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Southern refuse to issue delay repay compensation other then by way of RTV

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gray1404

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I just spoke to Southern regarding a delay repay claim that I have outstanding with them. I requested that I am paid by either cheque or BACS payment. However, I was advised that all claims are paid out through RTV and they do not issue cheques and it is their policy to only issue RTVs. I told the advisor on the phone that I was concerned that does not comply with the NRCoC but he insisted it did. He then went onto say that an RTV issued by Southern can be cashed (for money) at any station nationally and it does not need to be a Southern ticket office that does this. I do not believe this to be correct.

I said that I was concerned that these provisions to only issue compensation by way of RTV was not complying with the NRCoC and asked to raise a complaint. I was given a reference number. He said this will be looked at along side by delay repay claim.

What action am I best taking now? Waiting for them to reply of course so at least they have had the chance to issue compensation by "cash"?
 
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najaB

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He then went onto say that an RTV issued by Southern can be cashed (for money) at any station nationally and it does not need to be a Southern ticket office that does this. I do not believe this to be correct.
Ask for this to be confirmed in writing.
 

gray1404

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Ask for this to be confirmed in writing.

He said that he has noted on my delay repay claim (under the same reference number) my request to receive a cheque and how I am concerned their policy not to issue compensation by method other then RTV is not compatible with the NRCoC. He said they will respond to this the same time as my delay repay claim. I shall therefore let you know what I receive back.
 

bb21

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How was the ticket paid for originally?
 

causton

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You can provide as much writing in the world but as a ticket office clerk I would never ever cash in another TOCs vouchers! Southern customer services really are useless. (Source: today a customer showed me an email saying they said "your off-peak ticket is not valid on this service, however if you buy two tickets; one from X to Y and one from Y to Z it will be off peak" when the opposite was true, the full journey was off-peak and the X to Y bit was peak! ;) )
 

gray1404

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I agree Southern Customer Service are useless. I was being advised that they will not issue delay repay by any other means other then RTV from the word go and the question of how I paid for the ticket was not asked. (this was in addition to how I can take the RTV to any ticket office nationally and cash it - what a load of bull!) Sadly, I have spoke to several people at Southern Customer Service over the past year of travelling with them and I notice a recurring theme of bad service being given to customers both on the phone and in their email/written replies.

Needless to say though, if Southern do have a policy of only paying out delay repay in RTVs regardless (assuming I was told the correct "policy" by the person I got through to) then this does need to be challenged and changed and I think this is my key point here.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Then I don't think you can expect Delay Repay to be paid in cash.

Worst case situation then is that I get a Southern RTV and then have to cash it in at one of their ticket offices. I'm not in the South often you see, hence requesting the "cash". (Sad thing is if they had have processed my claim on time and not taken almost 5 weeks now, I could have simply exchanged the RTV for cash as I'll be down South this weekend.)
 
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talldave

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Southern Customer Services' incompetence is an issue in itself but there's no NRCoC or consumer law to protect customers against incompetence. Management obviously don't care, otherwise they'd do something about the situation. And customers of a monopoly don't get the option to take their business elsewhere.

Sadly even a battle like this, where they're plainly wrong, saps the will to live from the hardiest of complainants when up against stupidity and incompetence of Southern's magnitude.
 

Hadders

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I agree that GTRs customer service is poor (Southern is no longer a train operating company ;))

You seem to travel by train a lot so why not just use GTRs Delay Repay voucher (when you eventually get it) to purchase rail tickets from Merseyrail ticket offices?
 

najaB

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bb21

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I don't see why the payment method for the ticket has any relevance to how compensation is paid. I can understand it for a refund, but there is no link between payment and compensation.

Condition 42(d) has multiple interpretations the way I read it, making it somewhat relevant in some circumstances.

Whether the OP is entitled to cash payment is already a grey area, without the complication of having paid by warrant/points.
 

najaB

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Whether the OP is entitled to cash payment is already a grey area, without the complication of having paid by warrant/points.
But I don't get why the method of payment has any impact on the method of compensation. Compensation is a payment by the TOC to me, it isn't a refund of my payment to them.
 

bb21

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Have a look at 42(d). It is not applicable in all cases, but may in some.
 

najaB

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Have a look at 42(d). It is not applicable in all cases, but may in some.
I've had another look, and I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse, but I still don't see any link between my method of payment to the TOC and the TOC's method of payment to me other than that they can, for convenience, use card details they already have on file .
 

bb21

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I understand it that should the decision be to pay compensation in money, tickets paid by card would normally be paid back to the card, and not a cheque or bank transfer the OP requested.
 

Tetchytyke

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I understand it that should the decision be to pay compensation in money, tickets paid by card would normally be paid back to the card, and not a cheque or bank transfer the OP requested.

That would be my understanding too, where it is possible. In many cases it won't be possible though.

I buy my VTEC tickets through First Hull Trains; VTEC can't refund to my card because they don't (and can't) know my card details.

It also doesn't say the payment back to the card is limited to the amount paid by card, if part-payment was made by warrant (e.g. Nectar, Clubcard voucher).
 

najaB

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That would be my understanding too, where it is possible. In many cases it won't be possible though.
As in gray1404's case - the ticket was paid by vouchers so there's no card involved. So according to 42 (d) he should be able to get his compensation payment by cheque or by BACS payment.
 

island

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As in gray1404's case - the ticket was paid by vouchers so there's no card involved. So according to 42 (d) he should be able to get his compensation payment by cheque or by BACS payment.

...at the discretion of the TOC.
 

Clip

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...at the discretion of the TOC.

As was pointed out, by yourself no less, in the thread about Southeastern paying only in RTV and being redeemed at ticket office of which the OP was also posting in the thread.
 

najaB

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...at the discretion of the TOC.
Yes, they have the discretion to choose between coins and notes, a cheque or BACS. 42(d) makes it clear that it's the customer's choice to take RTVs or the other methods, not the TOC's.
 

Via Bank

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I wonder if one could take GTR to court for breach of contract? It seems quite black and white to me that they are obliged under NRCoC to provide any due compensation as cash/cheque/bank transfer on demand.

Maybe even threatening to take them to court would be enough to put a rocket up their a**e…
 

talldave

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I wonder if one could take GTR to court for breach of contract? It seems quite black and white to me that they are obliged under NRCoC to provide any due compensation as cash/cheque/bank transfer on demand.

Maybe even threatening to take them to court would be enough to put a rocket up their a**e…

Everyone at GTR appears to be so thick I don't think they'd understand! They're in the same league as Santander and npower when it comes to corporate incompetence, in my experience.
 

Clip

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I wonder if one could take GTR to court for breach of contract? It seems quite black and white to me that they are obliged under NRCoC to provide any due compensation as cash/cheque/bank transfer on demand.

Maybe even threatening to take them to court would be enough to put a rocket up their a**e…

Go for it. They will have lawyers who will tie you up in knots for ages with thier interpretation of how they see the NCoC that is it worth it?

Island has al;ready pointed this stuff out and until we get across board agreement from the govt down you have to ask yourself is it worth it?
 
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