Chargeback for Cancelled Trains?

[Isla]

I feel I have exhausted, what should have been a simple process for a refund on a journey.

I was travelling to an appointment at 21:15 in the evening back in March, but was unable to even reach London due to several cancelled trains. We could not reschedule the appointment to 23:15 (obviously), so turned back around and went home.

A request for a refund was denied, with no reason given.

Customer services told me to return to the ticket office for a refund.

The ticket office told me that I had to contact customer services as they don't do refunds.

A request through delay repay only saw 50% compensation.

Several discussions with GWR have gone nowhere as they believe that they presented me the opportunity to travel and the fact that I missed my appointment is irrelevant. Apparently, I should have waited two hours for the trains to go to London again, then upon reaching my destination, hopped on the first train back about five minutes later, then waited outside Paddington station from 01:00 to 07:00 for the first train home in the morning (which I would no doubt have been expected to buy another ticket for!)

GWR seems to believe that this is completely acceptable and will not offer more than 50%. They're saying that they can't offer more as we began our journey and there was the opportunity to complete it (as described above).

I believe that the National Rail Conditions of Carriage make it pretty clear that a full refund is due.

I assume that my next step is to report them to the rail ombudsman and file a chargeback for the remainder with my bank?

 

[John R]

Just to help us, what day was this, and what was the train you intended to take (from where, and time).

 

[Bletchleyite]

You are without question due a full refund for an abandoned journey if a train you intended to use was delayed or cancelled (this requires returning to your origin, which you did). Whether it might be possible to get to your destination later is not of relevance.

I would ask for a deadlock letter and proceed to the Ombudsman.

 

[AlterEgo]

It looks like you’ve wrongly claimed delay repay here and they’ve based that amount on a delay they think you’d have had if you travelled.

Where did you buy the ticket from? The retailer has to refund the ticket in full.

 

[Haywain]

To be clear, where did you buy your ticket? The refund for an abandoned journey should be claimed from the retailer.

 

[Isla]

Just to help us, what day was this, and what was the train you intended to take (from where, and time).

22nd of March. Newbury to Cambridge. I left at 18:12 and, when I reached Reading, I found all of the trains to Paddington cancelled. It became evident that I wouldn't make my appointment and I went back to Newbury. I should have been on the 19:29 back, but I had to wait for the 20:10 as the 19:29 was cancelled too. They won't give me anything at all for that train being delayed.

It looks like you’ve wrongly claimed delay repay here and they’ve based that amount on a delay they think you’d have had if you travelled.

Where did you buy the ticket from? The retailer has to refund the ticket in full.

I claimed for a refund first, but that was flat out rejected. No reason was given. I called customer services and was told to go back to Reading, where I had bought the ticket, but they told me that they don't process refunds at the ticket office and I had to contact customer services. Customer services then told me to use delay repay as the refund has been rejected on the grounds that I:

a) Had completed a portion of the journey

b) Could still have reached Cambridge that night had I waited for the trains

To be clear, where did you buy your ticket? The refund for an abandoned journey should be claimed from the retailer.

The staff at Reading railway station have told me that they cannot refund tickets for abandoned journeys and it has to go through customer service (who told me the opposite). That went back and forth several times before I gave up on getting a refund from the ticket office.

 

[transportphoto]

The staff at Reading railway station have told me that they cannot refund tickets for abandoned journeys and it has to go through customer service (who told me the opposite). That went back and forth several times before I gave up on getting a refund from the ticket office.

Where did you buy the ticket?

 

[drueberflug]

The retailer has to refund the ticket in full.

The refund for an abandoned journey should be claimed from the retailer.

If you have booked the ticket with us, or with any other Trainsplit/Raileasy-affiliated site, the refund process should be straightforward, just follow the instructions and say that you have been affected by disruption.


If you'd tell us where you've bought your ticket, we may be able to give you some information on how to claim a refund on your ticket with that specific retailer.

I don't know how UK banks handle chargebacks, but, in Germany, where I am based in, you would need to prove that you had unsuccessfully gotten in touch with the retailer about the refund. Especially with non-refundable train tickets (e.g. Advance Single) or tickets which are refundable for a fee (e.g. Anytime Day Single), customers may have already tried to abuse chargebacks for refunds, which is why the chargeback process might not be that easy.

