Refund in advance due to tube strike

[Jovian98]

I have an off-peak return from Cambridge to Heathrow (purchased online from Virgin East Coast) for travel on the day of the next tube strike in August. Having seen pictures of the queues for taxis in the last tube strike, I don't see any way of reliably completing the journey and so would like to get a full refund so I can book a coach ticket.

I checked the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and they seem to say that I can do this by going to Cambridge station:

"26. Refunds on tickets that have not been used
If you decide not to use a ticket (other than a Season Ticket - see Condition 36) to make all or part of your intended journey, then:
(a) if the train you intended to use is cancelled, delayed or your reservation will not be honoured, you decide not to travel and at that time you return the unused ticket to any ticket office, the Train Company responsible for that ticket office will, wherever possible, give you an immediate full refund as shown in Condition 27;"

My questions are

- does the part in red included train journeys where the affected part is on the tube

- when is it determined that the train is cancelled or delayed. When the strike is announced? When TfL publish a statement saying most trains will be be cancelled or delayed?

I note that in a previous strike affecting mainline services, refunds were issued on the basis of a planned strike and these were honoured despite the strike being called off:

The RMT and TSSA Trades Unions suspended the industrial action planned for Bank Holiday Monday 25 May and Tuesday 26 May.We had previously published special ticketing arrangements for those customers affected by the planned industrial action. Information on how those arrangements will now be applied has been summarised below:

Customers who have already requested a refund, as they had decided not to travel as a result of the previously planned industrial action, will have their refund processed without the normal administration fee being charged. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/97695.aspx

I am aware of other sorts of refunds involving an admin fee but I am after a full refund in this case.

 

[gray1404]

I am often confused why the NRCoC says you can go to any station ticket office but then when you do that, you are told you have to apply to the retailer or TOC you brought the ticket from. Even if you go back to the same ticket office they'll want you to send a refund form into passenger accounts or customer relations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Even if a £10 admin fee is charged, given that the ticket is nearly £80-worth a normal refund would be worth obtaining. (I don't know re the Tube)

 

[yorkie]

I have an off-peak return from Cambridge to Heathrow (purchased online from Virgin East Coast)

What exactly is the destination printed on the ticket? Is it to Heathrow Rail? http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=CBG&dest=H584&tkt=SVR or is it to Zone 6 (which would be valid to Heathrow by Piccadilly tube line)

- does the part in red included train journeys where the affected part is on the tube

Perhaps debatable, but I'd be inclined to say yes.

If and when that does apply, Cambridge station should take it, but would have to complete a form to be forwarded on to East Coast.

- when is it determined that the train is cancelled or delayed. When the strike is announced? When TfL publish a statement saying most trains will be be cancelled or delayed?

Are the trains confirmed as cancelled yet? If not, when the confirmation is given, that's probably when it becomes a contractual right. But you might get good customer service before that time.

I note that in a previous strike affecting mainline services, refunds were issued on the basis of a planned strike and these were honoured despite the strike being called off:

I think that was a case of offering good service rather than an admission that the trains were cancelled at that time.

I am aware of other sorts of refunds involving an admin fee but I am after a full refund in this case.

Out of interest why did you book on the VTEC site? Now rewards is gone I can't think of any reason to book this ticket with them.

If you had booked through the Southern website and hadn't yet collected the tickets, a no quibble refund would be issued without fuss.

 

[bb21]

You could also try ringing East Coast customer service as soon as the strikes are confirmed. As they are the retailer, they would have much more room for discretion in such a case which I reckon is borderline, as neither LU nor Heathrow Express is subject to the NRCoC.

 

[Jovian98]

What exactly is the destination printed on the ticket? Is it to Heathrow Rail? http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=CBG&dest=H584&tkt=SVR or is it to Zone 6 (which would be valid to Heathrow by Piccadilly tube line)

Perhaps debatable, but I'd be inclined to say yes.

If and when that does apply, Cambridge station should take it, but would have to complete a form to be forwarded on to East Coast.

Are the trains confirmed as cancelled yet? If not, when the confirmation is given, that's probably when it becomes a contractual right. But you might get good customer service before that time.

I think that was a case of offering good service rather than an admission that the trains were cancelled at that time.



Out of interest why did you book on the VTEC site? Now rewards is gone I can't think of any reason to book this ticket with them.

If you had booked through the Southern website and hadn't yet collected the tickets, a no quibble refund would be issued without fuss.

Thanks, this is useful. It is Heathrow Rail on my ticket.

I booked via VTEC as I wanted the tickets posted to me for £1, and my local TOCs don't seem to do this. Mainly because the queues at CBG are often extremely long whenever I happen to be there (something that Great Anglia have refused to do anything about for far too long, presumably thinking they can ride it out until the ticket hall is extended:-x).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You could also try ringing East Coast customer service as soon as the strikes are confirmed. As they are the retailer, they would have much more room for discretion in such a case which I reckon is borderline, as neither LU nor Heathrow Express is subject to the NRCoC.

Seems it might be best to wait until TfL confirm their strike timetable, although I can't wait too long unless the coaches are booked up.

 

[button_boxer]

I am often confused why the NRCoC says you can go to any station ticket office but then when you do that, you are told you have to apply to the retailer or TOC you brought the ticket from. Even if you go back to the same ticket office they'll want you to send a refund form into passenger accounts or customer relations.

The weasel words "wherever possible"...

 

[yorkie]

I booked via VTEC as I wanted the tickets posted to me for £1...

... Southeastern will do this for £0 and will refund you without an admin fee, as far as I can tell...

Mainly because the queues at CBG are often extremely long whenever I happen to be there (something that Great Anglia have refused to do anything about for far too long, presumably thinking they can ride it out until the ticket hall is extended:-x).

Are the queues regularly longer than stated in their charter? If so has anyone reported this to Transport Focus and the DfT?

From Station Ticket offices
....We will do our best to serve
you within five minutes in peak times and three minutes in
the off peak. We display details of these peak times at ticket
offices. We will monitor our achievement of these queuing
times as part of our service quality regime.

Are these targets consistently not being met? That needs reporting, and escalating if nothing is done about it.

 

[CyrusWuff]

(Cambridge Station) Are the queues regularly longer than stated in their charter? If so has anyone reported this to Transport Focus and the DfT?

Are these targets consistently not being met? That needs reporting, and escalating if nothing is done about it.

This shot from NRE is the quietest I've ever seen Cambridge, suggesting it was probably taken on a Sunday:

Here's an extreme example from a Saturday morning:

 

[philjo]

The queue was longer than that just before 10am last Saturday when I was coming out of the station.
There must have been at least 100 people queuing outside the station (plus those inside).
You often have to push your way through to get out of the station on a Saturday morning. Though last time they had the side door by platform 3 open for exit. I arrived on Platform 7 this time so it was easier to just go through the main barriers.

 

[anme]

That's a great pic to use when someone questions why print at home or smart card ticketing would be useful!