How many minutes to refund ticket at booking office?

[allotments]

Yesterday it took Southeastern's London Bridge booking office 30 minutes to refund one paper ticket previously issued at one of their stations.

There were no trains due to industrial action and no customers waiting.

Attached screenshot Southeastern website and photo empty booking office :

"Daily tickets bought at a station
If you bought a paper daily ticket from one of our ticket offices, you can return this to any
Southeastern ticket office for a full refund with no admin fee."

"If you didn't/couldn't make your outward journey because of strike action, you can have a refund on your outward and return ticket (other than season ticket) even if the latter is not affected by strike action. The same applies if your return journey is affected, but your outward journey is not."

It took 14 minutes of heated denial that a refund should be issued, quoting "admin charge", "delay repay", "a single to your destination would cost more than your ticket" while trying to bat me away.... as I quoted the website text above and moved to another window and a manager was eventually called.

After positive action started it took a further 16 minutes to pay out.

How many minutes should a refund like this at a booking office take?

I would have thought London Bridge could have been considered Southeastern's flagship booking office but based on this experience it can't be. They were totally unprepared to implement their company's published refund policy.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've not refunded many paper tickets, but in my experience in the past it generally involved handing it in with a form, and the refund would be transferred or sent by cheque later. That may of course have improved now.

On the other hand I'm unsurprised to hear of yet another member of booking office staff making the case for booking office closures. Suggesting that a fraudulent Delay Repay claim be made (whether because they don't understand the process, or because they're lazy and doing it deliberately) must surely suggest either terrible training or the need for a formal warning and competence improvement plan.

 

[allotments]

I've not refunded many paper tickets, but in my experience in the past it generally involved handing it in with a form, and the refund would be transferred or sent by cheque later. That may of course have improved now.

On the other hand I'm unsurprised to hear of yet another member of booking office staff making the case for booking office closures. Suggesting that a fraudulent Delay Repay claim be made (whether because they don't understand the process, or because they're lazy and doing it deliberately) must surely suggest either terrible training or the need for a formal warning and competence improvement plan.

After a form was printed it took less than 5 minutes to finish.

 

[Birmingham]

I have wondered how a refund at a ticket office is supposed to work. Also, one might hope that in the case a ticket was paid for in cash, they could be returned the cash there and then.

After a form was printed it took less than 5 minutes to finish.

Did the form require your own personal details?

 

[Haywain]

How many minutes should a refund like this at a booking office take?

As with many things, it depends. Generally speaking I would say that 5 minutes should be enough in most cases to complete the paperwork, but in some cases there may have to be a wait to get the actual payment.

 

[MikeWM]

I've had two refunds in the last couple of years - one at Ely due to disruption, one at Cambridge for some reason I can't quite remember - and in both cases it was fast, barely took a couple of minutes. In both cases I'd paid with cash and so was handed back the cash there and then, I'm fairly sure there wasn't any paperwork for me to complete. (Another advantage of paying for things with cash...)

 

[Haywain]

I'm fairly sure there wasn't any paperwork for me to complete.

Some ticket issuing systems can now be used to process refunds so there is no paperwork other than you signing to say you have received the cash. If you had paid by card you would get a receipt to show the payment had gone back to your card, or a receipt for your ticket if the payment had to await authorisation by a relevant member of staff.

 

[MikeWM]

Some ticket issuing systems can now be used to process refunds so there is no paperwork other than you signing to say you have received the cash.

I don't remember signing anything, but it was fairly early in the morning (by my standards, at least!) so my memory may be a little fuzzy In any event, it was very quick.

 

[janb]

How many minutes should a refund like this at a booking office take?

Don't know what TIS Southeastern use but on Fujitsu STAR if you are in a contest to see who can do the quickest refund then could probably do it in a couple of minutes, but more reasonably checking things are legit, dotting i's and crossing t's etc it would be about 5 minutes normally.

 

[Haywain]

I don't remember signing anything, but it was fairly early in the morning (by my standards, at least!) so my memory may be a little fuzzy In any event, it was very quick.

Were they tickets you'd just bought (within an hour or so)? If so, they would be non-issued which wouldn't need paperwork as it's a different process to a refund - not that it matters to you.

 

[yorkie]

Yesterday it took Southeastern's London Bridge booking office 30 minutes to refund one paper ticket previously issued at one of their stations.

There were no trains due to industrial action and no customers waiting.

