Refund on part used ticket

[Essexman]

Last month, for the reason outlined in the email to GWR below, I only used the London to Reading (& return) parts of an off peak London to Torquay return.
GWR's reply sent me a link to delay repay but I couldn't see an option to refund a partially used journey. I replied saying this but they haven't replied to me.

Is there any way to claim the unused portion or am I relying on GWR's goodwill?

Or could I claim the full journey and buy but not use a London to Reading return, so they get back the money for the part I used?

I booked a First Class Off Peak Return for Thursday 7th July from London Paddington to Torquay (Ref. ******* - attached), intending to divert from Reading to Oxford in order to visit my aged parents in a nearby care home (knowing that a break of journey is permitted on this ticket). I travelled from Paddington in the morning but booked a seat on the 16.04 from Paddington, intending to pick this up at Reading. I bought a ticket from Cross Country to cover the Reading to Oxford sections (attached).

Unfortunately on the morning of 7th July my mother became seriously ill and had to have an emergency operation. The outcome was far from certain and she was told that she may not survive, so having visited her in hospital I returned home, not wishing to be on my own in Torquay with the possibility of bad news.

Fortunately she came through the operation, so I was able travel to Torquay the next day. I booked a new First Class Off Peak Return ticket for Friday 8th July (ref. 4J8W5J24 - attached).

I therefore only used the Thursday 7th ticket for London to Reading and return, not the section from Reading to Torquay.

As you will see from my booking history, I am a regular First Class traveller from London to Oxford and Torquay.

In the circumstances would you be willing to provide a refund (GWR vouchers would be fine) for the 7th July Paddington to Torquay ticket, less the cost of return from London to Reading.

 

[Haywain]

Your case is nothing to do with Delay Repay, so it appears that they have misunderstood your request. Was your ticket purchased through GWR? If not, refunds should always be claimed from the original retailer rather then the train operator.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think you are entitled to anything for having finished short, I'm afraid, only from not having used a whole portion (i.e. bought a return and only used the outward), unless it's because you abandoned your journey due to disruption in which case a full refund is due.

 

[Haywain]

I don't think you are entitled to anything for having finished short,

An entitlement, as such, may be questionable but I think many companies would consider giving a refund in the circumstances described.

 

[Essexman]

Apologies, it was a link to the refund portal that GWR sent not Delay Repay but that didn't give the option for a refund for finishing short.

I appreciate that there isn't an entitlement to it.

Given they referred me to the refund portal I could have assumed they were giving me authority to claim a full refund - but with warnings of fraud chose not to do this.

What I should have done was buy a single from Reading to London and claim back the return half from Torquay but in the circumstances I wasn't really thinking about train tickets.

 

[Watershed]

Last month, for the reason outlined in the email to GWR below, I only used the London to Reading (& return) parts of an off peak London to Torquay return.
GWR's reply sent me a link to delay repay but I couldn't see an option to refund a partially used journey. I replied saying this but they haven't replied to me.

Is there any way to claim the unused portion or am I relying on GWR's goodwill?

Or could I claim the full journey and buy but not use a London to Reading return, so they get back the money for the part I used?

I booked a First Class Off Peak Return for Thursday 7th July from London Paddington to Torquay (Ref. ******* - attached), intending to divert from Reading to Oxford in order to visit my aged parents in a nearby care home (knowing that a break of journey is permitted on this ticket). I travelled from Paddington in the morning but booked a seat on the 16.04 from Paddington, intending to pick this up at Reading. I bought a ticket from Cross Country to cover the Reading to Oxford sections (attached).

Unfortunately on the morning of 7th July my mother became seriously ill and had to have an emergency operation. The outcome was far from certain and she was told that she may not survive, so having visited her in hospital I returned home, not wishing to be on my own in Torquay with the possibility of bad news.

Fortunately she came through the operation, so I was able travel to Torquay the next day. I booked a new First Class Off Peak Return ticket for Friday 8th July (ref. 4J8W5J24 - attached).

I therefore only used the Thursday 7th ticket for London to Reading and return, not the section from Reading to Torquay.

As you will see from my booking history, I am a regular First Class traveller from London to Oxford and Torquay.

In the circumstances would you be willing to provide a refund (GWR vouchers would be fine) for the 7th July Paddington to Torquay ticket, less the cost of return from London to Reading.

I presume you bought your ticket from GWR? If you bought your ticket from another retailer, e.g. Trainline, you would need to contact them instead.

You are entitled to a refund of the difference between the cost of the ticket you bought (London to Torquay First Off-Peak Return - £260.60) and the cost of the ticket for the journey you actually made (London to Reading First Off-Peak Return - £64.40), less an admin fee of up to £10. So £196.20, less any admin fee the retailer charges you.

I don't know where GWR have got Delay Repay from, although the inclusion of extraneous details in your email may have confused them.

Obviously this refund will not be proportional to the distance travelled, but you will at least get a reasonable amount back.

 

[AlterEgo]

You don't go through the refund portal for things like this - as you are happy to take vouchers I'd recommend giving them a ring on 03457 000 125 option 6. You need someone to look at the case who won't just apply a slide rule to the refund.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I presume you bought your ticket from GWR? If you bought your ticket from another retailer, e.g. Trainline, you would need to contact them instead.

You are entitled to a refund of the difference between the cost of the ticket you bought (London to Torquay First Off-Peak Return - £260.60) and the cost of the ticket for the journey you actually made (London to Reading First Off-Peak Return - £64.40), less an admin fee of up to £10. So £196.20, less any admin fee the retailer charges you.

I don't know where GWR have got Delay Repay from, although the inclusion of extraneous details in your email may have confused them.

Obviously this refund will not be proportional to the distance travelled, but you will at least get a reasonable amount back.

Exactly what NRCoT provision entitles a refund for ending short, please?

 

[Dai Corner]

I think the problem will be providing proof that you (or somebody you handed the ticket too) didn't travel from Reading to Torquay and back on Thursday 7th if GWR ask for it?

 

[Essexman]

Thanks.

I bought the ticket from GWR.

It was with a Senior Railcard so the cost was about £171.

 

[Watershed]

Exactly what NRCoT provision entitles a refund for ending short, please?

Condition 29. I'd have thought you would be aware of that!

 

[Essexman]

I think the problem will be providing proof that you (or somebody you handed the ticket too) didn't travel from Reading to Torquay and back on Thursday 7th if GWR ask for it?

I can't prove that but I do have a return ticket from Reading to Oxford and if their gates record the time tickets are scanned I think they'd show barely time to get to Torquay, dip toes in sea and return (maybe not even enough to get all the way to Torquay and back).