Delay repay - is it worth taking it further?

[skyhigh]

I recently travelled with Virgin East Coast to Leeds. Due to disruption caused by a train fault and track issues the train was delayed.

The length of delay is disputed - Virgin say the train arrived at the platform 59 minutes late and I am therefore entitled to 50% of the ticket price. Real Time Trains had the arrival recorded as being 59.5 minutes late. I tried to make the point that as the doors were not opened for over a minute after we arrived, I was in fact over an hour late but got no reply. The extra compensation would be another £16.

Is it worth taking it further? I can see that if you're strictly following the rules I'm only due 50%, but it does seem a bit stingy considering I'm only 30 seconds off!

 

[northwichcat]

I doubt Virgin will budge. If the train arrived on time the doors wouldn't have been released instantly and other passengers might have been in front of you at the doors.

 

[crehld]

There has to be a limit somewhere I guess. If you say a delay of 59 minutes should count as an hour because you've only just missed out by a minute, then someone will make an argument to say that a 58 minute delay has just missed the 59 minute threshold by a minute, so should also count as an hour, and so on and so on.

That said in your case I see no harm in writing back to them and asking to reconsider, given that the delay in releasing the train doors meant the delay ended up being over an hour. They might say yes; they might say no.

 

[AlterEgo]

The cut off is when the train arrives, not when the doors open.

The line has to be drawn somewhere I'm afraid and sometimes it just sucks when you're just the wrong side of it.

Personally I wouldn't write back, it wouldn't be worth my time for £16 - but it's a judgment call for the OP. It wouldn't hurt, certainly.

 

[skyhigh]

Thanks, I see exactly what you mean. There has to be a cutoff and it makes sense for that to be at exactly 60 minutes, even if it is slightly annoying when you're a minute off it!

Sightly off-topic maybe, but I was somewhat hoping the Virgin West Coast solution of throwing vouchers at problems would have been repeated with Virgin East Coast, but it seems not (or maybe the fact I asked for a cheque had some effect).

 

[richw]

From experience good will gestures are more forthcoming when RTVs are requested rather than a cheque.
I work on the theory RTVs cost them nothing in reality as more often than not people get them from a TOC they use frequently so they get those funds back and it costs nothing in reality to have an extra person on a service already running

 

[VauxhallandI]

The time is recorded as when the train arrives but surely that is with the inference that the doors open in the usual fashion.

If there is a further problem opening the doors then this is not then norm.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Berthing offsets? I thought TRUST only recorded when the final track circuit was actuated on the approach, not the time the train finally halts in the platform?

 

[bb21]

Berthing offsets? I thought TRUST only recorded when the final track circuit was actuated on the approach, not the time the train finally halts in the platform?

Yes, but that is as good and reliable as you will get atm.