Weather refund for unused ticket - how much?

[mad_rich]

Hi folks

I have a Super Off Peak Return 1st, EMR Only, from East Midlands Parkway to London. £120, bought from LNER.

I have used the outbound. I was going to use the return portion yesterday, but the advice was Do Not Travel, because of flooding.

If I ask for a refund, will I get £60 (half) back? Or will they only refund me the difference between a Single and a Return (£17.50)?

Thanks in advance

 

[fandroid]

If you did not travel, is there any reason why you could not use the return portion today or later?

 

[Watershed]

Under consumer law, they would struggle to justify refunding less than half, given it's their "fault" (even if not directly) that the service was not provided.

Industry policy is to issue a 50% refund in cases such as this, but you may have to appeal if this policy isn't applied correctly in the first instance.

 

[island]

Will you not be using the return portion at all during its one-month validity period?

 

[mad_rich]

Thank you. That's what I was hoping.

If you did not travel, is there any reason why you could not use the return portion today or later?

I'd prefer not to, as the journey isn't relevant any more - but I would probably keep the ticket and try to make use of it if they were only going to refunded £17.50!

 

[GoneSouth]

A related question, I was due to use XC yesterday but all the trains I could have used were cancelled (only after I bought an off peak return yesterday morning), so I thought I’d just request a refund as unable to use the tickets again today.

As I clicked through the process i noticed XC were going to charge a £10 admin fee. Surely this can’t be right as they didn’t run any trains on the Bristol to Birmingham route yesterday and aren’t again today (yet) they actually charge the fee or will I get the full cost of the ticket refunded?

Yes, I know, it’s only a tenner and there are far bigger issues out there today but it does seem a bit unfair to charge the fee in these circumstances.

 

[Watershed]

A related question, I was due to use XC yesterday but all the trains I could have used were cancelled (only after I bought an off peak return yesterday morning), so I thought I’d just request a refund as unable to use the tickets again today.

As I clicked through the process i noticed XC were going to charge a £10 admin fee. Surely this can’t be right as they didn’t run any trains on the Bristol to Birmingham route yesterday and aren’t again today (yet) they actually charge the fee or will I get the full cost of the ticket refunded?

Yes, I know, it’s only a tenner and there are far bigger issues out there today but it does seem a bit unfair to charge the fee in these circumstances.

You can't use the automated refund process for disruption-related refunds, though this is far from clear on Trainline-based sites such as XC's. You need to call or email them.

 

[GoneSouth]

You can't use the automated refund process for disruption-related refunds, though this is far from clear on Trainline-based sites such as XC's. You need to call or email them.

Thanks, appreciate the advice. I wish they made things clearer!

Unfortunately I’ve already hit the refund button in the app where it told me none of that information! I’m not a Trainline or XC fan so won’t be using their app in future.

I guess that will cost me a tenner then!

I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t we have an office at each station where we can buy tickets and ask for advice. We could call it The Ticket Office

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Unfortunately I’ve already hit the refund button in the app where it told me none of that information! I’m not a Trainline or XC fan so won’t be using their app in future.

I guess that will cost me a tenner then!

I had the same issue with an XC refund due to disruption a while back.
Although I'd already initiated the refund via the app, I e-mailed them with my booking details and they refunded me the additional £10 as well.

 

[Haywain]

Why don’t we have an office at each station where we can buy tickets and ask for advice. We could call it The Ticket Office

We have these things now, but apparently you chose not to use them.

 

[GoneSouth]

We have these things now, but apparently you chose not to use them.

I do, or at least I try to but increasingly find they have reduced hours or unexpectedly closed. this purchase via the XC app was the first time I have used it but find all online booking options inferior to actually speaking to someone who can advise or change the stupid computer generated change points on a long journey.

 

[mangyiscute]

yeah I find once you find an app that is pretty good for this sort of thing, its good to stick with it. I use trainpal, and I have before requested a refund for a ticket since the train got cancelled and returned to origin while I was on it, and I therefore chose not to travel since there was no reason for me to travel anymore - they gave me a full refund with no admin fee within a couple days

 

[Adam Williams]

You can't use the automated refund process for disruption-related refunds

This is only true for (sadly, most) retailers who haven't invested in their customer-facing refunds tooling

 

[GoneSouth]

This is only true for (sadly, most) retailers who haven't invested in their customer-facing refunds tooling

Which is absolutely unacceptable considering the industry is forcing us down the online/app route.

