Trainline data unreliable?

[889]

Hi I recently posted as I have a prosecution issue. Because of this I have been looking back through my Trainline history for any other issues the train company may find while also cross referencing with payment data from PayPal which is how I usually pay. Whilst looking I've found some concerning things like payments being taken twice on several days for only one booking, and in one instance a payment being taken for the amount that correspond with my normal return ticket amount but no return ticket showing in my bookings history on that date - there's also a charge for the price of my single ticket for my return home, and that ticket does show in the booking history - this suggests I bought a return that day, but then when it didn't show in Trainline on my way home I bought a single? It was over a year ago so I do not remember the day in question, but this leads me to believe there are issues with Trainline data. Why are payments taken for bookings which don't show in the app? It concerns me that they could use Trainline data for prosecution when it doesn't seem reliable. Any experiences from this forum?

I don't plan to challenge the Train company as I would rather pursue settlement but interested in any thoughts from the experts here.

 

[Dai Corner]

The payments aren't necessarily submitted by Trainline or processed by PayPal in real time. They may well not appear in your PayPal account until some time after you purchased the tickets.

 

[889]

Thank you. I realised I should check my email account as ticket confirmations are also sent there (my pp account is associated with an email I rarely use). I did have a confirmation of return fare purchase and then additional single fare purchase in my email from that day. But the return booking doesn't show in the app which must be why I bought the single ticket. It's just concerning as from the app it therefore looks like I only purchased a single journey and I worry they will question that because it seems like with these strict liability cases you can only use the defences set out in the legislation, and can't use technical faults as a defence.

I also have noticed that sometimes the Trainline booking confirmation emails and downloadable tickets don't arrive until the evening, even when pitched in the morning. All of this makes me think I am not going to use Trainline any more.

 

[island]

I am not going to use Trainline any more

That would be a good idea. You'll save money on booking fees.