Traintickets.com Complaint

TraySelect

I've contacted 'Support' [sic] at TrainTickets.com about a matter for them to resolve, but they are not responding. I therefore want to make a formal complaint.

TrainTickets.com has no Complaints process online that I have found; instead they link to an EU online disputes resolution website. The UK is no longer part of the EU.

Any suggesttions on how I can progress this to get resolution on the issue I have raised with TrainTickets.com?

daveyjp

Why use the modern equivalent of a bucketshop with a PO Box address to buy train tickets when there are train operators that will sell you the same ticket for the same price?

The UK is still part of the EU, but any company shouldn't rely on a link to the EU dispute resolution process!

What is your complaint?  Others may be able to help.

Browntoa

As above , always buy from any train operator or network rails website.

Why pay a 3rd party site a "fee" for something that's free

MothballsWallet

Browntoa said:

As above , always buy from any train operator or network rails website.

Why pay a 3rd party site a "fee" for something that's free

What about something like Trainpal that allows you to do split ticketing as well to see if you can save money?
I've yet to see the train operators' or Network Rail's websites offer that option - the best they'll do (from memory) is tell you if 2 single tickets are cheaper than 1 return ticket.

TraySelect

Thanks for the replies.

I bought the tickets from a split tickets website listed here on MSE. I needed split tickets to make the journey and fare cost effective.

The 33p TrainTickets.com charged as a fee was insignificant relative to the best part of 100GBP  I would have been charged via train companies.

The TrainTickets.com tickets were dispensed at the local railway station last Sunday afternoon during Storm Dennis.

the base of the ticket dispenser was wet - water blown had blown in from the storm.

The tickets stuck together: parting them meant the detail on them, upon which ticket inspectors rely, was no longer visible.

I have asked TrainTickets for another booking code to get these tickets re-issued.

They have not responded: my complaint therefore to them is their failure to engage and rectify the problem by re-issuing a ticket code.

JGB1955

Surely your complaint should have been directed to the manned ticket office at the station?  They could probably have re-issued them there and then.

yorkie2

daveyjp said:

Why use the modern equivalent of a bucketshop with a PO Box address to buy train tickets when there are train operators that will sell you the same ticket for the same price?

Not in this case; traintickets.com does actually sell tickets for some journeys at cheaper prices than train companies do.

Browntoa said:

As above , always buy from any train operator or network rails website.
Why pay a 3rd party site a "fee" for something that's free

The train operator would have charged more money for their journey.

I use a split ticketing provider for my purchases because it saves money compared to the price charged by a train company for the same journey; also I get e-tickets (not the awful m-tickets which some train companies issue, which are restricted to a specific app!), and I am able to choose my allocated seat from an online seat selector.

TraySelect said:

Thanks for the replies.

I bought the tickets from a split tickets website listed here on MSE. I needed split tickets to make the journey and fare cost effective.

The 33p TrainTickets.com charged as a fee was insignificant relative to the best part of 100GBP  I would have been charged via train companies.

The TrainTickets.com tickets were dispensed at the local railway station last Sunday afternoon during Storm Dennis.

the base of the ticket dispenser was wet - water blown had blown in from the storm.

The tickets stuck together: parting them meant the detail on them, upon which ticket inspectors rely, was no longer visible.

I have asked TrainTickets for another booking code to get these tickets re-issued.

They have not responded: my complaint therefore to them is their failure to engage and rectify the problem by re-issuing a ticket code.

This is not a matter for any retailer; the liability is with the train company whose machine malfunctioned. A retailer is unable to re-issue you with a new ticket code; the rail industry does not allow them to do that. Any staffed station ticket office would either be able to re-print the ticket or authorise the tickets for travel. If they refuse to do this, simply produce the tickets in the condition they came out of the machine in conjunction with your booking confirmation and you should not be penalised in any way for a failing by the train company.

Out of interest, which company operated the machine, and which company (or companies) are (or were) you due to travel with?

JGB1955 said:

Surely your complaint should have been directed to the manned ticket office at the station? 

Agreed!

TraySelect

JGB1955 said:

Surely your complaint should have been directed to the manned ticket office at the station?  They could probably have re-issued them there and then.

  The woman at the staffed ticket office at the railway station would not re-issue them and instead gave me a leaflet to complain to ... somewhere else.

I'll repost any resolution I achieve to this problem on here as it may be of use if anyone else experiences this sort of odd problem, meanwhile thanks.

yorkie2

TraySelect said:

JGB1955 said:

Surely your complaint should have been directed to the manned ticket office at the station?  They could probably have re-issued them there and then.

  The woman at the staffed ticket office at the railway station would not re-issue them and instead gave me a leaflet to complain to ... somewhere else.

I'll repost any resolution I achieve to this problem on here as it may be of use if anyone else experiences this sort of odd problem, meanwhile thanks.

Which ticket office was this? Which company operates that ticket office? Who did they ask you to complain to? Which company (or companies) were/are you travelling with? Have you made the journey yet?

TraySelect

As promised, I post here to update on the issue I raised in the post at top.

Traintickets.com have refunded the ticket price. I'll re-book the ticket. 

An unusual problem, now resolved. Thanks.

yorkie2

As I said this isn't correct; the ticket should be replaced free of charge by a ticket office, and if there are no issuing facilities at your starting station and/or staff refuse to re-issue them, you can travel with the tickets that were printed in conjunction with your booking confirmation.

Presumably you returned the original tickets (at your expense) to the retailer; hopefully the tickets you re-book won't cost you any more.

While retailers may well offer an enhanced service when the rail industry fails, I personally would not ask them to this, because I would not want the hassle/cost of posting the tickets to the retailer, re-booking the tickets, and potentially incurring an increase in price if the cost has increased since the original booking was made.