M tkt bought, not activated, train very late, want to cancel

[Howardh]

1855 Lostock to Blackpool tonight. Stuck at Levenshulme 1908 and no good to me now. Have an m ticket, day ret for today. Downloaded, not activated. Can't work out what happens next, not clear on mobile site, I want to use it again or full refund. Help please! NB, northern trains.

 

[transportphoto]

If this is a wholly unused ticket, you need to contact the company you purchased the ticket from and it should be refunded in full.

 

[Howardh]

It's now cancelled, I've gone back to Bolton to use on the now 1940 which won't call at Lostock, so still get a few hours in Blackpool...if this turns up!
Will put in a delay repay claim tomorrow. Should be 100% although having to double back to get a train might complicate things.

 

[JBuchananGB]

According to RTT your original service is coming anyway 51 minutes late

 

[Howardh]

According to RTT your original service is coming anyway 51 minutes late

Not only that, it's terminating at Preston so I get the full 100% refund. Not going now, but the taxi fare to the stations wasted! Gonna drink my sorrows away in Las Bolton. Anyone see me buy me a beer!!

NB ticket guy said I can get to Blackpool South...er, no thanks!

 

[JBuchananGB]

Next service to Blackpool North will be at Preston at 2020. If you can be persistent. Oh no! That one is terminated short at Preston too. Original reason, Person hit by a train. Enjoy your beer and 100% refund for abandoned journey.

 

[Howardh]

I've given up completely, now in the Man and Sythe, it's got 1636 on the wall, date not the next service to Clitheroe!

My claim has now been rejected; apparantly because it terminated at Preston - and was therefore no use to me, I can't claim because I wasn't on the train (yet had to activate the ticket to get to the platform).

So basically if they stop before the intended terminus, they can invalidate all claims?? I'm not a happy bunny this morning.

We’ve rejected your claim because you haven’t used your ticket to travel
or did not complete your full journey by train. Our delay repay process only
applies if you complete your full journey by train and are delayed by 15
minutes or more.

 

[JBuchananGB]

As you abandoned the journey, you should not claim delay repay, but go to the retailer who sold you the ticket and ask for a full refund.

 

[Howardh]

As you abandoned the journey, you should not claim delay repay, but go to the retailer who sold you the ticket and ask for a full refund.

It was an m-ticket bought off Northern's app. I'm told I am entitled to the part of the ticket not used, which is the return part, worth about 10p.

I want the whole lot back - if I had a paper ticket I would ahve had a full refund at the ticket office.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It was an m-ticket bought off Northern's app. I'm told I am entitled to the part of the ticket not used, which is the return part, worth about 10p.

I want the whole lot back - if I had a paper ticket I would ahve had a full refund at the ticket office.

If you abandoned the journey and returned to origin you are entitled to 100%.

Use that actual phrase and they might get it

 

[JBuchananGB]

This is what Northern say about the situation. (Click on this)

 

[Howardh]

This is what Northern say about the situation. (Click on this)

Thanks, I am going to write a physical letter to Northern via their freepost address with all the details in.

 

[JBuchananGB]

That should work, although there does seem to be a relevant online process here

 

[Howardh]

This is the realtime trains account of the train I was supposed to take; https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G32806/2022-01-27#allox_id=0

That should work, although there does seem to be a relevant online process here

The original e-mail hasn't worked as they clearly tell me I'm not entitled. So I'm sending an email back to that address - rather than the "customer service department" explaining that I am asking for/entitled to a full refund, if that doesn't work then a physical letter is ready to be sent.
If delay repay is a seperate operation then customer relations then DR should have forwarded my e-mail to them, not tell me I'm not entitled?

 

[Llandudno]

This is the realtime trains account of the train I was supposed to take; https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G32806/2022-01-27#allox_id=0

The original e-mail hasn't worked as they clearly tell me I'm not entitled. So I'm sending an email back to that address - rather than the "customer service department" explaining that I am asking for/entitled to a full refund, if that doesn't work then a physical letter is ready to be sent.
If delay repay is a seperate operation then customer relations then DR should have forwarded my e-mail to them, not tell me I'm not entitled?

Suggest you tweet them.

I had a similar issue a year or two back, couldn’t get anywhere on line, but the Twitter team sorted it for me with a free ticket!

 

[yorkie]

1855 Lostock to Blackpool tonight. Stuck at Levenshulme 1908 and no good to me now. Have an m ticket, day ret for today. Downloaded, not activated. Can't work out what happens next, not clear on mobile site, I want to use it again or full refund. Help please! NB, northern trains.

