LNER misleading advertising...

[deep south]

I have just tried to cancel and refund an advance on LNER and the claim was rejected - "your refund request has been rejected due to the terms and conditions of advance tickets."

On the LNER home page there is a clear statement:

PLAN AHEAD - Book with confidence, cancel any time
London to Edinburgh from £27
Edinburgh to London from £35

the prices shown here are advances:



This looks to me like a case of at best misleading, and at worst illegal advertising. I am still in ping pong with their customer services. I do recall that for some time all tickets including advances were fully refundable; I presume that has changed somewhere along the way.

Any similar issues with anyone else?

 

[800001]

I have just tried to cancel and refund an advance on LNER and the claim was rejected - "your refund request has been rejected due to the terms and conditions of advance tickets."

On the LNER home page there is a clear statement:

View attachment 84314

the prices shown here are advances:

View attachment 84315

This looks to me like a case of at best misleading, and at worst illegal advertising. I am still in ping pong with their customer services. I do recall that for some time all tickets including advances were fully refundable; I presume that has changed somewhere along the way.

Any similar issues with anyone else?

I think it's a case of they have not updated website when normal ticket refund rules were reintroduced a few weeks ago.

Definitely worth pursuing with the screen shot, which is very clear in it wordinh, Cancel anytime should mean just that.

 

[leytongabriel]

BBC news item on this today, with comments from people who bought Advance tickets to Newcastle where events have been cancelled due to Covid-19, a Rail Delivery Group spokesperson and Anthony Smith of Transport Focus.

Covid: Train passengers left out of pocket by local lockdowns

Customers are angry at being unable to get refunds for tickets they can't use because of Covid rules.

www.bbc.com

 

[Domh245]

I'd go with misleading, it says you can cancel anytime but it doesn't say anything about being refunded.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think it's a case of they have not updated website when normal ticket refund rules were reintroduced a few weeks ago.

Definitely worth pursuing with the screen shot, which is very clear in it wordinh, Cancel anytime should mean just that.

It may indeed be an error but that would not necessarily prevent it forming part of the contract. "E&OE" is not necessarily binding.

 

[deep south]

I'd go with misleading, it says you can cancel anytime but it doesn't say anything about being refunded.

There isn't even an "*" in there, and if you cancel what else would you expect but a refund, it doesn't mention amendments...

 

[Wallsendmag]

I've passed it on.

 

[800001]

Website has now been updated

 

[deep south]

I guess they can do things quickly if they want to!

I have requested a full refund back to my credit card in light of this "acknowledgement" of their mistake; I will let you know what happens.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Oct 2020 ==

Just had an email from them, full refund is on the way.

 

[800001]

I guess they can do things quickly if they want to!

I have requested a full refund back to my credit card in light of this "acknowledgement" of their mistake; I will let you know what happens.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Oct 2020 ==

Just had an email from them, full refund is on the way.

That's good to hear, glad you got sorted.

 

[eoff]

I'd go with misleading, it says you can cancel anytime but it doesn't say anything about being refunded.

The internet archive shows the conditions in place as advertised on their website earlier this month...

https://web.archive.org/web/2020092...on/coronavirus-travel-information/#Timetables

It looks like at this point the page had not been changed since 23rd September.

The Refund and change of journey part.

 

[STINT47]

Looks ok to me You can cancel at anytime you just won't get s refund.

On a more serious note if this ended up at the small claims court and LNER said it was a mistake hopefully the judge would say well it's a mistake that will cost LNER some money.

 

[eoff]

It may indeed be an error but that would not necessarily prevent it forming part of the contract. "E&OE" is not necessarily binding.

The consumer law is clear, if you rely on spoken or written information when entering into a contract then that information is binding.

 

[800001]

The consumer law is clear, if you rely on spoken or written information when entering into a contract then that information is binding.

Which as Lner have refunded the gentleman, they admit they were wrong, so end of story.

 

[Fyldeboy]

I bought a GWR Advanced ticket on 5/9 for travel 28/9 - which I was then not able to use due to local lockdown.

Acting on a suggestion above, I have used the WayBackMachine to view GWRs cancellation policy at the time of booking.
There are only 3 caches - one before pandemic and 2 recent - as such no mention of allowing refunds on Advanced . . . . BUT
On 14 Aug, their website stated "On 7 September we will be reverting to our normal refund policy" - does this mean Advance Tickets were refundable up to 7 Sept? So my ticket bought on 5th Sept?

 

[Howardh]

How can the rail industry get the casual/tourist traveller on to trains when they know they won't be refunded significant amounts of money when there's lockdown and they can't travel?

 

[XAM2175]

does this mean Advance Tickets were refundable up to 7 Sept? So my ticket bought on 5th Sept?

Yes - the Refund Claim Form at https://firstgroup-refunds.fastrailticketing.com/ shows this:

For ADVANCE tickets purchased before 7th September 2020, any refund fees will be waived. For tickets purchased on or after 7th September normal refund rules and fees will apply.

 

[alistairlees]

Yes - the Refund Claim Form at https://firstgroup-refunds.fastrailticketing.com/ shows this:

No, this is incorrect. Advance tickets bought before 7 September had the change of journey fee waived, but were not refundable. Advance tickets bought before 07.00 on 23 March, and for travel after that time, were refundable (no fee). In both cases it was necessary to do the refund / change of journey before the first reserved leg.

 

[miami]

Which as Lner have refunded the gentleman, they admit they were wrong, so end of story.

I read it as the credit card company doing the refunding

I'm sure as this was an 'honest mistake', LNER will be charged a penalty fare at the very least, or maybe a bylaw breach will go on their directors criminal record.

 

[deep south]

It is LNER who are refunding me. And as we all know there will be no repurcussions and even worse, no lessons learned.

 

[Haywain]

LNER will be charged a penalty fare at the very least, or maybe a bylaw breach will go on their directors criminal record.

Will that be in accordance with the penalty fare scheme that LNER don't have?

there will be no repurcussions and even worse, no lessons learned.

The message was removed from the website and you were issued with a refund - that looks to me like a lesson was learned.

 

[Darandio]

The message was removed from the website and you were issued with a refund - that looks to me like a lesson was learned.

After bring called out/informed. The cynical me wonders how much they benefitted in the period when the incorrect messaging was in place.

 

[Haywain]

After bring called out/informed.

Yes, I'm not denying that - just saying that action was swiftly taken once it was raised.

 

[miami]

The message was removed from the website and you were issued with a refund - that looks to me like a lesson was learned.

Screw the customers until someone kicks up enough noise, make thousands of pounds of unearned gains, then stop screwing them.

Imagine someone who never buys a ticket, travels week after week for free, then is caught, and buys a ticket when caught. Does that count as "lesson was learned".