Refusal of Refund Request

[Lucy1501]

Hi all. Back in August I was travelling on a return journey between Carlisle and Derby for the day. My return journey was disrupted and I decided not to travel. My return journey was on an advance single ticket.

I got in touch with the company who sold the tickets and requested a refund. I haven’t had a response from them since.

I got in touch with them again this week, and they claimed they had not received the email and requested I forward the original one. After I forwarded the email, they then said because they hadn’t received anything from me previously, they could not process my refund as it has been more than 28 days.

I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do at this point? I hardly see how I should be affected by the retailers email system not working correctly. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Haywain]

Where did you buy the ticket - online or at a station? If online, which retailer did you use, and did you follow the process on their website for requesting a refund?

 

[Lucy1501]

Where did you buy the ticket - online or at a station? If online, which retailer did you use, and did you follow the process on their website for requesting a refund?

Split my fare, online, and I have followed their process of emailing.

 

[Haywain]

When you originally emailed to request the refund, did you receive any confirmation from Split My Fare? If not, why have you left it so long to follow up? I fear that the time lag will be working against you and you are going to struggle to now get anything back for a ticket from over 4 months ago.

 

[Lucy1501]

I did recieve a confirmation, however I unfortunately no longer have any record of it. I've grown fairly used to long delays in replies from customer support in general which is why I didn't follow it up sooner. I do see how that might be working against me.

 

[Haywain]

Without that confirmation, I don't really think you are going to get too far with this. Are you certain that you didn't receive the refund?

 

[Lucy1501]

I haven't recieved a refund, no.

 

[Haywain]

So, to clarify, did you travel from Carlisle to Derby and simply not return, or did you not undertake the journey at all? And what was the price of the ticket? It may be possible to try to recalim the money through the chargeback porcess with your card provider or bank, but my knowledge of that isn't so good.

I have to say that having looked at the Split My Fare refund process, this would put me off booking with them to start with. I would prefer to be booking with a site that allows the refund process to be done online, and where progress of a claim can be seen in my account on the site.

 

[Lucy1501]

I travelled from Carlisle to Derby and did not return. As I had advance tickets both ways, Split My Fare have led me to believe that I can claim for not returning in their emails if I forwarded the original email to them. Its approximately £20.

 

[Watershed]

Provided you have evidence of having contacted them within 28 days via a method they provided (e.g. an email address listed on their website), I don't see that a refund claim can be denied. That they didn't read it isn't your problem. Nor are you obliged to chase it up within a particular time.

Even if you hadn't contacted them until today, or can't find that evidence, if the delay in arrival by waiting for the next train would have been more than an hour, you are entitled to claim a full refund under the Passenger Rights and Obligations Regulation (PRO). This does not provide for any time limit on refund claims, so this is purely limited by the statute of limitations (6 years).

 

[Lucy1501]

Alright, thank you for the help from both of you. I'll continue to chase it up with Split My Fare and see where I get.

 

[island]

It may be possible to try to recalim the money through the chargeback porcess with your card provider or bank, but my knowledge of that isn't so good.

In this instance a chargeback won't be possible as the time limit (120 days) has passed.

I agree with the wider point that if it can be conclusively proven you made contact within the 28 days after the booked date of travel you should be entitled to claim, regardless of whether the email was acted upon at the time.

 

[WesternLancer]

Alright, thank you for the help from both of you. I'll continue to chase it up with Split My Fare and see where I get.

Other option may be to find out where the company you bought the tickets is from (their registered address, hopefully in UK) and raise the matter with the local council for that area's Trading Standards service (usually a County Council or a Unitary Council provided service). Or the Trading Standards service for where you live (Cumbria County Council / Carlisle City Council?) they will have reciprocal arrangements for Trading Standards in other areas if that is relevant anyway. Not sure if they would take it up or not but a letter from them to the company may well simply make them decide it's better to send you the £20.

Worth a try - it's what I would do at this stage. I'd also politely write to the ticket retailer and say you are referring the matter to Trading Standards at the local authority. Might be enough to make them think.

And if Trading Standards are unable to help they may respond and give you some helpful guidance.

 

[Lucy1501]

I furthered the matter with SplitMyFare and they are now looking at my refund request alot more seriously. Thank you all for your help with the matter, I really appreciate it.

 

[WesternLancer]

I furthered the matter with SplitMyFare and they are now looking at my refund request alot more seriously. Thank you all for your help with the matter, I really appreciate it.

Thanks for update - let us know how you get on in the end (may help people in future who have a similar problem)

 

[Adam Williams]

I have to say that having looked at the Split My Fare refund process, this would put me off booking with them to start with. I would prefer to be booking with a site that allows the refund process to be done online

It can - via https://refunds.trainsplit.com/ in a fully automated fashion, for disrupted journeys - provided it's not e.g. a printed ToD. Customer will be advised/guided through sending in a refund claim to customer support if not eligible to be done automatically.

 

[syrac]

It can - via https://refunds.trainsplit.com/ in a fully automated fashion, for disrupted journeys - provided it's not e.g. a printed ToD. Customer will be advised/guided through sending in a refund claim to customer support if not eligible to be done automatically.

That's for trainsplit not split my fare

 

[Adam Williams]

That's for trainsplit not split my fare

SplitMyFare is an entity with a brand, an alternative custom shiny web-frontend to TrainSplit's API and a customer support team that forwards refund requests to Raileasy. See link on https://www.splitmyfare.co.uk/help/refunds-amendments-and-cancellations/