Has anyone had an experience getting a refund due to the railway strikes?

Fraggy_Muffin

Hey!

So I'll start off saying I'm so unlucky when it comes to train journeys it seems! Not relating to my issue but my last train journey to the airport was was July 27th 2022 and 2 days prior we had severe heat weather warning and all trains cancelled. Unfortunately taxi's were all booked up and I had to settle for £150 bolt taxi. Heathrow express refunded my ticket - As did trainline but they kept the £1.49 booking fee. Which is annoying but it was freak weather so I left it.

I booked train tickets back in Dec for a trip to the airport leaving 1st Feb and returning 10th Feb. They ofcouse announce strike action on the day of my trip and no trains are running. I've contacted trainline who agreed to refund my ticket but again said they aren't refunding the booking fee. Heathrow express refunded my ticket from the 1st Feb but said the return on the 10th is non refundeable.

I've already made alternative plans and will be driving down and parking near the airport so I won't be using the return ticket. Does anyone have any idea what my rights are here? This feels incredibily unfair, i've been forced to find alternative transport and now I can't get a refund on the return joueny. Also are they allowed to keep the booking fee when it's cancelled through no fault of my own either.

Thanks!

daveyjp

Stop using Trainline and you won't pay a booking fee!

If you abandon due to any leg of your itinerary not operating you are due a full refund, but you will need to explain to Heathrow Express your 10th Feb trip was only purchased as part of a return trip (even if they were singles), the outward part of which is not running so the whole trip was abandoned.

Fraggy_Muffin

Thanks for the reply. I don't use the train that often it was just a conveience thing. I don't mind paying the booking fee, but not getting it refunded is a joke. 

I have seen you post the national rail terms and conditions before so I searched the heathrow express ones. Unfortunately I can't see any similar stipulation. https://www.heathrowexpress.com/docs/default-source/policies/conditions-of-carriage.pdf?sfvrsn=8#:~:text=Advance Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.&text=Advance Tickets can be used,other train company special offers.

Only "Please note: This does not apply to Advance fare tickets. Advance tickets are non-refundable and nonexchangeable and are valid for one journey only on the travel date shown on ticket"

RobM99

Oddly enough, just this moment had a refund for 2 cancelled on the same journey. Here's the story;

12:16 cancelled, 12:46 cancelled so I claimed for 60+ minutes delay. Got the refund for the single leg approved about 10 minutes ago. Had to supply proof of purchase (obviously) and a photo of the ticket did the trick, had to cut it in half.

I came home and drove instead.

Job done. Moral of the story - photo' the ticket!

In your case it looks as if you decided not to travel as opposed to delay or cancellation. Not their fault.

Neil49

Last year we booked tickets to London through the Ticket Split site. Part of the journey was with West Midlands trains and the main part with Avanti West Coast. Avanti cancelled the service (ongoing staffing issues) and Train Split gave us the option of either waiting for a later service or cancelling completely.

Given that the return journey was also cancelled (which messed up the connection in Birmingham) we took the cancel option and got a link for a refund within minutes. Later in the day we received confirmation of a full refund and got it a few days later.

There was no booking fee involved.