FAQs

10 questions found in Performance and passengers' charter

1. Can I view your Passengers Charter on this website?
   Yes. Please go to the Passenger services area of this website.
   Alternatively, pick up a printed version at your local station.
2. My train ran late (or was cancelled) and I had a daily/weekly ticket. Do I get compensation?

   Under the terms of the Passengers Charter, we do have procedures in place to compensate for poor performance, unless delays or cancellations are due to problems beyond our control. If you hold a daily ticket for a Single or Return journey, or a Weekly ticket, and your journey on Southeastern is delayed by 30 minutes or more, we’ll offer you rail travel vouchers or a cheque refund (for awards over £30) to the value of 50% of the fare for the outward or return portion of your journey affected by the delay.

   If you hold a ticket for a Single or Return journey and your journey on Southeastern is delayed by one hour or more, we’ll offer you rail travel vouchers or a cheque refund (for awards over £30) to the value of 100% of the fare for the outward or return portion of your journey affected by the delay.

   If you wish to make a claim, please write to Southeastern Customer Services enclosing the relevant ticket for that journey. Because of the difficulty we can have verifying information long after the event, please submit any claim for compensation within 28 days. For contact details and further information about the Passengers’ Charter see our Passenger’s Charter online or pick up the charter booklet at your local station.

3. My train ran late (or was cancelled) and I have a season ticket. Do I get compensation?
   If you have a season ticket valid for a month or more and, on average over an annual period, our performance on the group of routes you use has been below a specified level, we will provide compensation in the form of a discount when you renew your ticket. To qualify for a discount, you must renew your ticket within four weeks of the expiry of the old one; it must be for the same journey, and be for the same or a shorter period.
   
   Our performance statistics are independently audited and every four weeks we will publish them on our website.
   Our network is divided into ‘Mainline’ and ‘Metro’ services and a discount may be available on one but not the other. For the latest figures please go to our Performance figures page.
4. I have renewed my season ticket but did not receive the Passengers Charter discount I got last time. Why not?
   If you hold a monthly or longer Season Ticket, and punctuality or reliability is on average lower than the thresholds in the table above over the previous 12 months, we’ll give you a 5% discount on renewal of your ticket. If we fail to meet both of these standards, the discount will be 10%.
   
   To receive the discount you must buy a new ticket within four weeks of expiry of the old one and it must be for the same journey and for the same or a shorter period. Our network is divided into ‘Mainline’ and ‘Metro’ services and a discount may be available on one but not the other. For the latest figures please go to our Performance figures page.
5. My train was crowded and I didn’t get a seat. Do I get compensation?
   We regret we do not offer compensation for those occasions when a passenger does not get a seat. To provide you with a flexible and convenient service, we allow you to board any Southeastern train if you have a valid ticket. We know that the ability to turn up and travel is something that passengers value. Therefore, we cannot always guarantee to provide a seat for everyone, especially during peak periods.
   Even during our busiest times, our aim is that nobody should stand for more than 20 minutes. We monitor the number of people using each of our services on a regular basis using automatic passenger load detection equipment and use that information to allocate carriages to best meet demand.
6. I am First Class ticket holder and my train was ‘declassified’ . Do I get a refund?

   When trains are exceptionally busy a conductor may consider whether ‘de-classifying’ First Class is appropriate. The conductor has to be careful about this because if you have paid a premium for their First Class ticket and are seated on the train you will probably not be happy being told the accommodation is open to all ticket holders. In these situations a chit can be given to First Class ticket holders and a refund of the difference between a Standard and First Class ticket can be arranged.  
   
   If you find yourself in this situation, if possible you should ask the conductor for the written confirmation, which the issuing ticket office will be able to exchange for a refund.

   Alternatively, please send details to our Customer Services team.

7. When there is disruption can I take a taxi and charge Southeastern for the taxi fare?
   Generally no, but we do understand that on those occasions when train services are delayed or disrupted, some passengers may choose to complete their journey by taxi.
   From our point of view, we have to exercise a measure of control over the refunding of taxi fares, and we would normally only agree to such refunds if a Southeastern manager had authorised the taxi journey. If services are disrupted and no trains are able to serve a station for a period of time, our operations centre will do everything to get trains running again and if appropriate will arrange alternative road transport if necessary.
8. Do your staff receive regular customer service training?
   All our customer-facing staff receive training, but additionally we’ve started running a National Vocational Qualification for employees in customer services and we’re working towards getting ‘Investors in People’ qualification.
   In order to improve we know we need to recruit, motivate and develop our employees so they have the right range of skills to provide a good service to you.
9. Can I meet senior Southeastern managers and ask questions about your services?
   Yes, they will be available to answer any questions you may have about our services. You can see them at our ‘Meet the Manager’ sessions. These take place monthly at selected London termini between 08:00 and 10:00. For further dates and locations please go to our Meet the Manager page.
10. What are the National Conditions of Carriage?
    When you buy a ticket to travel on the National Rail Network you enter into an agreement with the Train Companies whose trains you have the right to use. That agreement gives you the right to make the journey or journeys between the stations or within the zones shown on the ticket you have bought. These Conditions are also part of that agreement and they apply to all domestic (non-international) journeys by scheduled passenger trains of the Train Companies on the National Rail Network.
    
    You can read the conditions by going to our National Rail Conditions of Carriage.