9 November 2021 at 12:00 (GMT) Download PDF
- Research by Trainline has revealed that the typical adult misses out on an average of £1200* every 12 months because they won’t ask for money back when they’re entitled to it
- Train travellers have missed out on £35 million by not claiming compensation for delayed train journeys over the last year**
- Trainline has launched a brand-new Delay Repay feature which alerts and directs eligible customers to seek compensation on their Advance tickets
TUESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2021, LONDON: The average Brit says they miss out on over £1200* every year by not returning or claiming a refund they’re entitled to, with the typical adult missing out on a product or service at least once per week, according to new research released today.
Trainline, Europe’s leading train and coach app, surveyed 2,000 UK adults and discovered that three out of five (60%) Brits say they don’t like asking for a refund to providers of goods and services they have purchased and over a third (37%) actively avoid doing so. A quarter (27%) say it’s because they don’t like confrontation (27%) and one in five (18%) because the staff had been nice.
Trainline commissioned the research to coincide with the launch of its brand-new Delay Repay feature which is designed to prevent travellers from missing out on compensation in the future. Data from Trainline also revealed that Brits missed out on a massive £35 million on unclaimed Delay Repay compensation in the past year.
Trainline’s new Delay Repay feature supports the government’s vision of a simpler and easier compensation process, where train travellers can quickly and seamlessly get money back for a delayed train.
With over 1 million eligible delayed journeys detected over the previous 12 months, the new feature from Trainline will alert travellers with Advance tickets when they are entitled to compensation for delayed rail journeys of more than 15 minutes.
Any customer who books through Trainline will be automatically notified via email if they’re eligible for Delay Repay compensation, with a direct link to the right form for their journey, making it easier than ever to get money back. What’s more, the email from Trainline will tell customers exactly how much compensation they’re entitled to.
The study via OnePoll found that almost half (47%) of Brits have never applied for or received train delay compensation. Indeed, a quarter (27%) of Brits do not know they are entitled to compensation if their train is delayed, with the majority (54%) not aware how late their train needs to be for them to be eligible and just two out of five (42%) are informed on how to apply.
15% said they didn’t apply because they found the application process too complicated and 12% because they forgot.
Over £35 million of eligible compensation wasn’t claimed in the past year and we wanted to understand why. We were amazed to discover that one in four Brits didn’t know they were entitled to compensation if their train is delayed and almost half have never made a claim before.
We’re delighted to launch the brand-new Delay Repay feature which is designed to help more of our customers get the money back they’re entitled to and support the government’s vision of a simple and easy compensation process. It will proactively contact our customers to make them aware that they’re eligible for compensation and it even gives an indication on how much they can expect to receive.
Milena Nikolic
Chief Technology Officer at Trainline
Almost a third (30%) of people from Wales and a quarter (26%) from Scotland are not aware they’re entitled to compensation if their train is delayed. However, it is people from the South West (67%) and North West (63%) who are most likely to have never applied for or received compensation.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Trainline commissioned One Poll to survey 2,000 adults across the UK between 05/10/2021- 11/10/2021
*The average Brit says they miss out on a total of £1204.80 per year buying products and services they’re eligible to return or refund
**Estimate based on 251,693 eligible Advance ticket journeys in the past three months (July-September 2021). Trainline data identifies the number of Advance journeys eligible for Delay Repay compensation, in combination with average claim value and DfT data on the claim rate.
For more information, please contact trainline@hopeandglorypr.com or call 020 3588 9700
About Trainline
Trainline is the leading independent rail and coach travel platform selling rail and coach tickets to millions of travellers worldwide. Via our highly rated website and mobile app, people can seamlessly search, book and manage their journeys all in one place. We bring together millions of routes, fares and journey times from 270 rail and coach carriers across 45 countries. We help our customers find the best value fares for their journey and smart, real time travel information on the go. Our aim is to make rail and coach travel easier and more accessible, encouraging people to make more environmentally sustainable travel choices.