thetrainline.com - posted tickets warning

colinrl_2

Dear money saving experts,
I just can't bring myself to use the thetrainline.com again. It's not that they seem to be crooks or poor value for money its just that they don't seem to have thought through what might go wrong with their service. Most of the time it is fine, but I have just fallen into one of the pitfalls of the service and now have to repurchase £26 worth of tickets. And thetrainline.com are not a new company, they have been around for years, and you would expect that by now they would have ironed out the wrinkles in their service. I have just come off the phone from one of the managers at the trainline from whom I ordered tickets 10 days ago to be delivered by post. The tickets didn't arrive and as they were advance tickets can't be refunded. Thetrainline.com send tickets without any form of postal tracking and so undelivered tickets are completely lost. After checking my address the call centre just told me straightaway "its an incorrect address you'll have to buy new tickets". Its true that there were two digits wrong on the postcode (somehow it was the postcode from my last house a mile down the road) although the rest of the adddress was correct and the post office said it would probably just take a bit longer because the letter would have to be manually sorted and might possibly be returned to the sender. The manager told me that "they don't get any post returned to sender". I can only assume that they either bin them or don't put a return address on the envelope. I only have their word that they even sent the tickets out as the sorting office did go through all thier undelivered mail. I presume that they are now being recycled into a waste bin either at the thetrainline.com or the post office. As the postcode was incorrect I went into the account details page to correct it and the clicked the update button but when I looked later actually it hadn't updated and you have to amend it via the address management function. Thetrainline.com also don't have a complaints system, according to the manager, which probably keeps down the number of complaints although he did give me an email address for Customer Relations.

So, beware the pitfalls of thetrainline.com. I won't be using them again though, I'll be buying my rail tickets from the train station in the future.

Happy money-saving, but buyer beware!
Colin

mad_dr

You might also find that your train operator has their own website where you can buy tickets in the same way that you would from thetrainline.com but usually even cheaper.

For instance, thetrainline.com charges a booking fee but if I go to the website of First Great Western I can book exactly the same journey via identical looking menus and save the booking fee whilst still getting the benefits of advance booking (IE 60% off their 'normal' price when I book a few days in advance. All of the fares on there are identical to thetrainline.com so thetrainline.com itself isn't actually saving me any money.

Try googling your train operator and seeing if you can book via them directly. I'd be interested to know what you find when you compare their prices to the price you'd pay at thetrainline.com for the same journey.

Thanks!

paddyrg

I always collect from the machines - buying through a TOC it is free and frankly you get the tickets in your hot little hands :-)

Not much use if you don't live near a station with a collection machine of course, but frankly a better option if you do

Owain_Moneysaver

Some of the train operating companies have their own online discounts or offers which you will only get on their website where they price the route.

I can't think of any circumstance where thetrainline would be cheaper than the appropriate train company for the same ticket.

System

If the postcode is wrong the tickets may still turn up. They could just be delayed at the sorting office. Try redspottedhankey. They are similar to the trainline but there are no fees

System

Frapachion wrote: »

Don't even bother using Trainline if travelling First Great Western. They just give you the "penalty fare" anyway.

I thought you got a penalty fare as you were such an idiot you decided to not buy a ticket for either journey?

If they had given you a penalty fare when you already had a ticket then that would be something to complain about!

transient

Frapachion wrote: »

Don't even bother using Trainline if travelling First Great Western. They just give you the "penalty fare" anyway.

Well you didn't use Trainline did you so you cannot be alking from experience infact you never bought a ticket did you for either of your journeys

cajef

Frapachion wrote: »

Don't even bother using Trainline if travelling First Great Western. They just give you the "penalty fare" anyway.

You have now stated numerous times that you are not posting on these forums again, yet you are still spamming other peoples threads with your ridiculous claim, which was due to your own stupidity.

Tropez

Frapachion wrote: »

Don't even bother using Trainline if travelling First Great Western. They just give you the "penalty fare" anyway.

Leave that horse alone. It's been dead for a week.

katejo

paddyrg wrote: »

I always collect from the machines - buying through a TOC it is free and frankly you get the tickets in your hot little hands :-)

Not much use if you don't live near a station with a collection machine of course, but frankly a better option if you do

I have bought through Trainline several times without problem.

1. I always collect from the machine at a station
2. I ask to collect from the station near work which may not be the one from which I am travelling
3. i do it several days before travel in case the machine isn't working

WelshBluebird

Seriously don't see the point of buying from the trainline. They will ALWAYS be more expensive than other retailers because they charge a booking fee. So unless you have some kind of voucher, or cashback etc, then look elsewhere.