 

[AlterEgo]

22nd of March. Newbury to Cambridge. I left at 18:12 and, when I reached Reading, I found all of the trains to Paddington cancelled. It became evident that I wouldn't make my appointment and I went back to Newbury. I should have been on the 19:29 back, but I had to wait for the 20:10 as the 19:29 was cancelled too. They won't give me anything at all for that train being delayed.

I claimed for a refund first, but that was flat out rejected. No reason was given. I called customer services and was told to go back to Reading, where I had bought the ticket, but they told me that they don't process refunds at the ticket office and I had to contact customer services. Customer services then told me to use delay repay as the refund has been rejected on the grounds that I:

a) Had completed a portion of the journey

b) Could still have reached Cambridge that night had I waited for the trains


The staff at Reading railway station have told me that they cannot refund tickets for abandoned journeys and it has to go through customer service (who told me the opposite). That went back and forth several times before I gave up on getting a refund from the ticket office.

You didn’t answer this: From where did you buy the ticket?

 

[John R]

Post 6 says they bought it at Reading.

 

[drueberflug]

Post 6 says they bought it at Reading.

Right, that must be GWR as the retailer then, meaning that this website will be of help, unless this was where they've been denied the refund: refunds.gwr.com.

I would ask for a deadlock letter and proceed to the Ombudsman.

And if nothing works, this is the way to go instead.

 

[transportphoto]

Post 6 says they bought it at Reading.

Ahh yes, apologies I missed that hidden in the wider paragraph.

 

[AlterEgo]

Reading station should have sorted the refund for the unused ticket. It’s extremely clear.

In future don’t use ticket offices. They are often worse than useless. Another classic example in this thread of how the ticket office has really ruined the customer experience!

 

[crablab]

Claiming for Delay Repay has complicated this a little.

Regarding a chargeback: if you have some written communication showing that you've engaged with the retailer and a refund has been declined; subject to you typing up the timeline fully, providing the supporting evidence for the communication you've had & failed DR claim, and citing the relevant part of the NRCoT which you're relying on (relating to abandoned journeys), your card issuer should be in a position to assist you.

I would not, personally, bother with the ombudsman. It's a clearcut G&S Credit Not Processed dispute:
- the service was not rendered in line with the agreed contract
- the customer tendered return of the goods or cancellation of the service
- the merchant failed engage with a request for refund and to properly process same in line with their published terms and conditions

Just make sure they're aware of *exactly* how much has been refunded and you provide documentary evidence, if it wasn't refunded to the card.

I would anticipate GWR will Second Present claiming the credit was processed out of band, and if the issuer raise the chargeback for the full amount it will fail. So just to avoid complications, make this abundantly clear.

 

[WesternLancer]

Ahh yes, apologies I missed that hidden in the wider paragraph.

I assume the op does actually mean they bought it at the ticket office at Reading Station as opposed to say on line from a ticket retailer like gwr website after they arrived at Reading station.

I’m being pedantic of course but it’s important to know.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I assume the op does actually mean they bought it at the ticket office at Reading Station as opposed to say on line from a ticket retailer like gwr website after they arrived at Reading station.

I’m being pedantic of course but it’s important to know.

The OP was travelling from Newbury, so presumably bought a ticket there or online. The route is via Llondon, so would have been on card.

 

[contrex]

I had a situation with GWR where a morning journey from Filton Abbey Wood to Cardiff Central was stopped at Patchway and then, due to trouble in the Severn Tunnel, turned back to run non-stop to Bristol TM. I felt my day return ticket would be useless if I couldn't get to Cardiff until evening. The ticket office at TM told me to claim a refund online; they said the Delay Repay route was not appropriate because the journey was not completed.

I used the claim category 'Refund Reason: Service Cancelled or Disrupted'. The tickets were the type I call 'bog paper' that come out of the on-train person's machine as one continuous strip, issued on the train from Filton Abbey Wood. This claim was rejected twice. 1. Because the scan of the tickets did not clearly show that they were cut in two. 2. Having got out the scissors, and re-submitted, rejected again because 'We have checked our records and there is evidence that this ticket has been used for travel. Therefore, we are unable to provide a refund on this occasion.'

The resolution: I called the GWR Customer Service phone number, and an agent sympathised with me, and after taking the latest claim ref number and asking me some personal details said 1. He would put a note on my account summarising the situation 2. I should make a claim for max delay repay (120+ mins). 3. If I got 'a decision that I didn't like' to call back. 4. As the previous day was now the 28th day since the journey so to do it at once. Cheque for full amount arrived one week later.

It seems this is an accepted workaround at GWR.