On Jun 6, 8:25*pm, Mizter T wrote:
On Jun 6, 7:54*pm, Martin Deutsch wrote:



On Jun 6, 6:14*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Sat, 6 Jun 2009 09:44:43 -0700 (PDT), Mr Thant
Speaking of incorrectly programmed Oyster machinery, last week I took
a train from Stratford to Tottenham Hale to use the Victoria Line, but
because I went straight to the tube gateline without first touching a
validator on the NR platforms, I was charged £4 for the train journey.
Grrr.

Surely it's you who made the error? *You were exiting from the NR "side"
of the OSI so needed to record an exit on the validator. You "entered"
at the Vic Line and a failure to record your exit from NR got you the £4
charge. *I don't see how there is an Oyster failing here no matter how
galling it is for you to have incurred a £4 charge.

I've made the same mistake - I didn't think it was obvious that I'd
have to touch out to leave the (ungated) platform, nor that I'd
encounter a gateline to enter the tube. And even when I got to the
gateline, I thought that the system would work out what I was doing.
Perhaps I'm too used to Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington.
(I managed to get the extra charge refunded at a ticket office, as I'd
otherwise reached the off-peak cap - but the unresolved journey still
shows up on my journey history at ticket machines. Will that ever go
away?)

It does eventually. Don't worry about it!

Though when was this? I didn't think LU ticket offices have been able
to do such refunds for a long time.

Thanks for providing a 'fresh' POV from the passenger's perspective
with regards to Tottenham Hale. Whilst 'the system' is working
properly, how this system works is far from clear to the passenger. I
think it could do with being changed at this location.

I'm afraid my mind was playing tricks with me on Saturday - it was
actually Walthamstow Central where I changed for the tube (then went
*to* Tottenham Hale). I don't use either station often, but IIRC the
setup is similar: leaving the NR side, there's just a stand-alone
reader, and then you encounter a gateline to get into the Victoria
Line.

I can't quite remember when this was, but I think it must have been
before mid-March, because I can't find it in any recent journey
histories.

On Jun 8, 7:10*pm, Martin Deutsch wrote:

On Jun 6, 8:25*pm, Mizter T wrote:

On Jun 6, 7:54*pm, Martin Deutsch wrote:

[snip tale of touching-in at Tottenham Hale]

I've made the same mistake - I didn't think it was obvious that I'd
have to touch out to leave the (ungated) platform, nor that I'd
encounter a gateline to enter the tube. And even when I got to the
gateline, I thought that the system would work out what I was doing.
Perhaps I'm too used to Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington.
(I managed to get the extra charge refunded at a ticket office, as I'd
otherwise reached the off-peak cap - but the unresolved journey still
shows up on my journey history at ticket machines. Will that ever go
away?)

It does eventually. Don't worry about it!

Though when was this? I didn't think LU ticket offices have been able
to do such refunds for a long time.

Thanks for providing a 'fresh' POV from the passenger's perspective
with regards to Tottenham Hale. Whilst 'the system' is working
properly, how this system works is far from clear to the passenger. I
think it could do with being changed at this location.

I'm afraid my mind was playing tricks with me on Saturday - it was
actually Walthamstow Central where I changed for the tube (then went
*to* Tottenham Hale). I don't use either station often, but IIRC the
setup is similar: leaving the NR side, there's just a stand-alone
reader, and then you encounter a gateline to get into the Victoria
Line.

OK - different location, but same issue. Again, according to the
spreadsheet of OSIs released by TfL, it is an out-of-station
interchange between the NR and LU sides, so the system expects you to
touch-out on the standalone reader on the NR platform before you then
enter the LU station through the gates (and likewise having exited the
LU gates it expects you to touch-in on the NR platform before you
travel on NR).

