Southern refusing to reimburse taxi - advice please!

MrJeeves · 22 Jan 2025

Horizon22 said:
Yes it is incredibly unfortunate timing for the OP, but Southern definitely made the alteration after the arrival of the train the OP was originally on. The train had previously been cancelled for much longer than the reinstatement.

With the timing of the (new) alteration to start the service from Haywards Heath, there's little to no chance that will filter through to the station that quickly so the station staff were providing the information that they believed to be correct at the time they asked.

I've had a trawl through live information systems (Darwin) logs for the night in question.

The service was marked as running in the live information system until 22:20, when the service was marked as cancelled (can="true") at every location it was due to call at/pass through:

XML:

<uR updateOrigin="CIS" requestSource="at39" requestID="0000000000043723">
  <schedule rid="202501018800591" uid="X00591" trainId="1F68" ssd="2025-01-01" toc="SN" status="1"
    trainCat="XX">
    <ns2:OR wtd="22:46" tpl="VICTRIC" act="TB" can="true" ptd="22:46" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:48:30" tpl="BATRSPJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:50" tpl="POUPRTJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="22:52" wtd="22:53" tpl="CLPHMJC" act="T " can="true" pta="22:52" ptd="22:53" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:54" tpl="WANDCMN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:55:30" tpl="BALHAM" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:57" tpl="STRENJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:57:30" tpl="STRHCOM" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:58" tpl="NORBURY" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:59" tpl="THTH" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:00" tpl="SELHRST" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:00:30" tpl="WNDMLBJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:01:30" wtd="23:02:30" tpl="ECROYDN" act="T " can="true" pta="23:02"
      ptd="23:02" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:03" tpl="SCROYDN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:04" tpl="PURLEYO" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:06" tpl="PURLEY" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:07" tpl="SNSTJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:12:30" tpl="EARLSWD" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:14" tpl="SALFDS" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:17" tpl="HORLEY" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:18" wtd="23:19:30" tpl="GTWK" act="T " can="true" pta="23:18" ptd="23:19" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:22:30" tpl="THBDGS" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:24" tpl="BALCMTJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:25" tpl="BALCOMB" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:28" tpl="CPYHLDJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:29:30" wtd="23:30:30" tpl="HYWRDSH" act="T " can="true" pta="23:30"
      ptd="23:30" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:34" wtd="23:34:30" tpl="WVLSFLD" act="T " can="true" pta="23:34" ptd="23:34" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:35" tpl="KEYMERJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:41" wtd="23:41:30" tpl="PLMPTON" act="T " can="true" pta="23:41" ptd="23:41" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:45:30" wtd="23:46" tpl="COKSBDG" act="T " can="true" pta="23:46" ptd="23:46" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:50:30" wtd="23:58" tpl="LEWES" act="T " can="true" pta="23:51" ptd="23:58" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:01" tpl="STHRHMJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:02" tpl="GLYNDE" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:07" wtd="00:07:30" tpl="BERWICK" act="T " can="true" pta="00:07" ptd="00:07" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:12" wtd="00:13" tpl="POLGATE" act="T " can="true" pta="00:12" ptd="00:13" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:16" tpl="WILDJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:17" wtd="00:17:30" tpl="HMPDNPK" act="T " can="true" pta="00:17" ptd="00:17" />
    <ns2:DT wta="00:22" pta="00:22" tpl="EBOURNE" act="TF" can="true" />
    <ns2:cancelReason>765</ns2:cancelReason>
  </schedule>
</uR>

It remained cancelled at all stops until the reinstatement made it through to Darwin at 23:26:33. You can see from the XML extract below that the service was changed to be cancelled (can="true") at all locations between Victoria and Copyhold Jn, just before Haywards Heath.

