Two thirds of passengers are missing out on rail delay compensation

Former_MSE_Megan_F

Two thirds of rail passengers are still missing out on compensation for train delays, and more than half are unaware a claim is possible, new research has found...

Read the full story:
'Two thirds of passengers are missing out on rail delay compensation – here's how you can claim'

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agrinnall

I'd be willing to bet that a lot less than 2/3 of the readers of this board who have a valid claim don't make that claim - I'm one that did and got a cheque for £13 from Virgin Rail.

Kite2010

A shame you don't get delay repay on the time it takes for the operators to process the claims

Bogof_Babe

Kite2010 wrote: »

A shame you don't get delay repay on the time it takes for the operators to process the claims

Agreed, at least with some train operators. It's a month tomorrow since I submitted a claim to Northern Rail, and I haven't had so much as an acknowledgement, despite sending a follow-up email.

Ironically their auto-reply informs me that they are much busier than usual at present, but rest assured they will get back to me as soon as possible, and they never ignore customers. Hmm, we'll see...

davidgmmafan

These findings won't come as a shock to anyone. I am a very infrequent train traveller and when I had cause to make a claim it was an absoluted ball ache.

They made it sound easy - just send us a photo of your ticket. Then they said they couldn't make the ticket out (it looked fine when I sent the email, but somehow when they sent back what they had you couldn't make out the destination.

The wholse system seems to me to be archaic and it is possible this is deliberate. I see no reason why they can't make it like guaranteed standards in the gas and electicity industry - if the claim isn't processed in a certain amount of time they have to pay further compensation.

In my case what baffled me was the whole transaction from paying for tickets to collecting from the machine involved no human intervention. I have the reciept from the website I purchased the ticket from so I'm sure they could also verify it if needed.

They insisted without the ticket they couldn't/wouldn't pay out but I signed up for a new account to use wi fi on the train. Further proof, plus the fact I used the return ticket.

I see no reason why it shouldn't be automatic in cases like this. When I suggested this I was given short shrift and some kind of vague waffle that it can only be done that way if doe through their website and even then only on certain lines.

No wonder awareness/takeup of the scheme is low. Also for some reason they see this scheme not as a bare minimum but rather an adequate response to any customer gripes about dreaful service.

Root and branch reform of the system is needed.