Delay Repay Dispute with VTEC

[Searle]

Hi all,

Recently claimed back on my weekly season ticket due to the cancellation of nearly every single service on 9th March, due to the wires at Retford coming down. I was advised not to travel, and that I could claim for over 2 hours delay, which I did (and drove home instead of getting the train).

My weekly season ticket was made of two tickets, one from Stevenage to Peterborough (£96.60), one from Peterborough to Lincoln (£75.20), totalling £171.80. I was under the assumption that I would get the full cost of a return ticket (Quote from VTEC website: "100% of the cost of a return ticket
(i.e. both ways, not just one way)"). As a weekly season ticket price is divided by 10 per journey (again from VTEC website), I thought I would be due £34.40 back.

However, I received at email today saying I was due only £17.20 back. Gave East Coast a call to dispute it, and they stood by their claim that I was only due £17.20 back, as only one journey was disrupted by it, so I'm only due a single back (despite me having to drive to work the next morning :roll: ). I tried to disagree, but he wasn't budging on his stance.

(as an aside, he also tried to claim I should only be receiving £7.50 as only the Peterborough - Lincoln part was affected!)

Also, I've applied to East Midlands Trains for a journey of over 120 minutes delay on an identical season ticket, and they paid back the £34.40 back without any questions.

I've attached a copy of my season tickets and a link to the VTEC delay repay page for clarity. If anyone has any extra information regarding whether I'm actually correct, and how to change their mind then it'd be greatly appreciated! I don't strictly need the extra £17, but I have a week off and my sense of justice is quite strong! Thanks.

https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/customer-service/delay-repay/

 

[AlterEgo]

Did you claim for one journey, or two?

Season tickets are usually broken down into single journeys for the purposes of Delay Repay (the advisor you spoke to doesn't seem to have twigged this or offered this explanation proactively).

 

[Starmill]

It's a bit difficult to see how to proceed. If you've used the delay repay form for a journey that was never actually made they may have got it right. But trying to claim a refund for journeys that couldn't be made at all as a result of the line closure might have yeiled more. I'm not sure what they've done. It may be worth calling back and trying to speak to someone else.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hmm yes, I didn't note the fact the OP didn't travel.

Strictly speaking there is no Delay Repay due, but actually a refund due to an abandoned journey, from the point of purchase. However Virgin EC have paid out (partly) on this so it's now difficult to proceed on any other basis than the one the OP's pursued.

 

[Searle]

I claimed for one journey, thinking I'd be refunded automatically for two. It's worth noting that it still hasn't been a month since the delay, so I could technically attempt to get a refund for the journey the day after, although I'm not sure how that would go down.

 

[yorkie]

VTEC are being very stingy regarding compensation at present, but you could take them to Transport Focus.

 

[robbeech]

I claimed for one journey, thinking I'd be refunded automatically for two. It's worth noting that it still hasn't been a month since the delay, so I could technically attempt to get a refund for the journey the day after, although I'm not sure how that would go down.

But you didn't travel the following day either.
I understand and appreciate what you are saying but delay repay is for delay to your journey, which you didn't make.
A refund for a journey you didn't undertake due to advice given by the toc should be due here. It would be at their discretion whether they refunded you for the journey back or not. They ought to as a gesture of good will if nothing else.

The immediate problem is if you claim for a delay of over 2 hours to your journey but you didn't make the journey then this will be frowned upon regardless of your intention to be refunded (which you should be entitled to)

 

[Blindtraveler]

As Yorkie says take them to Transport Focus. I rarely bother but after wating 14 months for a claim off VTEC and getting a huge veriety of excuses I did just that last week and within days got a refund for the journey in question and a grovvling phonecall from a manager asking what else they could do to basicly put themselves back in my good books, result, a free First Class trip on the same day when chance found me intending to travel on one of their train s anyway.

 

[bb21]

You are due £34 back, but as AlterEgo mentioned, you need to claim for two journeys if you wish to pursue compensation in this manner. Season ticket compensation are based on single journeys, hence each one treated as a single fare.

EMT's payout won't change that. AIUI EMT are doing it incorrectly assuming no additional information was included with your claim. If you explicitly mentioned that you did not travel to work that day then they may have taken those comments onboard and refunded accordingly, but they were not obliged to do that if you only claimed for one journey.

As you still have ample time, you can simply submit a claim for the return journey.

Transport Focus are unlikely to entertain this one seeing that Virgin were correct technically.

 

[Searle]

Thanks for your replies all. I'll put in a claim for the return journey the morning after, and if they refuse that then I'll think about putting in a claim to TF.