My Freedom Pass was due for renewal on March 31, in fact I think that date was
general, but when I went to a local post office where it was issued they had a
sign saying that new passes had not yet arrived (or it may have said they were
out of stock). I heard the young guy in front who had come to renew his Mum's
pass being told that the old ones' life (the cards, that is) was being extended
for another month. So I didn't bother waiting my turn.
I have found that bus drivers are recognising the old pass and at the tube
station the staff will open the barrier for me if necessary, so no problem
there, and only the slightest of delays, if any.
But I wonder how the people responsible for supplying the new passes (I
understand they are Oysters) managed to underestimate demand or failed to meet
what was their own deadline?

CharlesPottins wrote:
My Freedom Pass was due for renewal on March 31, in fact I think
that date was general, but when I went to a local post office where
it was issued they had a sign saying that new passes had not yet
arrived (or it may have said they were out of stock). I heard the
young guy in front who had come to renew his Mum's pass being told
that the old ones' life (the cards, that is) was being extended for
another month. So I didn't bother waiting my turn.
I have found that bus drivers are recognising the old pass and at
the tube station the staff will open the barrier for me if
necessary, so no problem there, and only the slightest of delays,
if any.
But I wonder how the people responsible for supplying the new
passes (I understand they are Oysters) managed to underestimate
demand or failed to meet what was their own deadline?

I got mine without problems in early March. Since you can renew at any
Post Office (unless you're in one of the boroughs that have other
arrangements), they may have run out of stock at your PO if they had
more renewals than expected there. You assume it was a supply problem,
but it could just be a stock control problem at your PO. I assume this
was a couple of weeks ago, so why not try again?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

In message ,
CharlesPottins writes
My Freedom Pass was due for renewal on March 31, in fact I think that date was
general, but when I went to a local post office where it was issued they had a
sign saying that new passes had not yet arrived (or it may have said they were
out of stock). I heard the young guy in front who had come to renew his Mum's
pass being told that the old ones' life (the cards, that is) was being extended
for another month. So I didn't bother waiting my turn.
I have found that bus drivers are recognising the old pass and at the tube
station the staff will open the barrier for me if necessary, so no problem
there, and only the slightest of delays, if any.
But I wonder how the people responsible for supplying the new passes (I
understand they are Oysters) managed to underestimate demand or failed to meet
what was their own deadline?

I do know that there are a great many faulty ones around which when
placed on the readers appear to be completely, um, dead....
--
Kat Me, Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

"Kat" wrote in message
...
In message ,
CharlesPottins writes
My Freedom Pass was due for renewal on March 31, in fact I think that
date was
general, but when I went to a local post office where it was issued they
had a
sign saying that new passes had not yet arrived (or it may have said they
were
out of stock). I heard the young guy in front who had come to renew his
Mum's
pass being told that the old ones' life (the cards, that is) was being
extended
for another month. So I didn't bother waiting my turn.
I have found that bus drivers are recognising the old pass and at the
tube
station the staff will open the barrier for me if necessary, so no
problem
there, and only the slightest of delays, if any.
But I wonder how the people responsible for supplying the new passes (I
understand they are Oysters) managed to underestimate demand or failed to
meet
what was their own deadline?

I do know that there are a great many faulty ones around which when
placed on the readers appear to be completely, um, dead....
--
Kat Me, Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

They don't work on national rail ticket readers at Victoria and East Croydon
due to a software upgrade being required. This should be in place by the
24th of April.

K

You know who wrote:

They don't work on national rail ticket readers at Victoria and East Croydon
due to a software upgrade being required. This should be in place by the
24th of April.

They don't work at West Croydon, London Bridge and Charing Cross
National Rail either. However, mine worked OK at Marylebone today, so
Chiltern Railways seem to be on the ball.

--
John Ray, London UK.

"CharlesPottins" wrote in message
...
......the old ones' life (the cards, that is) was being extended
for another month.

It looks as if it may be pretty general as there was a report about it in
last week's Croydon Advertiser.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 at 10:58:55, Richard J.
wrote:

I got mine without problems in early March. Since you can renew at any
Post Office (unless you're in one of the boroughs that have other
arrangements), they may have run out of stock at your PO if they had
more renewals than expected there. You assume it was a supply problem,
but it could just be a stock control problem at your PO. I assume this
was a couple of weeks ago, so why not try again?

