Public Transport in your particular part of the region

[Pete]

A trick I discovered with the rail vouchers was you could load them onto an Oyster card. So instead of having a £60 refund expire as they planned, I got it put onto my Oyster and it sat there happily for another 12 months until I happened to be in London again

[Beep]

A trick I discovered with the rail vouchers was you could load them onto an Oyster card. So instead of having a £60 refund expire as they planned, I got it put onto my Oyster and it sat there happily for another 12 months until I happened to be in London again

And through doing that you could get them refunded as cash from a ticket office, if you can find one on the network!

[madmusician]

I recently 'won' £80 or so of these vouchers. I've requested the cash alternative from Virgin East Coast, but yet to have a reply to my email. I'll give them another week, then I'll ring them.

Funny thing is, it's the restrictions on them that are stopping me using them. I'm living somewhere now that means that I would either buy a day-return to London for ~£10 or less depending on off-peak-ness - the lack of ability to give change from a voucher means that I obviously can't use them for these journeys. (I was sent three with the total amount split between them) So I would want to use them on longer journeys that I would typically book in advance - but you can't use them online. I'm really unlikely to go to the station to book an advance journeys. So they are useless for that purpose, too.

If either (or preferably both) of these problems were fixed, then I'd gladly use the vouchers, but with their current limitations they really are of little use.

[bilky asko]

I recently 'won' £80 or so of these vouchers. I've requested the cash alternative from Virgin East Coast, but yet to have a reply to my email. I'll give them another week, then I'll ring them.

Funny thing is, it's the restrictions on them that are stopping me using them. I'm living somewhere now that means that I would either buy a day-return to London for ~£10 or less depending on off-peak-ness - the lack of ability to give change from a voucher means that I obviously can't use them for these journeys. (I was sent three with the total amount split between them) So I would want to use them on longer journeys that I would typically book in advance - but you can't use them online. I'm really unlikely to go to the station to book an advance journeys. So they are useless for that purpose, too.

If either (or preferably both) of these problems were fixed, then I'd gladly use the vouchers, but with their current limitations they really are of little use.

Sell them on one of the Stuff for Sale pages on Facebook.

"£80 of rail vouchers. Will swap for £75 of Amber Leaf or a signed picture of Gavin Scott"

[iSon]

I recently 'won' £80 or so of these vouchers. I've requested the cash alternative from Virgin East Coast, but yet to have a reply to my email. I'll give them another week, then I'll ring them.

Funny thing is, it's the restrictions on them that are stopping me using them. I'm living somewhere now that means that I would either buy a day-return to London for ~£10 or less depending on off-peak-ness - the lack of ability to give change from a voucher means that I obviously can't use them for these journeys. (I was sent three with the total amount split between them) So I would want to use them on longer journeys that I would typically book in advance - but you can't use them online. I'm really unlikely to go to the station to book an advance journeys. So they are useless for that purpose, too.

If either (or preferably both) of these problems were fixed, then I'd gladly use the vouchers, but with their current limitations they really are of little use.

If you send them back asking for smaller denominations then they will be able to issue again.

However, I note from their Passenger's Charter you can request e-vouchers to use on their website or indeed cash if you prefer it. You may have to push for this and refer to the relevant section (bottom of page 19) as most standard Customer Service Consultants will just try to give you vouchers (and may not have even got that far through the Passenger's Charter before thinking they know everything).

[madmusician]

Thank you so much, both, for your kind and considerate advice. Following my failure to obtain a signed photo of our Gavin, I have proceeded down the more conventional route...!

In fact, they finally got back to me by email today - very much not within the 10 day window which was promised, but there we are. It's only because I'm sad and have a bit of time on my hands that I'm following this up. They obviously think they can get away without the cash alternative for many just because it's such a hoo-ha to claim it.

For the record, the cash alternative was very clearly laid out as an option in the letter that came with the vouchers, so there was no problems with the customer advisor. I was only pointing out my problems with the vouchers here for discussion - as I'm certainly not averse to receiving and using these vouchers. But the form in which they took was utterly useless to me.

[tillyoshea]

I recently claimed for a delayed Northern train, and instead of the expected National Rail Vouchers, was sent a ticket valid for 24hrs on all Northern services. This will save me more money than the voucher refund would have, so I'm happy... but I would have thought that this would annoy many people who don't travel with Northern frequently and had claimed via the online process expecting National Rail vouchers as per the Passenger Charter.

[WillPS]

I recently claimed for a delayed Northern train, and instead of the expected National Rail Vouchers, was sent a ticket valid for 24hrs on all Northern services. This will save me more money than the voucher refund would have, so I'm happy... but I would have thought that this would annoy many people who don't travel with Northern frequently and had claimed via the online process expecting National Rail vouchers as per the Passenger Charter.

That's unusual. Did the accompanying letter not explain why they'd done that?

I've known for people apply for compensation at, say 27 minutes and get that as an alternative (no compensation payable until minute 30).

[tillyoshea]

I recently claimed for a delayed Northern train, and instead of the expected National Rail Vouchers, was sent a ticket valid for 24hrs on all Northern services. This will save me more money than the voucher refund would have, so I'm happy... but I would have thought that this would annoy many people who don't travel with Northern frequently and had claimed via the online process expecting National Rail vouchers as per the Passenger Charter.

That's unusual. Did the accompanying letter not explain why they'd done that?

I've known for people apply for compensation at, say 27 minutes and get that as an alternative (no compensation payable until minute 30).

No explanation in the accompanying letter... just essentially "Sorry, have a voucher".

[dosxuk]

A day late, but that's normal for Northern...

[Alexia]

A fun meme, but the interior pic allegedly from 1985 has a First Group Dynamic Lines moquette on the seating.


Yes, I know....