UK’s ‘most feared customer’ who made train firm pay out £25m sets sights on Apple & mobile providers in £3BILLION claim
A PENSIONER who won £25million from a major train firm is now suing tech giants Apple, Vodafone, EE, Three and O2 for billions.
Justin Gutmann, 76, who could be described as the UK’s most feared customer, secured the largest payout in a collective action case when Stagecoach South Western Trains was forced to shed out millions.
He brought the case on behalf of up to 1.4million commuters, claiming that those with a Travelcard may have been overcharged for journeys outside of London.
Gutmann then opted out of claiming back the money himself – despite being eligible.
He has spoken before of his mission to challenge the UK’s “failed regulatory systems” and is just getting started.
Now Gutmann is turning his focus to the tech industry – with a £3billion case against network providers Vodafone, EE, 02 and Three and an £853million claim against Apple.
Despite never having owned an iPhone, the grandad is suing over the allegedly slow performance caused by a hidden power management tool.
The network suit is based on claims customers are being charged after they have finished paying for the value of their phone as part of their contracts.
A settlement agreement with South West Trains – then Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited – was reached in March 2024 without any admission of liability.
After winning the landmark case, Gutmann said: “I’m very pleased that Stagecoach South Western have agreed to pay out.
“It’s a great day for consumers and I look forward to the other cases winning in court or settling some time for the future.”
The retired market researcher from Ilkestone, Derby, said: “Ultimately regulation has failed in this country and that’s a tragedy.
“It’s not about a nanny state – we do have lots of regulation but it’s light touch regulation – meaning no one takes action.
“Especially now with large denationalised monopolies and tech monopolies, it’s become much harder for consumers to get a fair deal – we are drinking in the last chance saloon.”
He said the issue was “hiding in plain sight”.
Gutmann’s epic legal battle argued that those with a Travelcard and a ticket originating in London may have overpaid for part of their journey when travelling beyond zones covered by their card.
For example, if a passenger had a Zones 1-4 Travelcard but needed to travel from Waterloo to Reading, they should be able to purchase a fare from the edge of Zone 4 – already covered by the card – to Reading, rather than a whole journey from their central London starting point.
He argued passengers travelling on Stagecoach South Western Trains were not properly offered this option, known as a “Boundary Fare”.
Some customers were therefore being overcharged for part of their journeys, he claimed.
He had spent years working in market research and market planning while his last job before retiring in 2016 was at the Citizens Advice Bureau.