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Refunding a train fare after you got on the wrong rail network

NAS38324

I thought asking here might be worth a try in case anyone here has had similar experiences and/or knowledge of the system. 

So I had a virtual ticket (which i am not very used to) from Beverley all the way down to London.  It said it was only applicable to Hull Trains and Northern.  It was activated, but using google maps I followed the only route that was apparent to me and ended up on a London North Eastern Rail train to London, where the ticket inspector told me I had to spend another £92 to be on that train... BUT... that I should be able to get a refund from thetrainline.com  

I asked him if he was sure they would be understanding if I called.  He said that it is illegal for me to be charged twice for the same journey, so they ought to be able to refund me.

So naturally when I did call them, they said no, I should have made sure to only stay on the Hull Trains network. 

I can accept this if it's definitely fair, but is it?  Does the ticket price not just go to National Rail?  Do they not make a lot of extra money from dummies like me failing to acknowledge the difference between rail networks? 

Could I not have opted to reroute my journey after the ticket inspector told me of my mistake, given that I only agreed to pay after he had informed me that I would be able to get a refund?  If you innocently get on the wrong train and can't pay, can you not just leave the train or get sent back? 

I feel a bit odd bringing this up here on a forum I've never posted on, but I have been getting the NAS publications since I was diagnosed with Aspergers as a child, and I just wanted to run this situation by someone with insight as to whether this situation is a bureaucracy trap or if I'm fairly paying for my mistake.  I'll be amazed if anyone reads this, so thank if you did :)

Parents

  • My understanding is that rail operators are private companies. You paid for a ticket with one company and it would have said on your ticket only applicable on certain trains, yet you traveled with another company whose services you hadn't paid for, which is why they wanted a fee from you. For example, it's like you moved to a new town and paid for a take-away with one company but you got lost and couldn't find them so you had to pay for another meal elsewhere. It sounds like the rail operator gave you a false story in order to avoid a fuss in regards to getting you to pay the fee for using their company. I think your best chance is to complain to the second company about the story the operator gave you and to see if you can get a refund, as I believe he should have given you the option to get off the train so that you could get on the correct one and use your existing ticket.

Reply

  • My understanding is that rail operators are private companies. You paid for a ticket with one company and it would have said on your ticket only applicable on certain trains, yet you traveled with another company whose services you hadn't paid for, which is why they wanted a fee from you. For example, it's like you moved to a new town and paid for a take-away with one company but you got lost and couldn't find them so you had to pay for another meal elsewhere. It sounds like the rail operator gave you a false story in order to avoid a fuss in regards to getting you to pay the fee for using their company. I think your best chance is to complain to the second company about the story the operator gave you and to see if you can get a refund, as I believe he should have given you the option to get off the train so that you could get on the correct one and use your existing ticket.

Children
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