Annual Season Ticket Renewal

[whole diary]

[magickid]

I need to renew my annual season ticket at the end of August and so I called up today to find out what the cost would be. They told me it will cost ^4152. Last year it cost me ^3844 (I think). As I went from a monthly season ticket to an annual ticket last year I of course wasn't entitled to any renewal discount since I was effectively buying a new ticket. I was told I'd receive my renewal discount when I renewed my season ticket.

Since January you don't get a renewal discount anymore since FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are meeting their targets. Fair enough, the service HAS improved and I am willing to accept that they are operating at around 90% for punctuality and such like. My arguement with them is that I travelled with them from September 08 to December 08 on my current season ticket when they weren't meeting their targets so surely there should be some kind of discount for those 3 months of travel? They tell me no and just went on about calculating the discount over the year and I wasn't entitled to one. I've put in a complaint as I'm pretty miffed about this. I know it wouldn't be a lot of money off but every penny counts! I know that they will respond telling in the negative and was told I could complain again to Passenger Focus.

Just a rant really - but is there really nothing I can do? It really doesn't seem fair! Sorry my first post was ranty! My journey is Reading to London with the tube.

[Timmer]

Welcome to the forum magickid.

[tramway]

Hi and welcome.

Yes it does seem a little unfair but as I understand it the renewal costs will be based on a rolling average so as FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have managed to achieve good results over the past 12 months, and good on them, then I'm afraid thems the rules.

With a bit of looking around here I think you'll find details of recent FGW performance and a number of members singing their praises.

Also a few moans and groans about the lack of diet coke, but I doubt FGW would be penalised for not laying on any in FC^‡(resolve).

[devon_metro]

Blimey, that is rather pricey!

Not that I imagine performance makes any difference to Reading commuters, as trains runs every 5 minutes or so!

[Zoe]

It's planned in the future that there will be no discounts.  Instead refunds will be given for actual journeys made only.

[johoare]

well we definitely need a fairer system.. I have had an annual maidenhead/all zones season tickets for quite a few years until the end of last year.. Had i needed to renew in December 08 I would have got a discount.. But because I didn't need to, I missed out on the discount I had "earned"...

So refunds for actual journeys makes so much more sense 

[eightf48544]

So refunds for actual journeys makes so much more sense 

How will they work out how many journies you've made on your annual season ticket and it you were delayed/ cancelled.

I got caught when I stop commuting in June 2005 if I'd renewed i would have got a discount but I'd had a year of poor service (well down on punctuality) and didn't get any money back!

[magickid]

Yes, how will they work out what journeys we've taken and what has affected us? They may be running a 90% service but my train is regularly late in the evening as it gets stuck outside Reading for ALL ETERNITY as it waits for a platform. This isn't a major problem other than the fact that I end up missing my connecting train to Reading West fairly regularly - which means either a 30 minute wait or ^1.70 on the bus. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are therefore delaying me or costing me an extra ^8.50 a week (if it happens every day which occasionally it does!). Maybe I should keep a log of every train I get on and send it to them when it is time for renewal!

Of course my train isn't considered late since I believe they judge it on the entire route so if I'm delayed by 15 minutes on my section of the journey but they manage to make up that 15 minutes on the remainder of the entire journey then its classed as on time. Unfair! 

[Zoe]

How will they work out how many journies you've made on your annual season ticket and it you were delayed/ cancelled.

You would put in a claim each time you were delayed.  The compensation would be based on the cost of your season ticket so for example if you had a monthly season and one of your journeys is delayed then you would be refunded 1/44th of the cost.

[eightf48544]

Magickid may be late every night into Reading but I bet the train he is travelling on is on time (within 5 or 10 late) at it's final destination so doesn't count. Which accounts for the 90% performance figures. See other posts on padding.

Thus Zoe's idea of claiming each time you are late would only work if you travelled to the final destination of the train. Which would work for PADD in the morning but not for most people travelling home, and wouldn't work for many people who commute but don't ever see the start and finish stations of their train.

Presumably Magickid could claim twice if his train from Reading West was terminating at Reading and was late and if the train he then caught from Reading to Padd was also late.

I've posted before where the Swiss pay automatic compensation based on the inconvinience level, thus a packed commuter train would pay more compenstaion than say a more lightly loaded off peak service. They also I believe take into account lost booked connectionsm which are sometimes < 5 minutes.

It needs some careful thought to make a fair fare compensation scheme.

[TerminalJunkie]

Magickid may be late every night into Reading but I bet the train he is travelling on is on time (within 5 or 10 late) at it's final destination so doesn't count.

When you claim for a single delay, it's the time that you arrive at your station that counts, not the time at the destination of the train.

[Zoe]

Thus Zoe's idea of claiming each time you are late

It's not my idea, it's a system already in use by some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company).

[magickid]

From the wording on their site it seems I wouldn't ever be entitled to a refund/compensation since I hold an Annual Season Ticket:

"If your journey is delayed by more than one hour, we will compensate our customers, including Weekly Season Ticket Holders" and then later:

"If you hold a ticket for a single or return journey, or a Weekly Season Ticket, and your train is delayed or cancelled..."

No mention of us annual season ticket holders.

 

[inspector_blakey]

The new compensation arrangements mentioned above are called "delay, repay", specified by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and already applied to some of the most recent franchises. In a nutshell, you get 50% refund for the affected leg (outward/return) in travel vouchers for a delay of 30-59 minutes, 100% refund for the affected leg for a delay of 60-119 minutes, and if you're travelling on a return ticket and either the outward or return portion of your journey is delayed by 120 mintes or more you get a complete refund for both legs.

Arrangements for seasons will be that you can claim this compensation, pro-rata, for delays you incur on your actual journey; I presume the cost of the season will be divided by assuming one return journey a day to work out the amount that was paid for the affected leg of the journey. The season ticket holder will have to submit a claim for the delays actually incurred, rather than a 5%/10%/whatever% discount based on the moving annual average performance.

However, this arrangement does not yet apply to FGW^▸ (First Great Western), nor I suspect it it likely to during the lifetime of the current franchise.

[magickid]

There may be 12 trains an hour between Reading and London at peak times but its not much fun when every single one of them is standing room only and they're delayed every day for a week. Just because my journey is shorter and more frequent than others on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) network doesn't mean I don't have the right to expect (or hope for) a prompt and satisfying service.

My original post was about compensation for the 3 months of service I'd paid for that were riddled with terrible delays - not the 6 months or so when the FGW service has greatly improved.

And Reading to Reading West may be 1300m along the track but I don't think its safe to walk that way home! And luckily I don't actually live at Reading West station, so the 10-15 min walk that you suggest it is is actually more like 35 minutes.