Unused Advance Ticket

GrimShady · 19 Jul 2019

Is it possible to offset an unused Advance ticket against another ticket for the same journey on another date?

I was recently approached by a family member who accidentally booked an advance ticket with LNER for the wrong date, the tickets should have been booked for a week later. They were already traveling with LNER using using another ticket on the same date in the opposite direction, there was no way they could have possible used both being at opposite ends of the country. Upon realising this they were given the option for a refund on the LNER website which they then attempted. Nothing was heard from LNER until after the mistaken date of travel stating that refunds are not possible and they can't be changed after the date of travel.

Is there anything that can be done in this case? I know Advances can't be refunded but to offer this option on the website and then refuse the claim after the travel date or amendment is unfair IMO.

RailUK Forums

Bletchleyite · 19 Jul 2019

Yes, provided you make the change before travel was booked.

After the scheduled departure of the first booked train, the ticket has no value at all and might as well be chucked in the bin.

GrimShady · 19 Jul 2019

Bletchleyite said:
Yes, provided you make the change before travel was booked.

After the scheduled departure of the first booked train, the ticket has no value at all and might as well be chucked in the bin.

Thanks for the reply. I thought as much, however I wasn't approached until they themselves had notification from LNER after the booked travel date.

Haywain · 19 Jul 2019

GrimShady said:
I know Advances can't be refunded but to offer this option on the website and then refuse the claim after the travel date or amendment is unfair IMO.

In spite of stating clearly at the time of sale that such tickets are non-refundable?

GrimShady · 19 Jul 2019

Haywain said:
In spite of stating clearly at the time of sale that such tickets are non-refundable?

Unless you go into the T&Cs while purchasing on the LNER it's not clearly stated. The fact is the site offers you the ability to refund the Advance ticket (which it shouldn't), they then decide the outcome of the case after travel date ensuring that you can't amend the tickets. It's a bit poor to be honest, you and I may know the ins and outs of tickets but others don't.

Haywain · 19 Jul 2019

GrimShady said:
Unless you go into the T&Cs while purchasing on the LNER it's not clearly stated.

I don't agree with that - when you have selected 'Book now', it is quite clearly stated ("Ticket T&C: Non-refundable, changeable for a fee") in the Journey panel to the right of the screen when option for seat reservations are offered.

GrimShady · 19 Jul 2019

Just had a go myself using an advance ticket. In the right hand panel i've got..

Ticket type: Advance Single
Route: Only valid on booked London North Eastern Railway services and required connecting services.
Ticket T&C: Valid on selected train only

It was an accident remember, she should have picked a date in the future not the day she was traveling.

Haywain · 19 Jul 2019

GrimShady said:
Just had a go myself using an advance ticket. In the right hand panel i've got..

Ticket type: Advance Single
Route: Only valid on booked London North Eastern Railway services and required connecting services.
Ticket T&C: Valid on selected train only

Not what I am seeing.

GrimShady said:
t was an accident remember, she should have picked a date in the future not the day she was traveling.

I didn't suggest that it wasn't an accident, but everybody needs to be aware of what they are buying on the net and what happens if you get it wrong.

Hadders · 19 Jul 2019

If full refunds were allowed then people would just book tickets on several consecutive trains and get refunds on the ones they didn’t travel on.

Saperstein · 19 Jul 2019

Hadders said:
If full refunds were allowed then people would just book tickets on several consecutive trains and get refunds on the ones they didn’t travel on.

Wouldn’t the admin fee be a deterrent if that were so?

Saperstein.

Bletchleyite · 19 Jul 2019

Saperstein said:
Wouldn’t the admin fee be a deterrent if that were so?

So, for a lot of people, would be being out of pocket until the refunds were made.

It probably makes sense to allow a full refund within say 6 hours of purchase in order to let people off who make genuine mistakes.

yorkie · 19 Jul 2019

Saperstein said:
Wouldn’t the admin fee be a deterrent if that were so?

Yes but it's already the case that you can book an Advance and pay a £10 fee if you decide to get a different train. The only caveat is that you need to do this before* the train departs.

(* Unless the origin station is unstaffed, in which case you can do it on the train, or at the destination if no staff are available to do this on the train)

Hadders · 19 Jul 2019

Saperstein said:
Wouldn’t the admin fee be a deterrent if that were so?

Consider a journey from London - Manchester in the evening peak. An Anytime Single is £175.

You can get an Advance ticket for around £70 by booking around a month ahead. Problem is I don't know exactly what time I need to travel, so I book 3 trains at £70 each.
I refund the two tickets I don't use, each refund costs me £10 but that still means it's [only] cost me £90 compared to the Anytime fare of £175.

The refund fee wouldn't be a deterrent on this case.

Saperstein · 21 Jul 2019

Hadders said:
Consider a journey from London - Manchester in the evening peak. An Anytime Single is £175.

You can get an Advance ticket for around £70 by booking around a month ahead. Problem is I don't know exactly what time I need to travel, so I book 3 trains at £70 each.
I refund the two tickets I don't use, each refund costs me £10 but that still means it's [only] cost me £90 compared to the Anytime fare of £175.

The refund fee wouldn't be a deterrent on this case.

Yes, I understand now, Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about fares over about 50 - 60 quid.

Saperstein.

GrimShady · 26 Jul 2019

Update: LNER have kindly have credited her online account to the sum of £62 (less the £10 charge).

Obviously they seen sense.

Nicely done LNER, very kind of you!

Unused Advance Ticket

GrimShady

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Bletchleyite

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Haywain

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