"Loss" of tickets - delay repay

[Tom B]

A friend had a delayed journey and sent off to NXEC for a refund. Unfortunately they didn't take a photostat of the tickets.

NXEC say they didn't receive the tickets - which were clearly placed in the envelope - I saw them. Not quite sure how they managed to come to that conclusion, but...

Can anything be done, or is it a lost cause with no copy?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Might they have been caught up in the mail strike backlog?

 

[Tom B]

The request was received, and they wrote back saying that the tickets hadn't been enclosed.

 

[John @ home]

they wrote back saying that the tickets hadn't been enclosed.

Your friend should write back explaining that there is a witness to the tickets being placed in the envelope and if the matter is not resolved to your friend's satisfaction within, say, 10 working days then it will be escalated to Passenger Focus.

In case this has to be done, it would be useful to ensure that any other evidence of purchase, such as bank or credit card statement, is preserved. And this time take a copy before sending them off!

John

 

[yorkie]

If they were booked online you may be able to get a record from your history by logging in?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Is it me, or have I seen it posted elsewhere on this forum (and I think another) that quite a few people have said that NXEC have claimed to "have never received" the tickets?

Is this some con trick on behalf of NXEC to save themselves a few ££££??

I wonder how many other tickets "have never been received"??

 

[John @ home]

Is it me, or have I seen it posted elsewhere on this forum (and I think another) that quite a few people have said that NXEC have claimed to "have never received" the tickets?

Here are a few claims I made from NXEC during 2008:

6 March 2008. 0740 Leeds - Kings Cross. Delayed over an hour.
Claimed for 2 tickets 6 March 2008.
Compensation for 1 ticket received 27 March 2008.
Complained 15 July 2008.
"According to my records we did issue you compensation on 19 March but the address had no house number."
Compensation for other ticket received 1 August 2008.

8 June 2008. 1210 Kings Cross - Leeds. Delayed over an hour.
Claimed 9 June 2008.
Complained 15 July 2008.
"According to my records we did issue you compensation on 13 June but again the address had no house number."
Compensation received 1 August 2008.

3 July 2008. 1803 Kings Cross - Leeds. Delayed 30 - 59 mins.
Claimed 3 July 2008.
Complained 15 July 2008.
"I have checked our records and I am unable to locate claims for: 03 July - 1803 Kings Cross - Leeds."
Photocopy of claim sent 2 August 2008.
Received half of compensation due 15 August 2008.
Complained to NXEC and to Passenger Focus 22 August 2008.
Another photocopy of claim sent to NXEC 22 August 2008.
Remainder of compensation received 27 October 2008.

14 July 2008. 1903 Kings Cross - Leeds. Delayed 30 - 59 mins.
Claimed 15 July 2008.
Complained 15 July 2008.
"I have checked our records and I am unable to locate claims for: 14 July - 1903 Kings Cross - Leeds."
Photocopy of claim sent 2 August 2008.
Complained to NXEC and to Passenger Focus 22 August 2008.
Compensation received 27 October 2008.

Response from Passenger Focus received 29 October 2008. The point this didn't answer was Please tell me how Passenger Focus will monitor whether Committed Obligation 37 is met [1], and what action Passenger Focus will take should it be breached. Given that NXEC lose the franchise next week, I suspect it may be a little late to do anything about that.

More recent claims have been resolved within the timescale laid out in the franchise. I'm told I'm now on a "Priority List"!

John

[1] NXEC Committed Obligation 37 - Written correspondence from customers including emails/web forms fully responded to within 10 Weekdays.

 

[Tom B]

[1] NXEC Committed Obligation 37 - Written correspondence from customers including emails/web forms fully responded to within 10 Weekdays.

Ha ha. I waited from May until September for them to respond to a delay-repay request last year, during which time they refused to reply to emails or answer the phone. PF refused to do anything "because you've not given NXEC a chance to reply" :roll:.

 

[Failed Unit]

Is it me, or have I seen it posted elsewhere on this forum (and I think another) that quite a few people have said that NXEC have claimed to "have never received" the tickets?

Is this some con trick on behalf of NXEC to save themselves a few ££££??

