Delay repay - Which Operator to Claim from?

[barrowjack]

On Tuesday 5th December I travelled from Barrow in Furness to London Euston (outward journey) using an off peak return purchased from the Avanti website.
Departure from Barrow was 08:49 (arrive Lancaster at 09:48) and the reservations given by Avanti were for the 09:58 Lancaster to Crewe and 11:19 Crewe to Euston due Euston at 13:03.

The feeder service from Barrow did not arrive at Lancaster until 10:00, being held at Carnforth for the Avanti to pass on time. Therefore I still changed at Lancaster and took the 10:39 to Euston due in at 13:12 but actual arrival was 14:10 due to late running.

In the event the 09:58 service was held at Preston for a set swap and would have missed the onward service at Crewe anyway!

Please could anyone provide any advice as to whether my claim is against Northern or Avanti?

- Against Northern for a delay of 67 minutes for missing the connection at Lancaster
- Against Avanti for a delay of 67 minutes for missing the connection at Lancaster as ticket was bought through them?
- Against Avanti for a delay of 58 minutes to the service I ended up taking

Obviously it makes a difference whether it is under or over the hour as to how much delay repay I would get back

Thank you

 

[skyhigh]

- Against Northern for a delay of 67 minutes for missing the connection at Lancaster

This is correct, in my opinion.

 

[Haywain]

Against Northern for a delay of 67 minutes for missing the connection at Lancaster

I agree with @skyhigh that you should be claiming from Northern for the whole delay.

 

[Hadders]

The principal is the company that first causes the delay is responsible for paying compensation for the entire journey.

So in this case claim from Northern for the entire journey from Barrow to Euston.

 

[Watershed]

The principal is the company that first causes the delay is responsible for paying compensation for the entire journey.

So in this case claim from Northern for the entire journey from Barrow to Euston.

And it's worth noting that Delay Repay liability doesn't depend on who you bought your ticket from (after all, you might have bought your ticket from a third party retailer that doesn't run any trains).

 

[barrowjack]

Thank you will try Northern!

 

[yorkie]

Yes I concur with others; Northern did cause you to miss the connection and therefore any further delays are immaterial.

Northern aren't the best to claim compensation from; they do have a habit of refusing valid claims in similar circumstances, so we will wish you luck!

Do let us know how you get on.

 

[zero]

This seems like a pretty straightforward case with one ticket and travelling on the same route, and also one where taking the money would beat the free ticket. The only complicating factor being taking a direct service instead of changing at Crewe

I haven't had problems with Northern refusing similar claims. Northern has accepted much more complex claims from me on the first attempt, although always where I chose the free ticket.

 

[30907]

This seems like a pretty straightforward case with one ticket and travelling on the same route, and also one where taking the money would beat the free ticket.

I haven't had problems with Northern refusing similar claims. Northern has accepted much more complex claims from me on the first attempt, although always where I chose the free ticket.

That said, their system may reject a claim involving another train company, in which case you use the appeal process which involves a human being

 

[steve099]

Yes I concur with others; Northern did cause you to miss the connection and therefore any further delays are immaterial.

Not relevant for OP, but I have had a few occasions where this "rule" has screwed my claim and meant I've had to go back and forth with multiple operators pushing the claim back and forth.

The latest was where I had a train cancelled from Shrewsbury to Crewe, but managed to catch an earlier, delayed train to Crewe which actually arrived before my scheduled arrival to catch my connection. However my Crewe train to Euston got cancelled south of Milton Keynes, causing me to abandon my journey at MK given delays were upwards of 2/3 hours for next southbound journey. Avanti seemed the obvious operator to claim from, as it couldn't possibly have been Transport for Wales that stranded me at Milton Keynes. But it didn't stop the claim being bounced back and forth. I believe TfW ended up paying out - which is bonkers. But highlights the rule.

 

[yorkie]

Not relevant for OP, but I have had a few occasions where this "rule" has screwed my claim and meant I've had to go back and forth with multiple operators pushing the claim back and forth.

The latest was where I had a train cancelled from Shrewsbury to Crewe, but managed to catch an earlier, delayed train to Crewe which actually arrived before my scheduled arrival to catch my connection. However my Crewe train to Euston got cancelled south of Milton Keynes, causing me to abandon my journey at MK given delays were upwards of 2/3 hours for next southbound journey. Avanti seemed the obvious operator to claim from, as it couldn't possibly have been Transport for Wales that stranded me at Milton Keynes. But it didn't stop the claim being bounced back and forth. I believe TfW ended up paying out - which is bonkers. But highlights the rule.

If you returned to origin and didn't make the journey, then it's actually a refund.

If you simply chose to finish short, then I'd say that Avanti should have paid up.

In other threads, proposals have been made to give passengers a one point of contact for all claims (most recently at this link: Delay Repay should be provided by retailers), but I can't see it happening anytime soon (if ever!); in the meantime all we can advise is that people create a thread for their specific situation, and we will advise on a case-by-case basis.

 

[barrowjack]

Thank you to those that responded.

Claim submit so waiting for the rejection back! It is really annoying you can't add any text to the claim so I could say I was claiming for missing the connection at Lancaster.

Will post the result once I have the outcome

 

[steve099]

If you returned to origin and didn't make the journey, then it's actually a refund.

If you simply chose to finish short, then I'd say that Avanti should have paid up.

I got a hotel and continued the journey the next day (fortunately my hotel in London could be cancelled) - so in this case it was seen to be delay repay worthy rather than a refund!

Claim submit so waiting for the rejection back! It is really annoying you can't add any text to the claim so I could say I was claiming for missing the connection at Lancaster.

Will post the result once I have the outcome

Good luck!

 

[yorkie]

I got a hotel and continued the journey the next day (fortunately my hotel in London could be cancelled) - so in this case it was seen to be delay repay worthy rather than a refund!


Good luck!

Customer services frequently appear to lack a proper understanding of the relevant concepts.

I would contact Avanti, explaining the circumstances clearly and concisely.

While many Delay Repay claims are processed correctly, there are insufficient safeguards in place to ensure a consistently good, accurate and appropriate experience to all customers, and it is not uncommon to hear of issues like this.

 

[barrowjack]

Finally received a response today from Northern regarding my claim as in the OP. Has been approved for a delay of over an hour.