XML:

<schedule rid="202501018800591" uid="X00591" trainId="1F68" ssd="2025-01-01" toc="SN">
  <ns2:OR wtd="22:46" tpl="VICTRIC" act="TB" can="true" ptd="22:46" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:48:30" tpl="BATRSPJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:50" tpl="POUPRTJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="22:52" wtd="22:53" tpl="CLPHMJC" act="T " can="true" pta="22:52" ptd="22:53" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:54" tpl="WANDCMN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:55:30" tpl="BALHAM" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:57" tpl="STRENJN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:57:30" tpl="STRHCOM" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:58" tpl="NORBURY" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:59" tpl="THTH" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:00" tpl="SELHRST" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:00:30" tpl="WNDMLBJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:01:30" wtd="23:02:30" tpl="ECROYDN" act="T " can="true" pta="23:02" ptd="23:02" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:03" tpl="SCROYDN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:04" tpl="PURLEYO" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:06" tpl="PURLEY" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:07" tpl="SNSTJN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:12:30" tpl="EARLSWD" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:14" tpl="SALFDS" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:17" tpl="HORLEY" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:18" wtd="23:19:30" tpl="GTWK" act="T " can="true" pta="23:18" ptd="23:19" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:22:30" tpl="THBDGS" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:24" tpl="BALCMTJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:25" tpl="BALCOMB" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:28" tpl="CPYHLDJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:OR wta="23:29:30" wtd="23:30:30" tpl="HYWRDSH" act="TB" planAct="T " pta="23:30" ptd="23:30" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:34" wtd="23:34:30" tpl="WVLSFLD" act="T " pta="23:34" ptd="23:34" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:35" tpl="KEYMERJ" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:41" wtd="23:41:30" tpl="PLMPTON" act="T " pta="23:41" ptd="23:41" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:45:30" wtd="23:46" tpl="COKSBDG" act="T " pta="23:46" ptd="23:46" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:50:30" wtd="23:58" tpl="LEWES" act="T " pta="23:51" ptd="23:58" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:01" tpl="STHRHMJ" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:02" tpl="GLYNDE" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:07" wtd="00:07:30" tpl="BERWICK" act="T " pta="00:07" ptd="00:07" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:12" wtd="00:13" tpl="POLGATE" act="T " pta="00:12" ptd="00:13" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:16" tpl="WILDJN" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:17" wtd="00:17:30" tpl="HMPDNPK" act="T " pta="00:17" ptd="00:17" />
  <ns2:DT wta="00:22" pta="00:22" tpl="EBOURNE" act="TF" />
  <ns2:cancelReason>767</ns2:cancelReason>
</schedule>

Every minute between 23:30 and 23:34, its estimated departure went up by a minute until eventually falling back to "Delayed" until it departed at midnight.

If they had reinstated the service just a minute or two earlier, you might have been able to take it, but given it only filtered through at 2326½ and your train departed effectively on-the-dot at 2326, you (and staff at the station) missed this info by just 30 seconds.

The data I'm using for this came from the Darwin Archives project website: https://archive.area51.dev/archive/ukrail/darwin/2025/1/1/

RailUK Forums

williamn · 22 Jan 2025

Well, they are replying quickly but continuing to ignore my requests for a deadlock letter. Their reply also doesn't make any sense to me.

(From me)

Thank you for your email. The information to reboard the train and continue to Brighton was made over the public address system by station staff. Any information that the train was running clearly hadn't been passed on to them. The OpenRail website lists the change to the starting point of the train to Lewes (from Victoria to Haywards Heath) as being made only seconds before my train arrived. The train had shown as cancelled throughout on all journey planners I used. The information as to when the change to the trains start point was made is publicly available, but I shouldn't have to go to these lengths to prove my case.

I also had a conversation with Southern via Twitter. They had advised me to check with staff at Haywards Heath and I confirmed back to them on Twitter that the advice had been to continue to Brighton. They didn't give me any information as to the train running from Haywards Heath.

I have already sent my train ticket but attach it again. I have now thoroughly explained the situation over several emails to you. If you are unable to confirm reimbursement of my taxi receipt by return please issue me with the Deadlock letter which I have already asked for twice.

(from Southern)

Thank you for your email and the additional information, I will check with our Social Media team to confirm details of the cancelled service. I wasn't able to locate details of a cancellation to the service until 11:26pm, the service was showing as running prior to this, therefore, I will need to investigate this further.

Horizon22 · 22 Jan 2025

williamn said:
Thank you for your email and the additional information, I will check with our Social Media team to confirm details of the cancelled service. I wasn't able to locate details of a cancellation to the service until 11:26pm, the service was showing as running prior to this, therefore, I will need to investigate this further.

That is just incompetence on behalf of the customer services advisor - plenty of industry systems will show the details of the cancellation.

MrJeeves said:

I've had a trawl through live information systems (Darwin) logs for the night in question.

