Swt cancelled my seat to sell at higher price to someone else

JoanneJ

Hello


I used MEGABUS site on SAT 9 6 12 to book a train to London, for travelling late JULY and paid for it and received two emails; one confirming the booking and providing the reference in lieu of a ticket and the other confirming my credit card being charged the agreed amount.


Then SIX DAYS LATER I received an email which stated that my journey had been CANCELLED and that I would receive a refund in 3 – 5 WORKING DAYS.


That email did not even state the booking reference and even seemed to get the departure station incorrect but the date of travel was right.


On enquiring how this could have happened, since used MEGABUS for years and have NEVER had a journey cancelled in this way, I received a copy of a statement from South West Trains [who are the rail company that MEGABUS uses for this route, though both companies are owned by STAGECOACH] as pasted below;


South West Trains are not offering any megatrain services from Monday 23 July - Saturday 8 September 2012. This period covers the Opening Ceremony (on Fri 27 July) to the end of the Paralympics. We are expecting a high demand for our trains over the summer period both to and from London. Megatrain was set up to offer low cost travel on services with available capacity and with the anticipated demand generated by the Olympics, Paralympics and various cultural events; we felt it inappropriate to offer megatrain services during this period.


So even though the MEGABUS site was offereing travel on 24 JULY 2012 for sale [a date not even during the OLYMPICS] which I then purchased, SWT was now withdrawing my right to travel on the paid for ticket!


This is surely blatant profiteering since I can today buy a ticket for the same journey from SWT but at £18 which is £16.50 more than they have currently received from me via my payment on 9/6/12.


Surely trading standards and the rail regulator protects UK customers from being treated in this manner. If I had obtained a physical rail ticket rather than one as an email, I would be turning up to board that train on 24/7/12. Would I then be refused travel since the rail company was now choosing to sell my seat to someone for a higher price?


That cannot be fair. Furthermore if SWT/MEGABUS are not allowing travel on those dates then why has the MEGABUS site not featuring any warning about this change to their policy of at least 7 years; which is as long as I have been using their site and buying journeys from them; and I have NEVER found this situation to have arisen before.


I have asked SWT/PASSENGER FOCUS/MEGABUS/STAGECOACH for help to restore my seat, as I have now made further bookings to travel/accomodation based upon being in London on 24/7/12; which will now be at risk unless I pay another £16.50! But all my contacts to them have so far been ignored and I fear that they will not acknowledge my complaint as it exposes very unfair and unjust tactics to deprive lower budget passengers of an advertised and rightfully paid for journey.


And I, like others, only use MEGABUS since it is cheaper than other companies; the travel conditions are often very poor with rude drivers, appallingly maintained on board toilets, broken seats and seat belts, ineffective heating that can cause one side of the coach to be freezing whilst the other has vents too hot to even touch with a booted foot! There are often very obscure stops; often without any shelter. BUT I tolerate the bad aspects since I only have a small budget to spend on travel.


Can anyone offer any further advice? Thank you in advance.

dacouch

What do Mega Buses terms and conditions say

missile

I think you have very little recourse. I have had similar when Ryan Air cancel flights, missed onward connection and not even an apology.

JoanneJ

Thanks for replies.

1 MEGABUS T+Cs state if trains are cancelled/delayed by 60+ mins, then I have the right to board the next train and if I have to pay a higher fare they will refund that OR I can ask for a full refund of my paid MEGATRAIN fare and booking fee.

Presumably this refers to weather/technical faults delaying trains NOT the journey being cancelled IN ADVANCE OF TRAVEL and purely to allow SWT to sell my seat to someone for a much higher price; during their expected OLYMPICS demand = profit increases.

There is no mention of cancellations due to the above profiteering reason.

Surely MEGABUS should not have advertised the journey for sale, nor sold me the booking and taken payment if SWT had prohibited sale but that is just like you buying any product and finding that they then demand you return the item so they can sell it to someone for a higher price.

How can that be fair...or legal?

2 RE Ryan Air....surely they only cancel journeys if the flight cannot take place NOT to sell to others for a higher price? Correct me if I am wrong on that one.

Anyone know if I can use DISTANCE SELLING LAWS/TRADING RIGHTS to challenge this? This is for ONE seat on a train which still has seats for sale; though at a 1600% price hike to what I paid...and so far am STILL paying since no refund expected until 20/6/12!

sharpy2010

I think I'd be tempted to pay the extra £16.50 now, to guarantee my travel, and take it up with the company upon return when you have more time to do so?

Livingthedream

Answered your other thread, the only other thing I can add is perhaps posting on the RailUK forum as perhaps one of the members over there might be able to tell you if this breaches the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

If its does (I'm not to sure as I think Megabus/train is a bit of a grey area) then this will give you a much stronger case with your complaint.

thegirlintheattic

I agree with sharpy - unless you want the cost of losing accommodation etc. I would pay the £16 (which is probably cheaper than anything else your going to find) but continue your complaint to get the £16 back.

JoanneJ

Belated thanks for replies and advice. Only posted a revised version of my story on the other thread as this seemed to be full of posters requiring car repair advice etc whilst the OLYMPIC thread seemed to be more apt; especially since the NATIONAL RAIL site is still showing this statement;

"Train companies have been working together to offer great value fares and additional services for the 2012 Games"

which clearly SOUTH WEST TRAINS are NOT doing if they are now withdrawing ANY budget travel ie MEGATRAIN ticket allocation, from sale; even affecting my already booked journey which on the 24/7/12 is THREE DAYS before even the opening ceremony.

Fine as long as MEGABUS doesn't advertise the journeys for sale; ie that is how I was able to pay for it on 9/6/12.

If the two companies [BOTH OWNED BY STAGECOACH] cannot prepare their own sites to reflect their changes in sale practice....and the MEGABUS/SWT sites are STILL not showing ANY information about this removal of ticket allocation; so that is not fair to anyone wasting time trying to book travel via there, for between 23/7 and 8/9/12...which means a LOT of clicking on tabs only to find "NO JOURNEY AVAILABLE FOR DATES CHOSEN".

That is one other reason I hope that posting on both sites might alert others to this so far HIDDEN strategy by SWT and its denial by MEGABUS.

Thanks again for reading and replying.