TPE charging admin fee where their website claims otherwise

[yorkie]

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/change-my-ticket

Super Off-peak, Off-peak and Anytime train tickets can be changed to a different time, date or route. Advance train tickets can be changed to a different time and date only.

We've removed the £10 charge to change the date or time of train tickets bought via our website or App. Simply log in to My Account to amend (there may be an additional cost if your new ticket is more expensive than the original).

A forum member has booked an Advance ticket on the TPE website and wishes to change the ticket to a different time, for travel today.

The website does not allow the ticket to be changed under My Account, so he called Web Support, who said there is a £10 admin fee.

When they were informed of the above quote on the TPE website, they apologised for the confusion but were not able to make the change without charging the £10 admin fee.

They advised the ticket should be changed at a station, however the station will charge a £10 admin fee.

The customer asked if they could purchase a new ticket and have the original refunded, but they said that was not possible.

Anyone got any thoughts on what the customer should do? Should they pay the £10 admin fee and claim it back? Should they purchase a new ticket and ask for the original to be refunded? Should they just board the train and speak to the Guard?

I suspect that TPE make these offers because they know third party retailers have to charge admin fees and they want to entice people into booking through their website, but in reality TPE are not prepared to act as a good retailer would, and honour their own promises.

 

[Clip]

Id pay the tenner then claim it back if travel was in the near future - it being a saturday id hazard a guess that theres no one high enough in web support to actually give this the clear for no charge so rather than wait till monday if travel was urgent id pay then claim back.

 

[cactustwirly]

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/change-my-ticket

A forum member has booked an Advance ticket on the TPE website and wishes to change the ticket to a different time, for travel today.

The website does not allow the ticket to be changed under My Account, so he called Web Support, who said there is a £10 admin fee.

When they were informed of the above quote on the TPE website, they apologised for the confusion but were not able to make the change without charging the £10 admin fee.

They advised the ticket should be changed at a station, however the station will charge a £10 admin fee.

The customer asked if they could purchase a new ticket and have the original refunded, but they said that was not possible.

Anyone got any thoughts on what the customer should do? Should they pay the £10 admin fee and claim it back? Should they purchase a new ticket and ask for the original to be refunded? Should they just board the train and speak to the Guard?

I suspect that TPE make these offers because they know third party retailers have to charge admin fees and they want to entice people into booking through their website, but in reality TPE are not prepared to act as a good retailer would, and honour their own promises.

It depends on what the price difference is between the tickets, but I'd just pay the Admin fee, and claim it back later, for the least amount of hassle.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/change-my-ticket

A forum member has booked an Advance ticket on the TPE website and wishes to change the ticket to a different time, for travel today.

The website does not allow the ticket to be changed under My Account, so he called Web Support, who said there is a £10 admin fee.

When they were informed of the above quote on the TPE website, they apologised for the confusion but were not able to make the change without charging the £10 admin fee.

They advised the ticket should be changed at a station, however the station will charge a £10 admin fee.

The customer asked if they could purchase a new ticket and have the original refunded, but they said that was not possible.

Anyone got any thoughts on what the customer should do? Should they pay the £10 admin fee and claim it back? Should they purchase a new ticket and ask for the original to be refunded? Should they just board the train and speak to the Guard?

I suspect that TPE make these offers because they know third party retailers have to charge admin fees and they want to entice people into booking through their website, but in reality TPE are not prepared to act as a good retailer would, and honour their own promises.

The contractually correct option is to pay the tortiously demanded fee, and then to claim it back afterwards. I would be very surprised if TPE tried to wriggle out of reimbursing the fee!

 

[Merseysider]

I’d pay the £10 and write in for a refund. TPE’s customer service are in my experience excellent at sorting things out.

 

[gray1404]

TPE really confuses me. with the fee free refunds.

Did the person who wanted to change their ticket try both the new style and old style (webtis) site to see if it would allow the change and one of them without the fee? I had a situation this week where couldn't make any changes on the new site to the ticket as it was not returning any new journeys yet the old webtis site was fine.

