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Delay Repay

Do you claim Delay Repay?


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LonTravelWatch

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19 Jun 2019
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Hi everyone. As part of a campaign to get more people claiming compensation when their journeys are disrupted, we are doing a poll to see whether passengers are using Delay Repay. If you choose not to claim please could you give us your reason/s for why. This will help improve our evidence base and give us areas to target the industry with in future.

Many thanks,

The London TravelWatch team
 
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jfollows

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Joined
26 Feb 2011
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5,757
Location
Wilmslow
I don't claim Delay Repay. I am a very experienced train traveller but I don't travel frequently any more.

I care more that I am looked after when things go wrong, and that I am able to get to my destination with clear explanations of alternative arrangements as necessary. Things go wrong, but it's about how the subsequent needs of the traveller are accommodated that is important.

I accept that Delay Repay can be an incentive to improve customer service when there is disruption.

I do, however, believe that delays to advance purchase tickets should result in automatic refunds, such as with Virgin Trains when tickets are booked through their own web site.
 

gordonthemoron

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4 Sep 2006
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Milton Keynes
It would help if Virgin Trains provided compensation direct to your bank account instead of sending out a cheque, other TOCs do this
 

Esker-pades

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Joined
23 Jul 2015
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3,766
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Beds, Bucks, or somewhere else
I always look to claim compensation whenever I am entitled to it. However, this is often just to make a point. I don't really care that I got 95p back here or £4 back there, and if I really looked pragmatically at the time:money ratio, I wouldn't claim a lot of the time.

I think quite a few users here do the same/have the same thought process.
 

i4n

Member
Joined
30 Apr 2018
Messages
40
I'm an annual season ticket holder and claim whenever I can if my journey is delayed (not only lateness/cancelled trains but also for abandoned journey's if it's all gone wrong in the morning and I elect to change my plans and work at home instead of the office)
 

LewFinnis

Member
Joined
22 Aug 2013
Messages
107
The one occasion of late I could have done, I refrained as the delay was not a railway issue (the fire next to the line at Wellingborough) - the fire brigade imposed an exclusion zone which included the railway. Nothing EMT could do about it.
 

David57

Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
245
I travel infrequently, about once a month on leisure journies, and as a point of principe always claim, even for small ammounts.
 

Bertie the bus

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Joined
15 Aug 2014
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2,781
I claim Delay Repay if it is worth it. Definitely not for anything under £5 and only normally for under £10 if I have been seriously inconvenienced. If over £10 then I would probably claim regardless. Therefore, my response to the poll is yes and no – which isn’t an option.
 

717001

Member
Joined
4 Aug 2018
Messages
221
As a season ticket holder, I preferred a former scheme whereby a certain level of disruption through the year triggered a percentage reduction at renewal - no effort needed. Only claim for major disruption currently as, for short delays, the amount refunded is not worth the additional time spent doing the claim.
 

terryc

Member
Joined
6 Jan 2013
Messages
91
I gave up recently trying to get a delay repay from Transport for Wales. The online form was insisting on a four digit ticket reference number, but my ticket was blank where the 'help?' section said to look in order to find it (under the date entry). So I couldn't continue with the claim.
(the only numbers on my ticket in a small font on the bottom orange strip were in this format:- xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xx-xx-xx & xxxxxxxxxx)
As I would have to submit a photo of the ticket as a matter of course anyhow, why do they need this?
 

Ianno87

Veteran Member
Joined
3 May 2015
Messages
15,215
I gave up recently trying to get a delay repay from Transport for Wales. The online form was insisting on a four digit ticket reference number, but my ticket was blank where the 'help?' section said to look in order to find it (under the date entry). So I couldn't continue with the claim.
(the only numbers on my ticket in a small font on the bottom orange strip were in this format:- xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xx-xx-xx & xxxxxxxxxx)
As I would have to submit a photo of the ticket as a matter of course anyhow, why do they need this?