The service was marked as running in the live information system until 22:20, when the service was marked as cancelled (can="true") at every location it was due to call at/pass through:

XML:

<uR updateOrigin="CIS" requestSource="at39" requestID="0000000000043723">
  <schedule rid="202501018800591" uid="X00591" trainId="1F68" ssd="2025-01-01" toc="SN" status="1"
    trainCat="XX">
    <ns2:OR wtd="22:46" tpl="VICTRIC" act="TB" can="true" ptd="22:46" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:48:30" tpl="BATRSPJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:50" tpl="POUPRTJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="22:52" wtd="22:53" tpl="CLPHMJC" act="T " can="true" pta="22:52" ptd="22:53" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:54" tpl="WANDCMN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:55:30" tpl="BALHAM" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:57" tpl="STRENJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:57:30" tpl="STRHCOM" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:58" tpl="NORBURY" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="22:59" tpl="THTH" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:00" tpl="SELHRST" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:00:30" tpl="WNDMLBJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:01:30" wtd="23:02:30" tpl="ECROYDN" act="T " can="true" pta="23:02"
      ptd="23:02" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:03" tpl="SCROYDN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:04" tpl="PURLEYO" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:06" tpl="PURLEY" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:07" tpl="SNSTJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:12:30" tpl="EARLSWD" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:14" tpl="SALFDS" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:17" tpl="HORLEY" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:18" wtd="23:19:30" tpl="GTWK" act="T " can="true" pta="23:18" ptd="23:19" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:22:30" tpl="THBDGS" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:24" tpl="BALCMTJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:25" tpl="BALCOMB" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:28" tpl="CPYHLDJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:29:30" wtd="23:30:30" tpl="HYWRDSH" act="T " can="true" pta="23:30"
      ptd="23:30" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:34" wtd="23:34:30" tpl="WVLSFLD" act="T " can="true" pta="23:34" ptd="23:34" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="23:35" tpl="KEYMERJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:41" wtd="23:41:30" tpl="PLMPTON" act="T " can="true" pta="23:41" ptd="23:41" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:45:30" wtd="23:46" tpl="COKSBDG" act="T " can="true" pta="23:46" ptd="23:46" />
    <ns2:IP wta="23:50:30" wtd="23:58" tpl="LEWES" act="T " can="true" pta="23:51" ptd="23:58" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:01" tpl="STHRHMJ" can="true" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:02" tpl="GLYNDE" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:07" wtd="00:07:30" tpl="BERWICK" act="T " can="true" pta="00:07" ptd="00:07" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:12" wtd="00:13" tpl="POLGATE" act="T " can="true" pta="00:12" ptd="00:13" />
    <ns2:PP wtp="00:16" tpl="WILDJN" can="true" />
    <ns2:IP wta="00:17" wtd="00:17:30" tpl="HMPDNPK" act="T " can="true" pta="00:17" ptd="00:17" />
    <ns2:DT wta="00:22" pta="00:22" tpl="EBOURNE" act="TF" can="true" />
    <ns2:cancelReason>765</ns2:cancelReason>
  </schedule>
</uR>

It remained cancelled at all stops until the reinstatement made it through to Darwin at 23:26:33. You can see from the XML extract below that the service was changed to be cancelled (can="true") at all locations between Victoria and Copyhold Jn, just before Haywards Heath.

XML:

