DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I just lately booked two prepare tickets from Seville, Spain, to Madrid from Trainline, a ticket reseller. The tickets are 70% refundable.
I wanted to vary to an earlier prepare however couldn’t do it on-line. So, I bought two new tickets for journey and have sought a refund for the tickets I couldn’t use. I attempted to speak to customer support first in Seville after which Madrid. A consultant advised me to submit my request on-line.
I adopted all of the directions on the location. Trainline has instructed that I’m entitled to a refund. However now it’s saying the alternate is unimaginable until I ship a screenshot of the error message I obtained, with a timestamp, when making an attempt to cancel my ticket. Are you able to assist me?
— Linda Shapiro, Chicago
ANSWER: Trainline’s tickets are refundable, however like airways, it's a must to cancel earlier than the prepare leaves. Trainline says it has no report of you making an attempt to cancel, so it'll maintain all of your cash.
However right here’s the issue: Though Trainline stated it could possibly course of a ticket change request via its website, you couldn’t do it. It is a frequent drawback with journey corporations. They direct you to their web sites for the “greatest” customer support, however then give you nothing however lifeless ends and error messages.
If I didn’t know any higher, I’d say corporations create websites to show folks away — and permit them to maintain your cash. However on this case, it was in all probability a difficulty along with your browser accessing a European website or one thing benign. Typically, this stuff simply occur.
Trainline’s phrases and circumstances, which you could find on its website at thetrainline.com, are clear in regards to the timeline for canceling your tickets.
I believe for those who had one thing in writing that exhibits you tried to cancel your tickets on time, you possibly can have obtained the 70% refund. However you didn’t have any proof, which made your case extra difficult.
The following time it's a must to cancel one thing earlier than your departure or keep, please ensure you have one thing — an e-mail, a printout, a cancellation quantity — that exhibits you contacted the corporate earlier than your deadline for a refund.
I reached out to Trainline in your behalf. It reviewed your information and verified that it denied your refund since you had not canceled your tickets via your Trainline account. “She contacted us so we might help her get a refund of those two tickets since she didn't handle to alternate them on the station,” a consultant stated.
Trainline says it determined to make “an distinctive refund” and has honored the 70% refund.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit group that helps shoppers resolve their issues. Elliott’s newest e book is “How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveler” (Nationwide Geographic). Contact him at elliott.org/assist or chris@elliott.org.