DR forms seem to have a wildly varying level of required information. Not sure why you need to input stuff like the ticket number, when you provide them with a photo/scan clearly showing it!
 

oversteer

Member
Joined
26 Jan 2011
Messages
725
I claim for everything, despite the process being a completely tedious affair.

The rail company should know the price, ticket type, destination etc. from the ticket number, which they should be able to recognise from the photo of the ticket
 

adrock1976

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Joined
10 Dec 2013
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4,450
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What's it called? It's called Cumbernauld
I don't claim Delay Repay. I am a very experienced train traveller but I don't travel frequently any more.

I care more that I am looked after when things go wrong, and that I am able to get to my destination with clear explanations of alternative arrangements as necessary. Things go wrong, but it's about how the subsequent needs of the traveller are accommodated that is important.

I accept that Delay Repay can be an incentive to improve customer service when there is disruption.

I do, however, believe that delays to advance purchase tickets should result in automatic refunds, such as with Virgin Trains when tickets are booked through their own web site.

Could you explain how this works?

When I have used the VT website to book for example a Cradley Heath to Barnhill or Springburn Advance Single, I have never been automatically compensated when the connection from Glasgow Queen Street - Barnhill or Springburn has been busted.

I always have to do a manual submission online.
 

yorkie

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I do, however, believe that delays to advance purchase tickets should result in automatic refunds, such as with Virgin Trains when tickets are booked through their own web site.
This does not work effectively and also penalises:
  • third party retailers
  • passengers who need to change trains (especially a consideration given that changing will often increase your exposure to a delay to your overall journey)
  • passengers who use a combination of tickets (as is often encouraged by train companies, e.g. if one company releases Advance fares before another, or refuses to issue "& connections" Advances for the journey)
Could you explain how this works?

When I have used the VT website to book for example a Cradley Heath to Barnhill or Springburn Advance Single, I have never been automatically compensated when the connection from Glasgow Queen Street - Barnhill or Springburn has been busted.

I always have to do a manual submission online.
It doesn't work for connections. There are many flaws with automatic delay repay, or at least the way it is currently implemented by awful software that was clearly written by someone who has no clue whatsoever about how railways work.

The one occasion of late I could have done, I refrained as the delay was not a railway issue (the fire next to the line at Wellingborough) - the fire brigade imposed an exclusion zone which included the railway. Nothing EMT could do about it.
That's your choice; EMT will be compensated by Network Rail irrespective of whether Delay Repay is claimed or not (and no, EMT won't refuse to accept the money becasuse there is nothing NR could have done about it!)
I claim Delay Repay if it is worth it. Definitely not for anything under £5 and only normally for under £10 if I have been seriously inconvenienced. If over £10 then I would probably claim regardless. Therefore, my response to the poll is yes and no – which isn’t an option.
Agreed; I often won't claim if it's going to be more time consuming than it's worth.

Here is an example:

I made a return journey from Coventry to Kenilworth. The ticket cost about £3, which is a reasonable price to be fair. I checked if the train was running before i went to the station; I saw it was delayed but still running so I continued past the bus stop to the station only to be told it was now cancelled and no road replacement would be provided. I was told that I should wait an hour for the next one, though I realised the next one would also be delayed, so I chose not to. I therefore went back to the bus stop and got a single, which cost £3.10! I cannot claim a refund of the bus ticket from West Midlands Trains. I also cannot claim Delay Repay as I did not make the journey. I made the return journey by train. I was planning on taking the train just after 3pm but this was cancelled, so I got the train an hour later. So, in theory what I am supposed to do is to claim a refund of the outward portion from the retailer (Trainsplit/Raileasy) for £1.50, and claiming Delay Repay from WMT for the return portion, also for £1.50. This would be a total waste of my time, filing out two lots of forms, and faffing around. Even if I had been delayed on the outward journey, it would have been no less complex as there is no method of claiming Delay Repay for both portions without filling in the form twice.