Attached screenshot Southeastern website and photo empty booking office :

"Daily tickets bought at a station
If you bought a paper daily ticket from one of our ticket offices, you can return this to any
Southeastern ticket office for a full refund with no admin fee."

"If you didn't/couldn't make your outward journey because of strike action, you can have a refund on your outward and return ticket (other than season ticket) even if the latter is not affected by strike action. The same applies if your return journey is affected, but your outward journey is not."

It took 14 minutes of heated denial that a refund should be issued, quoting "admin charge", "delay repay", "a single to your destination would cost more than your ticket" while trying to bat me away.... as I quoted the website text above and moved to another window and a manager was eventually called.

After positive action started it took a further 16 minutes to pay out.

How many minutes should a refund like this at a booking office take?

I would have thought London Bridge could have been considered Southeastern's flagship booking office but based on this experience it can't be. They were totally unprepared to implement their company's published refund policy.

It should take around 2 to 5 mins, at most.

I've found the forum's site to be very quick for this; sometimes you have to wait for the actual transaction, but the process of making the request is very fast. I'd not be happy about having 30 mins of my time wasted. I'd be wanting compensation from Southeastern for that; the value of 30 mins of my time could be more than the ticket cost!

 

[allotments]

I have wondered how a refund at a ticket office is supposed to work. Also, one might hope that in the case a ticket was paid for in cash, they could be returned the cash there and then.

Did the form require your own personal details?

Yes

 

[Class800]

In theory 2 to 5 minutes

In reality, an hour while they find all sorts of obtuse reasons to decline, call the manager, call security, get the BTP involved, etc.

Online generally works better

 

[allotments]

Were they tickets you'd just bought (within an hour or so)? If so, they would be non-issued which wouldn't need paperwork as it's a different process to a refund - not that it matters to you.

Bought another day.

In theory 2 to 5 minutes

In reality, an hour while they find all sorts of obtuse reasons to decline, call the manager, call security, get the BTP involved, etc.

Online generally works better

I just think if advertise can be done then do as advertised. I don't expect to be fobbed off with numerous incorrect excuses for not even trying to do the refund. At least the second clerk started trying and called the manager who eventually capitulated after reading the Southeastern web page which I showed.

Totally unprepared. Multiple training / communication issues and a very poor show.

My preferred Southeastern booking office is Deptford. Never failed to get exceptional service there when it's open.

It should take around 2 to 5 mins, at most.

I've found the forum's site to be very quick for this; sometimes you have to wait for the actual transaction, but the process of making the request is very fast. I'd not be happy about having 30 mins of my time wasted. I'd be wanting compensation from Southeastern for that; the value of 30 mins of my time could be more than the ticket cost!

As a direct result of the 30 minutes inside the booking office getting a refund, I arrived 15 minutes late at Euston, missed my intended train and later missed the last train of the day to my intended destination. I've emailed Southeastern asking to also consider refund of the Euston northbound tickets because of the trouble at London Bridge. To get to Euston, instead of a train to St Pancras I had cycled 17 miles from Slade Green, via London Bridge. I never intended to claim for anything other than the journey there was no train for.

 

[MikeWM]

Were they tickets you'd just bought (within an hour or so)? If so, they would be non-issued which wouldn't need paperwork as it's a different process to a refund - not that it matters to you.

In the Ely case, yes - bought the tickets on arrival at the station just as disruption was starting, and it was quickly apparent nothing would be moving for some time. That explains it, thanks

Can't remember much about the Cambridge case other than it was quick and efficient, and they handed over cash.

 

[allotments]

I've had a very prompt apology from Southeastern which recognises that “What you described isn’t the level of customer service we expect our employees to give to you”.

I'm informed that my experience has been passed to station managers at London Bridge for investigation.

Southeastern have also promised to refund the cost of tickets for my journey same day north of Euston as a gesture of goodwill.

An excellent response from Southeastern in my view.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I've found the forum's site to be very quick for this; sometimes you have to wait for the actual transaction, but the process of making the request is very fast.

Is there any question to which the forums site isn't the answer? I wasn't aware it was installed in any booking offices. Pico,Star,Avocet and @station seem to be the only Booking office TIS I can find

 

[800Travel]

I've had a very prompt apology from Southeastern which recognises that “What you described isn’t the level of customer service we expect our employees to give to you”.

I'm informed that my experience has been passed to station managers at London Bridge for investigation.

