destination, then select ticket.

TP
 

table38

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
1,812
Location
Stalybridge
Is that one of the Card Only Machines, with the sign saying you must buy a ticket before boarding the train, even though this is entirely untrue, unles it becomes a legal requirement for everyone in the UK to have a credit/debit card?

I didn't see a sign, nor anything on the eastbound platform suggesting you should use the (westbound) ticket machine.

Although I can see why it's on the platform, after what happened to previous machines up by the ramp and even on the bridge!

-- Edit --

Oops, apologies, it is in the small print on the machine itself:

F07.jpg
 

ANorthernGuard

Established Member
Joined
8 Oct 2010
Messages
2,662
OK whilst I was out and about sleuthing, I thought I'd investigate the new(ish) ticket machine at Flowery Field and see if it really is local-scrote-proof.

And very nice it is too!



It's about 8pm and lets say I'm off into town for a few drinkies.



But there is no Cheap Evening Return. If I push the top right (off peak day return) it lets me buy one of those).



But what's this? If I drill down "Popular Destinations", there it is!



And curiously, if I try to buy an off peak return from that screen, it even warns me that there is a cheaper ticket!



But it doesn't do this from the most obvious first screen.

So... I wonder how many people just walk up and cost themselves an extra £1.55?

not many m8, as most from there are usually hising in the toilet or hiding behind the seats at the very front, how do I know this you may ask? I've been dealing with them for way too many years thats how <D

on a sisde note the machine is now out of use for a while at least, it has the not so good big blue bag over it labelled with machine out of use lol
 

hairyhandedfool

Established Member
Joined
14 Apr 2008
Messages
8,837
OK whilst I was out and about sleuthing, I thought I'd investigate the new(ish) ticket machine at Flowery Field and see if it really is local-scrote-proof....

When you said that I was thinking you'd be kicking the **** out of it.:lol::lol:


Note the title of the screen page...."Choose from popular tickets", perhaps that is why it does not offer the cheaper fare, because you are in effect asking for a specific fare?

I must admit it doesn't look particularly good, but it would explain the lack of warning.
 

pemma

Veteran Member
Joined
23 Jan 2009
Messages
31,474
Location
Knutsford
I don't get why it's popular tickets and not popular destinations.

It's interesting to look at the popular tickets at Northwich and Knutsford. A lot of the local village stations don't come up in the list but destinations further afield like Sheffield, Leeds and Bolton do.
 

Adam_Harrison

Member
Joined
3 Aug 2009
Messages
208
Location
Hartlepool
When the ticket machine at Hartlepool was installed it initially didn't give you the option of a Grand Central ticket and only the any route or East Coast tickets! Costing more than double on some tickets. Last week it was out of use on a Sunday so no other way of redeeming the tickets either as the ticket office is closed!
 

cuccir

Established Member
Joined
18 Nov 2009
Messages
3,659
Well this is a simple programming error isn't it? It might not be very good, but I'd suggest that we can only really criticise Northern if they didn't alter it after a complaint.

With regards to the debit/credit card issue, the small print does say "or if you cannot use this machine"...

I don't get why it's popular tickets and not popular destinations.


Yes, popular destinations strikes me as a much better way of organising the home screen, as is common on most of the network.
 

Jordy

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2005
Messages
8,465
Location
WCML South
I noticed the other day that the one at Romiley has also had an 'out of use' bag put over it - presumably there must be a problem with them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top