Yes that's always struck me as crackers that they make it impossible to tell them anything. A cynic would suggest it's by design but I tend to go with Hanlon's Razor for this.
I would have just asked for a deadlock letter to be sent via email, that might have kicked some gears in order for the issue to be looked by a higher level within the customer service department.
Good luck with that. In my experience, it is impossible to contact their Delay Repay Team. And if you contact their customer Services Team, they will just tell you that they are unable to deal with Delay Repay issues.
If you get a deadlock letter, then that it is it as far as the Company is concerned. You then take it to the ombudsman.
If you tell us the date and time of the scheduled services someone can look into it, else it is pure speculation!
Sometimes by asking for a deadlock letter it kicks the chain up to someone more important before they decide to issue a deadlock letter.
It is crackers, but I can also see the benefits of an automated process which would be unable to cope with free text. Especially if you can imagine some of the long-winded or poorly explained text which would be submitted. What I found annoying was that the appeal, being an appeal and not an initial claim, did not let you set out the terms for your appeal.
From my experience with Avanti that is definitely not the case. I have had no problems with my claims and they have mostly been down to signalling problems and trespassers, neither of which would be the train operator's responsibility.
Delay Repay costs aren't "passed on", that is not how it works and is the most persistent myth about how it works.
Yes that's fair. It's mostly when appealing it feels particularly barmy not to invite some further comment on why you're appealing.
Websites such as ontimetrains.co.uk list the services as being late rather than cancelled. However, this is wrong.
That’s not how the data works for services like On Time Trains and Realtime Trains, they don’t just “assume it got turned”. Unless there is an error in reporting such as a wrong head code a train won’t report that it was at a location.
Yes, customer service phone number has a delay repay section that whichever option you choose gives you a short message telling you to use the website. The website (and rejection email) naturally tell you to contact customer services. If you choose “other” in the appeal you get the option to write (up to 250 characters) of free text. Sadly explaining the journey using this still hasn’t worked, and nor has requesting a deadlock letter through that method.
If you appeal their rejection, and they reject that, they finally give you the option to appeal by email, which allows you to spell out your case in full, and attach any evidence you need, unfettered by the limitations of the website. Hurrah! Except that your email goes to customer services, who respond that they are unable to deal with Delay Repay issues, and helpfully suggest that you use their DR website to raise a claim! Been there, done that....
Some TOCs publish figures of how many claims they receive and how many are approved, while others are subject to FOI and would, presumably, provide such figures if requested.
With some TOCs, if you appeal, they will treat it as a new claim, and give you a fresh claim number. My claim history with one TOC shows a number of apparently unapproved claims, that were in fact subsequently approved under another reference number. I wonder how this kind of thing skews the figures?
Aren't Delay Repay payouts based on a percentage of the price you actually paid (the one on the ticket)?
Delay Repay is based on the ticket actually held and the price actually paid.
Sorry, I’m think about those holding All Line Rovers. Should have made that clear.
