Thetrainline.com arghhh

Poodlecrazy

Hi!

I just had to vent!!! I have been using the trainline.com for the last months for tickets from London to Swansea every Friday and back on a sunday spending £53 a week with them, so one would think a reasonably good customer.

Anyhow they have been such a disaster that I am now purchasing directly from First Great Western. Here's why (I'll try and keep it brief):

• showing more expensive tickets than can be purchased directly
• failing to deliver tickets and having to spend at least 20 minutes on hold to arrange to collect the tickets at the station
• when you arrive at the station the tickets are not there and it takes the staff at the station at least 30 minutes to get a fax sent through
• as I book four weeks worth at a time (on pay day ;-)), when the tickets didn't arrive for the first week I asked if I could collect all four sets at the same time that Friday. No can do have to go through the same scenario every week...
• THEN when I decide to cancel set number four, just don't have the time to be on hold and leave work early every Friday to wait at cusotmer services in Paddington for 30 min, they mess up the refund
• asked for a refund on the 8th Feb
• phoned back on the 17th Feb to say that as I had no tickets to send back was this causing a delay with my refund was told that it was being processed would be 28 days
• 8th March phone up again , apparently they need a bank statement to prove that I bought the tickets(!) which they didn't tell me first two calls so I sent them the statement
• 28 days later again they do not have my bank statement, I sent it on the 8th March and got it signed for - still they deny all knowledge
• as I am online banking, I now do not have access to my statements going back 3 months without paying £10 for a copy
• have now given up on refund as it isn't worth the £25
• total time spent on hold / phone 3 hours 12 minutes!!!!!

ARRGHHHH

Have spoken to 'Head' of refunds he was unable to help. Have written directly to the Director Mr Mark Furlong - no response.

I give up!!!!

Anyone got any ideas / had similar issues?

Thanks

:mad:

hjb123

Have you tried through https://www.nationalrail.co.uk ?

I use https://www.virgintrains.co.uk but I guess they dont serve all the country!

Sounds like you have had a tough time with them!

Poodlecrazy

Thanks for that - Virgin don't cover south Wales but the theory is the same and I shall go directly to the train company which happens to be First Great Western.

The trainline seems to have a bit of a monopoly so I guess direct is the only real option (and natioanl rail - will have a look at them too, thanks).

Just infuriating, I guess the trianline works on the presumption that most people only travel occassionaly and therefore put it down to bad luck rather than thinking it would happen every time! :rolleyes:

Voyager2002

Yes, I hate the trainline.

Since your journey is operated by First Great Western, I suggest you buy from them directly. I would always buy on-line, so that I can see what fares are available. Also, I don't think they charge a fee for using a credit card.

It is a very long time since I had train tickets delivered to me. If you use the FastTicket facility then you can collect them from machines at virtually any station in the UK, so long as you remember your credit card and the code they give you when you book.

Refunds are not available for some train tickets, but if you had to cancel the journey because of their error then you should get your money back in full. If you paid by credit card, then contact the card issuer to request a chargeback.