Pre-booked tickets on strike days

[rab]

Not wishing to get into the politics of rail strikes here but:

 

SWMBO are having a few days in Bath in December. We were intending to pre-book

for the train journey from Plymouth, but with the current situation with industrial action,

I'm wondering what happens if a strike is called on the day(s) we've booked.

 

Do we get a refund; can we transfer the tickets to another day, or do we just lose our money?

[Michael Hodgson]

Yes.  The ticket is a contract to transport you.  You have rights if they can't honour that.

https://www.themoneyedit.com/consumer-advice/rail-strikes-refunds

[andyman7]

You definitely won't lose your money, and have an absolute right to a full refund if your booked train is cancelled or rescheduled and you cannot travel. In addition, you will be given a rebooking option as an alternative if a strike is announced for that day. One thing I would recommend is that you book with the train operator's site as changes/refunds can be more quickly dealt with than if you use a 'third party' retailer such as Trainline.  

[melmerby]

AFAIK the train companies dont charge a fee to book tickets. Trainline definitely does.

[great central]

The trainline is often a rip off, the number of times I've told, especially,  groups of passengers what they could have paid against what the trainline has charged them......

[rab]

Thanks for the responses; I will go ahead and book now.

 

[Mark Saunders]

Why quote a link to a third party when this document has exited for years!

 

 

[ejstubbs]

10 hours ago, andyman7 said:

you will be given a rebooking option as an alternative if a strike is announced for that day

 

I'd be careful with that statement.  I was booked to travel Edinburgh-London on 18th August, which was then announced as being a strike day.  That was an RMT strike, not ASLEF, so the drivers weren't striking that day, but there were still warnings of possible disruption that day on the National Rail Enquiries web site.  We were not given the option to rebook (this was with Lumo).

 

As it turned out, the service ran as scheduled on the strike day, however we had already decided to amend our plans and travel the day before instead (partly in order to avoid the tube strike on the 19th), so we had to make and pay for another booking.  As it turned out, that train was over an hour late so we got a 100% refund, so overall we were no worse off than if we had travelled on the day we originally planned, which service ran on time.  But that was pure chance.

 

[ejstubbs]

On 18/09/2022 at 23:33, melmerby said:

AFAIK the train companies dont charge a fee to book tickets. Trainline definitely does.

 

The TOCs don't charge fees - AFAIK they're not allowed to.  Trainline often/usually does (but doesn't always).

 

When I point this out to people who sing the praises of Trainline, their usual response is to say, "Oh, but the Trainline booking system is so easy to use, it's worth the booking fee for that".  My response to that (which I don't always make out loud, depending on whether the person concerned is a friend or not) is that if you really can't navigate the NRE web page/app then you deserve to get charged extra for your stupidity.

 

An underlying irony is that a number of the TOCs actually use Trainline's booking "engine" - but don't charge a booking fee.

Edited September 20, 2022 by ejstubbs

[andyman7]

12 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

 

I'd be careful with that statement.  I was booked to travel Edinburgh-London on 18th August, which was then announced as being a strike day.  That was an RMT strike, not ASLEF, so the drivers weren't striking that day, but there were still warnings of possible disruption that day on the National Rail Enquiries web site.  We were not given the option to rebook (this was with Lumo).

 

As it turned out, the service ran as scheduled on the strike day, however we had already decided to amend our plans and travel the day before instead (partly in order to avoid the tube strike on the 19th), so we had to make and pay for another booking.  As it turned out, that train was over an hour late so we got a 100% refund, so overall we were no worse off than if we had travelled on the day we originally planned, which service ran on time.  But that was pure chance.

 

Lumo is an open access operator so has very few rebooking options. But they are still required to refund in full if they can't run

[ejstubbs]

15 hours ago, andyman7 said:

Lumo is an open access operator so has very few rebooking options.

 

Which is pretty much precisely the point I was making.  You confidently stated "you will be given a rebooking option if a strike is announced for that day".  I provided evidence that that isn't always the case.

 

If you had said "you will be given a rebooking option if a strike is announced for that day and the TOC knows in advance that the service you are booked on won't run" then I wouldn't have disagreed.

 

Your use of the phrase "In addition" after stating (correctly) that you would be due a refund if your booked train is cancelled seems to suggest that you would get both a refund and a re-booked trip, which isn't the case with any TOC.  (Though of course you could spend your refund on a new booking.)

 

15 hours ago, andyman7 said:

But they are still required to refund in full if they can't run

 

I didn't say they aren't.  But in the case of my trip, their train did run.

[andyman7]

2 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

 

Which is pretty much precisely the point I was making.  You confidently stated "you will be given a rebooking option if a strike is announced for that day".  I provided evidence that that isn't always the case.

 

If you had said "you will be given a rebooking option if a strike is announced for that day and the TOC knows in advance that the service you are booked on won't run" then I wouldn't have disagreed.

 

Your use of the phrase "In addition" after stating (correctly) that you would be due a refund if your booked train is cancelled seems to suggest that you would get both a refund and a re-booked trip, which isn't the case with any TOC.  (Though of course you could spend your refund on a new booking.)

 

 

I didn't say they aren't.  But in the case of my trip, their train did run.

My bad for trying to write a quick reassuring reply that the OP wouldn't lose their money. Your clarifications are correct, but unless I have an hour to proofread things I guess I won't bother helping next time. It might not be intended, but your tone is rather hostile.

 

 

 

  

[Gwiwer]

Franchised, contracted and operator-of-last-resort TOCs will cease sales of some but not all ticket products as soon as strike dates are announced for the days when strikes are likely to prevent operation of normal or any service. 
 

If you already have a ticket sold directly by any TOC: for any ticket, including date-and-train specific advance purchase products which are not normally refundable, if you cannot make your planned journey you may:- 

 

1.  Travel as close to the same time as booked on alternative dates the operator specifies or

2.  Rebook for travel on a date of your choice or

3.  Claim a full refund

 

In the case of 2 or 3 there will be no administrative fee charged even if one would normally apply.  Advance-purchase “non-refundable” tickets will be refunded for option 3 but if you choose to travel under option 2 and a higher fare applies to the date or train you nominate you will have to pay the difference. 
 

If you choose to not make your journey but travel was possible then your refund entitlement (if any) is as defined by the National Conditions of Carriage and no refunds are available for “non-refundable” fares.  However consideration will be given to anyone choosing to take the advice of only travelling if essential. Also anyone who pre-purchased a “non-refundable” ticket before a strike was called will be able to obtain a refund if no service is provided. 
 

For these purposes it does not matter who is on strike. What matters is whether or not the customer can make their intended journey. 

If you pre-purchase a ticket after the strike has been called then it should be sold with appropriate advice if from a staffed location; machines can have products withdrawn as required. There will however be an administrstive fee charged for changing a ticket where one normally applies. 

Tickets purchased for travel exclusively on open-access operators will fall under their own conditions but if no service can be provided then a fee-free refund should be offered as an option. 

Tickets purchased via third party apps, websites or agencies may attract different conditions specifically with regard to the refund (or otherwise) of booking fees. The refund entitlement for the travel element remains the same. 
 

Hint - as suggested by others if you buy online then do so from a TOC app or website and not a commercial one which applies sometimes hidden fees.