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'That fare is online only'

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_toommm_

_toommm_

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I'm incredibly lucky to have Sheffield as my local ticket office, and asked them for a ticket on the the 20:18 Northern from Sheffield to Leeds. Online, with my 16-25 railcard I can get it for £4.30 as per the screenshot below (I don't normally use TheTrainLine this is purely for illustrative purposes). I asked them for this fare but was told it's online only.

Is there any truth to this, or is it just a case of Sheffield being Sheffield?

Screenshot_20180124-195302.png
 
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yorksrob

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I've bought a Northern advance at Wakefield Westgate booking office last year.
 
_toommm_

_toommm_

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W230 said:
I know. Aren't they helpful..
Click to expand...

So they were in the wrong? I bought a Barnsley to Leeds single instead (I have a Travelmaster and the half fare was the next cheapest option) so theoretically I could claim from East Midlands?

EDIT: I attempted to buy an advance, in person as I didn't have money on my cars to do it Online, and the advance for the full journey was the cheapest option, but the split at Barnsley was the next cheapest hence why I resorted to that
 
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Adam0984

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_toommm_ said:
Are you sure? I've bought advances for the day of travel before (albeit from a Northern station)
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I think they are there in the system and ‘can’ be sold but shouldn’t as they are for online only
 
Starmill

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You can just buy the ticket online and collect it through ToD (although there may be a minimum time for that).
 
Paul Kelly

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Adam0984 said:
I think they are there in the system and ‘can’ be sold but shouldn’t as they are for online only
Click to expand...
I can't see any logical reason why they should be online only? A booking office can connect to the reservation system to check the availability just the same as a website or app can. As the DfT has seemingly been encouraging TOCs to offer on-the-day advances as a passenger-friendly thing it would be weird to make it passenger-unfriendly by artificially restricting the sales channels through which they can be sold, unless they see it as a back door way of encouraging the closure of booking offices by ensuring they can never sell the cheapest fares on the day...
 
causton

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In the booking office we have received no briefs or memos about advance purchase tickets on the day and I forget myself most of the time that advance tickets might be available on the day - and with Virgin Seat Sale, Saver Half fares etc, any fare that looks out of the ordinary that people find on their phone I usually tell them to buy it online! (Usually as they find out the ticket is different to what they thought it would be and it would have been cheaper to buy one from me anyway :lol:) So it may have just been that the staff member did not know/had forgotten about APoD and just assumed it was a special online offer.
 
Starmill

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From what I understand some Northern and possibly all CrossCountry tickets are "designated" online only, but VT/GR/LE/EM/TP ones ought to appear on the TIS?

Perhaps those among us who work in ticket offices could have a quick look at a convenient juncture? Example trains where there is, in my past experience, usually availability:

2122 Leeds to Doncaster

2300 London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly
2257 London Kings Cross to Peterborough
2230 London Liverpool Street to Norwich
I have never checked an EMT one but I am informed the make them available
1922 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Oxford Road
 
RJ

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Out of interest, which Northern train between Sheffield and Leeds were you hoping to get a plug socket on?
 
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Bletchleyite

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Indigo2 said:
I can't see any logical reason why they should be online only? A booking office can connect to the reservation system to check the availability just the same as a website or app can. As the DfT has seemingly been encouraging TOCs to offer on-the-day advances as a passenger-friendly thing it would be weird to make it passenger-unfriendly by artificially restricting the sales channels through which they can be sold, unless they see it as a back door way of encouraging the closure of booking offices by ensuring they can never sell the cheapest fares on the day...
Click to expand...

The irony of course being that they are not available from most TVMs. Unless it's intended as a way of segmenting the market into "those who will put in the effort to research a cheaper fare" and "those who will just rock up and pay whatever".
 
_toommm_

_toommm_

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RJ said:
It's shown in the seat preferences you selected in the screenshot.
Click to expand...

Aah I get you now, it's just auto populated for those days I buy advances on-the-day. Sheffield have always had difficulty doing it.
 
_toommm_

_toommm_

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Success this time round! The nice gent told me they've only just been allowed to issue them, but it was a smooth transaction, after making sure my railcard was real (my phone screen is incredibly knackered so an understandable concern)
 
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AnkleBoots

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_toommm_ said:
Success this time round! The nice gent told me they've only just been allowed to issue them, but it was a smooth transaction, after making sure my railcard was real (my phone screen is incredibly knackered so an understandable concern)
Click to expand...
Are they then obliged to offer it to someone merely asking for a single on the next train to Leeds?
 
_toommm_

_toommm_

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AnkleBoots said:
Are they then obliged to offer it to someone merely asking for a single on the next train to Leeds?
Click to expand...

I'd say if the seller was sure they were definitely travelling on the one service, and if the seller advised the customer of the restrictions that come with advances.

Otherwise, I don't see why not. It's the cheapest option which is part of the appeal of a station ticket office - the human touch
 
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