I had a very interesting couple of discussions on this subject with SWT staff at Salisbury last weekend. My wife and I went to collect daughter who was travelling down from Kent - normally she would change and carry on to Warminster, but as she had not been well she asked if we could pick her up at Salisbury. On arrival, my wife was told that we needed "valid" tickets to pass through the barriers. I went to the ticket office and enquired about platform tickets, was told "no". When I said that I thought they still existed I was told "they do, but we don't issue them". When I explained my reasons to this "gentleman", his response was basically - your problem, not mine. Good PR !!
We went back to the barrier and asked for the duty manager. She arrived and I explained that we wanted to get onto the platforms, but person A wouldn't let us through, and person B wouldn't sell us platform tickets. She then said that we were only allowed through with valid tickets. When I pointed out that if we had been at Romsey station (for example) we wouldn't have had this problem (no barriers), she said: "ah yes - but we have got that covered", when I asked her to explain what she meant by that, she said that Romsey had ticket machines and we were not allowed to board a train without a ticket !
(Penny dropped here - we were no longer Mum & Dad meeting poorly daughter - we were FARE DODGERS !)
I then explained AGAIN (!) that we didn't want to board a train - just meet our daughter !!!
When I recounted the platform ticket story, she said "we used to sell them but stopped when the barriers were put in" ( Monty Python script!!!). When I pointed out the lunacy of that statement, she changed tack !
Eventually she did let us onto the platforms, but when we came to leave we were given a damned good ignoring by person A - who eventually decided to let us out with as much ill grace as she could muster.
It was obvious that all three members of staff were just "obeying orders", but two of them were surly to the point of rudeness and the third, although perfectly pleasant, was obviously struggling in her attempts to justify not letting us through.
Perhaps SWT would like to put out a notice just explaining what their policy is.................
Not a good day - I could tell you about the SWT web site that day being a total work of fiction - but I won't !
PS: I used to regularly take other daughter to Bristol Parkway with her 3 ton suitcase - the staff there were most pleasant and always let me carry her bag down to the platform. Well done FGW !