I've heard through other forum members that TPE require 5 days notice for changes to advance tickets because they require an excess to be posted out. Could this have been the reason why there was a problem if there wasn't enough time?

I called for a refund on a Sail Rail ticket once booked over the phone with TPE. When I was booking I was told, correctly, it is refundable for a £10 fee. When I came to refund it I was told otherwise and when I questioned it the person in telesales (there I assume web support also are) said they would need to phone Transpennine Express for confirmation and put me on hold but all was good when they came back - refund minus £10 fee. When they came back I asked who they'd called and they said they'd phone TPE Customer Relations in Manchester and that they were only their telesales contractor. (which I believe is Capita in Runcorn).

Therefore, they must be under instruction to ask TPE if there is something they are not sure of, so it might be worth asking them to check with TPE in future while you wait on hold?

I think this is an ideal case to take to the Rail Ombudsman because there is a lot of conflicting information on both the TPE main website, new booking and older booking site. Some sections say there is a £10 fee, others say its free. Even when you go to do a change you are told there is a £10 fee but then at the end it usually (this case is unusual( changes £0. It would be possible to screen shot all these things and hopefully get TPE to have consistent correct information displaying across the board.

 

[Starmill]

I've heard through other forum members that TPE require 5 days notice for changes to advance tickets because they require an excess to be posted out.

Interesting! I've heard people say this and it hasn't made a lot of sense in light of the information quoted by yorkie from the TPE website. I cannot remember where I saw it unfortunately. This could possibly be internal TPE policy? Can you remember who told you this please, in case possibly they had a written source? Can anybody find any reference to this on the TPE website? Cheers.

 

[gray1404]

Interesting! I've heard people say this and it hasn't made a lot of sense in light of the information quoted by yorkie from the TPE website. I cannot remember where I saw it unfortunately. This could possibly be internal TPE policy? Can you remember who told you this please, in case possibly they had a written source? Can anybody find any reference to this on the TPE website? Cheers.

Only through other forum members on posts on here. I can't remember who but I think it was based on members experience of being told that both by TPE over the phone when they had problems online and also another member who wanted to make a change but they were told it was too late with GWR with their telesales. So it appears to be a First Group thing the 5 days.

 

[Starmill]

Only through other forum members on posts on here. I can't remember who but I think it was based on members experience of being told that both by TPE over the phone when they had problems online and also another member who wanted to make a change but they were told it was too late with GWR with their telesales. So it appears to be a First Group thing the 5 days.

Indeed. It's just that I can't find any sort of written references to that when going through the booking process on the TPE website.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Interesting! I've heard people say this and it hasn't made a lot of sense in light of the information quoted by yorkie from the TPE website. I cannot remember where I saw it unfortunately. This could possibly be internal TPE policy? Can you remember who told you this please, in case possibly they had a written source? Can anybody find any reference to this on the TPE website? Cheers.

Only through other forum members on posts on here. I can't remember who but I think it was based on members experience of being told that both by TPE over the phone when they had problems online and also another member who wanted to make a change but they were told it was too late with GWR with their telesales. So it appears to be a First Group thing the 5 days.

I don't have a written source, but when I phoned TPE to change an Advance a few months ago, they said it was too late as the excess had to be posted out. I'm not sure if it's a First Group policy - if anything, it's an ATOS MixingDeck issue.

If someone does indeed wish to change their ticket later than the internal 5 day policy cutoff, it would be a clear cut breach of contract. Unless that limitation is published prior to purchase, it cannot be enforced against the passenger as it simply isn't a term of the contract. Damages for any additional costs incurred, above and beyond what would have been paid had the change been possible via TPE, would be recoverable against the retailer.

