No - I think the deadline is there to focus people on the importance of responding and engaging - I think we've seen cases progressed, without problems, for people whose letters have arrived after the deadline.
Specifically, I'm sure they understand that our postal system is not all that it should be, and probably make a fairly significant allowance for that!
Our practical experience (specifically with South Eastern, but I am pretty certain that we can generalise to all railway companies) is that if you get your response in on time then even if it then gets lost by the railway and isn't seen for weeks, it will be honoured. And that's how it's got to be: you can (subject to the speed of the postal system) control when your response reaches them, but not how long it will take them to look at it. Were you to be penalised because the railway never got round to reading what you sent, then the court of public opinion would definitely be on your side - and in my (not a lawyer's) opinion I think a real judge would agree: if you had done everything that you could and were asked to do and still were marked down for not cooperating that would be unfair.
It's over. We've never seen GTR come back for a second bite.
The only Royal Mail service that guarantees a delivery time and compensates if it is not met exactly is Special Delivery. Tracked 24/48 and cheaper services have a "delivery aim", and only if this is missed by more than 3 working days is compensation paid out, by way of a book of 8 1st class stamps.
Thanks, points well made.
Brilliant! Thanks very much.
I suppose a brief note acknowledging their letter and your acceptance wouldn't do any harm but I'm not sure it is necessary.
There is no such thing as cutting it too short, the deadline is the deadline and it will not be your fault if they fail to do anything with the letter as it arrived before the deadline.