Ticket lost in post - what to do?

[Tufty82]

Any advice please?

On 6 February I purchased on line an Advance ticket from Leeds to Bristol Temple Meads for use on 31st March, and specified that ticket was to be sent to me by first class mail. Purchase was from the GWR website. I received email on 6 February confirming purchase and saying ticket would be in first class mail the next working day, so should have arrived by now.

Since then I've learnt that some correctly addressed mail to our home was returned to sender around this time. No idea why this happened - separate discussion with Royal Mail.

So my best guess is that the ticket has either been lost in the post or has been returned to GWR.

I called GWR. I was told ticket may still arrive (true - it might). However the service agent said that she couldn't check if the ticket had been returned, and they couldn't issue a replacement. If ticket still hadn't arrived by 1pm of the day before the journey I should phone and they would arrange for me to collect a replacement ticket from Leeds. I said I was very unhappy with this arrangement as it sounds like a recipe for chaos on the day of travel. Agent was polite, but unhelpful, and said that was all she could do.

I submitted feedback/complaint on the GWR website and got a form "How to claim cost of a ticket" reply which clearly demonstrated that the sender had not read my complaint. Didn't help my mood!

I would really like to get a valid printed ticket before I start my journey. I'd be ready to collect from Temple Meads if necessary.

Background. This ticket forms part of a slightly complicated journey where my wife and I travel from Bristol to Leeds and onto Horton on Ribblesdale together, then back to Leeds together a few days later. All these are with a Two Together Card, and the tickets are on her smart phone. We then travel back from Leeds separately as I am staying in Leeds for a working meeting of a charitable trust I do some voluntary work for. Hence need for a separate single ticket for me. As I don't have a smart phone and wanted a physical ticket for use in my travel cost claim I elected to have it posted to me. Wish I'd selected the (cheaper) collect from station option!!

 

[tiptoptaff]

I'm sure there is a minimum timeframe for Royal Mail to consider mail as lost, and I believe, even for 1st class, it's greater than 9days. No company anywhere will act upon claims of lost in transit until after the timeframe has been met.

I also personally don't understand why people don't choose guaranteed delivery options for items as valuable as train tickets. Should RM have potentially lost it? No. But, its the risk you take with anything posted with no tracking.

GWR won't reissue a ticket to you 9days after posting (and as yet not long enough to be considered lost by Royal Mail) and 6weeks before your intended travel.

My advice, wait and see if the tickets do turn up. I would imagine if they did get returned to GWR, if they could match your tickets to your online account (and I don't know if it is possible) then they will more than likely non-issue and refund than attempt to resend. The only way you'd know that had happened is if you mysteriously get refunded.

EDIT: it is 10 working days from the due delivery date, so given that 1st class is 1-2 working days, I would estimate that date you can claim as lost from is 21/02/2019

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I also personally don't understand why people don't choose guaranteed delivery options for items as valuable as train tickets. Should RM have potentially lost it? No. But, its the risk you take with anything posted with no tracking.

The only time there is a risk on the consumer is if you are the one sending the postal item, and it is worth more than the postal service is insured for. By default, standard stamped items are 'insured' for a loss of up to £20.

I can perfectly well understand why people wouldn't pay extra to have tickets posted to them - it is the responsibility and liability of the seller (trader) to ensure that the items are delivered and any issues with this are between them and any subcontractor they may choose to engage to do this (e.g. Royal Mail). It is none of the consumer's business or concern, unless of course they need the item being posted no later than a certain date, but didn't pay enough to have them by said date.

 

[Tufty82]

Thanks for comments -naively I had thought that purchase of an Advance Ticket with mandatory seat reservation would imply some form of serial number on the ticket, and it would therefore be a simple matter for GWR to cancel and reissue. Apparently not the case.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Thanks for comments -naively I had thought that purchase of an Advance Ticket with mandatory seat reservation would imply some form of serial number on the ticket, and it would therefore be a simple matter for GWR to cancel and reissue. Apparently not the case.

Unfortunately not - paper tickets are still based on the idea that the physical piece of cardboard is your right to travel, since it's difficult to forge!