Delay Repay Virgin.

[shredder1]

I was having a trip upto Carlisle on Saturday 13th April last month and apparently the train in front of us had shed fuel all over the line, so the West Coat line was closed for a while while the fire bragade attended, my Pendolina was stopped outside Lancaster, and we were eventually send back into Preston, ( I had bought a day return Preston to Carlisle at £15.85), I returned to the ticket office at Preston they told me just to put a delay payment in and I would get my fare back. Because of the time factors it was no longer worth my waiting for the West Coast line to reopen as the time I would have got to Carlisle would have limited my day, so I aborted the trip and went to Blackpool instead because they had a steam speicial working in.

I contacted Virgin would were very slow to respond, this month however they have sent me a cheuque for only half the fare, £7 odd, I`m not sure of the exact delay time, but on principle this doesnt seem right?

 

[yorkie]

I was having a trip upto Carlisle on Saturday 13th April last month and apparently the train in front of us had shed fuel all over the line, so the West Coat line was closed for a while while the fire bragade attended, my Pendolina was stopped outside Lancaster, and we were eventually send back into Preston, ( I had bought a day return Preston to Carlisle at £15.85), I returned to the ticket office at Preston they told me just to put a delay payment in and I would get my fare back. Because of the time factors it was no longer worth my waiting for the West Coast line to reopen as the time I would have got to Carlisle would have limited my day, so I aborted the trip and went to Blackpool instead because they had a steam speicial working in.

I contacted Virgin would were very slow to respond, this month however they have sent me a cheuque for only half the fare, £7 odd, I`m not sure of the exact delay time, but on principle this doesnt seem right?

This is incorrect; as your train returned to the point of origin and you abandoned your journey, Delay Repay does not apply. Instead a full refund should be issued by the retailer (ie. the total amount for all relevant portions/tickets, with absolutely no admin fee)

If the retailer was Preston ticket office, they should have handled the refund for you.

If the retailer was anywhere else, Preston ticket office should have advised you to contact the retailer.

 

[najaB]

I contacted Virgin would were very slow to respond, this month however they have sent me a cheuque for only half the fare, £7 odd, I`m not sure of the exact delay time, but on principle this doesnt seem right?

If you didn't travel then a full refund is due as @yorkie says.

 

[Haywain]

If you didn't travel then a full refund is due as @yorkie says.

But not from the same source as Delay Repay. However, where from depends on where the ticket was purchased.

 

[najaB]

But not from the same source as Delay Repay. However, where from depends on where the ticket was purchased.

Yes. Refund, not Delay Repay. You can't claim for a delay if you never travelled!

 

[shredder1]

This is incorrect; as your train returned to the point of origin and you abandoned your journey, Delay Repay does not apply. Instead a full refund should be issued by the retailer (ie. the total amount for all relevant portions/tickets, with absolutely no admin fee)

If the retailer was Preston ticket office, they should have handled the refund for you.

If the retailer was anywhere else, Preston ticket office should have advised you to contact the retailer.

Thank you very much Yorkie, yes that would sound right.

 

[shredder1]

Yes. Refund, not Delay Repay. You can't claim for a delay if you never travelled!

Thank you very much najaB, appreciated

 

[Elecman]

What a surprise Virgin booking office staff at Preston giving wrong advise !! , they must be some of the most incompetent staff Virgin employ. I’ve had numerous issues of wrong info being given by them myself

 

[robbeech]

What a surprise Virgin booking office staff at Preston giving wrong advise !! , they must be some of the most incompetent staff Virgin employ. I’ve had numerous issues of wrong info being given by them myself

Don’t be quick to blame them. Let’s address why they have insufficient knowledge. What training have they received ? Is it sufficient? If not, has anyone brought it to the attention of more senior staff?
Is there an incentive for VT to train them better? Is there an incentive to NOT do this?
Having staff that give out poor advice that leads to increased revenue is very common over the rail network but it’s unlikely to be deliberate.

 

[sheff1]

Having staff that give out poor advice that leads to increased revenue is very common over the rail network but it’s unlikely to be deliberate.

Hmm.

It is noticeable that when these 'under-trained' staff make up rules they are almost invariably disadvantageous to the passenger .... unless, of course, staff are regularly, say, giving full refunds to people who enquire about claiming for a delay and we just don't hear about it.

 

[shredder1]

I have sent another email to Virgin, but as yet had no reply, I`ll keep you updated though

 

[AlterEgo]

Hmm.

It is noticeable that when these 'under-trained' staff make up rules they are almost invariably disadvantageous to the passenger .... unless, of course, staff are regularly, say, giving full refunds to people who enquire about claiming for a delay and we just don't hear about it.

Advising a customer that they are not entitled to something when they really are, is a different prospect to advising them they are entitled when they are not.

It's simple psychology that most errors of this type are caused by employees being over-conservative or lazy, either because they're not sure and don't want to give away something that costs their employer (and hence land them in trouble), or because they're just bone idle.

One of the most depressing things about this forum is the constant intimations of conspiracy on behalf of train companies when most of us who know the score can tell you it is simple incompetence or idleness by their staff.

 

[najaB]

unless, of course, staff are regularly, say, giving full refunds to people who enquire about claiming for a delay and we just don't hear about it.

It's unlikely that someone would log on to an Internet forum to complain that they got exactly what they *thought* they should get, even if they weren't actually entitled to it...

 

[shredder1]

Many thanks for the responses guys, I`ve just had another email from Virgin

"Dear Mr Shred

Thanks for getting back in touch. I'm sorry that you were unhappy with our previous response. I'll do my best to resolve your
concerns.
I understand that you were unable to travel and that the 11:15 service from Preston to Carlisle had to return to Preston due to a
leak on the tracks of an earlier service.
I hope you will accept my apologies as I can see that your claim was processed incorrectly and that you should have received a full
refund due to the fact that you've not been able to complete your journey.
I have now reviewed your claim and I'm happy to give you an additional refund as a cheque (enclosed) for £7.93.
Thanks for taking the time to contact us. We hope that you'll travel with us again soon and we look forward to welcoming you
onboard.
Yours sincerely
xxxxx
Customer Resolutions Adviser
Virgin Trains Customer Resolutions Centre"

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Many thanks for the responses guys, I`ve just had another email from Virgin

"Dear Mr Shred

Thanks for getting back in touch. I'm sorry that you were unhappy with our previous response. I'll do my best to resolve your
concerns.
I understand that you were unable to travel and that the 11:15 service from Preston to Carlisle had to return to Preston due to a
leak on the tracks of an earlier service.
I hope you will accept my apologies as I can see that your claim was processed incorrectly and that you should have received a full
refund due to the fact that you've not been able to complete your journey.
I have now reviewed your claim and I'm happy to give you an additional refund as a cheque (enclosed) for £7.93.
Thanks for taking the time to contact us. We hope that you'll travel with us again soon and we look forward to welcoming you
onboard.
Yours sincerely
xxxxx
Customer Resolutions Adviser
Virgin Trains Customer Resolutions Centre"

Better late than never

 

[shredder1]

Better late than never

I`ve not recieved it yet,

 

[shredder1]

Got my final cheque last night, lol