Delay Repay Fraud

[nomadtraveller]

Hi guys,

There's something that don't let me sleep for a few days...

I had a train cancelled with Great Northern, and at the station they allowed me to jump into a Greater Anglia train (which made me arrive even earlier than expected).

I submitted a delay repay claim saying it was cancelled and would give me 60+ minutes of delay. Am I in deep sh*t here? I can't sleep... will I be prosecuted? Will the claim be denied? Will I have to just pay a fine and walk free?

Sorry, I'm 19 and just started travelling by train.

Thank you

 

[AlterEgo]

It's likely nothing will happen as a one off, or the claim will just be refused, but don't get involved with fraud like this. Don't say anything about it and don't do it again.

 

[Haywain]

I can't sleep... will I be prosecuted?

Not a chance, unless you have done this (successfully) on an industrial scale.

Will the claim be denied?

It should be, although it isn’t clear why you claimed if you were not delayed.

Will I have to just pay a fine and walk free?

That would only be the case if you were prosecuted.

 

[nomadtraveller]

thank you everyone! as it's still "processing" I called them and they cancelled it for me. They were very insistent on "why do you want to cancel?" so I just said I put the information wrongly. A lesson learned!!

 

[WesternLancer]

thank you everyone! as it's still "processing" I called them and they cancelled it for me. They were very insistent on "why do you want to cancel?" so I just said I put the information wrongly. A lesson learned!!

That was a good course of action as you could show that you actively took steps to 'do the right thing' before any payment was made.
If you were ever asked the answer to that question would be along the lines of 'I made a claim in error as I did not properly understand how Delay -Repay worked and I cancelled my claim when I realised my error'

Mind you, FWIW I made a claim in error (I blame the poorly designed claim interface with the train company concerned, which meant it defaulted to uploading a ticket from a previous journey that was more costly than the journey I was trying to claim for), I e-mailed them to cancel it, which they replied to and agreed to do, but they still paid me anyway...I think I kept a copy of the e-mail exchange about it in case anyone ever got back to me and asked about it.

So maybe you can keep a screenshot of your mobile showing the call you made to them which at least provides proof you rang their number on such and such a date about something, in the v unlikely event you are ever asked in future.

 

[nomadtraveller]

That was a good course of action as you could show that you actively took steps to 'do the right thing' before any payment was made.
If you were ever asked the answer to that question would be along the lines of 'I made a claim in error as I did not properly understand how Delay -Repay worked and I cancelled my claim when I realised my error'

Mind you, FWIW I made a claim in error (I blame the poorly designed claim interface with the train company concerned, which meant it defaulted to uploading a ticket from a previous journey that was more costly than the journey I was trying to claim for), I e-mailed them to cancel it, which they replied to and agreed to do, but they still paid me anyway...I think I kept a copy of the e-mail exchange about it in case anyone ever got back to me and asked about it.

So maybe you can keep a screenshot of your mobile showing the call you made to them which at least provides proof you rang their number on such and such a date about something, in the v unlikely event you are ever asked in future.

Thank you for much for your advice, I really doubt they will chase me after this, but it's funny that the agent was like "i don't know what option to put here... I will select that the documentation is wrong" so I think all good.

Never again, I learned my lesson.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for much for your advice, I really doubt they will chase me after this, but it's funny that the agent was like "i don't know what option to put here... I will select that the documentation is wrong" so I think all good.

Never again, I learned my lesson.

Yes, I think it's very unlikely you will hear further about this.

But you should claim for delays where you are genuinely entitled to claim (do not claim refunds when it is a Delay claim you should submit however)