It is not surprising that only one in five rail passengers who are entitled to compensation for delayed services actually claim it (Passengers to get payouts for 15-minute rail delays, 13 October). On a journey I made last year between Darlington and Inverness a delay of 10 minutes at the start became two hours by the time I reached my destination. Station staff were most helpful in issuing the appropriate form to make my claim for 100% compensation, which I later received in vouchers.
It was when I tried to use the vouchers that the obstacle course began. I was not permitted to use vouchers if I booked my next journey online – I had to do it by phone. On the phone I was given a reference number. Next, I had to write a letter giving details of my intended journey, the voucher numbers and the reference number. This had to be sent by post, allowing a minimum of 10 days for my tickets to be posted to me before my journey.
I went through this cumbersome and outdated process several times until I had used all my vouchers. How many people with busy lives would do so?
Maureen Lyon
Strathcarron, Inverness-Shire
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