I purchased a train ticket from a travel agency for the usual route I take. It turns out that recently a stop on that route was removed, making that ticket invalid*
So, I inform the company (Via Rail, specifically). They say that can’t do anything about it as it’s the fault of the travel agency for not keeping their information up-to-date. I ask how is the TA supposed to keep up-to-date unless you guys inform them? The man tells me they send updates to all TAs when an update is necessary and that apprently your TA did a crappy job of book-keeping - ergo it’s the TA’s fault.
However, I don’t think this is valid claim, and here’s why:
It has to do with how I was issued the ticket. This was not a handwritten ticket; this was a ticket printed off by the TA’s software. You see, the travel agent had to input my travel info into her computer; we then sat there for several minutes while she commented that “Via’s booking system sure is slow today”. What I think is that in order to print a ticket, said booking must be validated by Via (that’s what was happening as we sat and waited for the computer). Therefore, the only way I could have received that ticket is if Via’s booking system erronesouly validated said ticket. In other words, Via’s claim that the TA keeps bad records is irrelevent, since the ticket has to be validated by Via regardless.
So ultimately I claim that it’s Via’s fault as it seems their booking system was not up-to-date.
Now I admit I haven’t spoken to the TA yet, nore have I dealt with any Via higher-ups (I’ve just spoken to gate agents).
What are your thoughts on this? Perhaps some people with TA knowledge can fill me on how bookings usually work? (I have no idea what was actually going on with the computer; the above is merely suspicion based on the TA’s mumblings).
(*More precisely, I was only able to use the ticket for a certain length of the route; ergo I paid full price for a ticket that was only “half-way useful”.)
I had a similar problem, where I bought a ticket from the online booking agency, and then went to use it the next day on a train journey. Although I bought a valid ticket from Hull to Leeds there were, it turns out, several different routes I could take to get there (there are millions of different routes of course, but there were two logical routes on trains both posted as going to Leeds). I got asked for my ticket halfway at York and was told I could be arrested for being “off-route” - I had taken the different route than my ticket let me - absurd but true. I was forced to pay a fine on the spot to avoid arrest, and then had to appeal it (why such summary justice is permitted I don’t know). In any case, I wrote a letter of complaint to the company who fined me and to the travel agency. I received no response from the agency and the railway company that fined me sent me railway travel vouchers to the cost of my journey. not a refund, but I wasn’t going to push my luck
Dan
There’s an additional point of interest to my OP: No ticket agent (what do you call these guys?) ever came through to collect my ticket! What this means then is that I have a perfectly valid, unused ticket still in my possession. In theory, I could get a full refund from the TA (“ya, so, something came up and I wasn’t able to go - can I get a refund on my clearly unused ticket?”); so it could be me who ends up ripping off the TA/Via instead of the other way around 
Bump-o-rific!
Any more input?
I wouldn’t know about the legal aspect of this, but since you bought your ticket from a TA, it seems to me it should be up to the travel agency to refund you. Whether the TA or the Railway company is as fault shouldn’t be any of your business. If the TA thinks it’s the Railways fault, then, they’ll settle the matter with the railways company.
If you had bought a broken toy in a shop, you would ask the shopowner to refund you/ give you a new toy, even if it’s actually the wholesale dealer or the shipper who broke the toy. I can’t see why it should be any different in this case.
I had a similar experience, too. I bought a ticket online, to get to Gatwick airport. And was sold a ticket that wasn’t valid on the train my seat was reserved on :dubious: Fortunately, the conductor saw the amusing side to this.
clairobscur
You have a valid point; however I suspect that the TA will not act the way you suggest and instead argue with me that it is Via’s fault for not updating their system.
Of course, maybe this is just a sign I need to find a better travel agency… :rolleyes: