Auto Delay Repay to the Rescue

[Blinkbonny]

Every time I go to Lancaster something seems to go wrong - so obviously I was up there on Wednesday attempting to travel back to the West Midlands.

I was killing time before catching the 14.57 Virgin, queuing to buy a ticket for the Castle Guided Tour, when at 12.15 I got a text advising me my service may be subject to a delay. (First time I'd signed up for this, and I'm glad I did!) The forecast was for a "One hour 15 minute delay." Well, I didn't fancy that so I left the Castle and walked down to the station to see if there was any chance of being allowed on an earlier service.

Of course, once I got to the station I saw the full extent of the disruption. I was advised to either come back hours later or else get in the queue for the coaches to Preston. Well, I couldn't do that there and then as my bags were still at the hotel. So I walked back into town, collected them, and then mused over the best next step - my experience of replacement coaches and their queues not being a good one!

As chance would have it the hotel was right next to the bus stops for the local services, and there was one to Preston in 15 minutes. Not being able to face another long walk back up the hill - this time with bags - I got the service bus instead. 75 minutes and 62 stops- and then another bus from the bus station to the rail station.

I arrived at Preston station, pushed my way through the queueing throng and found my booked train waiting for me with seven minutes to spare.

Good old me, you might say, a triumph for pluck and ingenuity! But here's the thing. It was all my own doing. No way would me turning up at Lancaster station for 14.57 got me anywhere near to Preston for the 15.17. I'd have been two hours late home and possibly more.

Virgin, to their credit, have seen my booked train and refunded me in full for the ticket without me having to ask. They have saved me from wondering whether to claim or not. It would have been easy to come up with some hypothetical timings based on likelihoods, but to be honest that wouldn't have sat right with me. And there could even have been the highly unlikely scenario of them somehow having got passengers to Preston for 15.17!

BUT I missed out on my tour of the Castle, endured the nightmare journey to Preston at my own expense and could have still missed my train!

In theory I presume I am entitled to no compensation at all, as I was not "delayed."

Will I be pointing this out and returning it? Err.....NO!

 

[swt_passenger]

A mate of mine got a 100% automatic delay repay from SWR. His booked train was cancelled from Waterloo, and starting from Woking. He left Waterloo about 5 mins early, checking with the guard of the slightly earlier service, and changed down the line onto his original train, eventually arriving about 5 mins down. Bargain...
(Date, exact times and destination known, of course, but not being included.)

 

[yorkie]

Yes it must be costing Virgin a lot of money to pay out for people who are not actually delayed

Conversely it is very annoying, and must create them work, when it doesn't work for passengers who were delayed. It doesn't work when using a combination of tickets, even if all tickets were bought on their website.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes it must be costing Virgin a lot of money to pay out for people who are not actually delayed

Possibly, or possibly not. It could well cost them less than the staff cost of processing them manually.

 

[yorkie]

Possibly, or possibly not. It could well cost them less than the staff cost of processing them manually.

Maybe. But LNER process my claims very promptly and nearly always without error. Yet in contrast Virgin have lengthy delays responding and often get it wrong.

 

[JohnR]

Maybe. But LNER process my claims very promptly and nearly always without error. Yet in contrast Virgin have lengthy delays responding and often get it wrong.

Depends on what you mean by promptly! LNER take, on average in my experience 10-11 days to decide, and then payment isnt immediate - I usually get the compensation 3 weeks after the claim. Although CrossCountry is even worse....

 

[yorkie]

Depends on what you mean by promptly! LNER take, on average in my experience 10-11 days to decide, and then payment isnt immediate - I usually get the compensation 3 weeks after the claim. Although CrossCountry is even worse....

How do you submit your claims?

I find that using the online forms works best.

 

[Blinkbonny]

I've Always found LNER very prompt, not that I travel with them much. 2/3 days and no arguments.

 

[SteveM70]

Does anyone know (or have any experience of) Northern’s attitude to delay repay when the customer has bought a return ticket from a TVM and been required to select a return time even though it’s a flexible ticket?

My instinct says that based on their previous intransigence they’d decline a valid delay repay claim if the train the customer caught was delayed but the train the customer selected ran on time

 

[JohnR]

How do you submit your claims?

I find that using the online forms works best.

I've Always found LNER very prompt, not that I travel with them much. 2/3 days and no arguments.

I submit all my claims online. And while I've had the odd claim resolved in 2/3 days most are around the 3 week mark. Payment usually follows 3 or 4 days after that. ScotRail is often virtually instant, and usually within 24 hours. Payment is always instant.

 

[paddington]

Does anyone know (or have any experience of) Northern’s attitude to delay repay when the customer has bought a return ticket from a TVM and been required to select a return time even though it’s a flexible ticket?

Do they actually print the time on the ticket?

 

[_toommm_]

Do they actually print the time on the ticket?

Nope, only the time it was printed. Unless of course you're buying an advanced ticket which you can do now from a Northern TVM.

 

[DC2001]

Does anyone know (or have any experience of) Northern’s attitude to delay repay when the customer has bought a return ticket from a TVM and been required to select a return time even though it’s a flexible ticket?

My instinct says that based on their previous intransigence they’d decline a valid delay repay claim if the train the customer caught was delayed but the train the customer selected ran on time

I always just select a random time and have claimed with no issues before- it doesn't print anything on the ticket (other than the time the ticket was purchased). Usually you don't actually have to select a return journey.