Rail Europe, Inc.

Review: Train passage was purchased on **Sept2013 for 2 adults from St Jean De LUZ to Toulouse, France for travel on **Oct2013 for $300. The class of service purchased was Premier, which include meal service. However Premier service class was not actually available on this train.Desired Settlement: Comfort level service, which is the equivalent of Premier service without the meal is available for $162 for 2 adults. A refund of $138 is appropriate.

Business

Response:

Rail Europe had no way to determine if the service on the SNCF train did not offer a meal on this day. We asked the customer if the ticket was endorsed so we could provide a refund and it was not. Meal service was not provided on this specific train, and the customer did not have his ticket endorsed by rail personnel that the meal service did not exist on the particular train. If the customer knows he did not get the service paid, he has to have his ticket endorsed so Rail Europe can partially refund the non refundable ticket when he returns. After contacting SNCF to verify the service on trains, we will offer the customer a refund of the difference in price between Comfort class and First class plus he is requesting.

First notice was never received, but this second notice was in my junk folder in outlook email. Advised IT Dept to add [redacted] to my address book so future emails will be received.

Thank you

Consumer

Response:

I've received email outside of the Revdex.com website. Raileurope has agreed to refund a portion of the requested amount. Better than nothing I guess.

Sincerely,

Review: From this company, I booked and paid for a train trip from Paris, France to Agen France on the [redacted] of August. At the point of booking, I was given this code: [redacted], along with this e-ticket confirmation: [redacted]. When I arrived at the Paris station, even though I had all confirmation numbers, a screenshot of my reservation, a passport, and the [redacted] I had booked it on -- the ticket representatives could not find my ticket. It took them so long to find it that they eventually couldn't give me the ticket until 2 minutes before the train departed. They claimed I wouldn't be able to make it to the platform, so they insisted that I wait until the next train departed for Agen. I told them that I had booked the earlier train for a reason (because I had a car booked with Eurpecar in Agen), but they insisted that I take the later train. Well, that later train eventually departed from Paris in the direction of Bordaux, where it was supposed to continue on to Agen. In a station outside Bordeaux, the train suddenly stopped. French train representatives came aboard the train and said that the train had broken down and that they had no idea when it would be fixed. They told all of us to get off the train, with our bags. They then loaded us into another train (where we didn't even have seats) to wait for word when the train would be fixed and ready to leave. Hours passed and we were finally ordered outside the train to sit in the station. At one point, I asked whether I would have a seat on the train to Agen (for which I had paid) and I was told that I could not be guaranteed such a seat. After telling the representative that I needed to be in Agen to get a car, she just shrugged and told me that my best course of action would be to take another means of transport and obtain a refund for the train that didn't take me Agen. At this point, I called an Uber, which cost me 44.76 to get to the Bordeaux airport, which is the only place I could pick up a car. After an hour of negotiations with Eurpoecar (which was angry with me at first because I wasn't picking up my car in Agen as promised), they finally rented me a car for 110.40. All in all, I was forced to pay an additional 155.16 in associated and unexpected costs because the TGV train did not take me to Agen as promised. I do not know how to get these expenses back, but I can surely say that I should not be forced to pay for a train ticket that did not deliver as promised. I want a full refund on the train ticket booked on August [redacted] for 137.95. I do not want to have to describe my horrible experience on travel websites, to regulators, or to American Express as I pursue a chargeback. I would much rather [redacted] realize that it mistreated a paying customer and should return his money. This would heal the beach that has opened up between me and the [redacted] Company.Desired Settlement: On my [redacted] ending in -[redacted], I was charged 137.95 USD on August **, 2015. I want this refunded in total because the train did not deliver the service it was contractually obligated to deliver.

Business

Response:

We are sorry to hear that [redacted] was unable to retrieve his eticket at Paris Montparnasse station. He has the correct PNR code to retrieve the ticket and should have not had a problem. I wish the customer would have contacted [redacted] to advise there was a problem with the ticket. We will offer a full refund to the customer and contact SNCF to find out why they could not assist him to print the ticket with the valid confirmation code. We have 60 days to contact the European rail carriers when there is a problem, so it is important that customers let us know as soon as possible if there is a problem. A refund in the amount of 137.95 has been issued to the original form of payment. We will also contact our customer to advise of the refund.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: The dispute with Rail Europe is #[redacted]. Their train on a sunday morning was not listed on the Tibertina board, and no one there knew anything about it. We could not locate it, so we had to buy other train tickets to Florence, IT. I sent them a copy of the receipt for the other tickets at the same timeframe. They needed to list the train on the board, which they did not do. The date this took place was 6/**/2013. I disputed it with my crdit card company when I returned home. The train number for the sale was [redacted]. They claim this was a non refundable ticket. Nothing I have states that the ticket was nonrefundable. The purchase date on my credit card was 5/**/2013. by [redacted]Desired Settlement: I am seeking a refund on my credit card of $63.95 [redacted]

