I have a full and busy work and family life, so the option of buying on line was meant to be a nice convenient option, which it didn't end up being.
I got a very pleasant call from a lady in the ticket office who apologised for all the problems. Funnily enough she rang just as I walked away for the ticket office window

So really the only negative was some idiot on this website inferring I've just crawled out of the woodwork.
Now I remember why I don't usually post on forums, I won't trouble you again