How to file a complaint about the work of Russian Railways? Hotline number and other methods

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Published: 08/24/2018

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When faced with inappropriate behavior of company employees or poor-quality services provided, you should first of all think about writing a complaint to the management of JSC Russian Railways. You can start either from a regional office or from the central office.

• Grounds for complaint
• Russian Railways hotline number
• What services are provided by calling the information and service center hotline?
• Where can I file a complaint against Russian Railways? “Virtual reception” on the official website of Russian Railways
• Other authorities

A well-drafted complaint can yield real results, including compensation for the damage caused.

The legislative framework

Not everyone knows that there is a whole set of rules and regulations governing rail transportation. Unfortunately, the requirements of the law in this area are not always fully met. Meanwhile, any violation of the following legislative acts is grounds for filing a complaint against Russian Railways:

• The Civil Code of the Russian Federation contains general provisions on obligations, and Chapter 40 contains mandatory conditions that must be included in the contract for the carriage of passengers or goods;
• Law of the Russian Federation dated 02/07/1992 No. 2300-1 “On the protection of consumer rights”;
• Federal Law No. 17-FZ of January 10, 2003 “On Railway Transport in the Russian Federation” contains general conditions for the functioning of railway transport, including the procedure for carrying out transport control;
• Federal Law No. 18-FZ dated January 10, 2003 “Charter of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation” contains the rules for the transportation of passengers and cargo, the responsibility of the carrier and the procedure for appealing its actions;
• Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 2, 2005 No. 111 “On approval of the Rules for the provision of services for the transportation of passengers by rail, as well as cargo, luggage and cargo luggage for personal, family, household and other needs not related to business activities”;
• Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated March 31, 2016 No. 84 “On approval of the Rules for the presentation and consideration of claims when transporting goods, empty freight cars that do not belong to the carrier, by rail”;
• Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated March 4, 2003 No. 12 “On the implementation of the “Sanitary Rules for the Organization of Passenger Transportation on Railway Transport SP 2.5.1198-03”.

About company

OJSC Russian Railways (RZD) is the largest domestic railway carrier, a state-owned company, which is also the owner of the entire railway infrastructure of Russia. It was founded back in 2003, through the transformation of the Ministry of Railways and Communications. Based on the results of many years, it is one of the three largest transport corporations in the world. The total number of employees employed in the industry exceeds 700,000 people.

Do you want to communicate with representatives of the organization, are you concerned about issues of interregional, interdepartmental cooperation? We recommend contacting the contact center.

Possible violations by Russian Railways

Among the most common violations in the field of railway transport are:

• discrepancy between the departure and arrival times of the train and the schedule. The rights of passengers in case of violation of the terms of service provision are contained in Article 28 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights. In particular, the carrier must compensate for losses incurred due to delay in departure;
• improper conditions for the transportation of luggage, which led to its damage or loss. According to Article 29 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, the carrier is obliged to return money for poor-quality service provided and reimburse the cost of lost luggage and other losses;
• inappropriate behavior of Russian Railways employees: rudeness, refusal of service, extortion of additional payment for services included in the ticket price, etc. The rights of passengers, which Russian Railways employees do not have the right to restrict, are contained in Chapter VI of Law No. 18-FZ;
• non-compliance of the maintenance conditions of the premises of railway stations, stations and train cars with the sanitary rules of SP 2.5.1198-03. For example, a complaint may be that the carriage is too cold in winter;
• causing harm to health due to violation of safety rules by the carrier. For example, broken bench racks caused a passenger to fall to the floor;
• refusal to apply benefits provided by law. At the moment, there are benefits for veterans, disabled people, large families and other categories of socially vulnerable segments of the population;
• unreasonably high price increases.

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What issues can experts help with?

If a passenger needs to book tickets, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do this through the Russian Railways Hotline. It is better to go to the station where you are staying.

The toll-free center can help with the following:

• inconsistencies in schedules and delays in train movement;
• prices for luggage transportation;
• features of processing the return of travel documentation and funds paid for it;
• availability of different types of places according to convenience, and the pricing policy relating to them;
• rules for organizing trips with minors;
• rules for transporting various baggage, hand luggage, pets;
• features of the online procedure for purchasing and returning tickets;
• innovations in ticket prices;
• rules for traveling abroad;
• operating hours of railway station ticket offices;
• names and list of services, their prices.

