Eurostar is refusing to honour expenses claims after a power failure in the tunnel stranded thousands of passengers last month.
Our party of four was stuck at Brussels station when all trains to and from London were cancelled for 24 hours. Eurostar staff told us to find a hotel and handed out leaflets promising that accommodation, food and transport costs would be refunded.
It directed us to an online rebooking page that showed no availability for two days. Its normal booking site showed seats on offer for the following day, which suggests it was prioritising new passengers over those who were stranded.
We used the latter site to buy tickets at a cost of €1,230 (£1,072). I submitted my expenses claim and all I’ve received is a £120 voucher to offset against future travel on Eurostar.
CD, London
Others are reporting similar rebuffs on social media platforms after the power outage left thousands struggling to get home before New Year’s Eve.
EU rail passenger rights regulations oblige rail operators to cover reasonable expenses in situations such as these, and Eurostar’s own terms and conditions promise additional compensation of 75% of the fare for the affected journey in vouchers or 50% in cash if a service is delayed by more than 180 minutes.
The company tells me the voucher was an apology for the delay in reacting to claims, rather than a full and final settlement.
This is unconvincing – the email accompanying the voucher told you your case had been closed. It had hoped, it tells me, that the vouchers would be a “suitable resolution”, but added that those owed more were welcome to get in touch and start the process again – a process that, by its own admission, is now bogged down with claims.
It has now agreed that you are owed just over €2,000 (£1,744) for food, board, transport and compensation.
It says: “Our teams are continuing to work through the remaining cases as quickly as possible. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed in line with Eurostar policy and EU regulations.”
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