Heavy British rain has meant that two thirds of us have had to cancel plans or head home early at some point after a day has turned into a wash out, new research reports.
Fourteen million BBQ’s, 3.8 million weddings, and 5.3 million trips to theme parks or zoos have been spoilt because of constant showers over the last year.
It also emerged that the average Brit ends up £62 out of pocket as a result of changing their plans after buying tickets for events and trains in advance.
The research was commissioned by Southern Railway to mark their new Rainy Day Guarantee, whereby you can now receive a full refund on uncollected tickets bought online at southernrailway.com, using any excuse whatsoever – even the weather.
Alistair Buckle, Head of Marketing from Southern Railway, said: “It is clear that most of us have been affected by the weather at some point in our daily lives. Whether we’ve arranged a special outing or are travelling to an event, heavy rain can affect our plans to the extent of cancelling on our family and friends.”
“Most people set aside time and money for special day out, be it a festival, concert, family BBQ or a trip to the zoo, and while we may check the weather forecast, it isn’t always easy to get money back on these events missed due to the rain.”
“What’s more, not only are we wasting money by not going on a day out as planned, by changing our minds due to the weather the majority of Brits actually end up spending more money on last minute ideas, for example going to the cinema, spontaneously eating out or using unplanned-for transport.”
Rainy weather has ruined 5.7 million days out at sporting events like football matches and tennis games, and 9.5 million Brits have had plans for picnics or lunch cancelled. 48% said they would prefer a full refund for a cancelled event, instead of a rescheduled date.
Nearly 5 million have bought tickets for festivals like Glastonbury or open air concerts only to have the day ruined by rain, while a quarter of Brits have ended up cancelling on friends and family because of the bad weather.
Nearly all Brits said they had been caught out in heavy rain in the last 12 months with the average person getting ‘completely drenched’ three times.
Three quarters of women have also had a day or night out ruined as a result of the rain, upsetting their hair style and destroying shoes, with more than a quarter saying it has ruined more than 7 days in the last year.
Families have found themselves housebound four times in the past 12 months after plans have changed so much they have run out of stuff to do.
The average Brit claims to spend an extra £63 as a result of their plans changing at the last minute because of the weather. Despite the fact that 84% of Brits take caution for future disruptions by having at least one insurance policy or guarantee, 71% said they have never made a claim.
Alistair Buckle, Head of Marketing from Southern Railway, said: “We all like to plan ahead and try and foresee any potential weather problems that may disrupt our day out. Unfortunately, when it comes to rain it is difficult to avoid natural elements ruining what we had planned.”
“We identified the importance flexibility of travel means for our rail users, and have responded to this with the creation of the Southern Railway Rainy Day Guarantee. This allows customers who have bought Anytime, Off Peak or Advance train tickets online at southernrailway.com to receive a full 100% refund, whatever the reason, provided they haven’t collected their tickets.”
“Any excuse can be used to qualify for the refund, from a bad hair day or poor weather forecast to a simple change of mind. This Rainy Day Guarantee applies to all Anytime, Off Peak or Advance tickets booked online for travel throughout the UK, and isn’t limited to the Southern Railway network. As Southern doesn’t have any booking or credit card fees, this Guarantee really does mean 100% money back. In essence, it makes an inflexible ticket, flexible. We are the first and only rail company to do this, and are hoping the option of a refund will make planning days out for our customers that little bit easier.”
