Refund from trainline.com

nexuss

Your ticket is non-refundable.
If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed). If, as a result, you decide not to travel, a refund will be offered on completely unused tickets and you will not be charged an administration fee.


Ignorance of not reading the terms and conditions does not entitle you to a refund.

thescouselander

nexuss wrote: »

Your ticket is non-refundable.
If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed). If, as a result, you decide not to travel, a refund will be offered on completely unused tickets and you will not be charged an administration fee.


Ignorance of not reading the terms and conditions does not entitle you to a refund.

Yes, these rules are deliberately designed to maximise profit for the rail companies and put the consumer at a disadvantage. Given the large tax payer subsidy to the rail companies I think this is criminal. The rules need to be changed IMHO.

KeithP

thescouselander wrote: »

<snip>
The rules need to be changed IMHO.

You are probably right, thescouselander.

You need to write to your MP.

dzug1

thescouselander wrote: »

Yes, these rules are deliberately designed to maximise profit for the rail companies and put the consumer at a disadvantage. Given the large tax payer subsidy to the rail companies I think this is criminal. The rules need to be changed IMHO.

The rules however are NOT set by the train companies. They are set by the government in the form of the rail regulator and were standardised last year. Perhaps with an eye on reducing that subsidy?

And I'm not really convinced that they are 'unfair'.

You get a cheap fare. In return you get restrictive conditions - booked train only, no refunds, limited change possibilities.

You COULD buy a flexible ticket - higher fare, but refund allowed for a fee, and not stuck with just one train.

Or buy that flexible ticket on the day, same price - then you won't need a refund anyway.

terryya

Whilst I sympathise with the OP it is common of nearly all transport that the 'cost' of buying the cheapest fare is little or no flexibility. It is the same with hotels, flights,etc so I think trainline are well within their rights to refuse to refund.

thescouselander

KeithP wrote: »

You are probably right, thescouselander.

You need to write to your MP.

I could do that but I dont think I'll bother. The high cost of train travel means it is for the rich or people on business - although I am discouraged from using the train at work due to the cost and I am not allowed to book discount tickets because of the Ts & Cs.

I'll just slum it in the car I think.

Sidwell

The change of journey procedure, as operated by Thetrainline.com, appears to be a means of making money as there is £10 fee for each ticket, therefore if the return cost £25.00 you would only get £5 back, if you need to change the dates of your journey. How can such a high fee be justified?

Also, I have been trying for 4 months to get a refund of £8.50 out of Thetrainline, without success. Have now contacted the Passenger Focus group for help!

jamespond_2

the trainline are a total rip off

selimap

I've been trying to get a refund since mid Jan. Part of the problem was that I'd changed my bank account since the booking, they didn't believe it, had to have letter from bank etc. But even with all documentation supplied, no refund received. Probably eaten up a lot of the £28 they owe me on post and phone!

MarcoBello

Hi there,

I recently bought a ticket from thetrainline but bought the wrong day so about 30 mins afterwards gave them a call and asked to change the date of the ticket. They said they couldn't and would charge me a 10 pound cancellation fee for a refund. Interestingly, after conversing with them, they couldn't tell me who got the ten pounds.....

Mr A.: Hi, my name is Ian Grant. How may I help you?
Me: Hi there, I bought an anytime return ticket from Aylesbury to Gatwick Airport for the 30th April to the 9th May. However, after buying it, I realised I had purchased the wrong day and needed it a day earlier. When I called the trainline, I was told that I could not change the date and would need to get a refund. I have since looked at the help on the website and it says that I can. Is this true? The problem is that I have now bought another ticket from the train station directly.
Mr A: Sure. I will help you with that.
Mr A: May, I take the booking reference number?
Me: Sure, just a second.
Mr A: Sure.
Me: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mr A.: Thank you for providing the information.
Me: No problem
Mr A.: I can see that you have purchased an Anytime Return ticket for your journey. As per the Terms and Conditions of your ticket, if you wish to change your date of travel or Class of ticket, you will need to buy a new ticket and apply for a refund on your current ticket. A GBP 10.00 administration fee will apply for the cancellation.
Me: I see. Thank you for checking that for me, i'll send it off tomorrow. I do have one more question though. Considering that it was an online transaction, why does it cost ten pounds?
Mr A.: We are only a ticket retailer and we retail tickets which are made available by various Train Operating Companies. Therefore, we have to abide by the Terms and Conditions of the tickets.
Mr A.: You can view all online bookings made within the last 90 days by logging into "My Account" and clicking on "Order status and refund applications". Click on the name of the ticket in question to see the Terms and Conditions.
Me: So the train companies benefit from the 10 pound cancellation fee?
Me: Or rather the one I bought it from
Mr A.: I am sorry to inform you that we do not have this information.

Now, I understand that its my own fault for not reading the terms and conditions properly, and I will accept the 10 pound cancellation fee but where is this money going? I sincerely doubt that it cost 10 pounds for an online transaction, a two minute phone call, 1st class stamp, processing and an online convo. In fact, out of all of those, the first class stamp is the most expensive.

Does anyone know where this money goes, and if it's extortionate to the costs?