The Trainline Changes Ticket After Booking!?

Timaru

So I thought I'd post a general warning to you all about the Trainline website.

Yesterday I bought a standard single ticket between 2 stations routing via London leaving at 2pm. The total cost was £60 and all seemed well. Well at least it was until I read the email this morning. Apparently I booked a non refundable Advanced ticket leaving at 10am for £60!

Now I'm as capable of finger trouble as anyone and, on this occasion, for the first time, I didn't screenshot my booking page before closing the browser. However there are a number of issues that lead me to think that I didn't make a mistake. First, there were no advanced tickets available on this route last night, and there are no advanced tickets available today. Second, the cost of a standard single ticket this morning is the same as a supposed advanced ticket last night; Moreover the price, £60, has been the same for the whole of last week. Third, the reserved seat numbers and coaches (which I did record) have been changed. Fourth, 3 people checked my computer screen before I booked, and none of us spotted that the train time was different to the one I thought we were booking. Moreover, we all viewed the screen journey details after the booking was complete and I recorded the times. The times which are different to those in the email and on the tickets.

Long and short is, the I think the Trainline changed my booking after I had paid for the tickets. They are investigating, but "There was nothing wrong with the website last night". I'll feed back after I ring their premium hotline tomorrow to discover the outcome of their investigation.

In the meantime, has anyone else had this experience? May I strongly suggest you screenshot your bookings and don't rely on the email you get from the Trainline. I will be taking a close look at alternative travel sites after this experience!

elverson

Don't use them anyway - you can get the same tickets via other sites without paying a booking fee.

Kim_13

Don't phone their premium rate number, there are a couple of local rate alternatives on the Say No To 0870 website.

https://www.saynoto0870.com/companysearch.php

Just tap in TheTrainline and scroll down to a second box of numbers.

Manxman_in_exile

Never buy tickets from Trainline.

lammy82

Did you perhaps have multiple tabs/browser windows open at the time, and were trying out a few different journey options? That's the usual culprit for this type of problem.

Also, don't use the Train Line, they charge fees where the rail company individual websites don't.

Ian011

Kim_13 wrote: »

Don't phone their premium rate number, there are a couple of local rate alternatives on the Say No To 0870 website.

https://www.saynoto0870.com/companysearch.php

Just tap in TheTrainline and scroll down to a second box of numbers.

For after-sales enquiries and issues such as this, it is illegal for a premium rate 084, 087 or 09 number to be offered. The regulations came into force on 13 June 2014 and give callers the right to a refund of call charges incurred.

Breaches of the regulations can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506.

cookie365

Ian011 wrote: »

For after-sales enquiries and issues such as this, it is illegal for a premium rate 084, 087 or 09 number to be offered. The regulations came into force on 13 June 2014 and give callers the right to a refund of call charges incurred.

Breaches of the regulations can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506.

Their after sales number is an 03, which is clear from their website. The 08 number is specifically for new bookings only.