Delay Repay claims rejected

[ABB125]

In comparison, on Saturday I submitted a claim to XC with split tickets (three tickets in total) and it was approved within about an hour. So clearly there is something going wrong somewhere in the system (I suspect my claim was done automatically by their system, whereas yours (@Egg Centric ) might have required human intervention?

 

[Egg Centric]

Dear Mr Centric,

Thank you for your further email regarding your compensation for your delayed journey on 23 April 2023.

Please accept my sincere apologies again for the delay which you experienced and for the error I have made while issuing your compensation. I have now arranged for a BACS payment for £57.75 to be issued to you. This will be sent directly to your bank account within the next 10 working days.

Thank you kindly for your time and patience.

Yours sincerely




Same person as before

Credit where credit is due in that they have reverse ferreted quickly enough...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jun 2023 ==

In comparison, on Saturday I submitted a claim to XC with split tickets (three tickets in total) and it was approved within about an hour. So clearly there is something going wrong somewhere in the system (I suspect my claim was done automatically by their system, whereas yours (@Egg Centric ) might have required human intervention?

Was your journey entirely on XC? Mine was mostly LNER.

 

[ABB125]

Was your journey entirely on XC? Mine was mostly LNER

Yes, almost entirely XC

 

[ainsworth74]

Credit where credit is due in that they have reverse ferreted quickly enough...

At least they also admitted to having made an error rather than going with a "on this occasion as a gesture of goodwill" type response!

 

[Jamiescott1]

Gwr have twice rejected my delay repay claim from Saturday 3rd.
Season ticket holder from marlow to Paddington, as a strike day unable to travel as no trains from Marlow.

Applied for compensation through delay repay as required and rejected first time and on appeal due to abandoned journey

 

[wjc789]

Gwr have twice rejected my delay repay claim from Saturday 3rd.
Season ticket holder from marlow to Paddington, as a strike day unable to travel as no trains from Marlow.

Applied for compensation through delay repay as required and rejected first time and on appeal due to abandoned journey

Jamie, I've also had the exact same happen to me with GWR on Sat 3rd strike day as a season ticket holder.

They've cited that as I usually travel weekdays only then I can't claim for strike action at weekends.

Are there any grounds for them to reject a strike days refund due to a customer not normally travelling at weekends?

 

[MrJeeves]

Just had a response back from a DR claim to Avanti from January (!!).

They have rejected it as they do not have my ticket details, when my claim says the ticket was on a smartcard, they have a picture of my smartcard, and the smartcard number, and the info about the ticket's validity and cost.

This is a common situation with Avanti, where they persist on rejecting mine and my friends' claims for nNetwork tickets on Swift smartcards until you grovel about it to customer services and hope a human with sense will re-review the claim. One of my friends used the appeal process twice with still no luck before moaning to CS.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Jamie, I've also had the exact same happen to me with GWR on Sat 3rd strike day as a season ticket holder.

They've cited that as I usually travel weekdays only then I can't claim for strike action at weekends.

Are there any grounds for them to reject a strike days refund due to a customer not normally travelling at weekends?

I wrote to customer service and it was approved the following day

 

[trainophile]

I made a claim to WMR on 2nd January for a train that was cancelled that day, making me an hour late at my destination.

After some to-ing and fro-ing via email as their claim form was unusable due to my scheduled train not appearing to exist in their system, I finally got my refund on 13th June!

 

[Kite159]

Seems the webpage to submit delay claims for XC is broken, keeps coming back with "Please complete the captcha puzzle." errors when you submit it (after pressing the "I'm not a robot" button to press the pictures).

An underhand way to XC to try and discourage claims knowing that some people will just give up without sending an email or not notice the "there has been an error" message after hitting submit? [tried on both Firefox & Edge]

No doubt when they do look at the claim it will be a classic railway "you were only delayed by 59 minutes and 56 seconds, so you don't get the payout for an hour delay" because whenever did the railways put passengers first?

 

[XAM2175]

An underhand way to XC to try and discourage claims knowing that some people will just give up without sending an email or not notice the "there has been an error" message after hitting submit? [tried on both Firefox & Edge]

Best get out the tinfoil hat if you're going to view it this way

 

[Watershed]

Seems the webpage to submit delay claims for XC is broken, keeps coming back with "Please complete the captcha puzzle." errors when you submit it (after pressing the "I'm not a robot" button to press the pictures).

An underhand way to XC to try and discourage claims knowing that some people will just give up without sending an email or not notice the "there has been an error" message after hitting submit? [tried on both Firefox & Edge]

No doubt when they do look at the claim it will be a classic railway "you were only delayed by 59 minutes and 56 seconds, so you don't get the payout for an hour delay" because whenever did the railways put passengers first?

Have you got any extensions enabled, such as an ad blocker? Sometimes these can cause issues with such forms. Might also be worth trying a different device.

Otherwise you can always submit your claim via Customer Services (e.g. via email - customer.relations [at] crosscountrytrains.co.uk )

 

[AdamWW]

I hope a positive story isn't too off topic.