I wonder how many other tickets "have never been received"??

Yes it is a common situation, if you had an AP then state that you couldn't use any other train anyway, if you booked in on thier website they will find it very hard to dodge that one.

I done 3 claims, low success rate.

1. claimed they lost the tickets,
2. claimed they had got me home by taxi so the 2 hour delay didn't matter.

No compensation

3. Claimed the train was 56 and 54 minutes late on the same claim and only gave 50% (as posted above) waiting to here about my appeal!

 

[moonrakerz]

Write to your MP, that has a wonderful effect !

 

[yorkie]

Is it me, or have I seen it posted elsewhere on this forum (and I think another) that quite a few people have said that NXEC have claimed to "have never received" the tickets?

Is this some con trick on behalf of NXEC to save themselves a few ££££??

I wonder how many other tickets "have never been received"??

A former NXEC employee who worked in customer relations told me that it was NXEC policy to have a list of people who complained that they were not getting adequate responses, those people were then fast-tracked. Other people were given slow responses, which could mean things going missing, or given less compensation than they were entitled to as it was discovered that many people just send off for compo simply hoping but not expecting for something back and can't be bothered to chase it up.

 

[jopsuk]

When I used an NXEA Delay Repay form, I found I had to selotape the edges- the adhesive was utterly pathetic. Could this be what's happening? the tickets falling out enroute?

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Funnily enough we claimed from NXEC for a delay on a journey from Edinburgh to Chatham (via Kings Cross).

The train arrived at Kings Cross about 50 minutes late, but this made us exactly one hour later at Chatham than timetabled.

Our original claim mysteriously couldn't be traced, but they paid up in full - 100% based on 60 mins delay - when sent a bank statement showing the transactions.

We weren't aware of the problems others have had, and were actually quite impressed with the resolution of the final complaint.

I certainly expected a bit of "our delay was only 50 minutes, so you're only entitled to a 50% refund" although I don't think that would have been fair. On that basis, if the arrival time at Kings Cross had been too late for the last train to Chatham, they could have washed their hands of the whole thing.

 

[Failed Unit]

Funnily enough we claimed from NXEC for a delay on a journey from Edinburgh to Chatham (via Kings Cross).

The train arrived at Kings Cross about 50 minutes late, but this made us exactly one hour later at Chatham than timetabled.

Our original claim mysteriously couldn't be traced, but they paid up in full - 100% based on 60 mins delay - when sent a bank statement showing the transactions.

We weren't aware of the problems others have had, and were actually quite impressed with the resolution of the final complaint.

I certainly expected a bit of "our delay was only 50 minutes, so you're only entitled to a 50% refund" although I don't think that would have been fair. On that basis, if the arrival time at Kings Cross had been too late for the last train to Chatham, they could have washed their hands of the whole thing.

Was this done under National Express or East Coast? I have appealed to an claim originally incorrectly dealt with by National Express, east coast are looking into it now, I expect a more positive outcome.

 

[SqUaShIe P]

When I used an NXEA Delay Repay form, I found I had to selotape the edges- the adhesive was utterly pathetic. Could this be what's happening? the tickets falling out enroute?

I agree, the gummed strip on the nxea delay repay forms might aswell not even be there. It doesnt stick at all!
I was spare one day and was helping out on the information desk in liverpool street and apparantly, they had accually run out of the proper delay repay forms, so i was told to give out a photocopy of the form on plain paper (which didnt have any sticky on it at all) and a pre-addressed envelope (that required a stamp!!!)

hard times, ay nx

 

[yorkie]

When I used an NXEA Delay Repay form, I found I had to selotape the edges- the adhesive was utterly pathetic. Could this be what's happening? the tickets falling out enroute?

I guess so!

I wonder if they want the tickets to fall out, so they can say they've lost them, as a certain percentage of people give up at that point therefore they have to cough up less?

As I said before, someone at NXEC admitted that it was their policy to not reply if possible, and to put people who complained on a priority list (John @ Home was on it - I wonder if EC use the list? Perhaps a FOI request can be made?)