Business

Response:

The business has responded. Please read below:

"

1. [redacted] Notice was responded to on **Sep-2013. I did not save the response but I have included the original notes which are automatically dated in our database. (See attachment 1) The customer went to the wrong train station in Rome Italy. She purchased non refundable, non exchangeable tickets on an [redacted] Railways train from Rome Tiburtina station and she could not find her train. The tickets she purchased as replacement tickets shows she departed from Rome Termini station on a different train company, [redacted]. This was the reason she could not find her train listed anywhere. We did contact [redacted] to request an exception to refund her non refundable tickets, but they denied our request advising the train operated on time and she was listed as a No Show. Since her seats were not cancelled and could not be resold, Rail Europe was charged for the tickets so we could not provide a refund."

Review: On Tuesday, September [redacted], I contacted Rail Europe by phone to purchase train tickets from Dusseldorf, Germany to Munich, Germany. I "purchased" a ticket and received a booking number and PNR code over the phone. I was also told I would be receiving an email providing the order details. I used Rail Europe in July and received an email confirmation stating my full travel itinerary. However, this time I did not receive one. Upon arrival in Germany, I went to the train station to locate my reservation. After the kind representative searched all of the reservations by the PNR code and name, my "reservation" could not be found. At the time of this difficulty, Rail Europe's customer service was closed. As a result, I had to purchase a new ticket from Dusseldorf to Munich. After returning to the United States, I contacted customer service. After numerous emails, which I would be willing to provide, [redacted] is unable to explain why the company is not able to provide a full refund. She is claiming I exchanged a ticket as I purchased a ticket at a different time. However, I never had an original ticket to exchange. Moreover, at the time of purchase, the representative stated that I would be able to get on a different train for an 11 or 13 dollar fee. Even more interesting, while traveling in Germany, I purchased a ticket for one time but traveled at an earlier time for no additional fee.Desired Settlement: I am just looking for a full refund. Rail Europe charged me for a train ticket, but never provided one.

Business

Response:

Customer was refunded for ticket October *, 2013 minus $27.01 penalty for refund charged by the European rail carrier. Request for penalty to be waived sent to rail carrier but was denied since replacement tickets purchased were for a different time. Rail carrier determined customer made a voluntary change to his reservations and the original ticket was non exchangeable.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

As stated in my complaint, there was no record of booking found by the train company. They searched for the PNR and my last name, and no record of a ticket was found. Company failed to make an appropriate purchase and, therefore, my subsequent purchase of an actual ticket was not an exchange. My purchase of the train ticket in Germany was simply a purchase. I was unable to exchange a ticket as it was not existent.

Further, Company has failed to refund $49.96.

The lack of response from Company is extremely disheartening. Company simply decided to stop responding to my inquiries and emails.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We contacted Duetsche Bahn and they advised the PNR was valid to be printed at the kiosk if customer followed directions for printing. The replacement ticket the client purchased was for an earlier time which led them to believe the client was trying to take an earlier train and could not print his ticket without the instructions. Their ticket sales agents are not there to assist with printing tickets, only to sell tickets. We have confirmation of the email sent to the client including detailed instruction on how to print his ticket. Since the client did not have the email with directions with him, we refunded the ticket per the after sales policy given by Deutsche Bahn. Rail Europe will make an exception to refund the additional fees as a gesture of goodwill. A refund for the additional 49.96 will be processed today to the original form of payment. We strive to provide excellent customer service and regret that the customer feels we did not.

