The Trainline.com refund charges

chappiechap

Hi all,

So I bought a ticket through thetrainline.com and because the bank sent me a new card before I travelled I didn't have the card I'd purchased the ticket with when I arrived at the station. Therefore, I couldn't collect the ticket from the machine. I bought another one and wrote a letter to the trainline.com saying 'can I have a refund please?'. They said 'yes, but we'll charge you a £10 processing fee. Mwaahaha.'.

Obviously, I added the nefarious laugh but that was their response. Can they do this? I know there's been a hoo ha about banks and their £30 overdraft charges which have been forced down to something around a tenner. Does that mean that companies like thetrainline can also start charging if I don't use their product? Is the Gap going to charge me a £10 processing fee if I change my mind and take a shirt back for a refund?

Any thoughts welcome please.

Cheers,

Richard

robt_2

Payment Card replaced
If the payment card used to make the booking cannot be used to collect ticket because it has been replaced (e.g. lost, expired, cancelled), then please contact our customer support team on 0871 244 1545, open 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week (Calls to this number cost 10p per minute from a BT landline. Costs from other networks may vary).

Did you do that before you travelled?

chappiechap

Yep. I called at about ten or twenty past seven in the evening and got no answer several times in a row, all of course costing me money on my mobile because it's an 08 number....

whatmichaelsays

chappiechap wrote: »

Hi all,

So I bought a ticket through thetrainline.com and because the bank sent me a new card before I travelled I didn't have the card I'd purchased the ticket with when I arrived at the station. Therefore, I couldn't collect the ticket from the machine. I bought another one and wrote a letter to the trainline.com saying 'can I have a refund please?'. They said 'yes, but we'll charge you a £10 processing fee. Mwaahaha.'.

Obviously, I added the nefarious laugh but that was their response. Can they do this? I know there's been a hoo ha about banks and their £30 overdraft charges which have been forced down to something around a tenner. Does that mean that companies like thetrainline can also start charging if I don't use their product? Is the Gap going to charge me a £10 processing fee if I change my mind and take a shirt back for a refund?

Any thoughts welcome please.

Cheers,

Richard

Yes, they can issue a charge. The charge will have been detailed in the T&Cs that you agreed to when booking, whether or not you took the time to read them.

To use your analogy, GAP would be well within their rights to charge you a fee for returning a product that you didn't like if they wanted to and that fee was made clear to you at point of sale. They'd also be well within their rights to flat-out refuse to take back the item at all.

Badger_Lady

I had a similar problem to you before - I'd bought a ticket for my friend to use, which meant she wouldn't have my card with her to collect.

I got onto their Livechat on the website, then called the customer service number, and they opened the ticket up to accept any card.

No charges

dzug1

As well as being in the T&C the fee is approved by the rail regulator

chappiechap

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

Yes, they can issue a charge. The charge will have been detailed in the T&Cs that you agreed to when booking, whether or not you took the time to read them.

To use your analogy, GAP would be well within their rights to charge you a fee for returning a product that you didn't like if they wanted to and that fee was made clear to you at point of sale. They'd also be well within their rights to flat-out refuse to take back the item at all.

Until, as in the case of the banks, some industry regulator rules that they have behaved inappropriately or whatever the ruling was I imagine.

chappiechap

chappiechap wrote: »

Until, as in the case of the banks, some industry regulator rules that they have behaved inappropriately or whatever the ruling was I imagine.

Wait, Dzug, has already beaten me to it. The charges have been approved already...

whatmichaelsays

chappiechap wrote: »

Until, as in the case of the banks, some industry regulator rules that they have behaved inappropriately or whatever the ruling was I imagine.

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the banks. As far as they were concerned, the charges were perfectly legal.

robt_2

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

To use your analogy, GAP would be well within their rights to charge you a fee for returning a product that you didn't like if they wanted to and that fee was made clear to you at point of sale. They'd also be well within their rights to flat-out refuse to take back the item at all.

Indeed. "Restocking fees" are certainly not unheard of.

yorkie2

If you ask at the station, give the reference number, you will probably be asked for your name, first line of address, etc, and most stations will then issue the tickets. I have done this myself at York station when it was under GNER or NXEC (can't remember which). Smaller stations may not be able to do this, and obviously unstaffed stations can't, in which case go to the nearest larger station (if possible).