LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP
For the boss of SNCF Voyageurs, the slowness of the reimbursement is explained by the exceptional nature of the measure.
TRANSPORT – A late train for the SNCF. A month after the promise of a voucher drawn to appease the anger of travelers faced with the controllers strike of the Christmas weekend, many users are still waiting their 200% refund and begin to find the time long. Nearly 50,000 people are affected according to the public company.
On social networks, messages are multiplying to denounce the slowness of the compensation procedure. “One month to the day after the filing of the complaint, (…) I am asked to file a complaint in response to my complaint”lamented Thursday, January 26 a customer of the SNCF, exceeded. “Still pending despite several reminders”was impatient another on Twitter.
@antoine_guy 1 month to the day after the complaint was filed, I received this lunar response from the… https://t.co/oNcm2wfD6b
— Camille Dlplc (@CamilleDlplc)
@antoine_guy Hello, still waiting despite several reminders…. No good on the horizon…
—Moira (@MoiraHpb)
The compensation of the SNCF had been announced in the emergency, a few days before a strike of the controllers having led to the cancellation of hundreds of TGV and Intercités on December 23, 24 and 25.
Announced by the boss of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet, the measure had something to seduce, since it was a voucher equivalent to twice the price of the canceled ticket, in addition to the exchange or refund of said ticket. An offer described as unprecedented by the SNCF, which concerned some 200,000 passengers. Since then, few have been able to benefit from the famous 200% voucher.
“This procedure was new and therefore takes time”
“It was an exceptional strike action, we decided to reimburse the tickets at 200% because it was exceptional”reminded AFP the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet. “This procedure was new, and therefore takes time to be implemented. But all the travelers will have the 200% “he reassured.
“Of the 200,000 travelers affected by the strike, the problem concerns 50,000 people who had already canceled their ticket before taking the 200% process”added the director of TGV-Intercités, Alain Krakovitch.
When a ticket is cancelled, the file is deleted from the SNCF reservation system, forcing agents “to do manual processing” for these 50,000 customers, again according to the director. But even for travelers who have not canceled their trip, such as those who have managed to exchange their ticket, for example, the SNCF says it has met “small technical problems”.
A voucher valid for one year
As a result, delays lengthen and errors multiply. As for this AFP journalist whose one-way trip on December 25, worth 59 euros, has been canceled. She first received a voucher for 212 euros, well above the expected amount, but impossible to use because it was invalid. Before receiving two days later another voucher for… 50 euros. This time less than the 118 euros to which she can claim. She filed a complaint on the SNCF online form, which has so far remained unanswered.
The examination of all these complaints ” takes time “defends Alain Krakovitch. “We hope that (reimbursements) will be made in the next few weeks. It takes a lot of time to find the link between the client and his travel file”, he tried to explain. Travelers whose train has been canceled have until the end of May to make a complaint, ensures the SNCF. The voucher will then be valid for one year from the date of issue.
As a new day approaches inter-union mobilization against the pension reformTuesday, January 31, rail traffic is expected very strongly disturbed in France. If many users are likely to find themselves penalized, this time, it’s a safe bet that the SNCF will not indulge in such largesse.
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