I think it may be a general stocking supply, as the same notice was in
my PO when I went in there the other day.
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 8 March 2004

Yes, I'm told that whoever was responsible for supply underestimated demand, so
that people may have obtained them without difficulty in early March, but by
the end of the month stocks had run out.
(info. from a friend, former post office counter staff, who takes a close
interest in the business).
Wonder why, were they expecting a severe Winter to reduce our ranks?
Incidentally, the passes are not available from all post offices. First time I
got mine, last year, I tried handing in the form in Hammersmith near where I
was working, but was told it had to be at an office in the same borough as
where I live. I next called at the sub PO in my own road, and they told me they
do not do them - maybe it's because they are due for closure. So I had to go to
the next nearest office, a bus ride away.
Since the new cards ran out most staff do seem to be accepting the old ones for
the time being, though of course you have to count on someone being on hand to
let you through the tube barrier. The response is so immediate I'd say it's
further indication there's a widespread problem and they know about it. But the
other morning a bus driver did ask "Haven't you got the new one, then?", and I
had to enlighten him on the matter.
Mind you, the morning before a driver said I couldn't use my pass before 9.00.
I think he was wrong, and that rule only applies on tubes and rail, not buses
anymore, but as I was in a rush and so presumably were the other passengers, I
didn't prolong the argument and paid (it was only a quid anyway).
OK, so I've become a "Twirly"!

CharPttns wrote:
Yes, I'm told that whoever was responsible for supply
underestimated demand, so that people may have obtained them
without difficulty in early March, but by the end of the month
stocks had run out. (info. from a friend, former post office
counter staff, who takes a close interest in the business).
Wonder why, were they expecting a severe Winter to reduce our ranks?

I now see that the problem is blamed on "production difficulties at the
suppliers". See http://www.freedompass.org/information.html

snip
Mind you, the morning before a driver said I couldn't use my pass
before 9.00. I think he was wrong, and that rule only applies on
tubes and rail, not buses anymore, but as I was in a rush and so
presumably were the other passengers, I didn't prolong the argument
and paid (it was only a quid anyway).
OK, so I've become a "Twirly"!

Yes, you *were* "twirly"! Older Persons' Freedom Passes are not valid
on buses (nor on tube/DLR/Tramlink) before 09:00 on Mon-Fri. On most
National Rail services, validity starts at 09:30.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Just an update. The other day, after a couple of bus and tube staff suggested
the new ones might be out, I revisited the post office, and was given a form to
complete, together with a piece of literature telling me that persons with my
surname ought to have applied at the beginning of March. (pity they never
thought to tell us before we come in to apply).
As the form also required proof of residence etc, I took it away to complete,
and got on with my other business of the day.
Next day I returned to the same post office, handed over my old ticket and
proffered the completed form together with required documentation. No use. "We
have run out of the new tickets".
I did chance a look in the post office on the High Street but the length of the
queue and thought that by the time I reached the counter the message might be
the same, was a deterrent. I proceeded to my next port of call, the jobcentre,
where I needed to ask someone to supply some confirmation of details for a firm
(they had tried contacting the centre themselves without success). Nobody was
available to deal with it, and no, the youth on the reception counter told me,
he could not take the paper from me to give anyone, as it might get lost. He
suggested I come back that afternoon, which I refused.

(Still, that one has a happy ending as the next day the firm rang me to say
they had finally received the info. which they had asked me to collect. Glad I
only wasted one visit to the jobcentre). Just thought I'd let you into what an
exciting life I lead.
Bet the young ones among you can't wait to reach 60.
And by then, with the government promising to cut civil service jobs, there'll
be even bigger queues to join, and you won't be told to "come back in the
afternoon", but "tomorrow"(manana) or next week. Still, the mountain of bumf
keeps growing and there is ever-continuing expansion in the bull**** industry.


Who knows, it's now less than a week to the end of the month, when the tickets
that were supposed to expire last month are due to expire again, and if we
don't expire before from all this excitement we may have some more fun to look
forward to.