Hotline operators will answer your informational questions immediately during a telephone conversation. Complaints written in paper or electronic form will take longer to resolve. The regulations establish a one-month period for considering such requests and preparing responses to them.

How to complain to Russian Railways?

Russian Railways accepts complaints and appeals from citizens regarding the quality of services provided, and also provides advice on the procedure for providing transportation services. You can contact the Russian Railways reception desk in various ways.

Hotline number

8 – toll-free Russian Railways hotline. The convenience of such contact lies in the fact that the hotline is a multi-channel telephone number, and you can always call it and get advice on an issue of interest. In particular, by calling the help desk, you can find out:

• train schedules and routes;
• selection and availability of tickets;
• ticket prices and available benefits;
• addresses and opening hours of ticket offices, etc.

You can also leave feedback or suggestions on the organization’s work through a consultant. However, it is not possible to leave a complaint or claim by telephone.

Social media

Consulting services can also be obtained from the official accounts of Russian Railways on social networks:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rzd.official;
• VKontakte: https://vk.com/rzd_official;
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rzd_official/;
• Odnoklassniki: https://ok.ru/group/52571620376641;
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyuN0E5XOwbUItO77JwteFQ;
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rzd_official.

Where to go in person?

To formally make demands regarding improper provision of services and restore your rights, you should contact Russian Railways with a written complaint. This can be done in person or by mail.

1. You can personally come to any regional representative office of Russian Railways and leave a complaint there. You must take 2 copies of the claim with you: one will be taken by a company employee, and on the second he will put a mark of acceptance with a date and signature.
2. You can send a claim by registered mail with return receipt requested in order to be able to track its delivery and subsequently have proof of receipt of the claim. You can send it to the regional office or to the central office of Russian Railways: 107174, Moscow, Novaya Basmannaya st., 2.

You can find the regional branch of Russian Railways you are interested in here.

File a complaint online

A convenient alternative to paper document management is the ability to submit an online complaint through the Russian Railways Virtual Reception on the company’s official website. The advantages of this method of filing are that there is no need for personal communication with company employees and no time for consideration of the complaint.

On the request page you must:

1. fill in the applicant's full name and email.
   To receive a substantive response to your complaint, it is important to provide accurate personal information. Then the region of residence and the applicant's status (passenger, shipper or other person) are selected.
2. In the subject of the appeal you should select “Complaint”, and in the subject of the appeal - the sphere of relations within which the complaint arose.
3. Next, you need to compose the text of the appeal. You can read below about how to write a complaint to Russian Railways. We note here that there is a limit of 2000 characters for electronic appeals, so you should write your claim as briefly as possible. If it is not possible to fit into this format, you will have to submit a complaint to Russian Railways on paper, since attaching a file with the text of the appeal on the website is prohibited. But you can attach any documents, scans, photos and archives with information related to the subject of the appeal in a volume of no more than 4 MB.

The convenience of applying through the Russian Railways electronic reception desk also lies in the fact that it is possible to select any manager as a recipient, depending on his competence.

Passenger hotline

The toll-free number +7 (800) 775-00-00 . You can call and inform about the incident, describe the situation and leave a complaint that must be considered.

For reference: the telephone number indicated above is the hotline of JSC Central Suburban Passenger Company, which services short-distance electric trains.

The CPPC website has a feedback form where you can leave your contact information and a brief summary of your request.

Where else can you go?

Russian Railways is interested in resolving disagreements with passengers through complaint communication, but if the problem cannot be resolved, it is necessary to file a complaint with the control authorities. They have the authority to inspect Russian Railways for violations and issue orders to eliminate violations.

Goszheldornadzor

This organization operates within the framework of Rostransnadzor and considers complaints from citizens about non-compliance of railway transportation conditions with safety rules, and also registers and investigates railway transport accidents. For example, you can complain to Goszheldornadzor about the condition of the railway.