It's now cancelled, I've gone back to Bolton to use on the now 1940 which won't call at Lostock, so still get a few hours in Blackpool...if this turns up!
Will put in a delay repay claim tomorrow. Should be 100% although having to double back to get a train might complicate things.

Delay Repay applies where you do make the journey but are delayed by a qualifying length of time; this claim goes to the relevant train company and should be straightforward.

A refund applies if you do not make the journey at all; if you have an e-ticket or inactivated m-ticket for a cancelled or heavily delayed train this should be very easy; for a paper ticket you may need to return it or show an image of it cut up. This claim goes to the retailer.

However if you made partial use of the ticket to a different destination, this can be a tricky one and I'd write a letter explaining what happened. (for a low value ticket, it is probably best written off!)

If you set out to make the journey but delays/cancellations occured so it became impractical to complete the journey, and you abandoned part way and immediately returned to the origin at the first opportunity, a refund does apply, but it could take some explaining and effort to actually achieve.

 

[miklcct]

If I don't complete the journey due to disruption (for example, with a Basingstoke - London Road (Guildford) return, a problem on the New Guildford Line prevents me to complete the journey so I stop short at Guildford), but I don't return immediately, instead returning at my original planned time midway after my day out (in the above example, from Guildford), can I claim any refund?

 

[MikeWh]

If I don't complete the journey due to disruption (for example, with a Basingstoke - London Road (Guildford) return, a problem on the New Guildford Line prevents me to complete the journey so I stop short at Guildford), but I don't return immediately, instead returning at my original planned time midway after my day out (in the above example, from Guildford), can I claim any refund?

The price is the same to either Guildford or London Road (Guildford). I would seek advice as to how to get to London Road. If the line is effectively closed then you might have a taxi laid on for you. For the return you'd probably need to use the help point. You would probably be delayed enough to claim some compensation on at least one leg.

I think the railway might question if you really abandoned your journey in the scenario you quote.

 

[Howardh]

Delay Repay applies where you do make the journey but are delayed by a qualifying length of time; this claim goes to the relevant train company and should be straightforward.

A refund applies if you do not make the journey at all; if you have an e-ticket or inactivated m-ticket for a cancelled or heavily delayed train this should be very easy; for a paper ticket you may need to return it or show an image of it cut up. This claim goes to the retailer.

However if you made partial use of the ticket to a different destination, this can be a tricky one and I'd write a letter explaining what happened. (for a low value ticket, it is probably best written off!)

If you set out to make the journey but delays/cancellations occured so it became impractical to complete the journey, and you abandoned part way and immediately returned to the origin at the first opportunity, a refund does apply, but it could take some explaining and effort to actually achieve.

Yes, no part of the journey was attempted, and I couldn't have anyway as the train scheduled to stop at Lostock flew through, late, without stopping, as did the following service. I bought a single - LOT>BON to get me into town for the remainder of the night so my original ticket was uncompromised.

I'm awaiting a response to a further e-mail; if I don't get one or it isn't satisfactory then a written letter with all the details goes in. Clearly as kindly alluded to above, if you don't even attempt to make the journey due to late running, stopping short or cancellations then it does look like I'm entitled to a full refund. Why Delay Repay can't handle that I don't know!!

Appararently I have 28 days from that date to make a claim.


Pity I don't have a reciept for the taxi fare to Lostock which became totally unnecessary!

Suggest you tweet them.

I had a similar issue a year or two back, couldn’t get anywhere on line, but the Twitter team sorted it for me with a free ticket!

Thanks, yes it's an idea but I'm wary of giving details over twitter (name, addy etc) as isn't that visible to everyone? If I can send them a personal message then that's different; I'm not all that confident in using twitter/facebook as I am with emails. Glad to see they solved it for you; as I wrota above I will give them time to reply to a further e-mail, and act on that if it's unsatisfactory.

 

[skyhigh]

I'm told I am entitled to the part of the ticket not used, which is the return part, worth about 10p.

So just to clarify, you held a return ticket but both the inward and outward portions were unused? Or you held a return and only used it in one direction?

 

[Howardh]

So just to clarify, you held a return ticket but both the inward and outward portions were unused? Or you held a return and only used it in one direction?

Both unused (m-ticket).

 

[JBuchananGB]

An M-ticket was involved. The Outward portion was activated but not used when disruption became apparent. The return portion was not activated. OP is entitled to a full refund without admin charge. Northern may wish to argue that activated equals used, but clearly that is not the case. Outward portion was quite rightly activated on arrival at the departure station (Lostock) before there was any news of disruption. Then the journey was abandoned. The service involved was 2N62, the 1855 departure from Lostock on 27/1/22

 

[yorkie]

That will be a full refund from the point of purchase. They should have an online process for you to follow.