 

[Starmill]

It sounds like what could have happened is that TPE placed information on their website, but their contractor Wordline's internal processes are apparently incompatible with it. I hope that's not true, though, as it would be a pretty serious oversight. It could also be that some sort of time limit is written down somewhere, and we've all just missed it.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

It sounds like what could have happened is that TPE placed information on their website, but their contractor Wordline's internal processes are apparently incompatible with it. I hope that's not true, though, as it would be a pretty serious oversight. It could also be that some sort of time limit is written down somewhere, and we've all just missed it.

I searched the website very carefully when this issue arose and it didn't say it anywhere. I think what you have said is entirely correct. TPE's options, if they want to avoid claims for breach of contract, are to qualify what their website says with the proviso that changes have to be made at least 5 days in advance, or to allow a refund and repurchase, as Trainline-based sites do, (at their cost) if the change is made less than 5 days in advance.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Only through other forum members on posts on here. I can't remember who but I think it was based on members experience of being told that both by TPE over the phone when they had problems online and also another member who wanted to make a change but they were told it was too late with GWR with their telesales. So it appears to be a First Group thing the 5 days.

You can't ToD an X/S ticket so they have to be posted hence the five days.

 

[Intermodal]

You can't ToD an X/S ticket so they have to be posted hence the five days.

Out of interest, do you know how such tickets are issued? Does someone manually produce them or are they sent by a system?

 

[Wallsendmag]

Out of interest, do you know how such tickets are issued? Does someone manually produce them or are they sent by a system?

When we used the same system they were just processed as any other postal fulfillment ticket.

 

[gray1404]

You can't ToD an X/S ticket so they have to be posted hence the five days.

They are going to have to find a workaround because they cannot be imposing a 5 day rule that doesn't exist. Refund and rebook for uncollected tickets would not be hard for them to implement.

 

[Wallsendmag]

They are going to have to find a workaround because they cannot be imposing a 5 day rule that doesn't exist. Refund and rebook for uncollected tickets would not be hard for them to implement.

It’s been like that forever.

 

[Starmill]

It’s been like that forever.

Nobody reading the website and terms and conditions today would realise that.

 

[Joe Paxton]

TPE need to amend their publicity to mention and make clear the 5 day cut-off for their no-fee amendment of Advance ticket offering.

Meanwhile I'd suggest people head to the Crosscountry site instead if they wish to avail themselves of fee-free Advance amendments - XC's publicity states there is a 24-hour cut-off before the (original) time of travel, though my experience is that fee-free amendments are possible right up to the original departure time.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

It’s been like that forever.

The same justification for many types of discrimination that have now been outlawed. The fact that something has always been done a particular way and therefore must be justified/correct is one of those anachronisms that the railway seems unable to rid itself of. Anything, no matter how long it has been done that way, can be incorrect and a breach of contract, an offence, etc. etc.

 

[Starmill]

I've asked TPE about this and they say:

With Advance tickets you can change your travel plans as long as this is done by the appropriate deadline. The price you pay to do so will depend on what tickets are available on the alternative date/train you want to travel on. Unless the same ticket type is available, you will have to upgrade to the next appropriate fare and pay the difference. A £10.00 administration fee is also applied to each ticket, unless you are amending your ticket yourself online.

In other words they are saying that a £10 admin fee does apply if you're amending your ticket at late notice, but before the train departs. This seems to contradict their website.

 

[gray1404]

I've just tried to change 2 Off Peak Singles I got via the TPE website. The reality is it doesn't matter if I do the journey on date A or B. The website insisted that it could not be done i.e. I could not allow for a date change when I logged into my account and when I tried to refund it, this too was rejected because the value of each ticket was less then the £10 admin it was trying to apply.

Interesting that TPE say for Advances its a £10 fee "unless you are amending your ticket yourself online." So if their site won't let you amend it, or let you make a second amendment online, you have to pay the £10 (or a new ticket if cheaper). I don't think so as their website don't say anything about only being able to change it free online or only being able to change it once.

 

[trek]

The last time I did this I had to go through the old interface, or else it showed a £10 fee - it doesn't seem to be linked from the main website anymore, but you can get to here: http://tickets.tpexpress.co.uk/tpe/en/JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck