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Refund from TFW

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Coolzac

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In the middle of September last year I had a journey from Llandeilo to Swansea that I had purchased an advance ticket for £7.70. However, my service was cancelled and the next service which was also cancelled was in a few hours, and I therefore had to get a lift instead.

I emailed TFW customer service on 15th September asking for a refund, attaching my e-ticket as proof. I received no response and so in November sent a follow up email. Still no response and have sent another follow up email today. This is completely unacceptable. They haven't sent me any response in 4 months!

Has anyone else had these issues? What is my next course of action? It's not really the money but the principal that's important.
 
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Starmill

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If your original contact has been in the queue for over four months now you can go straight to the Rail Ombudsman. https://www.railombudsman.org/en/complaint?step=4

Scroll down and press the purple button. It shouldn't be this way, but, tacitly, they will respond to the Ombudsman who opens your case more quickly than if you chase them (again) yourself. I expect they'll offer you the £7.70 in their reply to the Ombudsman and at that point it will be your choice to accept or not, it sounds like you will be likely to just accept it if so.
 

JBuchananGB

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It depends on who you bought the ticket from. When you abandon a journey due to disruption you should apply to the retailer for a refund. It is not for the Train Operating Company to refund you. Who did you buy the ticket from?
 

Haywain

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I emailed TFW customer service on 15th September asking for a refund, attaching my e-ticket as proof. I received no response and so in November sent a follow up email. Still no response and have sent another follow up email today. This is completely unacceptable. They haven't sent me any response in 4 months!
What email address did you send it to?
 

AlterEgo

Verified Rep - Wingin' It! Paul Lucas
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In the middle of September last year I had a journey from Llandeilo to Swansea that I had purchased an advance ticket for £7.70. However, my service was cancelled and the next service which was also cancelled was in a few hours, and I therefore had to get a lift instead.

I emailed TFW customer service on 15th September asking for a refund, attaching my e-ticket as proof. I received no response and so in November sent a follow up email. Still no response and have sent another follow up email today. This is completely unacceptable. They haven't sent me any response in 4 months!

Has anyone else had these issues? What is my next course of action? It's not really the money but the principal that's important.
Where did you buy the ticket from and which company retailed it?
 

Topological

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20 Feb 2023
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I have the same thing with TfW.

I followed the instructions on the TfW app for an unused ticket from the storm closure in late November.
 

jamiearmley

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Try contacting them on their WhatsApp portal. My experience is that the guys who answer the WhatsApp manage to sort things out pretty quickly. They're really good. I would recommend it!
07790952507
 

Topological

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Try contacting them on their WhatsApp portal. My experience is that the guys who answer the WhatsApp manage to sort things out pretty quickly. They're really good. I would recommend it!
07790952507
Thank you. Will try this and hopefully get it sorted.

Good luck to @Coolzac too.
 

duffield

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I sent it to their customer service email:
customersupport@tfwrail.wales

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==


I bought direct from TFW. I always try and buy things direct!
My searches (including checking TfW's own refund instructions) indicate this may be an incorrect or out of date address and that you should use customer.relations@tfwrail.wales
This might explain the total lack of response!
 

mmh

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Why would you get a reply from an incorrect (not changed) email address?
Because that's how the email SMTP protocol works. An email server should return a delivery failure message if the address is incorrect so the sender gets an email saying it failed, rather than it going into a black hole with nobody any the wiser.
 

Coolzac

Member
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8 Nov 2014
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353
It's one I've dealt with before and received emails from recently, but indeed it may have changed. I have emailed them now on customer.relations@tfwrail.wales in addition to the Ombudsman so hopefully will get a response from someone soon!
 

Coolzac

Member
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8 Nov 2014
Messages
353
I've just had a response from TFW.

They did indeed state that the email address I initially used (customersupport@tfwrail.wales) was 'not in use and has since been corrected'. I'm not quite sure what this means!

Thankfully they have accepted the service was cancelled and have agreed to refund me .
 

Starmill

Veteran Member
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18 May 2012
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Bolton
I've just had a response from TFW.

They did indeed state that the email address I initially used (customersupport@tfwrail.wales) was 'not in use and has since been corrected'. I'm not quite sure what this means!

Thankfully they have accepted the service was cancelled and have agreed to refund me .
Apologies I'd misunderstood. I assumed you had got that email address from the website!

Anyway, splendid news. I am pleased to hear that they sorted it out quickly!
 

Belperpete

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17 Aug 2018
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Because that's how the email SMTP protocol works. An email server should return a delivery failure message if the address is incorrect so the sender gets an email saying it failed, rather than it going into a black hole with nobody any the wiser.
Unfortunately this case shows that doesn't always work. When someone leaves, for example, it is not uncommon for their email address to be redirected, rather than just bounced, but if the address that it is being redirected to also becomes obsolete, emails can end up effectively in a black hole. I would hope that TfW customer services have got their IT looking into what was happening with emails sent to this old/incorrect address.

An email to a TOC customer services should be acknowledged fairly quickly, with a case number. If someone hasn't received any response whatsoever to repeated emails, it is worth trying another method of contact.
 
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