RedSpottedHanky loses 'Mixing Desk'

[trentside]

thetrainline does show you what the cheapest ticket is in a box but it forces you to select a service before it will sell you that ticket which probably leads many people to believe that you have to use the trains selected regardless of the ticket type. Then adds on those fees so you've no longer got the cheapest ticket!

I deal with that misunderstanding on a regular basis.

Does the new RSH interface require you to select a specific service when booking a non-Advance ticket? I haven't been able to get the interface to show up for me, so can't test this myself.

 

[headshot119]

The new interface is shocking. The mixing deck was far better, cleaner, and easier to use.

 

[Stats]

I deal with that misunderstanding on a regular basis.

Does the new RSH interface require you to select a specific service when booking a non-Advance ticket? I haven't been able to get the interface to show up for me, so can't test this myself.

For the outward journey, yes, because the fares are no longer shown separately from the services.

What worries me about this new interface is that it presents you with the cheapest ticket. It is not obvious what this ticket is, what restrictions it has, or that you have alternatives to choose from. I think most people will see Standard Single, that'll do me, buy it. They won't look to the side to see there are restrictions with that ticket.

The fares are also a problem in the mixing deck, in that your presented with several fares and unless you hover over them you don't know what the difference between them is.

I prefer mixing deck, but I can see how FaresView could be easier for those unfamiliar with buying train tickets - providing they realise there is a drop down box with more choice of tickets.

 

[Deerfold]

Looks like I'm lucky - I'm still getting the mixing desk.

 

[pemma]

Just got the new interface up again.

I did a couple of searches for which an Evening Return should appear (which it did on the old Interface) and just like a Northern TVM it now shows the Off-Peak Day Return as the cheapest fare.

 

[Zoe]

For the outward journey, yes, because the fares are no longer shown separately from the services.

So does it force you to reserve a seat even if you don't want to? If so then it could result in quite a few unused reservations on trains where people with walk-up tickets don't know which service they will be using but have been forced to reserve a seat on a service they don't end up travelling on.

 

[callum9999]

For the outward journey, yes, because the fares are no longer shown separately from the services.

What worries me about this new interface is that it presents you with the cheapest ticket. It is not obvious what this ticket is, what restrictions it has, or that you have alternatives to choose from. I think most people will see Standard Single, that'll do me, buy it. They won't look to the side to see there are restrictions with that ticket.

The fares are also a problem in the mixing deck, in that your presented with several fares and unless you hover over them you don't know what the difference between them is.

I prefer mixing deck, but I can see how FaresView could be easier for those unfamiliar with buying train tickets - providing they realise there is a drop down box with more choice of tickets.

I don't understand how that is possibly a problem? Even if you're saying there are people who don't know you can hover over it to find the restrictions, you can just click on it and it automatically highlights all the trains you can use it on underneath.

 

[pemma]

I don't understand how that is possibly a problem? Even if you're saying there are people who don't know you can hover over it to find the restrictions, you can just click on it and it automatically highlights all the trains you can use it on underneath.

One criticism of some TVMs is that at off-peak times they offer the peak tickets as well as the peak tickets so a less well educated user may purchase a peak ticket when an off-peak ticket is valid, especially when some off-peak tickets are valid before 09:30. Unfortunately, RSH did the same on the mixing deck, even though selecting the ticket would allow you to view all the services it is valid on so may have been getting criticism off certain parties. However, an alert function added in to the mixing deck so if you select a peak ticket and off-peak trains would have solved any potential issue.

However, saying that one person I recommended RSH to who certainly isn't an expert with rail tickets said the tickets (even before the admin fee) were cheaper than on the Trainline which suggested to me that she wasn't buying the best tickets off the Trainline as some of the fares were hidden.

 

[barrykas]

One criticism of some TVMs is that at off-peak times they offer the peak tickets as well as the peak tickets so a less well educated user may purchase a peak ticket when an off-peak ticket is valid.

There are several cases where, if leaving London at certain times, you need a peak ticket instead of an off-peak, such as wanting to travel from Paddington to Reading on one of the HST services in the evening peak, or from Kings Cross to Cambridge between 16:30 and 19:00, or from London to Bedford between 16:30 and 19:01.

As such, TVMs are required to offer those fares, even though the Off-Peak (or Super Off-Peak where they exist) may be most appropriate, though the ticket information tends to be fairly explicit if you're not sure what one's best.

 

[pemma]

There are several cases where, if leaving London at certain times, you need a peak ticket instead of an off-peak, such as wanting to travel from Paddington to Reading on one of the HST services in the evening peak, or from Kings Cross to Cambridge between 16:30 and 19:00, or from London to Bedford between 16:30 and 19:01.

As such, TVMs are required to offer those fares, even though the Off-Peak (or Super Off-Peak where they exist) may be most appropriate, though the ticket information tends to be fairly explicit if you're not sure what one's best.

I appreciate that on the tickets which do have an evening peak restriction. However, on tickets with no evening peak restriction there doesn't seem to be any real reason for making the Peak Day Return available after the morning peak.

If you look at Knutsford-Manchester as an example on ordinary tickets there is no evening peak restriction. However, on discounted 'Duo' tickets the return portion has the following restriction:
any train the same day except trains timed to depart Manchester Stations (Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria or Deansgate) between 1601-1759 inclusive.
So someone might incorrectly assume that the restriction also applies to Off Peak Day Return tickets, especially if they usually travel with someone else.

 

[maniacmartin]

The new RSH is often so slow it's unusable. All WebTIS-powered sites have been slow and timing out for me lately.

The new "FaresView" is totally useless as it doesn't tell you the route or ticket type (Off-peak/anytime etc), but instead tries to guess what ticket you need for the times you specify and just gives you an unknown ticket. Simple for people who know nothing about tickets, but not that handy for me. If this is the future of all WebTIS-powered sites, then I'll be moving to trainline-powered sites.

 

[IanD]

They've finally rolled it out :cry:

But fortunately the email announcing it included a link to use the old interface

http://tickets.redspottedhanky.com/rsh/en/controls/ticketsearchcontrol

You have to clear out any cookies if you've used the 'improved' one by mistake.

 

[pemma]

But fortunately the email announcing it included a link to use the old interface

Someone's probably going to be disciplined for sending out an email with an error like that.

 

[IanD]

Someone's probably going to be disciplined for sending out an email with an error like that.

I think it was deliberate

However we recognise that many of you are happy with the current way, so if you want to keep using it then you can! Just use this link*:.

 

[Jordy]

If anyone is having trouble getting the old interface up and doesn't want to clear their cookies, open the link in a new In Private Browsing session (IE, Ctrl+Shift+P) or Incognito Window (Chrome, Ctrl+Shift+N).

 

[pemma]

Through fares from National Rail to Metrolink seem to have gone from RSH. While it still lists the Metrolink stops it brings up a "No fares have been found for your selected service" message if you enter a Metrolink stop as a destination station.

The Greater Manchester rail fares that allow a Piccadilly-Victoria Metrolink connection now more clearly say "Route:Manchester CTLZ instead of Route: Metrolink (GM)" so I wonder if they accidentally removed other tickets when making that update.