1st Class de-classified en route. Refund?

[bnm]

If a service has its 1st Class de-classified during the journey, to ease over crowding in Standard, can 1st Class passengers claim a refund (difference in STD and 1st fares) for the portion of their journey that is no longer, technically, in accomodation exclusively for 1st Class ticket holders?

As usual, NRCoC is ambiguous on this:

G. TRAIN ACCOMMODATION AND RESERVATIONS

38. Travelling in standard class accommodation with a first class ticket

If you have a first class ticket (or the equivalent) and the first class accommodation (or the equivalent) shown in the National Rail timetable is not available on any train you travel in, you may claim a refund of the difference in price between the first class and the standard class ticket for the relevant part of your journey.

Does that cover de-classification en route? Or is there some get out clause in regs or byelaws that allows for no compensation in the event of de-classification?

 

[mathmo]

I would say that you should be able to, but the TOC may try and get out of it. I suggest you make a claim and see if you get anything back!

 

[Mojo]

I have had no trouble getting the fare between First and Standard refunded in the past.

 

[142094]

Does that cover the whole journey or just the part where 1st was declassified? Seems as if there could be some ambiguity over how long it was declassified etc.

 

[Aictos]

I have had no trouble getting the fare between First and Standard refunded in the past.

Agreed, indeed you should be able to get the difference refunded.

The following was a query or two that was asked at a Ask the Directors webchat last year when 1st Class had to be declassified on the FCC TL route:

Why does my ticket need to be valid between the dates 12/11/2009 – 22/01/10 for me to be eligible for the First Class refund?

First Class facilities were declassified on Thameslink route services between these dates, so customers who had First Class tickets were not able to use this service.

What portion of my First Class ticket/s needs to be valid between 12/11/2009 – 22/01/10 for me to apply for the refund?

As long as your First Class ticket was valid between these dates you will get the pro rata difference between the Standard and First Class fare for these days.

 

[bnm]

More specifically to my OP, I was actually querying on behalf of someone else who bought a Weekend First upgrade prior to the service being de-classified. Pro rata refund for this? Being as it was on FGW there is zonal system for Weekend First and two of the three zones this person travelled in were in de-classified 1st class.

 

[richw]

More specifically to my OP, I was actually querying on behalf of someone else who bought a Weekend First upgrade prior to the service being de-classified. Pro rata refund for this? Being as it was on FGW there is zonal system for Weekend First and two of the three zones this person travelled in were in de-classified 1st class.

your on fgw coffee shop at a guess, seen the same discussion there, there are several conditions of travel that cover this and some appear to make it possible to be entitled to a refund and other condition of travel appear to make not entitled so only way is to write i guess