- Which? magazine found half of train firms give bad advice on how to claim
- Passengers allowed to claims taxi fares home if last train is cancelled
- Some firms even refused to consider claims, against consumer law
Train firms are consistently giving passengers false information about getting compensation for ruined journeys, consumer watchdogs have warned.
Which? magazine found that almost half the rail operators give misleading advice on what travellers can claim if they are let down by failed services.
For example, passengers have a legal right to claim back taxi fares home if the last train of the night is cancelled, leaving them otherwise stranded.
Which? called 26 rail firms to say an elderly relative had been left in that predicament, and asked about compensation.
Train firms are consistently giving passengers false information about getting compensation for ruined journeys, consumer watchdogs have warned
Twelve firms gave duff advice, with the worst offenders potentially breaching consumer law with their blanket refusals to consider claims.
Which? managing director Alex Hayman said operators were treating passengers with ‘breathtaking disregard’.
‘They have been warned time and again about their duties to ensure passengers are getting the money they are owed when they fail to deliver, yet they fail to act until forced.
‘The regulator must now start showing some teeth.’
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