Had I waited for the next train, I could have faffed around with two claims and got the journey for nothing. As it was, I ended up paying more than double the fare and couldn't be bothered to claim £3 back, as it just wasn't worth the hassle.

Automatic delay repay would not have solved that issue, so isn't the solution. There are some journeys where automatic delay repay does work, but it is very limited, and the current system is clearly anticompetitive against third party retailers and would probably be ruled illegal if it went to court.
 

westv

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Joined
29 Mar 2013
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4,203
As a season ticket holder, I preferred a former scheme whereby a certain level of disruption through the year triggered a percentage reduction at renewal - no effort needed. Only claim for major disruption currently as, for short delays, the amount refunded is not worth the additional time spent doing the claim.
Wasn't that on a rolling 12 month period so, if you renewed at the "wrong" time, you missed out on any discount?
 

paddington

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2013
Messages
964
I claim for any delays even if they don't inconvenience me, as sometimes I experience delays which do inconvenience me but these are not eligible for compensation (or there are consequential expenses which are not eligible).

This is particularly relevant as I am trying to bash the Northern network this summer, but I live in London, therefore if I am unable to travel as planned it necessitates coming all the way back up. I have purchased several rovers and been delayed almost every day, obviously I expect there to be some delays and do a bit of contingency planning, and there are other things I need to do in Yorkshire this summer which make parts of my trips reimbursable in other ways.

For example yesterday I planned to ride on the York-Selby fast via Hambleton Junction north, I felt there was ample connection time in my planning yet a delay meant I missed it which was a waste of 2 hours, this was not eligible for delay repay for a variety of reasons. The timetable means it is particularly difficult to try it again, probably incurring extra expenses like driving to a station rather than being able to take a train there on a ticket I already have or would have to buy anyway, or extending a hotel stay on another trip. Thus, I gladly claim compo even in situations such as having planned a 30-minute connection reduced to 15 minutes by a delay, that doesn't affect the overall day's travel.
 

Joe Paxton

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Joined
12 Jan 2017
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2,453
I always intend to claim when I suffer a delay, but then the realities of life get in the way and I don't always actually get round to doing it.

Sometimes I've been foiled by not taking any notes at the time of the delay - because when you're in the midst of a delayed journey it doesn't seem like top priority - and then later am a bit defeated by the idea of reconstructing the sequence of events. (I'm thinking more of journeys that aren't straightforward A-to-B on one train.)

In London, I might well reroute myself in order to try and avoid a delay. In such a circumstance, despite possibly paying extra - e.g. a multimodal fare instead of an NR-only fare, or also using the bus, or even a taxi/ minicab or hire bicycle - one is not eligible to claim Delay Repay as you've taken action to mitigate the delay rather than sat there and suffered the delay.
 

Cuboid

Member
Joined
9 Jan 2019
Messages
32
For my daily commute the answer is no because the WYCA can't figure out how to do refunds on my annual season ticket since it's a countywide ticket & they have no idea where I am going to/from.

Travelling for leisure or for work trips to meetings/events then yes but that's rarer. My wife on the other hand pretty much almost always claims hers back from her monthly Leeds-London trips with work.
 

yorkie

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For my daily commute the answer is no because the WYCA can't figure out how to do refunds on my annual season ticket since it's a countywide ticket & they have no idea where I am going to/from.
You claim Delay Repay from the relevant operator for a delay, rather than a refund.
 

LowLevel

Established Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
7,543
As a guard I would say you should always claim, it is budgeted for whether you do or not. One initiative some operators have is to give an option to donate your delay repay to charity - this can be significant sums. Particularly in the sad cases of railway suicides if I was claiming myself I would happily see the sum donated to mental health charities and I think the option to donate to charity should be publicised more regardless of the circumstance of the claim. When passengers become aware of this the response is often quite touching.

