Train companies are making passengers supply up to 24 pieces of information to claim compensation for delays and cancellations, new analysis suggests – something that will surprise approximately zero regular commuters.
Those of us who travel from the suburbs to work each day are well versed with these tedious forms, which require between 10 and 24 pieces of information from passengers, according to the data.
The research was conducted by consumer watchdog Which? which looked at the online claims forms of 24 operators.
The worst offenders for complicated and lengthy claims processes were Greater Anglia, London Northwestern, ScotRail, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Trains, with each demanding 24 pieces of information.
When train companies where asked why they demanded this level of detail, reasons included that it was needed for paper tickets without reservations, that it deterred fraudulent claims, that it was necessary due to the prominence of third party retailers, and that setting up an online account and storing personal details made it easier for customers to make claims the next time.
When trying to claim, the researchers found passengers were often asked for a raft of “seemingly irrelevant details” – putting up potentially unnecessary barriers to receiving the compensation they are owed.
The five worst train companies each required passengers to submit 13 different pieces of information about their ticket alone, such as whether it was a paper ticket, the cost, class, how the ticket was paid for, whether it was at peak time and the dates for which the ticket was valid.
But even the best-performing companies – Chiltern Railways and Heathrow Express – required passengers to provide 10 different pieces of information before passengers can submit a claim for delayed or cancelled services.
However, most of the information demanded can be found clearly displayed on a photo of the paper ticket, which 23 out of 24 train companies require to be uploaded as proof of purchase.
Passengers were also asked a number of questions about the journey they took. Six of the train companies asked people to provide the ‘from and to’ journey details more than once within the same form, forcing them to input the journey they took twice.
Half of train companies also asked passengers why they were making a claim or the reason for the delay – the latter information the train company should already hold.
Some operators have already shown that these complex compensation schemes can be avoided completely. Several train companies – including C2C, Northern, South Western Railway and Virgin Trains – already offer automatic compensation to customers with certain tickets meaning passengers are automatically refunded without any cumbersome form-filling.
Alex Hayman, Which? managing director of public markets, said: “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 cancellations.
“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.”