Northern: claiming Delay Repay on an unscanned eticket

[BG2024]

I made a journey last week with Northern which was delayed by over half-an-hour; we had to change trains because the original service was curtailed. The journey was between two unbarried stations and there were no on-board checks, so my ticket went unscanned.

They denied my DR claim, on the basis that my ticket was "unused" and therefore I should instead claim a full refund from the retailer. Of course I'm not going to do that - I've read enough threads on here about dodgy refunds to know how much trouble I could be in if I did!

I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this: is it a one-off, or do they always tell people to request a full refund if their ticket wasn't scanned?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I very often make journeys where I don't pick up any scans and have never had this come up in my life, including from Northern.

Just appeal it and state clearly that you did travel and wish to claim Delay Repay not a refund.

 

[yorkie]

They denied my DR claim, on the basis that my ticket was "unused" and therefore I should instead claim a full refund from the retailer. Of course I'm not going to do that - I've read enough threads on here about dodgy refunds to know how much trouble I could be in if I did!

I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this: is it a one-off, or do they always tell people to request a full refund if their ticket wasn't scanned?

Northern don't only try this trick for unscanned tickets, but they tried it with me for a scanned ticket!

I had a F&F day ticket, which was scanned on both directions, and yet they encouraged me to commit fraud by claiming a refund "from the retailer"; however the retailer was themselves (as you can only get F&F tickets from Northern).

They are an incompetent company.

I very often make journeys where I don't pick up any scans and have never had this come up in my life, including from Northern.

Just appeal it and state clearly that you did travel and wish to claim Delay Repay not a refund.

Agreed, they will eventually relent.

Perhaps they hope that some people will give up, which will not only save them money on the current claim but also deter people from making future claims.

 

[Kite159]

Northern, the poster child of nationalism. Just appeal it, some of the claim handlers are rubbish and will make up any excuse not to pay out.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Reply to them, asking if they really are instructing you to make a fraudulent claim (unused ticket refund when a journey has actually been made), and whether that is really their intention.

There are plenty of threads where passengers have, it is hinted, tried just that. Suggested in a roundabout way rather than a specific allegation of course. A fishing expedition to see if the passenger fesses up without realising it! That the passenger has (possibly) undertaken the journey, not been gripped, scanned or passed through a barrier, so has claimed back for 'unused' tickets on multiple occasions, this then having been picked up as ' suspicious activity' following a 'review' and the passenger being invited to explain themselves, if they so wish, before further investigations are undertaken.

 

[zero]

An EMR delay repay handler rejected my delay repay on a paper ticket which was used but unmarked, and instructed me to make a refund request.

So I did make a refund request but I wrote clearly that I had travelled and was delayed. I also copied in the message rejecting my delay repay and telling me to ask for a refund.

I received a full refund instead of 50% delay compensation.

 

[Skymonster]

An EMR delay repay handler rejected my delay repay on a paper ticket which was used but unmarked, and instructed me to make a refund request.

Sadly EMR does sometimes try to put that obstacle in the way. I know better now. If I want to claim delay repay and my paper ticket hasn’t been marked before I scan it, I mark it myself. On one occasion when I omitted to do so my initial claim was rejected, so I photoshopped a mark onto the scan (I nolonger had the ticket) and resubmitted it. They paid it.

 

[Kite159]

Sadly EMR does sometimes try to put that obstacle in the way. I know better now. If I want to claim delay repay and my paper ticket hasn’t been marked before I scan it, I mark it myself. On one occasion when I omitted to do so my initial claim was rejected, so I photoshopped a mark onto the scan (I nolonger had the ticket) and resubmitted it. They paid it.

The Abellio 'requirement' to deface physical tickets. Usually bypàssed by photoshopping a cut of the ticket on a PC.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sadly EMR does sometimes try to put that obstacle in the way. I know better now. If I want to claim delay repay and my paper ticket hasn’t been marked before I scan it, I mark it myself. On one occasion when I omitted to do so my initial claim was rejected, so I photoshopped a mark onto the scan (I nolonger had the ticket) and resubmitted it. They paid it.

It's very ill advised to dispose of a paper ticket before the claim has been paid, and I can't understand why anyone would do so.

 

[Skymonster]

It's very ill advised to dispose of a paper ticket before the claim has been paid, and I can't understand why anyone would do so.

The physical ticket was eaten by a barrier. I forgot to keep it but had already photographed it with my phone in preparation for a claim. So when the claim was rejected because the ticket wasn’t defaced, I defaced it with photoshop and resubmitted the claim (they ask for the ticket to be defaced and sent again, which is what I did). Easy.

 

[BG2024]

Well, they've rejected my appeal. Northern are still insisting that my journey home from Leyland must have been some form of hallucination and are still pushing me to commit fraud by claiming a refund from the retailer instead. Absolutely mindblowing.

 

[sheff1]

Well, they've rejected my appeal. Northern are still insisting that my journey home from Leyland must have been some form of hallucination and are still pushing me to commit fraud by claiming a refund from the retailer instead. Absolutely mindblowing.

If you have not already done so, you might wish to ask them the specific question as per post #5

 

[BG2024]

If you have not already done so, you might wish to ask them the specific question as per post #5

I did manage to squish that into the 250 characters I was allowed for the appeal, but I have very little faith anyone bothered to read it.

 

[Watershed]

Well, they've rejected my appeal. Northern are still insisting that my journey home from Leyland must have been some form of hallucination and are still pushing me to commit fraud by claiming a refund from the retailer instead. Absolutely mindblowing.

Might be worth raising a complaint so you can get the ball rolling on potentially taking this further.

 

[sheff1]

I did manage to squish that into the 250 characters I was allowed for the appeal, but I have very little faith anyone bothered to read it.

I would address the question to Customer Services.

 

[317 forever]

Yesterday I was using a Merseytravel Saveaway and had a Northern Advance from Chester back to Heaton Chapel.

I deliberately exited with my Saveaway and re-entered by scanning my Northern Advance. While my trains home were on time, I was concerned in case there was a delay and Northern tried making out I could not have even used my tickets.

Mind you, many stations lack gates and the starting point on the journey highlighted might be a case in point.

 

[Kite159]

Yesterday I was using a Merseytravel Saveaway and had a Northern Advance from Chester back to Heaton Chapel.

I deliberately exited with my Saveaway and re-entered by scanning my Northern Advance. While my trains home were on time, I was concerned in case there was a delay and Northern tried making out I could not have even used my tickets.

Mind you, many stations lack gates and the starting point on the journey highlighted might be a case in point.

And even when stations have gates, there are times of day when they are wide open (either due to no staff or the station being extra busy where the decision is made to throw open the gates to get people in/out, especially at somewhere like Chester if multiple trains arrive at a similar time from various directions.