Review: On July *, 2014, my daughter [redacted] booked a Renfe Train Ticket through RailEurope July [redacted] (RailEurope booking # [redacted]) to travel from Madrid to Malaga Spain on July **. Because of weather delays in Atlanta on her July ** Delta Airlines flight from California through Atlanta and into Madrid, she was rebooked onto a later flight from Atlanta into Madrid which would arrive after her Renfe departure time. Unfortunately, the airline rebooking took place after RailEurope closing hours (8:*0 pm EST), and the train departure time would take place before their offices reopened July **. Attempting to seek service to change, exchange or cancel the Renfe Ticket, I tried doing so online at RailEurope.com but received a reply that it could only be addressed by phone during normal business hours. Knowing this would be past Renfe departure time, I sent an email notifying RailEurope of the circumstance (see email exchange listed below). I also went online to Renfe.com to attempt to change, exchange or cancel the ticket before departure, but was unable to using either the Renfe Localizador or the Num. Billete numbers provided by RailEurope (given a "null' response to each several times). When I called RailEurope Customer Service at 9:05am, they quoted their policy of three days notice needed and dismissed addressing any of the concerns also listed in the email exchange listed below. So my daughter is out $107.45, left to purchase another Renfe Ticket in a country which she doesn't speak the native language, on her own without the customer service or assistance of an anticipated "Protection Plan." RailEurope has neither provided or accommodated any of the service their website nor contract stated it provided. That is not good business in any country, but certainly not in the U.S.

Email Correspondence with RailEurope is available but cannot be Listed Below due to space parameters on this form.

- it can be sent upon request via [redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like to see several concerns addressed in addition to a full refund ($107.45) of the cost of the Renfe Ticket ($91), the Rail Protection Plan fee ($8.50), and Rail Europe Booking Fee ($7.95). I would like to see 24 hour customer service available to match business hours in Europe, whether that's upgrading their online service or providing phone service. I would like to understand why the Renfe Ticket information provide by RailEurope didn't work with Renfe.com's website/customer service whom RailEurope is a broker. I would like to understand why RailEurope offers no customer service, exchanges, cancelations or refunds within three days of ticketed travel when Renfe offers such up to one minute prior to departure of the train. They give the excuse that these are limitation within their contract with the European Rail Companies, but why would they agree to such restrictions (or be forced into such restrictions) when the Rail Companies (at least Renfe) do not operate under that themselves? I would also like to see the NY Revdex.com rating on this company decreased if RailEurope is to continue to offer such inferior service when compared to the Rail Companies they broker with? I certainly haven't experienced these restrictions (3 days notice with no customer service within this timeframe should delays or difficulties arise) with other U.S. travel agencies servicing/brokering European hospitality and transportation services.

Business

Response:

We understand when flights are delayed it is a stressful time for most travelers. The customer booked a ticket online and agreed to the terms and conditions for the fare purchased and the Rail Protection Plan before submitting their order. The fare conditions are set by the European carrier and not Rail Europe. We neither own nor operate the trains and must abide by the conditions of the carrier. The ticket purchased was 95% refundable up to the train departure date and non exchangeable. We received a request to cancel or exchange the rail ticket for the first time at 1:12am on July **. At this time we were unable to refund the ticket. The customer would have had to cancel the ticket on July ** or sooner in order to receive a refund. We understand the request was made due to a flight delay and we suggest the customer file a claim with the airline since it was their delay which caused the customer to miss the train in Spain which she was confirmed on.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: RailEurope has not investigated and informed us of why the provided Renfe Ticket information they provided was rendered "null" when we tired to cancel the ticket on the Renfe website 4 hours prior to departure time. I have provided their original receipt (Rail Europe Booking) as well as the attached pdf of the Renfe info ([redacted]) for review. I have also attached a docx of the RailEurope Email Correspondence highlighting the time that I attempted to cancel the Renfe ticket (Thur, Jul **, 2014 11:11pm PDT). It is not [redacted]'s nor the airline's responsibility that the Renfe Ticket could not be canceled. [redacted] contracted with Rail Europe to broker a viable and useable ticket, and even if the rail company or their website were to be found at fault, it is the responsibility of the broker to make good on their contract. Because they did not provide a viable service, we request they refund the entire amount of $107.45.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We regret that there was a flight delay and [redacted] was unable to use her train ticket on Renfe. We received an email at 1:12a on July ** to exchange or cancel the ticket from Madrid to Malaga for July ** departing at 13:35. At this time the ticket was non refundable. The fare conditions are displayed at the time of purchase and on the confirmation email state the fare is 95% refundable up to the train departure date. When cancelling on the day of departure the ticket is non refundable. The customer must cancel the day before the train departure in order to receive a refund. THese conditions are not set by Rail Europe, but by Renfe. Renfe offers many different fare ranges from fully refundable to non refundable fares. Regrettablty, Renfe does not make exceptions for cancellations on the day of departure. They are unable to resell the ticket for train at the last minute.

