Claiming for future strike cancelled trains

[trainophile]

What's the situation if plans are cancelled or amended due to the announced strikes, but as the strikes are future dated they might not actually happen?

I have re-jigged some trips to avoid Dec & Jan strike dates, and bought new tickets, so no longer need the original tickets which are for dates when strikes are proposed. Is it too soon to make a claim, and if the strikes are abandoned nearer the time would a claim still be honoured given the change of plans being prompted by the strike announcements? I don't want to leave it too late to claim, and then find the strikes are called off, and I have unwanted tickets for those dates. They are Advance tickets.

 

[gray1404]

Can you use the book with confidence scheme?

 

[trainophile]

Possibly in one case, although if it's anything like Trainsplit's rules you have to be travelling on the same route on a future date, which I'm unlikely to be. For the other one I booked through a different website to the original (cheaper) and made changes to my itinerary, adding another two nights away at a different location to the original two nights (thankful that Scotrail will allow me to travel between the two on an England strike day!). Basically I've pretty much started again with these two trips, just maintaining the original non-strike day journeys where possible.

 

[Adam Williams]

Any good retailer should just refund you. Who did you buy with?

You can't mess about your customers by saying "Oh, but the union might call off the strike!" - particularly if they've already made other plans. And, if it's anything like last time, the TOCs and e.g. Network Rail won't be in a position to restore the original service even if the strike is called off (if it's done late).

although if it's anything like Trainsplit's rules you have to be travelling on the same route on a future date, which I'm unlikely to be

This doesn't actually apply for Book with Confidence refunds, the route doesn't matter.

 

[Watershed]

There is no harm in making a claim now. Industry guidance is that ticket acceptance, refund arrangements, etc. aren't withdrawn in the event of a strike being cancelled, particularly as customers may already have relied on this, and in any event, it may be impossible to restore the normal timetable.

It's worth noting that if you are intending to travel on a journey which is likely to be severely disrupted as a result of the strikes, with a delay of more than an hour expected, you have additional rights beyond the blanket ticket acceptance on a couple of days either side. These rights include the ability to change your journey to another date of your convenience, without having to pay a fee or fare difference.

If you have already bought your new tickets, I suppose this is not of great assistance to you. But it's useful for future reference.

 

[trainophile]

Ah, thanks for clarifying Adam. The ones I bought from Trainsplit I will sort out and put a claim in then. I know Trainsplit are absolutely the best for helpfulness but didn't want to push my luck!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Nov 2022 ==

Thanks Watershed, the rules about travelling on adjacent days to strike days aren't clear for all operators. Anyway with adding in the extra two nights away I will be returning home from a different point to that on my original plans, so needed a new ticket reflecting the change of start point.

 

[gray1404]

Ah, thanks for clarifying Adam. The ones I bought from Trainsplit I will sort out and put a claim in then. I know Trainsplit are absolutely the best for helpfulness but didn't want to push my luck!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Nov 2022 ==

Thanks Watershed, the rules about travelling on adjacent days to strike days aren't clear for all operators. Anyway with adding in the extra two nights away I will be returning home from a different point to that on my original plans, so needed a new ticket reflecting the change of start point.

Don't worry. I would not say applying for refunds for tickets for travel on days that are currently declared as strike days is pushing your luck.