Southeastern have also promised to refund the cost of tickets for my journey same day north of Euston as a gesture of goodwill.

An excellent response from Southeastern in my view.

This is fantastic - some TOCs should take a page from their book! Glad to hear this positive outcome OP.

 

[infobleep]

Some ticket issuing systems can now be used to process refunds so there is no paperwork other than you signing to say you have received the cash. If you had paid by card you would get a receipt to show the payment had gone back to your card, or a receipt for your ticket if the payment had to await authorisation by a relevant member of staff.

That is what happened to me on Wednesday. I accidentally purchased two tickets from Haywards Heath to Three Bridges, one of which was an off peak annual gold card discounted ticket, rather than one from Haywards Heath to Three Bridges and one from Three Bridges to Haywards Heath. I got the second refunded there and then as I thought that would be easiest and the correct ticket reissued.

I got a paper receipt and today refund back in my account.

Good job I put the wrong ticket in the barrier or I'd have been none the wiser and then it might have been more tricky to prove later that day.

 

[redreni]

I had a ticket originally bought at a TVM at Slade Green refunded the following afternoon at Erith ticket office (Slade Green doesn't open in the afternoons and there would have been an admin charge if I'd waited until the next day). The chap tried to tell me it could only be done at Slade Green. Took about 3 minutes once he relented.

 

[infobleep]

I had a ticket originally bought at a TVM at Slade Green refunded the following afternoon at Erith ticket office (Slade Green doesn't open in the afternoons and there would have been an admin charge if I'd waited until the next day). The chap tried to tell me it could only be done at Slade Green. Took about 3 minutes once he relented.

Do you think the member of staff learnt from that situation? In that they had no issues after they did it so obviously they can do it.

 

[redreni]

Do you think the member of staff learnt from that situation? In that they had no issues after they did it so obviously they can do it.

No.

The guy's worked there ever since I moved into the area about 12 years ago. I remember the first conversation I ever had with him, when I was in possession of a Z1-6 season ticket and wanted to buy from him an off-peak day return Boundary Zone 6 to Slough. It was 9am and we were in Erith, in South East London. "Not before 9.30" was his mantra. There was absolutely no reasoning with him. At the time there was no way to buy boundary tickets from TVMs so I ended up having to queue up for tickets at Paddington (which is exactly what I'd been trying to avoid by buying at Erith) and missed a connecting train that I might have caught.

If anything he seems to have mellowed over the years. He knows exactly how to do the job but can just be really, really inflexible at times. He's certainly not alone in that!

 

[Deerfold]

Is there any question to which the forums site isn't the answer? I wasn't aware it was installed in any booking offices. Pico,Star,Avocet and @station seem to be the only Booking office TIS I can find

It's certainly possible to buy from it whilst stood in the booking office of my local station.

 

[Wallsendmag]

It's certainly possible to buy from it whilst stood in the booking office of my local station.

Not Newcastle then as the signal is hopeless

 

[maniacmartin]

I got a refund at a Southern station fairly recently. They didn’t quibble it but it took over 15 minutes whilst the member of staff filled in numerous paper forms and made me sign the paperwork. They did refund my card there and then though.

Edit: it was a ticket purchased at the same station the day before and as the change of plan was entirely down to me, the £10 admin fee applied.

As for online retailers, I submitted a refund request for a paper ticket I purchased from LNER online and collected from a TVM. It was for my partner for a work event which was cancelled right before they left home on the day. Two weeks on and I’ve not had any response from LNER.

 

[arb]

I had a bizarre experience at Ely a few months ago.

I arrived at the station, there was clearly major disruption (many, but not all, trains showing as cancalled, and a replacement bus pulling out of the car park as I arrived). A train I could use was showing as running, albeit later than the train I was originally planning to catch, so I bought a ticket and tried to go through the barriers to wait on the platform. A member of staff at the gateline stopped me, told me that there were no trains at all, the departure board was wrong, I should have known that, and I shouldn't have bought a ticket.

I asked for a refund and was refused, again because "I shouldn't have bought a ticket if my train was cancelled". I pushed back on this, pointing out the incorrect information on the departure board, but got nowhere. I was sent on a wild goose chase around different help points in the station, with a promise that the next person I spoke to would deal with the refund, but (unsurprisingly) none of them did.

