A COMMUTER says she was short changed when claiming refunds for delayed journeys.

Olivia Ruback, 25, Loom Lane, was refunded too little by Thameslink Railway when she tried to get compensation for late trains through the company’s Delay Repay scheme.

She submitted a claim for the two journeys from Thameslink Railway Station to Radlett on April 4 and April 7 on April 30.

On receiving an email on May 4 confirming the compensation she noticed the refund was less than she had paid for the ticket.

The events co-ordinator was fully reimbursed on July 5, nearly nine weeks after she had made contact.

Initially Miss Ruback was told it was an automated error and she was refunded for the value of last year’s ticket prices.

On challenging this, she was advised it was her mistake as she had not asked for the full amount.

However her receipt showed that she had submitted the correct value.

After challenging the company again, she was told that as the issue had been resolved it would not be investigated any further.

Miss Ruback said: “I was told that I had submitted incorrect claims and they basically told me to forget it.

“When I asked them how this mistake had been made they just tried me to brush it off, and said it would not be followed up.

“I have so much hatred for their service, there is little information when trains are delayed or cancelled for no reason, sometimes up to 40 minutes in advance.”

Miss Ruback uses the service to commute to work and says that trains are often delayed three to four times a week, usually on the return journey.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) offers compensation to customers who are delayed by more than 15 minutes.

The company states that claims submitted within 28 days of the journey and customers will be contacted within 20 working days.

A GTR spokesman said: “We are industry leaders in processing Delay Repay claims and have some of the most sophisticated systems available. Our number one objective is to ensure all claims are handled efficiently and accurately so our passengers receive any compensation they are due.

“On the rare occasion things do go wrong, we are always keen to resolve the claim and ensure the correct compensation is awarded.

“In the case of Olivia Ruback, we can confirm there was an admin error processing the claim and we apologise for any confusion and inconvenience this caused. The error has now been rectified and her claims have been compensated correctly. The team are reviewing what went wrong to ensure we consistently deliver the standards our customers expect and deserve.”