One month after the promise of a generous voucher issued by the SNCF to defuse travelers’ anger at an unexpected strike by controllers over the Christmas weekend, many users are still waiting and beginning to find the longest time.
“It is still pending despite several reminders,” an SNCF customer was impatient on Thursday. “One month the day after the filing of the complaint, (…) they ask me to file a complaint in response to my complaint,” lamented another, exasperated. Messages of this type are multiplying on social networks to denounce the slowness of the compensation procedure, decided urgently, a few days before a controller strike that caused the cancellation of hundreds of TGV and Intercités on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of December. .
“The problem affects 50,000 people”
On December 21, the head of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet, unveiled a shock measure to calm the situation: a voucher equivalent to double the price of the canceled ticket, in addition to the change or refund of said ticket. An offer described as unprecedented by the SNCF, which affected some 200,000 travelers. Since then, few have been able to benefit from the famous 200% bonus. “It was an exceptional strike, we decided to refund the tickets at 200% because it was exceptional,” recalled the general director of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet.
“Of the 200,000 travelers affected by the strike, the problem affects 50,000 people who had already canceled their tickets before adopting the 200% approach”, adds the director of TGV-Intercités, Alain Krakovitch. When a ticket is cancelled, the file is removed from SNCF’s reservation system, forcing agents to “do manual processing” for these 50,000 customers, according to Alain Krakovitch. But even for travelers who haven’t canceled their trip, such as those who have managed to change their ticket, for example, the SNCF says it has encountered “small technical problems.”
Claims possible until the end of May
The delays are getting longer and the errors are increasing as well. As for this AFP journalist whose outbound trip on December 25, worth 59 euros, has been cancelled. He first received a voucher for 212 euros, well above the expected amount, but impossible to use because it was not valid. Before receiving two days later another voucher for… 50 euros. This time less than the 118 euros that he can claim. He filed a complaint on the SNCF online form, which has so far not received a response.
The examination of all these complaints “takes time”, defends Alain Krakovitch. “We expect (returns) to be made in the next few weeks. It takes a long 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 file a complaint, says the SNCF. The voucher will then be valid for one year from the date of issue.
Source: BFM TV