 

[Howardh]

An M-ticket was involved. The Outward portion was activated but not used when disruption became apparent. The return portion was not activated. OP is entitled to a full refund without admin charge. Northern may wish to argue that activated equals used, but clearly that is not the case. Outward portion was quite rightly activated on arrival at the departure station (Lostock) before there was any news of disruption. Then the journey was abandoned. The service involved was 2N62, the 1855 departure from Lostock on 27/1/22

Clarification - downloaded but not activated at first - it was obvious @ Lostock that the train had been delayed. My issue is that as a day ticket, it couldn't be saved for another day. HOWEVER I was informed that it had to be activated to get delay repay so later on that evening it was so I could fill in the forms online.

When I wrote the OP the ticket hadn't been activated, I'd bought a single LOT/BON and then worked out what to do, which was to activate it to claim delay repay.

So that's what I did in the pub! Q - if I hadn't activated it could I simply have used it another day? I understood you couldn't?? Anyway, activated or not I should get a refund, after all as alluded to you can activate to get through the gate then find the train cancelled.

Now I find out I can't get delay repay as I didn't catch the train (which wouldn't have got me there anyway) (and didn't stop at my station even though it was supposed to) so I'm now stuck either claiming for the unused part of the ticket - the return leg which is, what, 10p? 20p? or hopefully getting the full amount.

I wish there were these options on the app!!;

1. Ticket not activated, wish to cancel for full automatic refund *click*
2. Ticket activated but not travelled, wish to cancel for full refund *more difficult as you could travel to an ungated station = fraud
3. Ticket activated, used but delayed, wish to apply for delay repay *click*

 

[yorkie]

HOWEVER I was informed that it had to be activated to get delay repay so later on that evening it was so I could fill in the forms online.

Delay Repay is for an actual journey, so it is true it would have to be activated to claim Delay Repay.

But if you didn't travel, there was no need to activate it, as you would be claiming a refund instead.

Who gave you this advice and what discussion took place?

When I wrote the OP the ticket hadn't been activated, I'd bought a single LOT/BON and then worked out what to do, which was to activate it to claim delay repay.

So that's what I did in the pub! Q - if I hadn't activated it could I simply have used it another day? I understood you couldn't??

No; you'd refund & repurchase.

Anyway, activated or not I should get a refund, after all as alluded to you can activate to get through the gate then find the train cancelled.

True, though m-tickets make this a faff. I never buy m-tickets.

Now I find out I can't get delay repay as I didn't catch the train (which wouldn't have got me there anyway) (and didn't stop at my station even though it was supposed to) so I'm now stuck either claiming for the unused part of the ticket - the return leg which is, what, 10p? 20p? or hopefully getting the full amount.

Did you use the outward part of the ticket? I thought it was stated upthread that the ticket was wholly unused?

I wish there were these options on the app!!;

1. Ticket not activated, wish to cancel for full automatic refund *click*
2. Ticket activated but not travelled, wish to cancel for full refund *more difficult as you could travel to an ungated station = fraud
3. Ticket activated, used but delayed, wish to apply for delay repay *click*

In general, the rail industry does not seem to want to make it easy to claim refunds or compensation when delays occur.

 

[skyhigh]

Now I find out I can't get delay repay as I didn't catch the train (which wouldn't have got me there anyway) (and didn't stop at my station even though it was supposed to) so I'm now stuck either claiming for the unused part of the ticket - the return leg which is, what, 10p? 20p? or hopefully getting the full amount.

Activating an m-ticket does not mean the ticket has been used - if you told Northern that the outward portion was used and the return unused, I can see how that has confused things.

If the ticket was used for no travel at all you need to simply tell them the ticket is fully unused as you abandoned your journey due to disruption, and you should receive a full refund. Don't say you're claiming for the unused part if none of it has been used.

 

[Howardh]

Quick update - well done Elaine @ Northern! This is their reply;

Thank you for contacting Northern.

Please allow me to apologise for the cancellation of the service you intended to travel on., and for the inconvenience caused to you. The service from Bolton to Blackpool North on the 27th of January at 18:50 was unfortunately cancelled due to a fault on the train.

As you abandoned your journey and did not use the tickets I have contacted the Web sales team who will process the refund payment of £10.40 back to you.

It will be paid into the account used to purchase the tickets within 3-5 working days.

Please let me know if there is anything further I can help you with.

Kind Regards,


Elaine Skelton
Customer Solutions Team