Great Western Coffee Shop

I recently asked at Salisbury to buy an off peak day return from Basingstoke to Waterloo on a Network Railcard  at about 9.30 AM, and  was told by the ticket office staff member that he had a message not to sell such a ticket until 9.45.

I was able to buy  the ticket during my change at Basingstoke, but is there really any reason to impose such a restriction, since I could presumably have bought it at a TVM, or online ?

Absolutely no reason whatsoever. Apart from pig-headedness from the SWR manager who made the decision. Reinforced by the the ticket clerk. If SWR clerks want to put obstacles in the way of selling a legitimately requested ticket then I have no empathy when their role is downgraded or replaced by technology.

At a ticket office you should be able to buy whatever walk up ticket you like whenever you like.

Complain. What for the response that won't address the issue raised, then escalate. 

But be careful you're not wishing to jump out of the frying pan into the fire ... as I understand it, staffed ticket offices (with certain exceptions) are required to sell any ticket on demand, where ticket machines may be programmed only to sell a limited set, and I'm not sure who sets those limit on the set on offer.   And when buying online, I usually find that you need to find a train that the ticket is going to be valid on to purchase it, which can be a right 'game' ... no site I know of (but I hope  can be corrected) like brfares where I find the tickets without having times up and select the one I want to buy.