Refunds

Please find below M9 and M9.1 of TPE Refunds (April 2007)
M9 - REFUNDS ON FIRST CLASS SEASON TICKETS WHEN NO FIRST CLASS ACCOMODATION IS AVAILABLE. The national rail conditions of carriage (Condition 38) states that a customer may claima refund of the difference between First Class and Standard fares for part of the journey made in Standard Accomodation when the first class accomodation shown in the National Rail timetable is not avaiable. Customers should ask on-train ticket staff to provide evidence that first class accommodation was not provided (fine if you could locate a TPE train manager once the train reaches the destination) In the case of Season Ticket holders you create a notional "Season First" First Class Single and a notional "Season Ticket" standard single for the the journey covered by the Season Ticket (See clause M9 2.1)

M9.1 - WHEN TO GIVE REFUNDS
Only give these refunds when a service scheduled to provide First Class Acommodation was formed of standard vehicles only or had less First Class Acccomodation than is normally provided. Do not give a refund if a First Class Passenger chooses to travel by a service scheduled to be formed of Standard accomodation only (TPE do not advise if trains are going to be formed of standard only accomodation to my knowledge)

You should get written confirmation that no First Class accomodation was available. The customer should give you the written confirmation issued by on train staff or otherwise obtain confirmation from your Customer Services Manager.

This is just one of the many issues you will face in trying to be compensated for your journey, so remember, make sure you ask the Train Manager (if you can find one) for without that confirmation you are very unlikely to obtain a refund of any sort.

You can also fill in the form http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/contact-us/default.asp on the website, however they have no generic email address and I have yet to ever receive a response back from the on-line form that you are supposed to complete.

TPE Actual Decent carriage

I was amazed to travel this Thursday and Friday on a decently First Class Paying only passengers carriage, there were however four 'TPE' bouncers checking tickets as people boarded but it seemed to work! I wonder how long this type of journey will continue for?

Another crowded carriage

This is the latest carriage that was declassified due to 'rolling stock shortage'

TPE's Vision (probably through rose tinted glasses)

http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/about/default.asp

This makes an amusing read when you realise it's all corporate geek speak.

National Rail Conditions of Carriage

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

Interesting conditions of carriage for 1st Class Passengers in Section 39 and other areas, especially regarding entitlement of travel, and refunds (which they never advise you of) and std ckass passengers using or even standing in the carriage when their is more than adequare spaced on other carriages.

An almost decent Transpennine Carriage

This is what the first class carriage looks like once all the standard class Leeds passengers have left the carriage and first class fare payers get a chance to have a seat.

Transpennine Leeds First Class Carriage

This is what first class passengers pay for travelling from Leeds to Manchester.

Luxurious Transpennine Carriage

This is a snaphsot of the first class carriage from Leeds to Manchester, as you can see there is no room at all for passengers and most of the first class passengers likely have no seat.

Transpennine Express

This is a story of highway robbery albeit the villains themselves are not dressed in the livery of the highwaymwen of yore, and horses are not their mode of travel. No good people, this is a story of highwaymen who sit behind modern technologyand their mode of travel is the the invention of Robert Louis Stevenson. The train, generally the one marked with the livery of First Transpennine Express, and their favoured method of robbery you might ask, well, that's an interesting topic. Its charging first class passengers for travel that they generally do not get the benefit of using. A service mis sold as they cannot guarantee seats because generally you'll be a lucky lottery winner to get a first class seat on a return journey from Leeds to Manchester (and often the reverse)

What a joy it would be if it was fellow first class passengers (who pay a good premium for this luxury), actually got a seat and were able to do some work (usually why they choose this mode of travel). Sadly though this is no fairy tale, and the carriages are usuually rammed with freeloaders as TPE are acutely aware that they won't get to inspect tickets until after Huddersfield.

So this fellow traveller after a year as acting as mystery passenger for TPE and having invested both a significant amount of time and money (about £800-00 in texts) have been told that I may as well forget the guarantee of a seat. Quote from the Customer Services Director "Overcrowding is unlikely to change in the short term and will continue to be an issue certainly between Manchester and Leeds whilst additional rolling stock is sought. This has been promised in government statements specifically the High Level Output Statement published earlier this year.
Given this, it is unlikely that we are going to meet your aspirations (which lie outside our contractual obligation) which I believe to be the guarantee of a first class seat every day you use the service, especially as the take up of first class tickets between Manchester and Leeds has grown by 17% since 2005." So fellow readers post your experiences and let TPE know of the shocking servive they provide (Std class passengers I feel for your needs to).

TPE Customer Services Director - Edith.Rodgers@firstgroup.com. Like myself you might be told to seek alternative travel, by a Senior Representative of TPE. I am unsure what Vernon Barker the MD may well have to say about this, but you can reach him on 'vernon.barker@firstgroup.com'

Please people take a stand, year on year we pay a premium for both standard and first fares and whilst the corporate schpiel may be that they have invested millions in new rolling stock, of what use is this, if it is not used on those journeys where there are more travellers than seats.

I look forward to your responses and appreciation of this situation. First Class tickets cost on average 62.5% more, and for that you have no guarantee of any seat, at any time. Is this the travel we want for the future? I think not. Let me know your views.