What can I claim for lost bus tickets after app update made First Bus app unusable?

TheClimbingWalrus

Hello all,

I've joined so I can ask the collective MSE wisdom about an issue I have with First Bus. Two weeks ago, they released an app update which makes it unusable, it cannot launch on my phone at all. I've raised the issue and been told they're looking into it, with no idea when it will be resolved.

I've lost access to around £70 worth of mobile tickets. I buy them as a bundle of 20 for £85 (some I'd used before the app update) and they expire 40 days after purchase, meaning even if the app were fixed now, I would still lose most of the tickets as I wouldn't have time to use them before expiry. I have also been buying paper tickets in the meantime, which cost between £1.65 and £3.05 more than app tickets, depending on whether it is a return or a day ticket.

My current plan is to wait until either the app is fixed, or the date when my mobile tickets would have expired anyway, before making a claim so that I know exactly what I am claiming for. I then intend to ask for a refund on all unused mobile tickets (around £70) and also for all the additional £1.65s and £3.05s that I have had to spend on paper tickets. I have kept all the paper tickets as evidence.

What consumer rights do I have in requesting a refund, and would it be reasonable to also ask for some compensation for the inconvenience and/or to go towards the additional cost of paper tickets going forward, if the app isn't fixed soon?

Many thanks in advance.

sheramber

I’ve updated my app but I can’t see my ticket. What should I do?

If you can’t see your tickets yet please don’t worry. We’re moving them across in the background. This can take up to 24 hours, so please allow a little time for everything to settle into place. If you still can’t see your tickets after this time, please contact us on 03300947577 and we’ll look into it for you.

Have you contacted that number?

If so did you ask them what woukd happen about the tickets you cannot use?

TheClimbingWalrus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997301#Comment_81997301

Thanks for you response - the app doesn't launch at all, it freezes and crashes between 1-4 seconds after I try to open it, and has done for two weeks now. The First website directed me to fill in a feedback form online for this sort of issue, which I have done, but I haven't called the number. Their response is that they are looking into it, it is a problem experienced by android users, and they don't know when it will be fixed.

I did mention that I have £70ish of tickets I can't access, but I didn't make that the main point of the communication, as I mainly wanted to make them aware that the app was broken. If they can reinstate my tickets once the app is fixed, I'd obviously not expect a refund for them but I'd still be looking to claim for the additional expenses incurred in buying paper tickets.

flaneurs_lobster

May not be relevant but is the update not running on your phone because it's running an old version of Android/iOS?

TadleyBaggie

Just installed the app on the latest iOS version (25.5) and it starts normally.

TheClimbingWalrus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997328#Comment_81997328

Possibly - my phone runs Android 14 though which I've just googled and is about 2.5 years old so not particularly old? And when I go to the play store page for the First app, it says at the bottom that it is compatible with my phone and requires android 8 or higher.

TheClimbingWalrus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997339#Comment_81997339

The tech support person who responded to me did say it seemed to only be Android users affected. There are loads of reviews on the play store from other users who can't launch the app since the update so it definitely isn't just me!

p00hsticks

Playing devil's advocate, I don't see how you can legitimately claim both a refund for all the unused tickets AND the tickets you have paid to use instead. Assuming you would have used all the tickets on the app prior to them expiring if you could have accessed them, then you should be claiming a refund for the more expensive paper tickeks you have had to purchase instead.

TheClimbingWalrus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997412#Comment_81997412

Totally reasonable - I'm not looking to claim for the full price of the paper tickets though, just the difference between the more expensive paper tickets and the cheaper app tickets.

If I get a full refund on the app tickets, I'm still out of pocket by at least £1.65 for each day when I had to buy a paper ticket.

TheClimbingWalrus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997423#Comment_81997423

Apologies, I think I misunderstood you. If you were suggesting I should claim for the full cost of the paper tickets, instead of claiming for the mobile tickets plus n x £1.65 of the paper tickets, then that sounds very sensible and I wish I'd thought of that myself! Thank you

DeathByFluffy

You should be able to claim the extra costs you've incurred back if you can prove the app is the issue, not your handset (which from the comments on the Play store, seems to be the case).

What monetary losses have you suffered as a result, apart from the extra ticket cost? If the 'inconvenience' is just speaking to a driver and asking for a paper ticket, I don't think you'll get anywhere with compensation.