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Was this done under National Express or East Coast? I have appealed to an claim originally incorrectly dealt with by National Express, east coast are looking into it now, I expect a more positive outcome.

It was under NXEC.

We didn't have the adhesive issues - we didn't use their form but simply wrote with details of the complaint.

They then claimed to have never received anything, rather than receiving the form without the tickets.

The system is flawed by asking for original tickets. They should ask for copies, and then maintain a database of those ticket numbers submitted for refund preventing double claiming. They have no need for the original tickets. In many cases, they aren't available: for example, South Eastern barriers eat them up at the destination station.

 

[jon0844]

If I use delay repay on FCC, I can do it online and scan/take a photo of my ticket. That seems a much easier, and safer, way to do it. Can this be done with other TOCs?

 

[Failed Unit]

Hopefully a resolution from my earlier post, in summary delay of about 58 minutes meaning I missed the connection and arrival at final destination was over 1 hour late. Claimed for 3 tickets, 2 of them National Express claimed that the train was 58 minutes late then other letter claimed it was 54 minutes late and gave me 50% back. Hopefully the other 50% on its way over shortly

Thank you for your further e-mail.

A copy of your original e-mail was added to all three cases after our original e-mail correspondence.

After investigating all cases further it appears that your vouchers have been caught in the administration queue. Unfortunately since the takeover from National Express East Coast, we have experienced difficulties printing vouchers and sending correspondence. These issues have since been rectified and your vouchers were printed this morning. I apologise for this delay and any added inconvenience this has caused.

Your vouchers will be with you very shortly.

 

[Capybara]

Apropos of not really very much, I have to say that my own experience of a refund claim on NXEC was entirely positive. Following a delay of two hours and one minute I was given a full refund within a fortnight of my claim. I simply told the full story and returned the ticket which had been stamped confirming that I had travelled on the train(s, as it happened) and pointed out that the time of arrival confirming that the train was over two hours late was taken from the station clock in King's Cross. My story clearly tallied with the events as they knew them and they paid up.

I have to say, though, that in general I view delays as part and parcel of rail travel and tend not to claim unless I have been subject to significant inconvenience. Perhaps that's an age thing. However, one even older passenger on the same service was positively willing the train to be later. She had all the time in the world to get to her destination, she knew the rules inside out and that a delay of over two days would fund her next trip to her darling grandchildren. She was a serial claimer and probably well-known to those at NXEC. But that's what you get when 'where there's blame there's a claim' is the culture.

 

[A60K]

Blame John Major for introducing it!

Although, for balance, if you got out of bed late and turned up two hours late for your train on an Advance ticket you would have to pay again because it was your fault.

If the TOC can't organise their staffing or maintenance regime properly and makes you two hours late then it's only fair that they repay you because it was their fault.

I'm rather surprised however that the recent Delay Repay schemes give refunds whatever the cause, even if it might be because somebody has crashed their car through level crossing barriers and blocked the line. I don't mind exclusion of things that really are outside the control of the railway.
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... and that a delay of over two days ...

NXEC weren't generally that bad (most of the time!)

 

[Failed Unit]

Apropos of not really very much, I have to say that my own experience of a refund claim on NXEC was entirely positive. Following a delay of two hours and one minute I was given a full refund within a fortnight of my claim. I simply told the full story and returned the ticket which had been stamped confirming that I had travelled on the train(s, as it happened) and pointed out that the time of arrival confirming that the train was over two hours late was taken from the station clock in King's Cross. My story clearly tallied with the events as they knew them and they paid up.

I am glad I worked out well from you, I am surprised that national express didn't try to claim that you train was 1:59 late to avoid paying out the extra. Unfortunately my experience has been to worm out of it. The worse example was a delay over 2 hours when a failed GC train at Biggleswade bought the rush hour to a stop. They gave the lost the claim in the post chestnut and you don't have copy of the tickets (despite it been an AP so I couldn't use any other train even if I wanted to!). The irony in this case is that they would have got cash from GC for causing the delays in the frst place.
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Got paid today for 100% the compensation for my "58" and "56" minute delay Shame they didn't just pay out the correct amount in the first place!