Non-use of Season ticket due to illness question

[Saturnine]

Hi all,

Hopefully a relatively simple question for all the ticketing experts here.

My mother was recently off work for a period of 8 weeks due to prolonged illness. She has an annual season ticket with southeastern to london terminals and we're just wondering if it is possible to claim any sort of refund (with appropriate documentation of course) as the season ticket went unused for so long.

I'm not sure if this is the case, as on an annual season ticket you get the equivalent of 12 weeks free anyway, so from a ticketing perspective she still has 4 'free weeks' after losing the 8 weeks anyway. Looking at the national rail website confusing me a little however.

Taken from the website here, the 'Refunds' section states:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season_tickets/season_ticket_conditions.html

In cases of illness, the refund can be backdated if you produce suitable documentary evidence for a period before you hand in your ticket, provided that you have not started travelling again using your Season Ticket since your illness.

We do not give refunds or allow Season Tickets to be extended for periods of non-use, for example holidays. We do not normally give refunds on duplicate Season Tickets although consideration will be given if you can give written evidence of redundancy, prolonged illness or similar circumstances or if the original ticket is recovered and returned to the issuing ticket office within one month of its loss. Please ask at the ticket office for more details.

From the first part of that, I'd be clear that she is not entitled to a refund. It's just the second part the confuses me a little when it says they will give consideration if you can give written evidence of prolonged illness.

I'm guessing 8 weeks is too short a time for a refund or extension from what I've gathered, especially as she has now retuned to work, but if anyone has any advice otherwise, or could just fully confirm she cannot claim, it would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time!

 

[island]

I think a refund would not get her anything in this instance, for the reasons you gave.

 

[snail]

From the first part of that, I'd be clear that she is not entitled to a refund. It's just the second part the confuses me a little when it says they will give consideration if you can give written evidence of prolonged illness.

The second part refers to refunds where a duplicate ticket has been issued. Normally, if you lose your ticket you also lose your right to a refund on its replacement.

 

[iphone76]

Although I use a different company (was National Express East Anglia at the time), when I broke my knee cap I had to take 12 weeks off work so could not travel into London using my annual ticket.

When I started back at work, I wrote to the customer services department including my sick notes and I obtained a refund for the 3 months. This also worked for the council car park near the station.

I just explained I was unable to use my ticket and enquired whether I was able to obtain a refund. I found them very understanding. (More so than work! - where I had to send in a picture of me laid up in full leg plaster before they believed I could not get in).

Good luck!

 

[34D]

If the ticket office examine the mag strip of the ticket, will it show last used on 20th May (or whatever the date was)?

If so then this and a doctors note should be handed in.

Was the ticket bought by her work? If so that may make the refund complicated.