<schedule rid="202501018800591" uid="X00591" trainId="1F68" ssd="2025-01-01" toc="SN">
  <ns2:OR wtd="22:46" tpl="VICTRIC" act="TB" can="true" ptd="22:46" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:48:30" tpl="BATRSPJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:50" tpl="POUPRTJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="22:52" wtd="22:53" tpl="CLPHMJC" act="T " can="true" pta="22:52" ptd="22:53" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:54" tpl="WANDCMN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:55:30" tpl="BALHAM" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:57" tpl="STRENJN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:57:30" tpl="STRHCOM" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:58" tpl="NORBURY" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="22:59" tpl="THTH" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:00" tpl="SELHRST" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:00:30" tpl="WNDMLBJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:01:30" wtd="23:02:30" tpl="ECROYDN" act="T " can="true" pta="23:02" ptd="23:02" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:03" tpl="SCROYDN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:04" tpl="PURLEYO" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:06" tpl="PURLEY" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:07" tpl="SNSTJN" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:12:30" tpl="EARLSWD" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:14" tpl="SALFDS" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:17" tpl="HORLEY" can="true" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:18" wtd="23:19:30" tpl="GTWK" act="T " can="true" pta="23:18" ptd="23:19" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:22:30" tpl="THBDGS" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:24" tpl="BALCMTJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:25" tpl="BALCOMB" can="true" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:28" tpl="CPYHLDJ" can="true" />
  <ns2:OR wta="23:29:30" wtd="23:30:30" tpl="HYWRDSH" act="TB" planAct="T " pta="23:30" ptd="23:30" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:34" wtd="23:34:30" tpl="WVLSFLD" act="T " pta="23:34" ptd="23:34" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="23:35" tpl="KEYMERJ" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:41" wtd="23:41:30" tpl="PLMPTON" act="T " pta="23:41" ptd="23:41" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:45:30" wtd="23:46" tpl="COKSBDG" act="T " pta="23:46" ptd="23:46" />
  <ns2:IP wta="23:50:30" wtd="23:58" tpl="LEWES" act="T " pta="23:51" ptd="23:58" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:01" tpl="STHRHMJ" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:02" tpl="GLYNDE" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:07" wtd="00:07:30" tpl="BERWICK" act="T " pta="00:07" ptd="00:07" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:12" wtd="00:13" tpl="POLGATE" act="T " pta="00:12" ptd="00:13" />
  <ns2:PP wtp="00:16" tpl="WILDJN" />
  <ns2:IP wta="00:17" wtd="00:17:30" tpl="HMPDNPK" act="T " pta="00:17" ptd="00:17" />
  <ns2:DT wta="00:22" pta="00:22" tpl="EBOURNE" act="TF" />
  <ns2:cancelReason>767</ns2:cancelReason>
</schedule>

Every minute between 23:30 and 23:34, its estimated departure went up by a minute until eventually falling back to "Delayed" until it departed at midnight.

If they had reinstated the service just a minute or two earlier, you might have been able to take it, but given it only filtered through at 2326½ and your train departed effectively on-the-dot at 2326, you (and staff at the station) missed this info by just 30 seconds.

The data I'm using for this came from the Darwin Archives project website: https://archive.area51.dev/archive/ukrail/darwin/2025/1/1/

The train had also been indefinitely delayed from Victoria since an hour before departure time (and then subsequently cancelled), probably because the inward train booked to form the 2246 departure had not made it's way into London (was cancelled at Eastbourne).

williamn · 29 Jan 2025

Still waiting for them to check the very easily available information and come back to me a week later…sigh!

Starmill · 29 Jan 2025

It's quite frustrating really given it matters so little what Darwin actually recorded. It should be adequate for them that you were asked by a member of staff to make your own way.

A train could have still been running from Brighton, though we know it wasn't in this case, but if you didn't know about it because you asked a member of staff and they didn't tell you, instead telling you to use a taxi, then it's completely and utterly irrelevant what's in the Darwin log.

As soon as you get to 8 weeks from your initial claim I'd suggest complaining to the Ombudsman.

Peakrider · 29 Jan 2025

Sadly as a lifelong rail user and enthusiast, all of this shows exactly why I no longer travel by train in this country beyond short 10 minute Merseyrail journeys.
I too have had endless battles like this with Avanti and Southern/Thameslink, where operators records of disruption fail to match the reality on the ground. I grew tired of photographing every departure board and keeping periodic screenshots of the NR app, and of research realtime trains etc, just to fight similar lengthy and tiring battles to claim my delay repay entitlement.
On top of customer service teams who are anything but, add in the uncomfortable seating, mind numbing blaring security announcements, the hell hole that is Euston with its 3 minutes notice of train platform, endless cancellations and the frequent inability to run trains south of Haywards Heath, combined to make train travel a combination of a sick lottery and a dystopian nightmare.
The railway has lost out on my frequent short notice £420+ work journeys south, and all of my long distance leisure travel.
Luckily there is Interrail, which proves rail travel can still be peaceful, comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable, so long as you don’t do it in Britain!

williamn · 29 Jan 2025

Well to be fair, with me covering usually 20k miles plus a year by train this is a lone, if infuriating, occurrence.

