My recent experience with The Train Line...

[Platinum]

Might have posted this, might not, cant remember.
Anyhow, warning, The Train line don't care about there customers.

Bought some tickets a while back for a rave I was going to the next day, all went through ok on there site, got there fine, rave went well, left at 6am and headed back to the station.
Get there and its not open, *****ocks we thought but oh well, these things happen.

Station opened at 7:30 only for the station manager to tell us there were no train on that day due to scheduled maintenance.
You can imagine we were not happy about this but did not kick off as it wasn't his fault.

He advised there were coaches available but they did a round trip of the Midlands before going up north so we were not looking at being home till about 2-3pm, bear in mind it was currently 7:30 am.

Having been out all night and being a wheelchair user this wasn't really a option for me.
Fortunately my mate who I was with had a great dad and he picked us up from the station (Loughbrough).

So got home and decided to complain to The Train Line as I wasnt happy with this.
I got this reply :

Originally Posted by The Train Line

I am sorry to learn about the inconvenience caused to you.

However, the website allows you to book because the services were running as per the normal schedule. As per the information we get from the Train Operating Companies, we update the timetables on the website. This normally happens 3 months in advance.

However, we have no control over the last minute changes and cancellations.

In this case, I would request you to contact East Midlands Trains for requesting a compensation. Their Customer Relations Team can be contacted on 08457 125 678. They are available from Monday to Sunday between 0600 hours and 2200 hours.You can also write to them at 'getintouch@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk'.

Now I am no train expert but Scheduled maintenance is not in my opinion a last minute change?

So wrote back to them advising that I thought this wasnt a matter for East Midlands Trains as they have done nothing wrong, The Train Line have in not informing me of this maintenance.

A few emails went back and forth and I got no where, so I emailed East Midlands Trains and got no reply after 2 weeks, now im not going to hound them about it as I think its not there problem.

Emailed The Train Line again today and got this reply :

Originally Posted by The Train Line

Dear Ryan,

Thank you for writing back to us.

I am sorry to learn that you have not received the reply from East Midland trains. As per the national carriage act, the cases are handled by the Train Operating Companies in case of service disruptions and delays. Therefore, in this instance only the customer relations team of the Train Operator is better placed to assist you.

However, as you have not received the response from them, I will forward this email to the customer relations team of East Midland trains. I hope that you will receive the response as soon as possible.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Harold

Now having worked in a Support role I know that when regulations get quoted its basically means **** off we don't want to deal with you any more.
I don't doubt they will email East Midlands Trains but I know what the end result will be.

What do you lot think? All I wanted was a partial / full refund on the tickets, to much to ask?

If my mates dad wasnt avaliable we would have had to have got in a taxi, dont want to think what a 72 mile trip would have cost.
And what if we were further out?, London for example?

[azrael316]

Thats well dodgy mate.

I would be looking into which ombudsman deals with The Train Line and making a fuss with them.

Also, would this not be covered under the DIstance Selling regs? Not sure how or where, but I will have a look into it for you.

I would expect a FULL refund of both Outbound and Inbound portions of your ticket as the item sold was not fit for purpose when sold to you.ie a RETURN journey ON A TRAIN!!

Keep us informed matey.


EDIT :

Times online.

Consumers should “think twice” before booking tickets through the Trainline website, consumer group Which? warned last week.

Full Article : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/mon...cle6210489.ece

EDIT 2 :

http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/advice-and-complaints/ - Seems these guys might be able to help, as mentioned in the Times Article.,

[djdawsonuk]

Surely if they took your money, they have a part to play in it?

IMO - I'd keep hounding them, you could also try e-mailing higher up the food chain so to speak. Failing that ring them, and ask to speak to someone higher up. Explain the case again if you have to.

If you can get word from East Midlands Trains (probably best to phone) about the scheduled maintenance, and how long it had been planned for, you'll have some extra ammunition for the cause. If the maintenance had been planned less than 3 months in advance though, it sounds like East Midlands Trains could be the ones you need to speak to.

[azrael316]

Currently in "Online Chat" with Aaron Keithe on "the Trainline.com..

Convo so far.

Chat Transcript
Aaron Keithe: Hi, my name is Aaron Keithe. How may I help you?
Scott Ruthven: Hi, I am helping a disabled friend of mine with a problem he is havng obtaining a refund for an unused portion of his journey booked through yourselves.
Aaron Keithe: Sure, I will help you with that.
Aaron Keithe: May I take the booking reference number?
Scott Ruthven: He had tickets booked though your site with EM Trains. The return journey was cancelled due toy scheduled maintainence, not a last minute cancellation or unforseen circumstance. I would like to know 2 things with relation to this.
Scott Ruthven: I do not have the ref. number with me at present.
Scott Ruthven: 1 : Who is responsible, ul;timatley for sales of tickets from your site, as covered by the Distance Selling Regs?
Scott Ruthven: 2 : Which Obbudsman service covers your site directly with regard to rasing our comlaint to a higher level?

Still awaitng a response... lol...

Still getting the Go to EM TRains reply. And nothing re the Ombudsman they answer too.

Of to EM Train it is then.

[azrael316]

Right...

ORR _ Office of Rail Regulations

This is the Ombudsman responsible for the Rail Network, and I would assume The Robbing Gits at The Train Line

http://www.howtocomplain.com/cgi-php...rID=10&ID=3619

[Bemused Dave]

Your right by not hounding the railway company.

The contract was between you and 'trainline.com'

They should refund you, and if the problem was caused by the railway operator, 'thetrainline.com' should be the ones seeking compensation from East Midlands Rail.

Dave

[olobley]

Did you pay for it on a CC?
If so, bounce the payment. They haven't delivered their half of the contract (the taking you to/from your venue), so why should you deliver on yours (the paying them bit).
I bet they'll be a lot more responsive once they're out of pocket...
I've also found CC'ing the BBC Watchdog email address on communications to be a most useful way of getting better customer service from c*nts like them.
Although it's too late now, I'd recommend you always book on bahn.de (how much of a joke is that that the best place to book british rail tickets is through the German state operator!)

[Platinum]

Got a reply to them basicly they want nothing to do with this now, emailed them back copying in watchdog@bbc.co.uk and contact.cct@orr.gsi.gov.uk, if that doesnt work then I dont know what will.
They need to sort this out so that people dont get caught out in the future, it could have been someone with a worse condition than me stranded further from home.

[Angelfromabove]

You are absolutely right when you say line maintainance is not a last minute thing.
I used to be a rail co-ordinator, supplying men and training men to undertake plain line track renewals.
At the beggining of the finantial year Network Rail get given a 52 week plan of all the jobs that need to be done which are then subsequently given to the subcontractors who give the workers (i.e my old company).

All jobs are know for at least a year in advance and work (allocating workers and tools and training) are given 6 weeks in advance.

so in conclusion, they are talking a load of ******** and dont want to give you the money back. They would have known 6 weeks before the work began (if not more, dependant on the relationship with network rail they have)

Please feel free to quote this too them too, i know im right about this.