Train companies making it hard for passengers to claim compensation, says Which?
Passengers are usually entitled to some money back if a train is delayed by 30 minutes or more
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Your support makes all the difference.Train companies are making it difficult for passengers to claim compensation for delayed or cancelled trains, according to research from Which?.
Firms demand up to 24 different pieces of information about the train journey and ticket during the claims process, the consumer champion said, which is deterring passengers who are eligible for a refund to apply.
The “Delay Repay” policy of most operators is to pay a partial or total refund of the ticket cost for delays of 30 minutes or more, although some train companies will pay out for shorter delays.
According to the latest Which? annual rail passenger survey, a third of journeys weren’t claimed for because passengers claimed the process was too much effort.
The consumer champion found that UK train companies required between 10 and 24 bits of information for passengers seeking compensation, with Greater Anglia, London Northwestern, ScotRail, Transport for Wales and West Midlands the worst offenders.
These train companies required passengers to fill in 24 pieces of information about their ticket or journey, including details of cost, class, whether the journey was during peak time and dates of ticket validity. This information is all clearly visible on a photo of the paper ticket, which 23 out of 24 surveyed train operators require to be uploaded as part of any claim.
At the other end of the spectrum, Chiltern Railways and Heathrow Express came out on top for ease of compensation. Both train lines need just 10 pieces of information before a claim can be processed.
Which? is calling for train companies to introduce an automatic compensation system to make it easier for passengers to claim.
“It’s clear this fragmented and confusing compensation system leads to people losing out on a lot of money when they have already suffered enough from unacceptable levels of delays and cancellation,” said Alex Hayman, Which? managing director of public markets.
“The technology exists to deliver compensation automatically, but the industry continues to drag its heels, while benefiting from a system that deters passengers from claiming the money they are owed.
“Passengers want to see swift changes, so the government’s rail review must prove it is serious about putting them first by ensuring that automatic compensation is introduced across the network.”
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