HELP!!! Robbing Train Companies

[8ace]

On the email it says this:

Virgin:

Q: What happens if I don't have the card I booked with/or a new card?
A: You will need to phone our After Sales Support team before arriving at the station on 0844 556 5650 quoting your booking reference.

East Coast:

To collect your tickets, you must have both the credit/debit card used to purchase the tickets and your ticket booking reference. If you do not have them, a new ticket at the full fare will have to be bought to travel. If your payment card has been replaced since you made your booking, please contact Web Support on 08457 225 111 before starting your journey.

 

[mwrpoole]

Someone has fed you incorrect information. I've lost my card in the past, simple phone call to the booking agent (think it was thetrainline) and they changed the record on their system so that any card could be used to collect the tickets, as long as I entered the correct booking code. The system is therefore clearly designed to deal with this, regardless of booking agent.

This is the correct answer. I used to book train tickets all the time for my staff using my company credit card and they can change it so that any card can be used to collect.

 

[matt_32510]

I always request the tickets be sent by post.

 

[amexee]

According to the law you do not even have to have a receipt to prove you bought something that is faulty and want to return it to a shop. You have to supply some form of evidence such as a credit card statement or in the case of debit card a bank statement.

No reason to assume that the railways have a different set of rules to follow, though no doubt a pleb will argue that collecting is different from returning

 

[Bold Seagull]

I'm not getting involved, but the super cheap tickets are super cheap because the train companies don't want to have to do anything with them other than sell them on the internet, and you collect them from the station or pay for postage. They wouldn't be dirt cheap if they had to contain flexibility for collection methods etc. As far as they're concerned, the tickets are your card. Lose the card and effectively you've lost your ticket.

What they should do is have an admin charge to undertake the transfer to a new card. If it uses up £10 worth of resources to do that, then charge £10. Voiding the tickets completely then selling new ones does just seem plain wrong.

 

[Beach Hut]

There should be an admin charge only as the tickets are purchased by your account in your name as yet unused.

Just as to talk to someone more senior

 

[Mr Banana]

Go to the station and talk to a human being. They can print the tickets out for you at their discretion. Print out all the evidence you can to show you booked the tickets. If you get a grump try again at another booth. You'll be fine

 

[Driver8]

I bought some tickets for my daughter last week on trainline.com and it allows you to pick the tickets up with any card provided you have the ref no. Useful as my daughter is away at Uni.

 

[Uter]

This is from the London Midland website's FAQ. You won't be able to pick them up at the station, but the implication is there is a way to get your tickets.


Question: I no longer have the credit/debit used to purchase my ticket as it has been lost or stolen. How do I collect my tickets?
Answer: In the event that you lose the credit/debit card used to purchase your tickets, or it is stolen, we will be unable to issue you with your tickets at the station. You should contact Web Support by telephone on 0121 634 2040 or by email

 

[Bold Seagull]

I booked some train tickets about a month ago to visit family in the midlands over Christmas. I booked on my debit card to collect at the station and last weekend I had my wallet stolen with my debit card in.

I didn't think this would be much of an issue and phoned up London Midland who I had booked my tickets with to let them know I was no longer in possession of said card and they said I therefore would not be able to obtain the tickets without the card to prove I'd booked them, and would have to re-book. The tickets were non refundable so I lose all the money on them not to mention the fact the train tickets have nearly doubled since then.

Surely this can't be right, the matter seems so trivial, I have booked and paid for my tickets and now stand to lose out and have to re-book at double the cost. Anyone with any inside info on train companies know where I stand?? Has this happened to anyone else??

Have you tried the number on this page?
http://tickets.londonmidland.com/lm/en/faqs/ViewFaq?id=210

 

[crodonilson]

Have you tried the number on this page?
http://tickets.londonmidland.com/lm/en/faqs/ViewFaq?id=210

This is the number I used, basically I was told I won't be able to use the tickets, I will need to re-book and as the tickets were advance and non-refundable I couldn't get a refund either.

 

[Buckley's Mad Eye]

Help!!!Robbing Train Companies.



This is the man you need.

 

[Beach Hut]

This is the number I used, basically I was told I won't be able to use the tickets, I will need to re-book and as the tickets were advance and non-refundable I couldn't get a refund either.

The fact is you have not travelled so they are talking bollox about non-refundable, ask them for details of the professional body you can complain to as they are quite wrong in this instance.

However since LM cannot even provide a service at present through lack of drivers I suspect they will try anything on these days.

 

[Bold Seagull]

This is the number I used, basically I was told I won't be able to use the tickets, I will need to re-book and as the tickets were advance and non-refundable I couldn't get a refund either.

Fire an email off to the email address given see if that turns up a different response. Can't hurt to try.

 

[happypig]

Can you take it up with the bank and get them to do a chargeback?
alternatively turn up at the station with your new card and refuse to leave until they give you your tickets.

 

[seagull_in_malaysia]

Stick any bank card in and it will work. After you stick your card in they still ask you for the ref no. I've done this before and it's fine.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Stick any bank card in and it will work. After you stick your card in they still ask you for the ref no. I've done this before and it's fine.

This wouldn't surprise me at all!

That has to be worth a try, especially with the replacement card the bank will send as most of the details will be the same anyway.

 

[Nibble]

I'm not getting involved, but the super cheap tickets are super cheap because the train companies don't want to have to do anything with them other than sell them on the internet, and you collect them from the station or pay for postage. They wouldn't be dirt cheap if they had to contain flexibility for collection methods etc. As far as they're concerned, the tickets are your card. Lose the card and effectively you've lost your ticket.

What they should do is have an admin charge to undertake the transfer to a new card. If it uses up £10 worth of resources to do that, then charge £10. Voiding the tickets completely then selling new ones does just seem plain wrong.

I disagree, I would say one would have a pretty good argument that your statutory rights stand regardless of where purchased or how much the product/sevice cost.

 

[clippedgull]

For gig tickets you just have to show photographic ID and proof of address. Simples. Why not the same with the railways?

Thats a bit of a stupid requirement. Not everyone has photo ID.

 

[NickBHAFC18]

I accidentally booked 2 train journeys wrong last month. I realised straight after I had booked them, called them up and managed to get a refund successfully.