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Rail Travel Voucher and Virgin Trains

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I purchased 2 Advanced First class tickets from Shrewsbury to London Euston for £47.50 a few weeks ago (12 weeks in advance). Today I have received a letter from Virgin apologising for poor Customer service and enclosing a Rail travel Voucher for £47.50 typical as I have all ready bought the tickets and don't travel to London that often. Shame I cant send them off and get the cost of my tickets credited back.
 
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Agent_c

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I purchased 2 Advanced First class tickets from Shrewsbury to London Euston for £47.50 a few weeks ago (12 weeks in advance). Today I have received a letter from Virgin apologising for poor Customer service and enclosing a Rail travel Voucher for £47.50 typical as I have all ready bought the tickets and don't travel to London that often. Shame I cant send them off and get the cost of my tickets credited back.

Complain and get another voucher?
 

Darandio

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I purchased 2 Advanced First class tickets from Shrewsbury to London Euston for £47.50 a few weeks ago (12 weeks in advance). Today I have received a letter from Virgin apologising for poor Customer service and enclosing a Rail travel Voucher for £47.50 typical as I have all ready bought the tickets and don't travel to London that often. Shame I cant send them off and get the cost of my tickets credited back.

Unless I'm being slow tonight, which is completely possible, either this post makes absolutely no sense or there is a lot missing from it?
 

Merseysider

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Are you complaining about getting £47.50 worth of free travel?

You do realise you can spend them on any journey, right?
 

yorksrob

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It does read as if the OP has received the vouchers for a problem on a journey that hasn't happened yet.

Assuming the OP hasn't managed to disrupt the space time continuum, the vouchers are valid for twelve months on the whole national network. If you're not going to London in that time, you could visit somewhere else!
 

RJ

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Unless I'm being slow tonight, which is completely possible, either this post makes absolutely no sense or there is a lot missing from it?

It looks to me as if the OP booked a journey for £47.50, then received some RTVs for £47.50 for no apparent reason. The OP appears to be complaining because they can't use the RTVs to cancel out what they paid in the first place. I'm willing to be corrected.

I've been telling people about Virgin's generous gestures in lieu of properly addressing feedback. Then I read this article today;

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-most-complained-about-train-company-in-britain--lkARkvmdyW

One does have to wonder why there have been uncharacteristic spikes in the number of complaints in recent months :lol:
 
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Merseysider

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I guess that explains why I got a free return journey for 2 anywhere on the network (COMPSTD2) for writing in about their TVM overcharging me by £2!
 
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It looks to me as if the OP booked a journey for £47.50, then received some RTVs for £47.50 for no apparent reason. The OP appears to be complaining because they can't use the RTVs to cancel out what they paid in the first place. I'm willing to be corrected.

I've been telling people about Virgin's generous gestures in lieu of properly addressing feedback. Then I read this article today;

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-most-complained-about-train-company-in-britain--lkARkvmdyW

One does have to wonder why there have been uncharacteristic spikes in the number of complaints in recent months :lol:

Thanks RJ that is exactly what happened. I am not complaining just wish they would take it off by booked journey. I wouldn't usually spend that much on one journey and as you don't get change will find it difficult to use. I may contact them to see if they will split it for me.
 

Tetchytyke

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Some TOCs will issue a cheque if the amount is high enough (IIRC Southern will for over £30), ask them if they will.
 

DeeGee

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Or ask them to break it down into smaller denominations.

Transpennine gave me three RTVs for a refund worth over 40 quid the other week.
 

Bletchleyite

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I'm confused... you were sent RTVs you didn't ask for and aren't entitled to, and you are trying to get cash or smaller vouchers out of them?

I'd just take them and run. They might be tempted to ask for them back.
 

Greenback

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I think I agree with Neil. Just accept this lovely free gift, have a day out somewhere you wouldn't otherwise go, and if you don't use them you haven't actually lost anything have you?!
 

DaleCooper

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You could do the right thing and send them back that way you can't be accused of dishonesty. What do you do if given too much change in a shop?
 

Greenback

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I've never been given too much change anywhere, only too little, so if I did get given too much the shock might kill me.

But, yes, it is a good point!
 

DJ737

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G'day

Can you buy RTV's at a station to give as a present to someone?

And for the OP there are probably a few people on the forum that would happily take them off you hands :lol:

Chers
DJ737
Melbourne, Australia
 
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Just to clarify I was not sent them by mistake. They sent them as compensation for an enquiry they were unable to answer.
 

Greenback

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To expand on my earlier post I would say that to use them would be morally equivalent to fare evasion.

