Outrage as Arriva shares list of charges for returning lost property... including 10% cut of cash in wallets
Train operator Arriva has faced a backlash for taking a 10 per cent cut of the cash found in customers’ wallets and purses before returning them.
The firm has released its controversial list of lost property fees, including £25 for a laptop, which must be paid on top of any postal fees.
It comes after one passenger was furious at being charged £2 and 10 per cent of the money in his wallet after leaving it on a train in Wales.
Adam Howells took to Twitter to complain of “theft by train”, sparking outrage among other rail users.
So my lost wallet was found by @ArrivaTW and they charge me £2 to release it, then take 10% of the cash that was in the wallet! #TheftByTrain
— Adam Howells (@AdamHowells) September 11, 2018
But Arriva Trains Wales stood by the policy and claimed the fees were “used towards the running costs of the lost property office”.
Lost property charges
10% of cash recovered (Minimum £2; maximum £20)
Laptops £25
Camcorders £25
Mobile phones £10
Small bags £2
Rucksacks £3
Suitcases £3
Walking sticks £2
Watches £3
Bracelets £3
Pushchairs £3
Bikes £3
Cycle helmets £3
Skateboards £3
It tweeted the list of charges, which showed a £25 fee for laptops, £10 for mobile phones, £2 for walking sticks and £3 for cycle helmets.
Other penalties include £3 for rucksacks, £2 for small bags and £3 for pushchairs, watches and bracelets.
The lost property charges have triggered fury online, with passengers accusing the operator of “opportunistic theft” and “naked profiteering”.
Jason Philpot wrote: “That's despicable! On what planet is it appropriate to ransom people's property? I'm glad I don't use trains anymore!”
Steven Piggin said it was “scandalous”, while Ian Pearce added: “You run the service, you take money for people riding on that service, as a company you take that hit as part of your service to the customer.”
That's despicable! On what planet is it appropriate to ransom people's property? I'm glad I don't use trains anymore!
— Jason Philpot (@Jento113) September 13, 2018
Handling the lost property is part of running a train service so the excuse of extra costs for handling does not hold up. What about the extra cost of providing rain covers for platforms? Will we be charged for them next?
— Suzanne McMahon (@mcmahon_suzy) September 14, 2018
Richard Cardall asked: “Why does it cost more to recover a phone than a bike, for example, given that bikes are larger and take up more storage space? Is the charge based solely on how much the owner is likely to want it back?”
But the Arriva Twitter account, which has replied to dozens of angry comments, said the charge was based on the cost required to “safely store, record and process” the item.
Hi Jam, many items are lost on the railway network every year. To safely store, record and process all these items takes a considerable amount of resource and as such we, like other UK train operators have a small handling and admin fee ^Jo
— Arriva Trains Wales (@ArrivaTW) September 14, 2018
In a separate tweet, the firm said: “We act in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel, which state that we may make a charge (not exceeding £2 per day per item) for storing property and (not exceeding £30 per item) for retrieval of property by the owner.”
Hi 😊We act in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel, which state that we may make a charge (not exceeding £2 per day per item) for storing property and (not exceeding £30 per item) for retrieval of property by the owner^Nia
— Arriva Trains Wales (@ArrivaTW) September 14, 2018
The list of charges also sparked a number of humorous tweets, with one person asking what the price was to return a lost child.
Lost child? How much to recover?
— ForeverJACK #backtojack (@ForeverJACK) September 13, 2018
What if the suitcase had a watch, laptop, camcorder, mobile phone, wallet, bracelet and helmet inside it?
— Jake Tonge (@jaketonge94) September 13, 2018
Jake Tonge then remarked: “What if the suitcase had a watch, laptop, camcorder, mobile phone, wallet, bracelet and helmet inside it?”