AIBU to keep work's refund?

[Tartle]

So I've been oop north for a training session today, train and expenses all paid for by work. Due to a fatality on the line at Watford earlier today the train is running about 90 mins late and I am whiling away my time drinking rubbish overpriced train wine and filling in the delay repay form on the virgin trains website.

So here is my question. Work obviously bought my ticket so if I get the cost refunded should I pay it back because it was their money or AIBU to pocket the cash as compensation because it's me that been on the sodding train for 4 sodding hours?

I still have to be at work tomorrow at 8 am so not feeling like I owe them that much right now.

I'd keep the refund, it wouldn't even occur to me that it would go back to my employer if the inconvenience was on my time. If my employer expected to keep it I probably wouldn't bother claiming it, but I'm petty like that...

And to all those suggesting it should go to charity. Are you all donating to the samaritans too, or is that just the duty of those who have been inconvenienced?!

Definitely keep the refund!

So many downtrodden people on MN who unquestioningly kowtow to authority.

Not downtrodden, just following the rules of the company. You can't just ignore the rules because you don't "agree" with them.

If they're paying you for all your travel time - including delays - it's theirs. If you're travelling in your own time and they've got what they wanted (i.e. your attendance at the event) it's yours.

As you can tell...I too am from 'oop north' OP. We are made of far too strong a brew to feel either offended or patronised, us northern lasses 😉

My dad is from 'darn sarf' and is also neither offended or patronised at this 🙄

Both are simply geographical facts in our family!

Unoffended, Whippetless Northerner here...

Similar happens to DH from time to time, he's always offered the refund back but has always been told to keep it.

I'll get back to my mug of Yorkshire and my racing post now 😂

@Tinkobell Yes...yes we do!! I now live in the south and say it EVERY SINGLE TIME I GO HOME!! And actually, in some areas it IS still part of their spoken dialect. My Nan would say it if she were still alive.

Thanks dagnabit and crispysausagerolls it was a very long time ago and dad is dead now as well, but yes, awful for him at the time (and quite a long time after)

The refund would go back to work as they paid for the ticket but if I didn’t get home until 1am I’d be taking back the delay time as time off in lieu - probably a half day agreed informally with my line manager.

allertze
And  to all those suggesting it should go to charity. Are you all donating to the samaritans too, or is that just the duty of those who have been inconvenienced?!

I mentioned that it's a good idea to make a donation to the Samaritans when something like this happens but I wasn't suggesting the OP donate her refund. Sorry if that wasnt clear. I agree that it's not ok to tell other people how they should donate their money.
I can't articulate why I like to make a donation when things like this happen. It just feels like the right thing to do. I don't have any standing orders set up for any charities anymore so I tend to give things on an adhoc basis. I will be walking past a Mind Store later today and I will make a donation.

It’s not their refund it’s your compensation.

Surely refund goes to the bill payer but compensation goes to the service user.

So, if you're ooop North or daaan saarf you can be offended by that, but what about the Midlands - I want a term I can be professionally offended by. In fact, I'm taking offense that there isn't an offensive term that has been mentioned on this thread yet for me to take offense to!! 😄

Back to the OP's actual question, I would refer back to the employer and see what they say. Probably give us back the money, but hey ho.

Just a thought OP...what is the 'actual' wording on the claim form? Does it say 'compensation' or 'refund'? Not that I think it makes a difference personally...I think it's your time that's being compensated for, so it's yours to do with what you want! But if it 'says' compensation, then you've really nothing to worry about 🤷‍♀️😊

Here, you’d be expected to declare it but would be allowed to keep it as the admin involved in the recharging isn’t worth the bother!
So I’d tell them and see what they say.

I meant to link this in my post...

I run a small business. I'd expect my employee to mention it, but personally I'd let them keep the compensation.

They will have travelled on the train in both directions, so what's been paid for has been delivered. Sitting in a (probably hot and miserable) station needs compensating for - OP probably expected to arrive home earlier than they will now.

I'd also pay any expenses due.

It is compensation for you for the inconvenience.

You are the one who has suffered.

It is a totally different thing to get a hotel refund. Totally different.

I was delayed 6 hours on a train once. Got in at 2 am and had to be up at 6. The day was horrendous for me because of the train delay, the train company compensated me by refunding the cost .

Oop North is offensive as it infers that up here we're either all country bumpkins pottering around our farms with our whippets or living in a real life LS Lowry painting.

No it doesn't

Keep the money. You deserve it just for filling out the form. I did once and they said my train wasn't late so I wasn't entitled to a refund. It was two hours late! lies!

Oooop north.....just bloody stupid isn't it? I'm glad I wasn't stuck next to the OP on a train today with her ooop north and tapping away about refunds that she's not even paid...while some other persons lives have been turned upside down. Sounds like she's ooop her own arse.

Sounds like she's ooop her own arse.

I also noticed the casual non-mention of a life lost.

Our policy at work on this is the staff keep the compensation - they had the inconvenience, so they get to keep the money.

Are people really offended by "ooop north"?! So are people also offended by "daaahn sarf"? I'm northern, I say "oop North". I even say "going t'oop North". I no longer have a Northern accent. I'm just being daft. Stop skriking about it, everyone!

FWIW - we were delayed on Virgin West Coast last week and were told that if we had booked online dire=ectly with Virgin (which we had), our compensation would be refunded to our account automatically. Wgich reminds me, I must check if it has.

“The refund would go back to work as they paid for the ticket but if I didn’t get home until 1am I’d be taking back the delay time as time off in lieu - probably a half day agreed informally with my line manager.”

This is all back to front to me. My employer would so much rather me keep the cash (which they aren’t expecting and don’t need) than to give me half a day off randomly which they won’t have planned for.