Ticket refund : An odd request from TPE

[General Zod]

I recently purchased a ticket the the TPE website but unfortunately was sent an 8 digit code for an E-ticket as opposed to a valid code to collect tickets from my local TVM. TPE customer services suggested I re-book the ticket and that they would refund the cost of my original ticket. After re-booking I spoke to customer support who stated all was fine and the refund would be processed. Today I received this email which originated from fastrailticketing.com :

Dear XXXXXXXX

RE : Your booking reference 1234ABCD

Thank you for contacting TransPennine Express Refund Team requesting a refund on your journey tickets.

To process the refund you are due, we require the 16-digit payment card number of the card that you would like the money refunded to.

Please call us on - 0330 363 3303 to provide these details and we will process the refund for you, without further delay. We are open 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday.

The deadline to process this refund is set at 28 days from the date of this email, and therefore no payment can be made after this period expires.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Kind regards

TransPennine Express Refund Team Refund Team

On the previous occasions I have applied for a refund or Delay Repay I have never been asked to phone and pass on my card details as any payment due has gone directly to the card account on which the transaction was authorised. I am not in the habit of giving out card details over the phone and just wanted to know if asking for customer card details ( over the telephone) is common practice among some TOCs ?

Many thanks.

 

[mikeg]

If its a refund and it was paid by card it should go back on the original card, this much I know from working in retail. Delay repay however is different as this is compensation not a refund, so you would not be asked for it then.

 

[gray1404]

I have received the exact same email as you after I had posted a ticket back to TPE for a refund which I'd booked with them over the phone. Upon providing them with the card number the refund appeared in my bank account a couple of days later. Sending the card details back by email is not considered secure so that is why I want you to call them. I was surprised because I would have thought they would have had my card details from the sale. However, it is all legit and it worked out fine for me in terms of getting my refund.

 

[Hadders]

Under the PPI regulations retailer cannot store details of payment cards in their systems which is why they need you to provide them again so they can process the refund.

 

[gray1404]

Interesting. Why is it thought that when you return say an online order by post to a retailer they are able to credit your card with the refund without asking for the card details again?

 

[Starmill]

You can give them a different card number if you like, depending where you'd like your money to go. This is just another way for them to make you a bank transfer.

I don't really know why it's gained popularity recently but it has.

 

[Harpers Tate]

One word of caution: ALWAYS independently verify the phone number in any communication of this nature (i.e if you are asked for payment details. whether railway or anything else in supposed origin). Don't just call the number they provide.

 

[Haywain]

Under the PPI regulations retailer cannot store details of payment cards in their systems which is why they need you to provide them again so they can process the refund.

No, but they can store a tokenized reference which they can pass to their payment service provider so that a refund can be processed to the original payment card (and I think you mean PCI regulations). To me, this looks like fairly poor practice by TPE.

 

[Wallsendmag]

And almost certainly not PCI-DSS compliant unless various steps are taken

 

[General Zod]

One word of caution: ALWAYS independently verify the phone number in any communication of this nature (i.e if you are asked for payment details. whether railway or anything else in supposed origin). Don't just call the number they provide.

Indeed. I was hoping that someone could verify the phone number in my original post as being a genuine and authentic TPE contact.

 

[Starmill]

To me, this looks like fairly poor practice by TPE.

Is it? It seems fairly common. I've had a "refund" of this type from Caledonian Sleeper before for a ticket I didn't buy from them or pay for by card.

Some 'Delay Repay' websites offer this as an option to have money sent to you too.

 

[The_Train]

Indeed. I was hoping that someone could verify the phone number in my original post as being a genuine and authentic TPE contact.

Best way to verify it would be to contact TPE customer services via any of the means in this link below and ask them

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/contact-us

 

[gray1404]

I can confirm that it is the same number I had to call for my TPE refund and the money went back onto my card with no problems.

 

[maniacmartin]

I don't think this is that unusual. When I last used Southern's then-Rainy Day Guarantee some time ago, I had to phone to provide my card details too.

 

[Haywain]

Is it? It seems fairly common. I've had a "refund" of this type from Caledonian Sleeper before for a ticket I didn't buy from them or pay for by card.

Some 'Delay Repay' websites offer this as an option to have money sent to you too.

I am referring specifically to cases where the refund is coming from the original retailer. In the other cases that you refer to, providing card details in one form or another is unavoidable.

 

[Starmill]

I am referring specifically to cases where the refund is coming from the original retailer. In the other cases that you refer to, providing card details in one form or another is unavoidable.

Some companies seem to absolutely love cheques for this situation. I recently received a hand-written one from Northern, who said they could offer me a choice between a cheque and a travel voucher.

I much prefer the card details!