I put in a slightly complex claim recently to GWR - split tickets (which their system is set up very well to handle), one stopping short and one starting short (legitimately), for one all I had was a photograph of an m-ticket (screen shots disabled) and the delay was extended by a late train causing me to mis a replacement bus (and it wasn't even a GWR service that was being replaced).

Paid in full (well, almost) in a few days.

 

[Kite159]

Have you got any extensions enabled, such as an ad blocker? Sometimes these can cause issues with such forms. Might also be worth trying a different device.

Otherwise you can always submit your claim via Customer Services (e.g. via email - customer.relations [at] crosscountrytrains.co.uk )

Nope for any extensions, Edge was as standard as it comes

 

[crablab]

I spent an entire journey from Oxford to Reading trying to submit a delay repay claim on the GWR site, with the CAPTCHA timing out and failing 5 or so times.

The rest of the site was fine, but there seemed to be no error handling on the CAPTCHA, or a way to retry it, and the rest of the form didn't save. So each time the CAPTCHA failed, I had to start from scratch!

 

[kristiang85]

Just a pre emptive one here...

Tonight I aimed for the 2020 Waterloo (WAT) to Basingstoke (BSK).

When I arrived at WAT concourse about 2015 the screens said the next fastest train to BSK was the 2105. There was no sign of the 2020 on its platform, just "delayed" and even RTT had no indication of when it might leave. I even looked at incoming trains onto the departure platform to see if I could get an idea of it would leave, but nothing was at the platform it was due at.

So, not wanting to stand around on the Waterloo concourse for ages and risk further delays, I jumped on the on-time 2020 to Woking (WOK), planning to get the 2119 to BSK, arriving at 2158 (although it did get there at 2155). If I had waited for the 2105 it would have arrived at BSK at 2147 which, though earlier, my decision meant I had less time standing around and I could get on with stuff, (and in any case the delay repay is the same, so it shouldn't matter to SWR).

However out of interest en route I checked the 2020 and it turns out that it departed at 2036 (the inbound train getting into WAT after I left), and it overtook me and got to BSK at 2122, 16 minutes late, and most annoyingly I would have got home an hour earlier as I would have got the hourly bus I needed. But I didn't get it due to the information at Waterloo.

I'm submitting a claim for 30+ mins, but will they argue that I should have stayed for 2105 and then noticed the 2020 was departing earlier? (It's only £3 compensation difference I think between 15 and 30 mins, but I'm really cheesed off as I'm now home an hour later because of it, though I know buses aren't the railway's problem, but it's really messed up my evening, so I don't want to give them slack on this)

 

[furlong]

The way the information systems handle delays remains atrocious. You have to understand that 'delayed' merely means the system isn't sure what the train is going to be doing - but the service could still run on time, it just doesn't know!

 

[Blindtraveler]

I have had a massive argument with Avanti this week, they're stupid AI bot rejected my claim for a Glasgow Central to London Euston journey on a totally legitimate Charing cross Glasgow which are Chatham Kent off peak return. The only part of this journey on which I was delayed was the Glasgow to Euston leg as I started short and used a different ticket to go to Chatham that day as my plans were fluid. I ended up bringing them up to explain all this and they then still got it wrong and rejected it for a second and then a third time in the space of a few hours. Eventually someone emailed and said had I used any alternative route as I had the option to do so on my ticket, which I just thought was the most amazingly stupid question as if I had used an alternative route I wouldn't have claimed for the original one surely? I think operators have just got why is to the fact that people now know they can claim compensation for delays and are doing absolutely everything within their power to stop it happening. Ironically I was delayed again at a future point when I decided to use the remaining validity on my Channing cross to Chatham ticket. The day I was delayed on the west coast coincided with a day that I wanted to go home via abbey wood and as the Scotland Chatham ticket has high speed validity I kept it in reserve for a day when I wanted high speed. And it's so happened that that was one of the few days and rare occasions when high speed fell over so I have claimed again. Southeastern didn't bat an eyelid and have paid really quickly

I'm surely answer is cost but why are we using automated systems to make delay claim decisions comma is it because the railway wrongly assumes that every passenger is on a point to point advanced ticket and that we are somehow inferior beings for buying something like a Chatham to Charing cross Glasgow ticket which has so many root options and so much validity on it and using it to its full extent

 

[MrJeeves]

You have to understand that 'delayed' merely means the system isn't sure what the train is going to be doing - but the service could still run on time, it just doesn't know!

But the issue is that it can't be expected that the average person will know this. If I knew of an alternate route, and the service I would normally take is "Delayed" with no further info, I would probably also opt to take my alternate route, too.

It can't be expected for someone to pull up RTT, find the inbound service and try to work out what's going on with it.

Then again, the average person might try to find a member of staff and ask them...

 

[sot]

I always thought Delayed on information systems was it was delayed a minute more every minute, as in the delay is getting no better only worse. Either that or no report change of movement in x time.