It's worth noting that it tends to be a requirement now for train operators to advise customers when they're eligible - certainly our owning group has been checking up on this.
 

SteveM70

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Joined
11 Jul 2018
Messages
3,801
Yes, every time. As a long suffering Northern customer I make a point of claiming for everything (the lowest has been 95p) and asking for payment by rail travel voucher so it causes them maximum cost and inconvenience whilst not causing me the inconvenience of going to the bank with a cheque.

I know it’s petty, but that’s what they’ve driven me to, and a number of people I know feel the same and do the same thing.
 

E759

Member
Joined
7 Dec 2017
Messages
673
Location
Sussex
I have been claiming since delay repay was launched. I claim for every eligible journey. I’ll fight all invalid rejections.
 

Mogster

Member
Joined
25 Sep 2018
Messages
902
I used to claim on my GMPTE season ticket. However Northern have now started rejecting claims made from combined train & bus tickets...
 

HantsExile

Member
Joined
22 Jun 2018
Messages
61
Yes I (almost) always claim Delay Repay, as matter of principle. (The 'almost' is if I forget or lose the ticket or am exceptionally busy - but I reckon I claim for 80-90% of my delays.)

I agree that having to fill in the ticket details when these are clearly shown on the uploaded ticket is irritating in the extreme.

One aspect that also feels "wrong" is that the % approach can lead to big anomalies. For example, I was delayed 16 minutes on a GWR journey from Reading to Truro costing over £80 - so although it was the lowest percentage, it was still a significant sum of money. The same week, I was delayed over an hour on a much shorter (and cheaper) journey, so although I got the maximum percentage, it was only a small amount.

And I also ask for refund by vouchers - I wonder how securely my bank / credit card details are held in this instance, and a cheque is a further nuisance for me to pay in.

Hope this is helpful to the survey!
 

BJames

Established Member
Joined
27 Jan 2018
Messages
1,359
I have been claiming since delay repay was launched. I claim for every eligible journey. I’ll fight all invalid rejections.
Same. As others have said, the TOC is compensated anyway by NR and the payments are budgeted for. I might not fight a claim if it's a low value but I usually would out of principle. I am more than happy to pay for an efficient journey but when the service is well below standard it is not worth me paying the same amount.
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
What can be slightly annoying is arriving 31 mins late at the stop before you get off but 29 minuted late at your destination.
 

Facing Back

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21 May 2019
Messages
900
Most of my intercity travel is with Virgin West Coast and I usually buy an advance ticket so delay repay is repaid automatically to my credit card, sometimes almost before I've got off the train! If I was delayed with an off-peak or heaven forbid anytime ticket I'd certainly fill in the form.

I've been on a couple of trains where first class was declassified and the TM explained how I could claim for the downgrade to standard. As it happened on both occasions I had my seat and I'd been fed and watered with a couple of gins, so I probably wouldn't have bothered. But then train ended up being so delayed that I received my full fare back so it became moot in any case.

On commuter routes around London - I don't commute so I use them irregularly, my experience tends to be getting to the station and getting on a train. The train may have been timetabled to leave an hour earlier but I feel no pain as long as the actual travel time is in line with what it would be if the train was running to timetable. I don't claim in this case as I don't feel delayed - and I'm not even sure if I can. If was stuck on such a train for a long period, then I would claim for that.
 

Trainfan2019

Member
Joined
9 Aug 2019
Messages
450
I always look to claim compensation when entitled to it. Applying for compensation online is an awkward process as I only buy mobile tickets.
 

SteveM70

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Joined
11 Jul 2018
Messages
3,801
As a season ticket holder, I preferred a former scheme whereby a certain level of disruption through the year triggered a percentage reduction at renewal - no effort needed. Only claim for major disruption currently as, for short delays, the amount refunded is not worth the additional time spent doing the claim.

Which was always a bit strange in the sense that your compensation for poor service could only be obtained via shelling out yet more money for more of the same
 
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