The figure is up to this historic strike. Since the start of the social movement at SNCF on December 5 and until December 31, 1.5 million travelers have canceled their tickets because of the abolition of their TGV train or their Intercités. Or more than 55,000 train tickets canceled per day. Never seen! According to the company, as of December 31, approximately 1.4 million travelers had been reimbursed, free of charge, within 48 hours of their cancellation request.
This reimbursement was made by crediting their bank card, receiving a transfer or a digital voucher. "For the simplest cases, these reimbursements do not pose any problem, recognizes Jean Lenoir, vice-president of the FNAUT (National Federation of associations of transport users). SNCF plays the game. However, as soon as the journey to be reimbursed is more complex, the reimbursement is later. But for the moment, we have not received complaints from customers who could not have been reimbursed. "
According to SNCF, around 100,000 requests are pending. "These are people who fall under a specific case, such as the ticket bought with holiday vouchers or in cash," said a spokesperson. We therefore do not have bank details. Or, another example, it is travelers who bought a more expensive ticket to replace the canceled one. It takes more time to study the file. In all these cases, the processing times are between 2 and 30 days. "
Influx of customers
If the FNAUT recognizes that the procedures work well on the Internet, the association recalls however that "not everyone knows how to use the computer tool". "The SNCF tends to forget it, insists Jean Lenoir. And when the traveler goes to the station to solve his problem, the means are lacking at the counters. "
On the company side, we assure, on the contrary, that the station teams have been reinforced to cope with the influx of customers. And for those who want to be reimbursed quickly, the SNCF advises to opt for the voucher. "It's going faster," says a spokesperson. But a transfer is quite possible. You just need to request it. Finally, for those who hope to be reimbursed for their various reservations, such as a hotel room, in the event of the cancellation of their train, the subject is not on the agenda at SNCF, unlike what which happened in late October.
Following the right of withdrawal of train drivers from 18 to 21 October after a TER accident in the Ardennes, Guillaume Pepy, who was still president of the SNCF, had announced the creation of a compensation fund endowed with one million Euros. This was to finance all the financial inconveniences suffered by travelers, such as taxi fees or hotel room reservations, because of this surprise strike. "In total, we had 5,000 requests at a total cost of 250,000 euros," said the company.