 

[MrJeeves]

I always thought Delayed on information systems was it was delayed a minute more every minute, as in the delay is getting no better only worse. Either that or no report change of movement in x time.

Normally the latter, I believe.

 

[AdamWW]

Normally the latter, I believe.

From what I've seen it kicks in when a train doesn't reach a reporting point when it would be expected.

It might be that the train is on time and for some reason there wasn't a report and when it gets to the next point it will be reported as on time.
It might be a short delay and in a few minutes the system will jump to reporting it as such.
It might mean that the train has been stopped for some reason and is going to end up very late or cancelled.
Or it might mean that the train has actually been cancelled but the system doesn't know that (yet).

 

[northwichcat]

Northern have rejected one of mine saying "We have checked the journey you have claimed for and we are unable to find a timetabled journey that matches your claim. Therefore, your claim has been rejected on this occasion"

This is where they cancelled an evening train (that was showing as operating as usual earlier in the day), their Delay Repay system had the service available to select and Real Time Trains has the cancellation reason as TG.

 

[yorkie]

Northern have rejected one of mine saying "We have checked the journey you have claimed for and we are unable to find a timetabled journey that matches your claim. Therefore, your claim has been rejected on this occasion"

This is where they cancelled an evening train (that was showing as operating as usual earlier in the day), their Delay Repay system had the service available to select and Real Time Trains has the cancellation reason as TG.

This is typical behaviour by train companies such as Northern. I suggest appealing and ask if you are in deadlock. If they say you are in deadlock you can take the case to the Rail Ombudsman.

 

[Haywain]

Real Time Trains has the cancellation reason as TG.

This part has absolutely no relevance at all.

 

[dub]

Northern have rejected one of mine saying "We have checked the journey you have claimed for and we are unable to find a timetabled journey that matches your claim. Therefore, your claim has been rejected on this occasion"

I've had the same on GWR. They're asking for an itinerary but there's nowhere on the Delay Repay portal to upload one! Surely if the journey I made shows up on the search tool, complete with connections - AND I made that journey, and was delayed, it exists Emailed customer services, they've had all of my evidence for weeks but I've not heard anything.

 

[BrianW]

I've had the same on GWR. They're asking for an itinerary but there's nowhere on the Delay Repay portal to upload one! Surely if the journey I made shows up on the search tool, complete with connections - AND I made that journey, and was delayed, it exists Emailed customer services, they've had all of my evidence for weeks but I've not heard anything.

We regret to announce that Delay Repay has been delayed, this is due to ...[choose from a range of reasons eg lack of staff, lack of interest, overrunning workload, spinning it out, hoping you will go away...).
Does anyone know the cost of administering Delay Repay? The cost of delays? I think we should be told- maybe it's buried in some report to Ministers?

 

[AdamWW]

I had an interesting experience with GWR recently.

A delayed GWR train meant I missed a connection and ended up on a train running an hour later than planned.

They only gave me 30 minutes worth on the grounds that it arrived 1 minute early.

They were presumably exploiting the padding added to the timetable so that a true on time arrival is actually several minutes early by the passenger timetable. Which seems unreasonable to me because the train I should have caught should also have arrived "early" and therefore the delay is still an hour. (And if they think this is all quite reasonable they should include it in their lists of reasons why you might not get the amount back you expect).

But that should have been irrelevant because it actually arrived a minute late against the passenger timetable (as determined by my phone time and the station screens).

I presumed they were using estimated times (the arrival time is only recorded on a train with GPS or if there's a manual entry, neither of which showed on realtimetrains on this occasion).

I pointed this out.

They rejected the appeal.

It then moved on to the complaint stage where my arguments were ignored, but I was pointed to ontimetrains.co.uk, which I wasn't aware of before.

It doesn't show its working so there is no way of knowing if it's estimating or not.

But it showed an on-time arrival, i.e. the full 60 minutes delay.

I pointed that out and commendably quickly got the rest of my refund.

But I have no idea what was going on there.

Still, it's saved me from being disappointed by the Ombudsman.

 

[Kite159]

Another case of "But you were only delayed by 59 minutes and 45 seconds" some operators are quick to jump on when it's an hourly service. Even the "Man on the Clapham Omnibus" would class it as an hour delay (even if the train did arrive 10 seconds early, like every other train on that route).

Good on fighting back to get the full amount owed

 

[zero]

It then moved on to the complaint stage where my arguments were ignored, but I was pointed to ontimetrains.co.uk, which I wasn't aware of before.

Interesting site which appears to make it easy to commit delay repay fraud when you have a paper ticket which was not clipped with the head code of the train you took.

Although, even though my e-ticket was scanned on board two trains of a TOC, they refused to believe that I was on their train, then upon appeal they didn't want to believe I managed to change train in 2 minutes when the MCT was 10... so I could have got away with accepting more delay repay than I was entitled to from a TOC I didn't travel with!