Refund conditions on Anytime Short Distance Return

[z444z]

Hi,

I purchased an Anytime Short Distance Return from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly via TrainPal. I used the outbound leg, but it was a really bad experience because I use a mobility scooter (within Avanti’s size limit) and the Pendolinos are so badly laid out for accessibility, and additionally the staff failed to unlock the table in the wheelchair space meaning I couldn’t get into the space, so for the return I decided to purchase an Advance Single with Northern (I now realise I could have just used the original tickets for the Northern train… oops)

I tried to refund the unused return portion of the Avanti ticket, but the terms and conditions on TrainPal say that partial refunds are not available and that you cannot request a refund for the outbound or inbound trip separately.

I thought Avanti might be willing to refund part or all of it because their trains are awfully designed for accessibility, and their staff failed to ensure the wheelchair space was set up correctly, but no.

The reason I’m confused is because the NR site says that an Anytime Short Distance Return (Anytime Short Return) has the same conditions as an Anytime ticket, and I believe the return leg of an Anytime ticket is refundable even if the outbound has been used?

Am I misunderstanding or are TrainPal selling a ticket not in line with NR ticketing conditions?

Thanks!

 

[styles]

The Anytime Short Return has exactly the same terms and conditions as the normal Anytime Return in that there are no time restrictions, EXCEPT that the outward portion of the ticket is valid for ONE day and not FIVE days.

Anytime Short Return | National Rail

Looking for Anytime Short Return? A portal into UK rail travel, including information on ticket purchase and promotions, train times and delays, and more.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

10.2 If you decide not to use your ticket to make all or part of your intended journey then you can get a refund by returning your unused ticket to the ticket office or place of purchase (for tickets bought via websites, telesales or travel agents) within 28 days of the ticket expiry date. You may be required to pay an administration fee.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tick...tickets/anytime-tickets-terms-and-conditions/

The usual calculation is to deduct the price of the equivalent anytime single from the price of the anything return, to come to a figure for how much should be refunded when only one half of the return has been used. TrainPal should refund you part of the fare, minus their admin fee. Their own FAQs even say this:

Ticket Refunds and Changes - TrainPal FAQs

TrainPal Help Centre: Check out frequently asked ticket refunds and changes related questions.

www.mytrainpal.com

Can I choose to cancel only part of my itinerary?​

Yes. You can cancel part of your itinerary:
...
If all of your tickets are Flexible tickets, you have the option to cancel only a part of your itinerary or all itinerary.

You could also contact Avanti for compensation (not a refund, strictly speaking) for the poor wheelchair service. I'm not sure what their track record on paying out in such circumstances is.

 

[z444z]

Anytime Short Return | National Rail

Looking for Anytime Short Return? A portal into UK rail travel, including information on ticket purchase and promotions, train times and delays, and more.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tick...tickets/anytime-tickets-terms-and-conditions/

The usual calculation is to deduct the price of the equivalent anytime single from the price of the anything return, to come to a figure for how much should be refunded when only one half of the return has been used. TrainPal should refund you part of the fare, minus their admin fee. Their own FAQs even say this:

Ticket Refunds and Changes - TrainPal FAQs

TrainPal Help Centre: Check out frequently asked ticket refunds and changes related questions.

www.mytrainpal.com

Thanks for this. I have gone through this with them, even escalating to a higher up team who got back to me a few hours later - they won’t budge. Any idea what my next steps would be?

 

[AlterEgo]

The issue you may encounter anyway is the unused portion has such a low value the administration fee would eat it all up, rendering it effectively non refundable anyway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I purchased an Anytime Short Distance Return from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly.

The issue you may encounter anyway is the unused portion has such a low value the administration fee would eat it all up, rendering it effectively non refundable anyway.

Indeed. Anytime Short Return Crewe->Manchester is £23.10. Anytime Day Single is £18.20. Difference is £4.90. Fairly sure that Trainpal's refund fee is £4.99 per ticket if the original ticket price was £7.00 or more. Quite possible no part refund amount is due.

 

[z444z]

Indeed. Anytime Short Return Crewe->Manchester is £23.10. Anytime Day Single is £18.20. Difference is £4.90. Fairly sure that Trainpal's refund fee is £4.99 per ticket if the original ticket price was £7.00 or more. Quite possible no part refund amount is due.

Thanks for this!

 

[Watershed]

I think you'd be right to pursue Avanti further.

Their customer services are useless in my experience, making up all sorts of nonsense and denying even obvious claims.

Their failure to provide the wheelchair service properly may constitute a breach of the Consumer Rights Act and/or the Equality Act. I'm not hugely familiar with the latter but it can open the door to claims for "injury to feelings".

If Avanti have confirmed that a refusal to compensate you is their final position, I'd take it to the Rail Ombudsman as a first step.