Most passengers don’t know their train refund rights – find out yours

Former_MSE_Michael

"More than three-quarters of rail passengers don't know their rights when trains are delayed or cancelled..."

Read the full story:

Most passengers don’t know their train refund rights – find out yours



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Mobeer

Note that delay repay is only 50% and 100% for delays of 30+ or 60+ minutes when using a single tickets. It alternatively pays 25% and 50% of a return, or a fraction of a season ticket.

"delays of more than 60 minutes" in the article should actually be "60 minutes or more"

If delayed in both directions, then you can claim in both directions.

Southern and maybe others will allow vouchers to be traded-in for cash at their ticket offices.

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What I find most frustrating is that a delay of 10 minutes every day is considered not worth compensation, whilst a one-off 30 minute delay pays compensation. There needs to be some sort of compensation for cumulative delays.
Or better yet, fewer delays!

portlandboy

My 15 year old son has been making regular train journeys alone since last November. Without fail, he has encountered a delay or cancellation on every out or return trip, yet it is only about40 miles each way. We wait with him until the train leaves in case it's delayed and arrange with him to be on a certain train for the return trip.
My question is, as he travels on an "anytime" ticket can the return delays be claimed for or would the claim be invalid if a later/earlier train was still on time? Would the operator simply say that hr didn't have to get the delayed train. How could we prove that he was going to get the only delayed service?

Mobeer

portlandboy, Yes you can claim with any anytime ticket. If both trains are delayed then claim for both journeys.

Free_time

Never knew about this, but will claim the next time a train is late.

Is there a similar law that affects late scheduled coach services such as Megabus ?

redux

After spending two hours on a train which then reversed out to the starting station, I rebooked to the next day

I tried to persuade my mother to claim for bad delays on the way to Gatwick and much worse ones on the way back, which involved me driving 40 miles and she and a friend changing trains 3 or 4 times for what should have been a direct trip, being about 2 hours late, and a lot of time sat stationary with ambiguous or ever changing announcements.

But she said it wasn't worth bothering.

What really didn't impress me while I was waiting at what had become their destination station was a gloating station announcement by one train company about delays to services operated by another.

stoneman

We got compo from East Coast trains for a delay but it came in vouchers that you can only use by booking over the phone, and it has to be more than 6 weeks from when you want to travel.
Now I am going to use a word that I don't use often, this is a CON!

Mobeer

stoneman wrote: »

We got compo from East Coast trains for a delay but it came in vouchers that you can only use by booking over the phone, and it has to be more than 6 weeks from when you want to travel.
Now I am going to use a word that I don't use often, this is a CON!

Odd - East Coast Trains say they repay with vouchers:

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/delayrepay
"Any successful claims will be reimbursed in National Rail Travel Vouchers "

that can be used much more flexibly:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/45185.aspx
"They can be exchanged for ticket(s) to travel on National Rail services.
They can be exchanged at station booking offices or through some Telesales – if purchasing through a Telesales Department enough time must be allowed for processing, this can be up to 14 days. (Please check with the specific retailer)."

From East Coast Trains itself:
http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/miscellaneous-pages/faq/?faq=281
"How can I use the National Rail Travel Vouchers?
These vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be used with any UK Train Operating Company; excluding the London Underground and Heathrow and Gatwick Express.
You can use the vouchers towards the cost of tickets purchased at any manned station. The vouchers can also be used on-board to purchase items from the buffet car."

stoneman

Mobeer wrote: »

Odd - East Coast Trains say they repay with vouchers:

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/delayrepay
"Any successful claims will be reimbursed in National Rail Travel Vouchers "

that can be used much more flexibly:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/45185.aspx
"They can be exchanged for ticket(s) to travel on National Rail services.
They can be exchanged at station booking offices or through some Telesales – if purchasing through a Telesales Department enough time must be allowed for processing, this can be up to 14 days. (Please check with the specific retailer)."

From East Coast Trains itself:
http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/miscellaneous-pages/faq/?faq=281
"How can I use the National Rail Travel Vouchers?
These vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be used with any UK Train Operating Company; excluding the London Underground and Heathrow and Gatwick Express.
You can use the vouchers towards the cost of tickets purchased at any manned station. The vouchers can also be used on-board to purchase items from the buffet car."

I don't know what bit is odd. You have stated what I said that they issue comp in vouchers. The only discrepancy is how long in advance you have to use them. My vouchers say that if I use them from telesales and have to allow "up to" 6 weeks for them to be validated. If you use them at a station this would "usually" exclude you from buying an advance ticket as I assume most people wouldn't do a special trip to a station to do this in advance.
There was no letter with the vouchers saying I could use them for payment of goods on the train, do I get change in cash if I do this?
The only terms are those that are printed on the vouchers.
It is not up to me to go to their website to get the nuts and bolts of how the vouchers can be used.

iAMaLONDONER

MSE_Michael wrote: »

"More than three-quarters of rail passengers don't know their rights when trains are delayed or cancelled..."

Read the full story:

Most passengers don’t know their train refund rights – find out yours



Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

Unfortunately this doesn't mention anything about if you used an oyster card to pay for your train travel.

yorkie2

iAMaLONDONER wrote: »

Unfortunately this doesn't mention anything about if you used an oyster card to pay for your train travel.

Obtain journey history and enclose that. The easiest way to do this is to register your Oyster Card online.