Peakrider · 29 Jan 2025

williamn said:
Well to be fair, with me covering usually 20k miles plus a year by train this is a lone, if infuriating, occurrence.

I certainly wondered whether I was jinxed!
But there’s still no escaping the awful seats and endless pointless announcements.

williamn · 30 Jan 2025

A proper update. They’re still refusing any liability and I will hold out for a proper refund. Utterly ridiculous and infuriating.

Thank you for your email, cancellations are updated on all departure data which shows up on screens at stations. I've checked again and there is no record of any cancellation which staff would have been made aware of at the time.

On this occasion, I can arrange to reimburse the £30 cost of the taxi as a gesture of goodwill. can arrange this in the form of cashable rail travel vouchers. The vouchers can be exchanged for rail tickets at any national rail ticket office or taken to a Thameslink, Great Northern or Southern Rail ticket office for a payment to be made to a debit card.

The vouchers are valid for a period of 12 months and can take 5-7 working days to arrive. Please confirm your home address and I will arrange to have this posted to you.

Bletchleyite · 30 Jan 2025

If the taxi cost £30 that is a proper refund - take them to the station and they'll swap them for money.

williamn · 30 Jan 2025

Bletchleyite said:
If the taxi cost £30 that is a proper refund - take them to the station and they'll swap them for money.

In my annoyance I’d missed that. The fact they refuse to acknowledge any error is what really infuriates me.

gray1404 · 30 Jan 2025

Accept the vouchers. Then cash then at a station. If Southern still owe you delay relay for the delay element or you feel you should have compensation for their poor handling of the complaint take it two the Ombudsman after 8 weeks.

Starmill · 2 Feb 2025

Bletchleyite said:
If the taxi cost £30 that is a proper refund - take them to the station and they'll swap them for money.

Indeed. Seems a tad chirlish not to give the customer a choice between vouchers, cheque or electronic transfer. No doubt had they done so the OP would've interpreted it straight away.

Western Sunset · 2 Feb 2025

Surprised they didn't offer luncheon vouchers... Very churlish behaviour by Southern.

James H · 2 Feb 2025

Last time I tried to cash GTR vouchers it took several attempts, as smaller stations claimed not to have enough cash in the till.

I eventually had success at Victoria where it was done without quibble.

MrJeeves · 2 Feb 2025

Starmill said:
Indeed. Seems a tad chirlish not to give the customer a choice between vouchers, cheque or electronic transfer. No doubt had they done so the OP would've interpreted it straight away.

From what I've been informed, the customer services team only have vouchers available to provide compensation. They have no direct way of making a bank transfer or sending a cheque.

I'm sure that if you kept pushing they'd eventually escalate it to someone who could, but this way makes receiving your compensation quicker than it would otherwise be.

Starmill · 2 Feb 2025

MrJeeves said:
From what I've been informed, the customer services team only have vouchers available to provide compensation. They have no direct way of making a bank transfer or sending a cheque.

I'm sure that if you kept pushing they'd eventually escalate it to someone who could, but this way makes receiving your compensation quicker than it would otherwise be.

In my opinion, if GTR's senior management chooses not to entrust a single person in customer service with the account for cheque printing, nor sending bank transfers, then that's just as much evidence of their own incompetence as was failing to provide the accurate train information to their staff, and industry systems, which caused this problem in the first place.

Titfield · 2 Feb 2025

Most businesses will require at least two persons to sign off on payments before they are made and in many cases there will be a payment run weekly or even less frequently. Many auditors and insurers will insist on two persons as a minimum as a fraud prevention measure. For large amounts it may take a senior person or very large amounts director approval. Therefore for customer relations issues in travel businesses it is far more common to issue vouchers as the amounts are low and what is effectively delegated approval is given to cr staff. Furthermore as the voucher can only be spent back in the business the true cost to the business is much lower as is fraud risk.

Starmill · 2 Feb 2025

Titfield said:
Most businesses will require at least two persons to sign off on payments before they are made and in many cases there will be a payment run weekly or even less frequently. Many auditors and insurers will insist on two persons as a minimum as a fraud prevention measure. For large amounts it may take a senior person or very large amounts director approval. Therefore for customer relations issues in travel businesses it is far more common to issue vouchers as the amounts are low and what is effectively delegated approval is given to cr staff. Furthermore as the voucher can only be spent back in the business the true cost to the business is much lower as is fraud risk.

