Trainline Refund - Due to emergency

khamilton13

Hi everyone,

This weekend my partner and I were supposed to take a trip to Winchester but unfortunately he had to be rushed to A&E due to a back injury so we were unable to make the trip. I livechatted with Trainline and they refused to give us any money back as they were advanced single tickets (non-refundable) that had already expired. Needless to say contacting them before the train departed wasn't my first thought in the ambulance...

I understand they are non-refundable but I would of thought there would be some flexibility or special policy for emergencies/ unforeseeable circumstances. I will be getting a call back from them in a few days to discuss the matter further and have also contacted South Western but as I didn't book directly I'm not sure if they will be able to help.

Has anyone else had similar experiences and managed to get money back? Any advice would be much appreciated!

soolin

khamilton13 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

This weekend my partner and I were supposed to take a trip to Winchester but unfortunately he had to be rushed to A&E due to a back injury so we were unable to make the trip. I livechatted with Trainline and they refused to give us any money back as they were advanced single tickets (non-refundable) that had already expired. Needless to say contacting them before the train departed wasn't my first thought in the ambulance...

I understand they are non-refundable but I would of thought there would be some flexibility or special policy for emergencies/ unforeseeable circumstances. I will be getting a call back from them in a few days to discuss the matter further and have also contacted South Western but as I didn't book directly I'm not sure if they will be able to help.

Has anyone else had similar experiences and managed to get money back? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Sorry to hear your partner was taken ill, hope they are better now.

Unfortunately buying non refundable tickets is always a risk and I'm sure many of us have lost money due to untaken journeys or missed trains. Sometimes it is possible to get a goodwill gesture, but unfortunately I'm sure the train companies have heard every single real reason for not taking a train- they have to draw the line somewhere. If they are going to get back to you they might be able to offer a voucher or discount if you re-book, but there is nothing to say they have to.

agrinnall

Travel insurance is what you need to cover such emergencies, although the policy excess might mean it's not worth making a claim. The Trainline have done nothing wrong, and I doubt whether you'll get anything from them, buit anything you do get will be goodwill.

colcheslad

Next time, don't book with thetrainline. They charge a fee, you can buy the exact same tickets from any Train Operator.

agrinnall

colcheslad wrote: »

Next time, don't book with thetrainline. They charge a fee, you can buy the exact same tickets from any Train Operator.

Although the cashback sites usually have an offer for bookings through thetrainline which might outweigh the fee.

khamilton13

Thank you everyone for your responses, I hoped they would have some flexibility (my partner has received money back from non-refundable flights before from crappy Ryanair so I always believe anything is possible), but I won't bother getting my hopes up and will try to avoid them in future!

agrinnall

khamilton13 wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your responses, I hoped they would have some flexibility (my partner has received money back from non-refundable flights before from crappy Ryanair so I always believe anything is possible), but I won't bother getting my hopes up and will try to avoid them in future!

But you'd have to avoid travelling by train, as all train ticket providers, not just thetrainline, will operate the same way - as I said previously, travel insurance is what you need in your circumstances.