The trainline and a scam

[MikeWh]

As if you needed anything else to put you off the trainline, this was posted on another forum I frequent:

A few weeks ago I was booking the Mrs a train ticket and after booking there was some promo about getting £10 off a future trip. As she was likely to go again I clicked ok and went through a few stages without taking much notice to be honest.

Upon checking my statement yesterday there was a £10 debit I was unsure of made to

SHOPPERDISCOUNTS.C

Looked this up on the net and true enough, the trainline rubbish is just a scam and I was now payiong £10 a month for the promise of some discounts!

I have obviously called and they have cancelled and refunded without question so are used to it and just take advantage of people who do not check their statements.

Is it true only idiots get scammed Must pay more attention in future!

I've taken the opportunity of warning everyone who reads the thread not to use the trainline for all the usual reasons, as well as this.

 

[yorkie]

Sounds like an advert that appears at the end of the booking process.

This is confirmed as a scam (a quick google search reveals that) and Thetrainline are in cahoots with the perpetrators, by allowing them to advertise on their site. There have been reported cases of people following these links from Thetrainline since August 2008. So Thetrainline can't deny knowledge of it! (Example 1, Example 2)

I was once told by Thetrainline that an SVR from London to York would cost about £1 (Long story). I stopped using all Thetrainline sites after FSR stopped their half price offers about 3 years ago.

Thetrainline are an awful company with terrible attitude toward customers.

 

[wibble]

Thetrainline are an awful company with terrible attitude toward customers.

They don't seem to be too helpful with any of the TOCs they work for either!

 

[jamesontheroad]

The trainline and a scam

What? In addition to the one where they charge booking, delivery and collection fees?

Seriously, though, this sounds like one that I've heard of before.

Company A has your credit / debit card details from a completed purchase. On the confirmation page, Company B dangles a carrot in front of you, something free that you can benefit from if you try a new savings programme (or something similar). Company A passes your payment details to Company B with your consent (one of those clicky boxes) so that you don't need to re-enter them, and bang, you're enrolled on something, perhaps even a rolling subscription.

 

[222007]

If i come across passengers who have had issues collecting tickets etc i always ask where they purchased there tickets from if they say thetrainline i ALWAYS reccomend using a train company's website (i dont always say my own TOC's website - impartial retailing etc) as they'd save on booking fee's etc and also more than likely get better advanced deals

 

[penaltyfines]

Credit card companies should do far more to help the situation.

If you're a online retailer and abusing customers credit cards - subscription payments hidden in small print, passing details on to 3rd parties, you should expect to have the facility withdrawn.

If TheTrainLine were cut off from accepting card payments I bet they'd remove the advert within the hour and take a much more responsible approach.

Isn't passing through details barred through PCI anyway?

 

[bb21]

They are one of many companies that allow such awful practice to be carried out on their sites. National Express used to be another although I don't think they do it any more. I followed it through once full aware that there were no free lunch in this world and of course realised through reading the small print what it was all about. The law really should make companies display all things in relation to personal finance in normal fonts specifying a minimum size and in stand-out colours, eg. red. There are plenty of people I know who still don't bother with reading the small prints and end up making very costly mistakes.

 

[Flamingo]

If i come across passengers who have had issues collecting tickets etc i always ask where they purchased there tickets from if they say thetrainline i ALWAYS reccomend using a train company's website (i dont always say my own TOC's website - impartial retailing etc) as they'd save on booking fee's etc and also more than likely get better advanced deals

Me too.

 

[route101]

I use East Coast mostly , never have or never will use trainline or raileasy .

 

[Welshman]

I've normally used EC, but in protest at the latest charge of £1 postage fee, I tried London Midland for the first time. The tickets were delivered the very next day, and, of course, no fee for postage. Excellent service!

 

[route101]

I never have them posted , not since they done away with them Boarding card style tickets.

 

[Greenback]

I've normally used EC, but in protest at the latest charge of £1 postage fee, I tried London Midland for the first time. The tickets were delivered the very next day, and, of course, no fee for postage. Excellent service!

I shall also be trying the LM site for exactly the same reason! I haven;t used the Trainline for many years because they are a rip off! Interestingly, I had an email from that new site, I forget it's name, after I tried it out and was less than impressed. They wanted to know why I didn;t buy a ticket form them, so I told them I would not use any site that charges postage, card or booking fees. I didn't get a response!