I can't help but think it could be helpful to be able to configure the
gates so as to tolerate this behaviour, at least when entering through
the gates into the LU station - though I can see why it might be
desirable to require pax to touch-in going the other way (from LU to
NR) on the readers on the NR platform before travelling on NR. I
realise this would result in a somewhat lopsided situation, but it
would kinda make sense from a passenger's perspective (along with
explicit signage between the LU gates and the NR platforms that Oyster
users need to touch-in again).

The alternative is to just provide explicit and very obvious signage
on the NR platforms at both Walthamstow Central *and* Tottenham Hale
explaining to pax that they must touch-out/in on the standalone
readers as well as on the gates when interchanging.

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...
I was using Oyster PAYG and I'd made several other bus and tube journeys
during the day. I travelled on the Bakerloo from Piccadilly Circus to
Wembley Central, getting to Wembley at about 1650, and went to collect my
bag from a hotel near the stadium. I then needed to get back to central
London so I caught Chiltern to Marylebone, touching back in at Wembley
Stadium at about 1710.

[snip]

Anyone have any ideas?

Did you touch out at Wembley Central? If you didn't then I can fully
understand why a touch in at Wembley Stadium would, in fact, end your
original journey from Picc Circus (as recorded on your card).

I'm pretty sure I touched out at Wembley Central - though thinking about it
now I went through the side gate which was left open, but I'm sure the
reader beeped as I touched it. I didn't check what the screen said though...
hmmm...

I forgot to mention before, the RPI was talking about my Oyster being an
'old card', and that the software has been updated since then. It's one of
the student ones with your photo on, about three years old I think - the
student entitlement is expired now but I do still have a 16-25 Railcard
linked to it. Was he talking rubbish or is that a possible cause?

Mizter T, thanks for the suggestion downthread about getting my journey
history (can't reply directly as stupid Outlook Express won't quote your
message properly), I'll have another look though I think those are the steps
I went through and it still said about needing auto-topup.

James

On Jun 8, 9:40*pm, "James Penton" wrote:

"Paul Corfield" wrote:

I was using Oyster PAYG and I'd made several other bus and tube journeys
during the day. I travelled on the Bakerloo from Piccadilly Circus to
Wembley Central, getting to Wembley at about 1650, and went to collect my
bag from a hotel near the stadium. I then needed to get back to central
London so I caught Chiltern to Marylebone, touching back in at Wembley
Stadium at about 1710.

[snip]

Anyone have any ideas?

Did you touch out at Wembley Central? *If you didn't then I can fully
understand why a touch in at Wembley Stadium would, in fact, end your
original journey from Picc Circus (as recorded on your card).

I'm pretty sure I touched out at Wembley Central - though thinking about it
now I went through the side gate which was left open, but I'm sure the
reader beeped as I touched it. I didn't check what the screen said though....
hmmm...

Hmmm indeed! If this touch-out didn't register properly, then that
would explain everything. Afraid I've never come across a situation
where an Oyster card reader beeps in acknowledgement and yet doesn't
properly interact with the card. By the by, do you know that there's
an error beep as well as the normal 'everything's OK' beep - it's a
double-beep at a higher pitch.

The LCD screen is a bit hard to read unless you look at them very
purposefully, but the other thing to look for is the light next to the
"target" going green - if there's an error it goes red - meanwhile
when it's just ready and waiting it's a continuous orange.


I forgot to mention before, the RPI was talking about my Oyster being an
'old card', and that the software has been updated since then. It's one of
the student ones with your photo on, about three years old I think - the
student entitlement is expired now but I do still have a 16-25 Railcard
linked to it. Was he talking rubbish or is that a possible cause?

Sounds highly unlikely to me. The expired student element may have
been a source of confusion in their mind I suppose - but expired
student cards do just become normal cards.


Mizter T, thanks for the suggestion downthread about getting my journey
history (can't reply directly as stupid Outlook Express won't quote your
message properly), I'll have another look though I think those are the steps
I went through and it still said about needing auto-topup.

Interesting - do give it another try. I suppose it's remotely possible
it gets treated differently as an ex-student Oyster card, though I
don't see why that would be.