Greater Anglia delay repay 'among best in country'

Greater Anglia has said its ‘delay repay’ scheme is among the UK’s best, despite subjecting users to 24 questions.

The train operator, which controls Bury St Edmunds’s line, said 99.5 per cent of users had their claim processed within the 20 day target period from April to December 2018.

This data released last week by the Office of Road and Rail ranked Greater Anglia among the most efficient franchise holders.

How to claim?

Greater Anglia ask customers to present their ticket in making a claim as evidence of purchase.

Details from the ticket can be filled out online to make a claim.

Alternatively, a form can be collected from a station to be completed by post.

Claims must be made within 28 days of purchase.

Greater Anglia will make a compensation within 14 days if they accept your claim.

If not, you are able to submit an appeal.

Lyndsey Flack, head of customer service, said: “We’re also really proud that we’ve reduced the amount of time trains have to be delayed before you can make a claim to 15 minutes.

“We’ve sped up the processing time for claims so that customers get their money back quicker too.”

The figures take into account the 326,000 who submitted a claim within the time period.

What is not known is how many were put off by the lengthy process of questioning. Survey producer Which? said customers are often asked for "seemingly irrelevant details".

Which? also found that customers looking for delay repay compensation are asked 24 questions by Greater Anglia before a claim can be made.

For delays of an hour, passengers can claim 100 per cent back on a single, or 50 per cent back on a return. And for more than two hours, 100 per cent compensation is possible for both single and return tickets.

It is possible to claim back 50 per cent for a single ticket when a journey is delayed by 30 to 59 minutes, or 25 per cent on a return.

Passengers delayed by 15 to 29 minutes can claim back 25 per cent of their single rail fare, or 12.5 per cent of a return ticket.

Greater Anglia’s latest punctuality figures stood at around 90 per cent.