The easiest way to contact Goszheldornadzor is by electronic means. On the website, you can select a department at your location, and then follow the link “Electronic application form” at the bottom of the page. You can also find phone numbers and addresses of departments where you can complain about Russian Railways in person.

Rospotrebnadzor Department for Railway Transport

Rospotrebnadzor has established a separate division specializing in the protection of consumer rights when using railway transport. It considers complaints from citizens about Russian Railways’ failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic rules, as well as violation of the timing and quality of service delivery. For example, you can file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor about the train schedule.

You can contact this organization in the following ways:

• by calling the hotline (only on weekdays);
• write a letter or come in person to the central office at the address: 115054, Moscow, st. Dubininskaya, 17;
• Using the electronic form, send an appeal to Russian Railways on the official website of Rospotrebnadzor. When filling out the form, you will need to select a division of Rospotrebnadzor - “Railway Transport Administration”. The maximum number of characters in the text of the appeal is 4000. You can attach files with documents.

Transport prosecutor's office

The Transport Prosecutor's Office oversees the implementation of laws in the customs and transport sector. If Russian Railways employees have committed a serious offense, for example, they were negligent during the technical inspection of a train, the transport prosecutor’s office will investigate this crime and, if necessary, bring the perpetrators to justice.

On the website of the prosecutor’s office at the top there is a line “Selecting a section of the single portal of the prosecutor’s office”, where you can select the division of the transport prosecutor’s office of interest and go to its website. There will be indicated contacts and hours of reception of citizens by the unit. Thus, the website of the Moscow Interregional Transport Prosecutor's Office contains information about the address and telephone numbers: 107140, Moscow, st. Krasnoprudnaya 22B, telephone.

You can also send a message to any department through the electronic reception. You will need to provide your personal information, select the prosecutor’s office of interest and state the essence of the complaint.

FAS

Since Russian Railways is a monopoly company, its activities are also controlled by the Antimonopoly Service, where you can complain about Russian Railways in the event of an unjustified increase in prices or refusal to apply benefits provided by law.

How to properly file a complaint with the FAS - read our article “Complaint with the FAS: a sample of how to write and submit an appeal.”

Court

As a rule, they go to court if Russian Railways does not satisfy the consumer’s material requirements set out in the complaint. However, you can go to court immediately without following the claims procedure. The exception is disputes regarding cargo and cargo luggage, for which the law establishes mandatory pre-trial (claim) settlement.

A statement of claim is submitted to the court, which, like the complaint, indicates the essence of the appeal and the requirements that Russian Railways must fulfill. Russian Railways' claims fall into the category of claims for the protection of consumer rights, and therefore are not subject to state duty and can be filed at the plaintiff's place of residence. If the amount of claims is up to 100,000 rubles, the application is submitted to a magistrate; claims for a larger amount are submitted to the district court.

The statement of claim can be submitted in person, sent by mail or through the electronic system of the State Automated System “Justice”.

What to do if your request is not satisfied?

If you decide to go all the way, all that remains is to formally go to court. Any claim has a statute of limitations, and delay reduces the likelihood of an effective decision in your favor.

Not every court will be able to ensure prompt consideration of your claim. Most often, a case comes to court if there has been a significant violation of the passenger’s rights on the part of the carrier, for example, refusal to transport a disabled person to the place of departure of the train or significant damage to property or health during the trip.

Any of the described methods of protecting interests in relations with Russian Railways can be effective, the main thing is to follow the rules of the law. Practice shows that it is possible to receive compensation.

How to file a claim or complaint?

