Southeastern, the franchise holder for the Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge network, has welcomed the creation of the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman.
The firm is supporting the initiative alongside other rail firms in a bid to ‘build greater confidence in the services’.
This follows the release of figures which show only 28 per cent of passengers to have made a complaint were satisfied with the outcome.
If customers have a complaint and are unhappy with how it has been dealt with by a rail company, they can now appeal to the ombudsman.
This new body has expertise in consumer law and alternative dispute resolution and will review appeals with a view to resolving them by mediation or by issuing a formal, binding ruling if no agreement between the customer and the company can be reached.
Jacqueline Starr, Managing Director of Customer Experience at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “This new nationwide process will put the customer at the heart of resolving complaints and give them even greater confidence that we’re doing as much as we can.”
