Last Monday I booked the following tickets through the Trainline:
Sheffield – Glasgow Central (Leaving 8.08, arriving 12.42 on Saturday 18.05.2019 on Trans Pennine)
Pollokshaw East – Sheffield (Leaving 16.25, arriving 21.53 on Saturday 18.05.2019 on Cross Country)
I had to be on the exact train leaving Sheffield at 8.08am, as I was scheduled to watch and photograph a football match in Pollok, Glasgow, kicking off at 2pm.
On arriving at Manchester Piccadilly this morning, I discovered the train was no longer running to Glasgow, terminating instead at Carlisle. The rail replacement bus service would have arrived at Glasgow after 2pm, which was completely useless to me so I was forced to abandon the trip. It effectively meant both of the advanced tickets couldn’t be used.
I received no notification of the outbound changes and would never have booked the tickets if I knew the scheduled arrival was after 2pm. Apparently, Trans Pennine had announced the change on their website after I had booked the tickets. I clearly wasn’t the only one unbeknown to this, as apparently “at least fifty other people” had asked customer services the same question at Manchester Piccadilly station.
The Trainline claimed that as I’d already started the journey, I couldn’t claim a refund, but might be entitled to delay/repay on the outbound journey. Moreover, they said it was my responsibility to check with the train company beforehand for any likely delays. I therefore have three questions:
Thanks in advance.
Sheffield – Glasgow Central (Leaving 8.08, arriving 12.42 on Saturday 18.05.2019 on Trans Pennine)
Pollokshaw East – Sheffield (Leaving 16.25, arriving 21.53 on Saturday 18.05.2019 on Cross Country)
I had to be on the exact train leaving Sheffield at 8.08am, as I was scheduled to watch and photograph a football match in Pollok, Glasgow, kicking off at 2pm.
On arriving at Manchester Piccadilly this morning, I discovered the train was no longer running to Glasgow, terminating instead at Carlisle. The rail replacement bus service would have arrived at Glasgow after 2pm, which was completely useless to me so I was forced to abandon the trip. It effectively meant both of the advanced tickets couldn’t be used.
I received no notification of the outbound changes and would never have booked the tickets if I knew the scheduled arrival was after 2pm. Apparently, Trans Pennine had announced the change on their website after I had booked the tickets. I clearly wasn’t the only one unbeknown to this, as apparently “at least fifty other people” had asked customer services the same question at Manchester Piccadilly station.
The Trainline claimed that as I’d already started the journey, I couldn’t claim a refund, but might be entitled to delay/repay on the outbound journey. Moreover, they said it was my responsibility to check with the train company beforehand for any likely delays. I therefore have three questions:
- If a ticket is sold on the basis is it arrives at a certain time, and this time is changed after the sale, what rights does the consumer have for a refund on two advanced single tickets with two different companies (in my case, Trans Pennine outbound, Cross Country inbound) if the revised arrival time isn’t suitable and subsequently negates the need/use for the inbound ticket?
- Is it the passenger’s responsibility to check the company’s website for potential delays/changes after purchasing a ticket? Or the seller’s responsibility to advise the customer?
- Is it true that once you start a journey (unbeknown of changes ahead) that you forfeit rights to a full refund (on either one or both tickets)?
Thanks in advance.
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