When contacting Russian Railways, a complaint is written, and a complaint is filed with government agencies. The procedure for compiling these documents is largely similar. There is no set form for them, but it is still better to adhere to some rules. So, the structure of the document looks like this:

• Document header. It contains information about the sender (full name, address and telephone number) and the recipient. In the absence of this information, government agencies will not consider the complaint.
• Next comes the main part of the claim. Its name is written (for example, “Claim for the provision of services of inadequate quality”), after which the circumstances of the violation are described. When writing, a business style of writing is used; events are presented in chronological order, as briefly and concisely as possible. In addition, the complaint cannot contain obscene language, insults or threats, otherwise it will be left unanswered.
• After the presentation of all the circumstances, the motivation part follows. It describes exactly what the applicant disagrees with and why. References to regulations that will make the claim more weighty and justified are required.
• The final part of the complaint lists the requirements for the company: compensation for losses, elimination of violations, etc. It should also be noted that if these requirements are not met, the applicant will file a complaint with the court. In the complaint, instead of demands, a petition part is drawn up, which sets out requests to the government body: to conduct an inspection, terminate the contract, restore rights, etc.
• The document ends with a list of attachments, date and signature.

Sample claim/complaint

Compilation

When violations are discovered in railway transport, the victim files a complaint or claim.

Complaint

By means of a complaint, a passenger can inform management or higher regulatory authorities about unacceptable conditions for the transportation of people and baggage, non-compliance with the procedure for receiving and issuing cargo, unlawful accrual of fines, etc. Such a complaint sets out requirements for taking measures to eliminate negative phenomena or appeals against actions taken Russian Railways employees.

The complaint is drawn up indicating the applicant's last name, first name and patronymic, his home address, contact phone number and email (if available). Also in the header of the appeal you must write the full name and location of the organization or body considering it.

The content of the complaint should not carry excessive emotional stress, especially obscene language, insults (How to write a complaint about insult) and threats against the official (recipient), his relatives and other persons involved in the incident. The applicant must describe the key details of the incident, citing only dry facts, without speculation or searching for hidden motives. The text must be dated and signed.

Note! The more detailed the information provided in the appeal, the higher the likelihood of it being considered on its merits. Data such as the name and surname of an employee or official, the type and number of the train, its direction, etc. will be valuable.

Claim

Uncoordinated work of the carrier, harm to the health and life of passengers, loss or damage to cargo, luggage or an empty freight car that is not the property of Russian Railways, a claim is filed against the JSC. It is the basis for material compensation and can be issued on behalf of:

• shipper;
• consignee;
• passenger;
• the insurer who paid financial compensation for damage caused to Russian Railways.

The specifics of writing a claim for cargo or baggage and passenger transportation have some differences.

Cargo claim

The act must indicate the following information:

1. Personal data of the applicant - full name of an individual or full name and registration number of a legal entity.
2. Passport details, address of an individual and location of a legal entity.
3. Bank details (full name, INN, KPP of the client, current account, bank identification code, correspondent number, address and name of the bank that opened the account).
4. The essence of the complaint.
5. The amount of damage for each violation (for each receipt, invoice, account card, etc.).
6. List of attached documents.

Accompanying acts:

• a cargo receipt with the carrier’s notes about the non-arrival of the cargo or wagon (certificate about this);
• cargo appraisal report;
• a document confirming the fact of damage;
• invoice;
• commercial act.

If the documents were prepared electronically by the carrier, the applicant must provide copies of them on paper.

Claim for passenger transportation and baggage delivery

The applicant's claims must be supported by documents, by presenting:

• ticket;
• certificate of departure and non-arrival of cargo luggage;
• act of assessing the damage caused and the actual value of the luggage;
• baggage receipt and commercial act;
• general form act (in case of delay in baggage delivery);

There is no need to present a complete list of these documents - to substantiate the claim, it is enough to attach to it the papers corresponding to the violation being complained of.

Sample complaint

Response time and specialist competence

Depending on the workload of employees, the response time may be 5-15 minutes. The customer support service employs a large number of operators throughout the country, so in most cases, connecting to them by phone occurs in a matter of minutes. When sending a letter by email, the response comes on average within 5 minutes.

However, sometimes the client receives it later due to the fact that employees need to verify some information and clarify certain data. The competence of specialists is beyond doubt. To improve customer service, operators are constantly improving and expanding their knowledge.

Russian Railways is a company that never stops developing. And this applies not only to trains, but also to the service sector. For the convenience of clients, there are support operators and online services, whose competence there is no doubt.

The article was written based on materials from the sites: www.rzd.ru, zakonguru.com, biznesibanki.ru.