By chance I ended up speaking to a manager who agreed I should be able to get a refund, and spoke to the booking office staff on my behalf. They again refused, this time because "they were doing something else at the moment". The manager asked how long it would take them to finish that job, they thought for a while and then said "45 minutes" whilst glaring angrily at the manager. The manager apologetically asked me if I could come back in 45 minutes. With nothing better to do if my train was cancelled, and, I admit, an element of stubornness on my part, I made a point of noting the current time to the nearest minute and said "I'll wait on the platform for 45 minutes". This earned me another angry glare from the booking office staff member.

Whilst sitting on the platform, the train that the departure board said was running, but all the staff had insisted was cancelled, turned up just a few minutes late. I successfully completed my journey with only a minor delay.

As I said at the beginning, the whole experience was completely bizarre. I've never experienced such unhelpfulness from the staff at Ely before or since then. But equally I've never had to ask them for a refund.

 

[redreni]

I suspect many TOCs believed for a many years that ticket offices were on borrowed time and lost any interest they might previously have had in upholding standards or in making the staff feel like they are valued and their jobs matter. There do seem to be quite a noticeable minority of very disillusioned people working in ticket offices and making a rather poor job of it, to the point of giving their colleagues a bad name.

Maybe they still think mass closures will be back on the table after the election, which would surprise me not at all.

I'd like to see a concerted effort to raise standards, reward good customer service and take proportionate and fair action (including retraining) in relation to justified complaints.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I got a refund at a Southern station fairly recently. They didn’t quibble it but it took over 15 minutes whilst the member of staff filled in numerous paper forms and made me sign the paperwork. They did refund my card there and then though.

Edit: it was a ticket purchased at the same station the day before and as the change of plan was entirely down to me, the £10 admin fee applied.

As for online retailers, I submitted a refund request for a paper ticket I purchased from LNER online and collected from a TVM. It was for my partner for a work event which was cancelled right before they left home on the day. Two weeks on and I’ve not had any response from LNER.

Have you sent the ticket back?

 

[robbeech]

25 minutes at Worksop once. There were no quibbles over my right to a refund, all the trains had been cancelled, I’d bought the ticket a week prior (the day before the trip). I’d paid by card, but for some reason they couldn’t give it back that way so had to phone around to authorise giving it me in cash.

I've found the forum's site to be very quick for this; sometimes you have to wait for the actual transaction, but the process of making the request is very fast

One of the best parts about the process is how clear it is. It explains who should and should not use that process and explains everything in a clear and concise way. This is evidence that an interest in the subject helps.

Is there any question to which the forums site isn't the answer?

Yes. If you want to wait 3 weeks for a retailer to acknowledge your request for a refund and then pick an excuse from a hat as to why you can’t have it, say you should claim delay repay instead from an operator you didn’t even use, then say the train you intended to catch didn’t exist so you can’t possibly have a refund for it as they can’t tell that it was disrupted as it didn’t exist then using the forum’s ticketing site is definitely not the answer.

 

[maniacmartin]

Have you sent the ticket back?

[Re LNER online refunds]: I might be wrong because I was in a bit of a hurry, but as far as I recall the website didn't ask me to post it back, only to upload a picture of it cut in half, which I did. I still have the cut up tickets though. I can't find any way to track the progress of the refund on the website, and doubt that I'd need to both upload a picture and send it back because that'd make no sense.

I got an automated email 20 days ago (and nothing else)

Just a quick note to confirm we've received your refund request. Our team will be reviewing it as soon as we can, and we aim to get back to you within 10 days. Should you need it, your refund case reference is XXXXXXXX

I would expect the administration to happen in a timely manner given I'm going to end up paying a £10 fee for it.


New post 12th Feb:

Following up on this I couldn’t find out how to check the progress online so called LNER today and spoke to someone who I think was in a UK call centre. The employee sounded pretty miserable and mentioned that there was a backlog in processing refunds at LNER.

There was some discussion about whether I should have posted the tickets or not, but they were sufficiently unclear that I have no idea whether they want me to or not. They wouldn’t give me an address to post them to, instead saying we needed to “follow the process” and they would trigger an email to be sent to me detailing what to do.

The email I received shortly after the phone call does say to post the tickets to an address in Crawley, except if they were purchased from LNER website or app in which case using the web form to upload a picture of them is an option (and which I did ages ago)

I bet they won’t waive the admin fee for exceeding their target response time due to this backlog. The experience so far has made me think I’ll buy future tickets elsewhere. Why can’t these claims be automatically processed?