My nice exciting state of the art plastic card Freedom Pass which I picked up
on third attempt earlier this year has somehow lost its magnetism. After a sort
of flickering half-life which meant pressing it on to the barrier reader
differently, or moving on to the next barrier, or asking the LT staff to let
you out, it has finally given up the ghost. Anybody else have trouble, or know
how common this is?
Anyway, acting on repeated urgings from station staff and bus crew, I took it
into the High Street post office this AM to get it changed, but the young lady
on the counter, after consulting seniors, said that I'd have to apply for a new
one, and gave me the application form.
I went back to the Post Office this afternoon with the completed form, the old
pass, and assorted documents to identify myself and prove my residence. On the
form I had ticked the box marked "Faulty" to explain why I wanted a new card.
After checking my documents, and ticking the appropriate bits on the form, the
clerk asked me for two passport-size photographs. I pointed out that I only
wanted my plastic oyster card replaced and there was no problem with the photo
ID card, but the person was adamant - telling me she needed a photo to put on
the application form as well as one for the card. She suggested I go up to
Woolworths up the road and get the new pix. I could not see why I should.
In the end, I asked her to give me back the old card, which she eventually did,
also giving me back the application form. I fail to see why I should go to the
trouble and expense of providing new photographs when it is not my fault that
the card was faulty. Besides, the form I provided first time had a photograph
so why should the authority need a new one and what would they do with it?
Could cause confusion in their files!
And, on re-examining the application form I find that as one might expect, it
instructs if you are renewing your freedom pass please bring your existing
card, if you are applying for your first freedom pass bring two photographs.
Makes sense.
I've e-mailed the alg, asking them for a letter confirming the pix aren't
needed and suggested they could also send a memo to the Post Office.
Anybody else have reliable information or experiences of this issue? Anybody
know how widespread the problem is of cards that don't work?

CharlesPottins wrote:
My nice exciting state of the art plastic card Freedom Pass which I
picked up on third attempt earlier this year has somehow lost its
magnetism. After a sort of flickering half-life which meant
pressing it on to the barrier reader differently, or moving on to
the next barrier, or asking the LT staff to let you out, it has
finally given up the ghost. Anybody else have trouble, or know how
common this is?
Anyway, acting on repeated urgings from station staff and bus crew,
I took it into the High Street post office this AM to get it
changed, but the young lady on the counter, after consulting
seniors, said that I'd have to apply for a new one, and gave me the
application form.
I went back to the Post Office this afternoon with the completed
form, the old pass, and assorted documents to identify myself and
prove my residence. On the form I had ticked the box marked
"Faulty" to explain why I wanted a new card. After checking my
documents, and ticking the appropriate bits on the form, the clerk
asked me for two passport-size photographs. I pointed out that I
only wanted my plastic oyster card replaced and there was no
problem with the photo ID card, but the person was adamant -
telling me she needed a photo to put on the application form as
well as one for the card. She suggested I go up to Woolworths up
the road and get the new pix.

I wonder how many pensioners trying to renew their Freedom Passes this
year have been inconvenienced by that nonsense. I should try another
Post Office if I were you, and complain in writing to the manager
(postmaster?) of the incompetent one.

I'm not aware of such problems round here (Chiswick), or of problems
with the passes themselves, apart from the occasional non-working
reader, generally on buses.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On 29 Oct 2004 18:49:12 GMT, (CharlesPottins)
wrote:
My nice exciting state of the art plastic card Freedom Pass which I picked up
on third attempt earlier this year has somehow lost its magnetism. After a sort
of flickering half-life which meant pressing it on to the barrier reader
differently, or moving on to the next barrier, or asking the LT staff to let
you out, it has finally given up the ghost. Anybody else have trouble, or know
how common this is?

My Oyster is like that... last night I went on four buses and on the
first three it was just as you describe, though the fourth worked
first time. Usually it says "Card communication error". It seems to
have been getting worse though oddly it almost always works on the
underground.

I believe I can take it to any LU station to fill in a form and have
it replaced - pity you can't do that with a Freedom Pass...

Another Richard.

the road and get the new pix.

I wonder how many pensioners trying to renew their Freedom Passes this
year have been inconvenienced by that nonsense. I should try another
Post Office if I were you, and complain in writing to the manager
(postmaster?) of the incompetent one.

I'm not aware of such problems round here (Chiswick), or of problems
with the passes themselves, apart from the occasional non-working
reader, generally on buses.

Reminds me of the Jackass in our local post office. Benefits agency
send me a form for temporary DLA for an injured child. It says on the
form take this to the post office and exchange it for your payment
book. Idiot behind counter says wrong form, refuses to hand over book
and does not have the wits to phone up. I phone benefits agency and
tell them to ring him. They do and he hands over book. This is
indicative of the halfwits that are employed by the PO
HTH Phil

Just thought I'd let evertone know that I got a prompt reply from the lga
confirming that there was no need to get new photographs when replacing a
faulty card, and that a memo would be sent to my local Post Office making this
clear.
I allowed a couple of days, then presented my application form again together
with my old card, and duly recieved a new card without any problem.
Regarding comments on PO staff, I wouldn't like to generalise, and I think the
counter staff have a wide range of services, regulations and details to know
about, so I would not knock them compared to some other people in clerical and
retail situations.
But I get the impression some experienced and more knowledgable staff are being
replaced by novices, even casuals. A friend of mine who worked for many years
at a north London PO and was very conscientious, got told off for helping a
customer with a post code ("That's not our business, it's Royal Mail, we are
Post Office Counters Ltd.) Later a new abrasive manager told him "Your trouble
is you've been here too long", and she found a way of getting rid of him.
Mind you, he had also been the union rep.
My busy local high street PO has friendly and helpful staff from what I've
seen (mind you I've only been in the area a short time), but
it is being sold off to a property company which says it will keep a PO counter
in a conveniance store, and replace existing staff with newcomers. I get the
impression some of the PO staff are already hitting the road or at any rate
being replaced by raw new recruits, unfamiliar with the system.

CharlesPottins wrote:
A friend of mine who worked for many years at a north London PO
and was very conscientious, got told off for helping a customer
with a post code ("That's not our business, it's Royal Mail, we
are Post Office Counters Ltd.)

A similar thing happened to me yesterday. Unable to find the phone
number of our local sorting office, I phoned the Post Office in the same
building. Not only did they not know the sorting office's number, they
also clearly resented my call, as it concerned Royal Mail, not the Post
Office. Don't they realise that Post Office Ltd is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Royal Mail Group plc?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

In message ,
CharlesPottins writes
But I get the impression some experienced and more knowledgable staff are being
replaced by novices, even casuals. A friend of mine who worked for many years
at a north London PO and was very conscientious, got told off for helping a
customer with a post code ("That's not our business, it's Royal Mail, we are
Post Office Counters Ltd.)
I used to work in a tourist information centre. When fairly new, I was
told off for helping a lady with train times (we had the Nation Railway
Timetable there as part of our so-called "reference kit", issued to all
TICs).

The reason - I was told - was twofold. Firstly, although *I* know how
to read the timetable, I was told, colleagues might not and therefore it
was unfair on them as people might come back for more train times and
not be able to get them.

Secondly, the times might be wrong due to later service revisions and we
could get into hot water over that.

I was surprised but it was par for the course. I eventually left which
is how I came to be doing what I do now! ;-)

Later a new abrasive manager told him "Your trouble
is you've been here too long", and she found a way of getting rid of him.
Or in my case, "not long enough".......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk