Transpennine Express Refusing To Deal with My Complaint Unless I Install WhatsApp?

fallen121

Travelled from Edinburgh to Leeds on First Class Ticket. Got to York fine on LNER to find all hell breaking loose. All trains to Leeds cancelled because of a landslide. Hundreds of people milling around. Transpennine Express train I was booked on wasn't happening. Finally got to Leeds via a standard class Northern train with about 400 people on board which left an hour late and with added stations took over 50 minutes to get to Leeds stopping everywhere along the way.

Used Delay Repay to claim compensation. Claim denied in less than an hour on basis that "historical information" showed that my train had arrived in Leeds but just 7 minutes late. Absolute rubbish, the train never even left York. There were NO trains to Leeds that afternoon at all. Told to appeal, filled out the appeal but couldn't submit it because the appeal button greyed out.

Sent numerous emails of complaint over several days. Not one replied to. Reached out on Facebook, told to use Twitter. Twitter Customer Services REFUSED to assist me unless I installed WhatsApp. Having been stalked on WhatsApp am loathe to install it again and it's blocked on my work phone. Can't go to Rail Ombudsman because I don't have a letter of Deadlock. Running out of options here. Have never heard of being forced to install an App I don't want or need in order to progress a complaint. Any suggestions?

Largs

Hi.  I had a terrible experience with First Transpennine Xpress.  I went to the rail regulator and I was given a refund of tickets plus £50 of rail travel vouchers for the poor service I got.  I would not instal the messaging app if you don't want to.  I didn't have any deadlock letter and they accepted complaint.

fallen121

That's weird. I registered, tried to submit a complaint and had to answer the question "Do You Have A Letter of Deadlock?". When I answered "No" I got a message saying it was "Outside Their Remit" and the complaint form was cancelled. I've gone back in and apparently if I wait 40 Working Days then I don't need a Letter of Deadlock. Presumably they hope that after 40 Working Days you've calmed down and don't want to progress it.

daveyjp

If you provide details of the trains booked it may be possible to check the records.

prettyandfluffy

Go to their website and submit an online complaint from there, that gets logged against their KPIs and can be audited, which they don't like and as a result you're far more likely to get a helpful response. https://www.railhelp.co.uk/tpexpress/make-a-complaint

jon81uk

There are multiple other ways of contacting them here Contact Us | Help & Support | Train Enquiries| TransPennine Express (tpexpress.co.uk)

No need to use social media.

jefaz07

Awful to deal with. Rejected my complaint and made me go to the rail ombudsmen, when they got involved my complaint was accepted and got £50 extra on top of my reimbursement. 

A friend of mine who I was travelling with made the exact same complaint about the exact same journey and his was upheld! 

Vectis

Ring them up?

0345 600 1671