Indeed but none of that is really relevant to these circumstances is it?

James H said:
Last time I tried to cash GTR vouchers it took several attempts, as smaller stations claimed not to have enough cash in the till.

This is commonplace both because it's often accurate and also because occasionally the clerk can't be bothered / doesn't know how to process the voucher.

James H said:
I eventually had success at Victoria where it was done without quibble.

At least here they can't credibly claim there's nobody present who can assist with the tendering of the voucher, or that no window has enough cash on hand. If the OP is passing through there anyway they should get their money with a minimum of hassle, at least.

dciuk · 2 Feb 2025

James H said:
Last time I tried to cash GTR vouchers it took several attempts, as smaller stations claimed not to have enough cash in the till.

I eventually had success at Victoria where it was done without quibble.

In this case they are offering that they can be exchanged for a payment to a debit card, so the ticket office not having cash would not be an issue.

mad_rich · 3 Feb 2025

williamn said:
In my annoyance I’d missed that. The fact they refuse to acknowledge any error is what really infuriates me.

I would require them to remove all reference to any 'gesture of goodwill' before accepting vouchers, and indeed ask for cash. It's something you're entitled to - you shouldn't need to dip into a (limited) pool of goodwill to get it!

Bletchleyite · 3 Feb 2025

mad_rich said:
I would require them to remove all reference to any 'gesture of goodwill' before accepting vouchers, and indeed ask for cash. It's something you're entitled to - you shouldn't need to dip into a (limited) pool of goodwill to get it!

The vouchers are cashable at the station. They thus effectively are cash, unless the OP isn't local to a staffed GTR station.

Fawkes Cat · 3 Feb 2025

mad_rich said:
I would require them to remove all reference to any 'gesture of goodwill' before accepting vouchers, and indeed ask for cash. It's something you're entitled to - you shouldn't need to dip into a (limited) pool of goodwill to get it!

Sometimes, it's worth taking the win. In this case, the railway are offering the full amount required and the consensus on this thread is that the form of the offer is easily convertible into cash. That's a win, and it seems to me that the thing is to take it and not hold out further for getting the exact wording that the OP might prefer.

Watershed · 3 Feb 2025

Fawkes Cat said:
Sometimes, it's worth taking the win. In this case, the railway are offering the full amount required and the consensus on this thread is that the form of the offer is easily convertible into cash. That's a win, and it seems to me that the thing is to take it and not hold out further for getting the exact wording that the OP might prefer.

I agree. It's incredibly frustrating, but there is little point in arguing over the wording when you have, fundamentally speaking, been given something that approximates what you are legally entitled to.

Of course if the OP would find it inconvenient to cash in the voucher, that is a different matter.

arb · 3 Feb 2025

A couple of years ago I had a complaint with Thameslink (related to repeated Delay Repay rejection for increasingly spurious reasons), who sent me vouchers totalling approximately £100 that were only cashable at GTR stations, and I don't live close to or regularly travel to any such station. I had actually pointed this out to them in the initial complaint and explicitly asked for any of method of payment of their choice except for vouchers that were only cashable at their stations. A cheque, or bank transfer, or vouchers that I could cash locally would all have been fine for me, but they chose to ignore that request.

After a lot of to and fro, and threats of the ombudsman, they eventually relented, at approximately 7.5 weeks, i.e. they waited until virtually the last possible moment before I could have actually gone to the ombudsman. They agreed that if I sent the vouchers back (given their value, via special delivery to get suitable insurance from Royal Mail) they would send me a cheque for the initial amount, plus the cost of special delivery.

So it can be done, if you can still be bothered after the several weeks of to and fro that you've already had!

bubieyehyeh · 3 Feb 2025

If you do accept the voucher, ensure you take the covering letter it comes with when you go to cash them in.
When I last tried the ticket office said they can't be cashed, so I pulled out the letter, and pointed out that the
covering letter said different, they had a close look at the letter and then paid me the cash (slightly grudgingly)

williamn · 5 Feb 2025

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I've asked for the vouchers though I couldn't help myself stating a final time that they are giving out false information.

I'll probably take the matter to my MP as it really angers me the amount of lies / misinformation that Southern have fed me in order to avoid paying out.

Southern refusing to reimburse taxi - advice please!

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