 

[Starmill]

Thanks, appreciate the advice. I wish they made things clearer!

Unfortunately I’ve already hit the refund button in the app where it told me none of that information! I’m not a Trainline or XC fan so won’t be using their app in future.

I guess that will cost me a tenner then!

I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t we have an office at each station where we can buy tickets and ask for advice. We could call it The Ticket Office

You can ask for your fee back seperately by clarifying with the customer relations department that the refund was due to the cancellation of your service and / or advice not to travel due to bad weather. I'm sure they'll just process a separate refund of the fee for you provided your claim is in order.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Oct 2023 ==

This is only true for (sadly, most) retailers who haven't invested in their customer-facing refunds tooling

Trainline brand app and website do appear to have tried to do this, but not very well. There's no button to press which says something like "my train was cancelled" or a set of questions to answer to direct you, it's just that if your service is shown cancelled, the button only then appears. Little use if the customer has a flexible ticket without an itinerary on the return portion, or has selected that ticket deliberately, and then exercises the option to change their plans.

 

[Adam Williams]

Which is absolutely unacceptable considering the industry is forcing us down the online/app route.

Industry, or govt?

 

[Haywain]

Which is absolutely unacceptable considering the industry is forcing us down the online/app route.

Things are moving to apps because that's what customers want. And the government wants ticket offices closed.

 

[Smidster]

I did wonder over the weekend what the situation is under the wonderful world of "single-only" tickets on routes like LNER.

I held two singles - One to travel to London on Sunday and the other to return today.

Actual journey (well outbound bit and touching wood) was fine but thinking hypothetically say I had been planning to travel on Saturday and decided to abandon the journey...I would obviously be OK for a full refund on the outward journey but would they be able to claim that I had no recourse for the return leg?

Is this another wonderful improvement of the new arrangements?

 

[Haywain]

I did wonder over the weekend what the situation is under the wonderful world of "single-only" tickets on routes like LNER.

I held two singles - One to travel to London on Sunday and the other to return today.

Actual journey (well outbound bit and touching wood) was fine but thinking hypothetically say I had been planning to travel on Saturday and decided to abandon the journey...I would obviously be OK for a full refund on the outward journey but would they be able to claim that I had no recourse for the return leg?

Is this another wonderful improvement of the new arrangements?

LNER, along with other train companies, have long recognised that two singles equal a return and both tickets would be refunded. The principal was established a long time ago when Advance tickets were introduced. Questions might be asked if they were bought in completely separate transactions or were not for matching journeys though.

 

[Adam Williams]

LNER, along with other train companies, have long recognised that two singles equal a return

Unless you're claiming Delay Repay of course, where their position is the complete opposite!

**If you bought two seperate Advance Single tickets to make a round trip, these do not constitute a Return ticket. The maximum claim will be 100% of the ticket used for a delayed journey.

 

[Haywain]

Unless you're claiming Delay Repay of course, where their position is the complete opposite!

Yes, I should have said for refund purposes. The Delay Repay situation is the opposite, which is sometimes beneficial, sometimes not.

 

[yorkie]

I do, or at least I try to but increasingly find they have reduced hours or unexpectedly closed. this purchase via the XC app was the first time I have used it but find all online booking options inferior to actually speaking to someone who can advise or change the stupid computer generated change points on a long journey.

Or you could use the forums ticketing website, which will let you choose your change points without fuss. You can even choose extra change time if you wish .

It also helps support the forum; the number of people booking through us now goes some way to paying a significant proportion of our costs and even pays for things like free fares workshops provided to our members (we never charge for these).

 

[GoneSouth]

Or you could use the forums ticketing website, which will let you choose your change points without fuss. You can even choose extra change time if you wish .

It also helps support the forum; the number of people booking through us now goes some way to paying a significant proportion of our costs and even pays for things like free fares workshops provided to our members (we never charge for these).

Thanks Yorkie I will definitely try that

 

[mad_rich]

Hi folks

I have a Super Off Peak Return 1st, EMR Only, from East Midlands Parkway to London. £120, bought from LNER.

I have used the outbound. I was going to use the return portion yesterday, but the advice was Do Not Travel, because of flooding.

If I ask for a refund, will I get £60 (half) back? Or will they only refund me the difference between a Single and a Return (£17.50)?

Thanks in advance

Thanks for the advice.

LNER have just processed a refund for the £60 I was hoping for (three weeks after asking!) - without needing to be reminded .