HEX Refund Following Cancellations

[stut]

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Paddington to catch the Heathrow Express to, er, Heathrow. Sadly, due to a fatality, there were no trains moving, so I ended up on the Tube, a gaggle of stressed tourists in tow. Not earth-shattering.

I had a pre-paid return ticket (via EC, not from the HEX website), and so asked about a refund. No problem, they said - write "VOID" over the outbound portion and email a pic. So, I did.

The refund that they're offering is for the difference between the single and return ticket. Does this sound right to you? It's not a problem from my point of view, but it does seem a little harsh - I don't know if I'd have paid the full single fare (and I wasn't given the option to get a refund of the return portion too).

I'll gladly accept it (I know the delay wasn't HEX's fault) but I thought I'd ask people here's opinion.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Had you gone to the Ticket Office at Paddington on the day, they SHOULD have given you a full refund under Condition 26a of the National Conditions of Carriage, regardless of where you bought the ticket.

Making a claim after the event falls under Condition 26b, so has to be done through the original retailer and will take into account any use made of the ticket (so in this case, that's a Single).

I don't know if HEx have a compensation policy in place like franchised operators do, but that may be more generous if they do.

 

[Haywain]

Had you gone to the Ticket Office at Paddington on the day*, they SHOULD have given you a full refund under Condition 26a of the National Conditions of Carriage, regardless of where you bought the ticket.

For clarity, the full refund would only be before you had made any use of the ticket, not after using the return portion.

 

[Deerfold]

Had you gone to the Ticket Office at Paddington on the day, they SHOULD have given you a full refund under Condition 26a of the National Conditions of Carriage, regardless of where you bought the ticket.

Making a claim after the event falls under Condition 26b, so has to be done through the original retailer and will take into account any use made of the ticket (so in this case, that's a Single).

I don't know if HEx have a compensation policy in place like franchised operators do, but that may be more generous if they do.

Is HEX subject to the NRCoC?

They have their own CoC - condition 4.1 relates:

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/conditions-of-carriage

4.1 Refunds on tickets

If you return an unused Heathrow Express ticket to whoever sold it within 20 minutes of purchase, you will be given an immediate full refund (if the vendor is Heathrow Express, another Railway Operator, London Underground or a rail appointed travel agent).

If you buy a ticket from our website and decide not to travel, you may cancel it at any time within three months of the date you booked it. You may do this by letter or by completing the online refund request form. After this time, no refund will be made.

Other applications for refunds will be considered at our discretion. The amount refunded will normally reflect any use you have made of your ticket.

Applications for refunds should be made in writing within a month of issue of the ticket, to whoever sold it to you or if we sold it to you then to: Customer Relations Department, Heathrow Express, Freepost LON 16331, London, W2 6BR, explaining the circumstances involved. A reasonable administration charge of up to £10 may apply.

 

[stut]

Thanks all for the input.

Going to the ticket office on the day was a no-no, as I had a long-haul flight to catch! Unless you leave impractical amounts of contingency time, I can't see how, when the fastest way to the airport is cancelled, queuing at a busy ticket office would be an option.

FWIW, the ticket I had was an "any operator" ticket, not specifically a HEX one.

Either way, I'm happy with their refund offer, I was just curious.

 

[LowLevel]

HEX is not part of the National Rail Network and is consequently not subject to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage. They also do not apply to Heathrow Connect between Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow, although they do apply to Heathrow Connect between Hayes and Paddington.