I asked if they could reissue me with another pass to one of longer validity as the one they had issued ran out less then 2 months after they sent it to me. Also, LM is not my local TOC so I only travel with them when I am going long distance. I asked LM if they would extend as I hadn't been able to use it in that 6/7 weeks and also during that time I'd had surgery which meant even making a trip "for the sake of it/for a bash" wasn't practical. So I asked the question. They said no. I escalated it and their Customer Relations Supervisor emailed me to say the time they had given me was "more then reasonable" so they were sticking to their decision. I felt under the circumstances they were not really understanding so I took it to Transport Focus expecting nothing.
(The circumstances under which they came to issue me with the free day pass were also in my head. I travelled with a valid itinerary, major delays due to staff shortages, guard on second to last train said he'd arranged taxi with control as I'd have missed last connection by the time we arrived, this never arrived, I was left stranded and no staff there to help and I had to get a taxi. LM reply was to issue delay repay, admit there was no log of call with control (the guard made it on his phone on board in front of me and was most helpful and concerned) and that the station was indeed closed with no staff to help but they could not refund a taxi even though I was left stranded as it wasn't ordered on their account. I appealed to Customer Relations Supervisor who agreed to pay taxi fare as a goodwill gesture and enclosed the above free day pass).
As it worked out though the journey I would have used the free day pass on, and I had to buy a ticket for, was disrupted and I was compensated so in essence had a free return anyway.
Transport Focus took the view that they were disappointed LM had chosen not to reissue my free day pass when I offered to send the unused one back to them first. They said that they consider it reasonable that any vouchers or such (day passes) that TOCs issue to customers should have 6 months minimum validity and LM should have ensured this at the time of issue. They said they felt it reasonable that LM send me another one and had requested this from Management who they raised it with but LM refused out right. They said that, sadly, as issuing a free day pass was at the discretion of the railway company and was not an entitlement under the NRCoC (as it was at the time), passenger charter or delay repay scheme then there was nothing further they could do to compel them to reisssue it.
As I say I think it ended up costing LM a lot more in costs in the end due to the escalation of the complaint, journey made with ticket was delayed and then a cheque being requested. Non of this could have happened if I'd be travelling on a free travel pass. Strange how it can cost a TOC a lot more money to process a complaint (more if escalated) compared to an individual sending off a few emails. Plus friends who I have been put off by my experience that they would now rather travel on Virgin Advances on direct services compared to LM Only walk ups as they are afraid they might end up stranded too - lost revenue for LM.
I do accept that LM didn't have to reissue though; however I do think they should have adhered to industry standard (according to Transport Focus) and done the first issue of the day pass with a reasonable/6 months validity.
)