Northern Delay Repay 10pm cancellation rule

greciannik

Hi, Northern Trains have rejected my Delay Repay claim I submitted for a train they cancelled at short-notice (i.e. before 10pm on the day before travel). I had an advance ticket for that specfic train. Now they are essentially saying that that train did not officially exist. How are they allowed to get away with selling advance tickets for a specific train, cancelling it at short notice and then refusing to offer compensation? Please can anyone offer any advice on how to get compensation from Northern Trains for such short-notice cancellations? Thanks. Nick.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

greciannik said:

Hi, Northern Trains have rejected my Delay Repay claim I submitted for a train they cancelled at short-notice (i.e. before 10pm on the day before travel). I had an advance ticket for that specfic train. Now they are essentially saying that that train did not officially exist. How are they allowed to get away with selling advance tickets for a specific train, cancelling it at short notice and then refusing to offer compensation? Please can anyone offer any advice on how to get compensation from Northern Trains for such short-notice cancellations? Thanks. Nick.

Why would you be able to claim under Delay Repay when the train wasn't delayed 🤔

Surely the correct route is get a full refund for it being a cancelled train.  Assuming you meet the criteria of course.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/train-ticket-refunds

greciannik

Because Delay Repay is the _only_ option offered by the Northern Trains website (to request a refund or compensation). I was delayed in reaching my destination station by over 1 hour due to a cancellation.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

greciannik said:

Because Delay Repay is the _only_ option offered by the Northern Trains website (to request a refund or compensation). I was delayed in reaching my destination station by over 1 hour due to a cancellation.

No it isn't

daveyjp

Full journey details please.

Time of train you should have caught and were booked on with expected arrival time
Time of train you took and arrival time.

greciannik

> Time of train you should have caught and were booked on with expected arrival time

Weds 26 Oct     Congleton 8:12   Manchester Pic 8:52

>Time of train you took and arrival time.

Weds 26 Oct     Congleton 9:12   Manchester Pic 9:54

KeithP

greciannik said:

> Time of train you should have caught and were booked on with expected arrival time

Weds 26 Oct     Congleton 8:12   Manchester Pic 8:52

>Time of train you took and arrival time.

Weds 26 Oct     Congleton 9:12   Manchester Pic 9:54

Did you use your Advance ticket to travel on the 09:12 train, or did you buy a second ticket?

greciannik

I used the Advance ticket on the 09:12 train.

Northern are refusing to pay compensation for my hour-long delay arriving at my destination station citing "Delay repay compensation is based on the advertised timetable at 10pm before the day of travel." I cannot believe that Northern are apparently able to weasel their way out paying compensation like that?

In the past I have successfully received compensation from Northern via Delay Repay for trains cancelled due to other reasons (e.g. trespassers on line; mechanical issue with train). It appears that cancellations due to them not having enough available staff are a special case?

daveyjp

It's not just Northern.

The Conditions of Travel were changed in February so the timetable can be changed up to 22.00 the day before.

It it removes or retimes a service the following day no delay repay is payable as it is deemed the original service never actually existed for the day of travel.

The only option is a refund, but as you travelled that's not an option in this case.

Kite2010

I suspect if ever such a rule got tested in court under consumer rights (as an unfair term, you pay money sometimes upto many weeks in advance for a fixed time departure, only for the other party to have the right to decide on the day before not to run that particular train [in some extreme cases not run any trains on that route, like Northern have done at times on Sundays].  All the redress the passenger has is the ability to get a refund if they decide not to travel.

I suspect if a high profile person, like Martin, did a news story about it, the DfT might force the Conditions of Travel to be changed to remove that slightly unfair term used by those companies who weasel out of paying out delay repay when they cancel trains the night before to fudge their own daily performance figures