I wouldn't go that far. I'd say that there's an argument that having made an error in sending them out, Virgin are just as responsible as the person who receives them.

Personally, I'd email them back and explain that the vouchers came as a bit of a surprise, and see if Virgin want them returned (at their expense) or not.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just to clarify I was not sent them by mistake. They sent them as compensation for an enquiry they were unable to answer.

In that case, as I said earlier, use them if you can and don't worry too much if you can't. But I'd definitely have a day out somewhere.
 

yorksrob

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I'm tempted to ask them "where are the thirtynine steps?" and see what I get back!
 

Bletchleyite

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Just to clarify I was not sent them by mistake. They sent them as compensation for an enquiry they were unable to answer.

Ah. In that case asking them to split them would be entirely reasonable. They might well have decided the sum based on your most recent order or something - it is a relatively arbitrary process to help them clear their backlog.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I'm tempted to ask them "where are the thirtynine steps?" and see what I get back!

I did once in the very old days of VT (when they did something similar) write a compliment and get back an RTV apologising for the delay.
 

DaleCooper

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I wouldn't go that far. I'd say that there's an argument that having made an error in sending them out, Virgin are just as responsible as the person who receives them.

Don't forget I said "morally equivalent" not "legally equivalent" and I stand by that. Someone else may know better but I think if your bank mistakenly credits your account you have to pay it back, otherwise it is theft.
 

Greenback

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Don't forget I said "morally equivalent" not "legally equivalent" and I stand by that. Someone else may know better but I think if your bank mistakenly credits your account you have to pay it back, otherwise it is theft.

I think it's morally OK either way! My view is that if a company made a mistake and asked nicely I'd give them back the money or vouchers, but I'd hope for a gesture of goodwill!

Similarly, if someone sent me something by mistake, I'd expect to be able to keep it, at the very least I wouldn't expect to be out of pocket in rectifying their error.

Maybe I'd have a different view about Virgin's vouchers if there weren't so many rail employees who think that passengers should be punished for making a mistake :lol:
 

DaleCooper

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I think it's morally OK either way! My view is that if a company made a mistake and asked nicely I'd give them back the money or vouchers, but I'd hope for a gesture of goodwill!

Similarly, if someone sent me something by mistake, I'd expect to be able to keep it, at the very least I wouldn't expect to be out of pocket in rectifying their error.

Maybe I'd have a different view about Virgin's vouchers if there weren't so many rail employees who think that passengers should be punished for making a mistake :lol:

So you're saying keeping something that doesn't belong to you is morally equivalent to returning it to the rightful owner. I wonder how you would feel if it was you who had made the mistake.
"Sorry mate I know you meant to give me a £10 note instead of the £20 but it's your mistake so I'm keeping it."

Regarding the treatment of passengers who make mistakes, keeping those vouchers is hardly going to help them, is it? Your opinion on this seems to be that two wrongs make a right in which case, by simple algebra, one wrong equals half right. that could turn the criminal justice system on it's head.
 

Greenback

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So you're saying keeping something that doesn't belong to you is morally equivalent to returning it to the rightful owner. I wonder how you would feel if it was you who had made the mistake.
"Sorry mate I know you meant to give me a £10 note instead of the £20 but it's your mistake so I'm keeping it."

Regarding the treatment of passengers who make mistakes, keeping those vouchers is hardly going to help them, is it? Your opinion on this seems to be that two wrongs make a right in which case, by simple algebra, one wrong equals half right. that could turn the criminal justice system on it's head.

I know how I feel when I make a mistake, I've made plenty of them and had to live with them. If I mistake and lose by it, I tend to blame myself and not look to pass that responsibility on to someone else. I feel the same if someone else makes a mistake, though in most cases I'd tell them and let them put it right. It's just that I can think of occasions where it would seem unjust to me.

The last bit of my post was a tongue in cheek reference to the way passengers are treated when they make a genuine mistake by the issuing of a Penalty Fare, by the way, hence the smiley.

I don't, however, share your outrage in this matter. It's a grey area, especially when organisations like to enforce terms and conditions without showing any leniency or goodwill, so for me it's not something that is cut and dried when a company makes a mistake in your favour for a change, though it all depends on the actual circumstances.

It's a shame when honesty and allowing mistakes to be made without penalty only seems to work one way.
 

DaleCooper

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The last bit of my post was a tongue in cheek reference to the way passengers are treated when they make a genuine mistake by the issuing of a Penalty Fare, by the way, hence the smiley.

Sorry, at my school they taught Latin instead of Emoticons. (amet faciem)
 
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