Trainline.com mislead UK LAW on Refunds for train tickets!

pingu7931

Hi All

Anyone unlucky enough to have used thetrainline.com for train tickets and needed a refund will have make a little effort.

Under the [FONT=&quot]The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000[/FONT] almost all online purchases can be cancelled for any reason and a full refund given PROVIDING:

• You haven't used the products or services - e.g. actually used tickets
• You notify them in "durable" form within 7 DAYS of the transaction

However when you apply for a refund through their website they will send you back an email informing you that they cannot give a refund. This is in direct contravention of UK law and thereby misleading consumers - many of whom probably just give up.

You must ask for a refund within 7 days in "durable" form which can be an email - however Consumerdirect.gov.uk recommend you back this up with a registered letter.

If you look around the web you will see a lot of people have had problems with thetrainline.com:

• [FONT=&quot]http://www.weeklygripe.co.uk/arc173.asp[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/14327385#Comment_14327385[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=664820[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]http://https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/550839/thetrainline-com-problems[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]http://www.90percentofeverything.com/2006/10/21/rather-nice-critique-of-thetrainlinecom/[/FONT]

If they drag their heels then get back in touch who will talk to trading standards.
http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_res...lation-periods.

At the same time it might be an idea to start a small claims court action adding an appropriate amount for your inconvenience at having to go through this process.

Additionally it is worth writing to the Department of Transport to complain as thetrainline.com needs a license to sell train tickets.

In short it is possibly best to avoid thetrainline.com and buy your train tickets elsewhere!

Good luck and I hope this advice is helpful to someone.

I'll let you know when I've got my money back.

IHateDida

I have had a terrible experience with them. I bought a ticket costing £88 from them in Jan - but they just sent me the receipt - no valid tickets - so I rang them twice - and was assured that my ticket would be at the station on my day of travel. This was an 0870 number too - theres no cheaper number listed and it gets you through to a "Kevin" in an Indian call centre, and whilst they are extremely polite - they are also full of complete and utter tosh! So I went to the station to collect my ticket on the date of my travel.

Guess what...it wasn't there! (and the ticket office person said that he had seen several people asking for their tickets after TL had promised them that they would be there). I had to buy another ticket on the day, so I emailed them - guess what....no response!

Then I send them a letter with the contents of what I received....guess what....no response!

However, I had bought the tickets on my M&S card and they are going to look into it for me - thank goodness for credit card protection!

I can't believe the Trainline can get away with such bad customer service!

dmg24

The Distance Selling Regs do not apply to buying train tickets.

You really should not quote the law unless you know what you are talking about. Makes you look very silly.

robt_2

pingu7931 wrote: »

In short it is possibly best to avoid thetrainline.com and buy your train tickets elsewhere!

Probably the only sensible thing in your post. As has been pointed out, you have been informed wrongly and are now informing hundreds of thousands of other people wrongly with this post.

Lemonade_Pockets

I don't understand why anyone uses them to start with. Their website is guff and they have all kinds of weird and wonderful charges, i have never found them to be cheaper. Imo National express east coast is a much better and cheaper outfit!

timnicebutdim_2

Don't forget 1% cashback through quidco if your ticket is over £25! :money:

rev_henry

The trainline also runs the First group train booking websites, for people's info.

thescouselander

I dont know why anyone uses thetrainline either. I hear nothing but bad stories about them. Better to just go down to the train station.

FARE-COP

dmg24 wrote: »

The Distance Selling Regs do not apply to buying train tickets.

You really should not quote the law unless you know what you are talking about. Makes you look very silly.

I'd just like to comment on the fact that I found that a really useful posting because it reminds people of a fundamental fact. Whilst I guess we all understand that this is a forum for all members of the public to seek / give advice and / or comment, it is worth noting the essential fact that people must check the relevent law before giving or acting on unqualified advice.

My own area of expertise is in railway revenue protection, so I'll stick to trying to help with any queries in that area, but I might like to seek advice on other matters too, so I hope that people posting comments in good faith will check rather than assume that their advice is accurate.

pingu7931

It was Consumer Direct who gave me this advice. If you are aware that Distance Selling regulations do not apply to train ticket resellers (i.e. not actual train companies) then please post a link to the relevant law so that we can resolve this issue.

That is far more constructive than just saying that they don't.

Also politeness costs nothing.

Cheers

Pingu

timnicebutdim_2

pingu7931 wrote: »

It was Consumer Direct who gave me this advice. If you are aware that Distance Selling regulations do not apply to train ticket resellers (i.e. not actual train companies) then please post a link to the relevant law so that we can resolve this issue.

That is far more constructive than just saying that they don't.

Also politeness costs nothing.

Cheers

Pingu

I've had many refunds from the trainline.com at work when someone has suddenly changed their mind and decided not to travel (even after the event!). I believe this only applies to Open Return tickets and they will deduct a £10 charge but these tickets are the most expensive. (occasionally we've paid £400 for a 1st class open return, Plymouth to London :eek: as the boss likes 'flexibility' and is a moneyspending bad**s)

I've also tried to cancel an advance ticket (the cheaper ones with pre booked seats) and they've always said no.

Hope that helps, can't comment on DSR though