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Walrus - Saveaways

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headshot119

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This disastrous scheme *1 seems to have taken a turn for the worse with everywhere that now sells them *2 telling me or my girlfriend to "keep hold of the receipt, or they can fine you".

What is the point of me bothering to carry the Walrus Card round if they're going to ask to see my receipt anyway, if only there used to be some sort of paper version which you could purchase :roll:

Reportedly Northern have issued a briefing to staff to not accept a Walrus card without a valid receipt, can anyone from Northern confirm that? I've checked the Terms and Conditions and it doesn't support needing to show a receipt.

I've emailed Mersey Travel, Merseyrail and Northern to get some clarification on this, but has anyone else had similar?

*1 - I used to be able to buy a them in bulk in advance and scratch off when I wanted to use them, now I have to buy them on the day, usually walking in the opposite direction to the bus I want to catch in order to buy it.

*2 - A lot of places now can't sell them, either there machine hasn't been updated, they don't have a stock of the cards, or the staff just aren't sure.
 
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cool110

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I've not had any experience with walrus yet as I usually start from Ormskirk so buy a paper saveaway from the ticket office.
But the problems so seem to come from having the project on hold for ages then rushing it out without giving the TOCs and retailers time to acquire the equipment and train staff (apparently only ATW currently have the equipment but are still training guards). As for having to buy them on the day of use they wanted the ability to load multiple saveaways on a card and have them activate on use but couldn't get it to work yet.
 

hidden

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(Northern guard)

We were originally advised they were only valid with the receipt as we previously had no other way of authenticating them. We have now however been given an app on our company phones which can apparently read the card, but I have not had an oppurtunity to hse this though. Personally i'd rather see a paper ticket / scratch card as it is quicker and easier for us and probably the passenger!
 

M28361M

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Reportedly Northern have issued a briefing to staff to not accept a Walrus card without a valid receipt, can anyone from Northern confirm that? I've checked the Terms and Conditions and it doesn't support needing to show a receipt.

Merseytravel's website at http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/Tickets/smartsaveaway/Pages/Using-your-Smartcard.aspx agrees that a receipt is needed.

For Train

Place your smartcard on the reader on the station rail gates. There is a symbol that looks like this: (picture of reader)

Hold your smartcard flat against the reader until the gates open. If there are no gates at the rail station, please have your smartcard and receipt ready to show a member of staff if asked.

Only used my Walrus once so far. On a Merseyrail train from southport there were RPIs checking tickets. I showed them my smart card and one of them said, "Oh, you're ok mate, I can't be bothered checking that." :D
 

headshot119

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Not the terms and conditions though, only that page on how you use it.

I'm afraid this one is probably going to end up being taken higher as I'm getting no response out of anyone.
 

Wolfie

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Not the terms and conditions though, only that page on how you use it.

I'm afraid this one is probably going to end up being taken higher as I'm getting no response out of anyone.

Exactly the same as happened down South with Oyster and led to a number of TOCs getting a kicking.... do the railways never learn anything?
 
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