The customer purchased the Rail Protection Plan which allows a one time exchange if done at least 3 business days in advance. It does not cover last minute emergencies or flight delays. These terms and conditions were provided to the customer at the time of sale. I have provided a link to the terms and conditions for your review, [redacted]

We certainly empathize with [redacted] as we know how stressful it is when things do not go as planned. We understand it can be costly, which is why we suggest [redacted] uses our email to file a claim with the airline who caused her to miss her train in Spain.

Review: I booked my seats with RailEurope on May ** from Paris to Milan since I am from Canada and was immediately routed to their site from SNCF once I indicated I lived in Canada. This gave the illusion I had no other choice but to purchase my rail tickets through Rail Europe. At any rate, I missed the opportunity to input my seating preference while booking as this was my first time using a very slow and confusing website. I called as soon as I noticed that I missed this, which was literally 5 minutes after I had gone through the transaction. It was an honest mistake. I called the customer service line immediately and was told that I could change my seating if I was willing to forfeit 37% of the price of the tickets I paid for. I also sent an email to [redacted] on May ** and never received a response. This is an incredibly unfair business practice considering most online merchants have a 24 hour grace period for customers who change their minds. Moreover, the rail line I am booked with (through Rail Europe), SNCF, HAS AN OPTION TO CHANGE SEATS on their own website, free of charge (another friend in EU booked directly on the SNCF website).

All I wanted to do was add/change the default seating preference, the date and time of departures is fine. I think this should be done free of charge considering the fact that I paid for FIRST CLASS seats AND I requested the change immediately after the transaction had gone through.Desired Settlement: All I am asking for is that Rail Europe change my seating preference so that I can get the type of seating I want - without extra charges.

Business

Response:

We understand the customer is trying to change the seat assignment on his tickets. Regrettably, we are unable to choose or change seat assignments. The seats are sent from the rail carrier at the time of confirmation and no requests for specific seats can be made. We have no way to know what seats will be returned prior to confirming the trains. In order to make any changes to the tickets, the customer is bound by the after sales conditions on the tickets, even when contacting us the same day.

The after sales policy is set forth by the railroads. As the North American distributors for the European Railroads, we must abide by the rules set by the companies themselves. This information is displayed online when you choose your fare and once you add your itinerary to the shopping cart.

Lamentably, we cannot exchange or refund the ticket for any reason outside the policy. We would gladly change the seats if we could. Our only option is to

We regret that we are not able to change the seat assignments. In our experience we have advised customers they can change their seats locally at the station or by contacting the conductor on the train. This has worked for our customers. We hope you understand we would change the seats if this was available to us.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here] First off, I am not male and find the assumption offensive.

I am not asking for specific seats, I am simply asking for a seating PREFERENCE change. I do not care where the seats are. That is, instead of side-by-side seating, I wanted the dual, face to face seats. I fail to understand the logic of the response. It does not address the seriously flawed business practice of this company. People make mistakes. Most online merchants have the capacity to at least cancel tickets for customers so they can re-book and get it right as long as it is in the same day. Moreover, had I booked directly with SNCF, the customer has the opportunity to change their own seats by themselves. As you say, you are a "North American distributor for the European railways" so why can a customer change their seating if they purchased through SNCF, but not Rail Europe? Further to that, if Rail Europe does not have the functionality to change seating/other requests, why am I automatically routed to the Rail Europe website once I indicate I live in Canada. In this day and age, when distance no longer matters, I have been given no explanation why being a Canadian resident, where I am essentially forced to purchase tickets through your website, there is no capacity to make any changes to tickets. Unacceptable.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here] They solved nothing of the problem, nor provided any proof of their attempts to "help." Their business practices remain completely unfair. As I said, had I booked directly with SNCF, I would be able to change seats at any time. The fact that this company continues to claim there is no way to change seats simply because I booked with them, a distributor (which really wasn't my choice), remains a completely unexplained excuse for Rail Europe doing nothing. Also, I would also like to re-iterate, I paid for FIRST CLASS seats. The fact that I do not have the ability to change my seating despite having paid substantially more than for a standard seat is absolutely ridiculous.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We regret that we could not change seat assignments on an issued ticket. SNCF and other EUropean carriers do not make this available to us.

Review: I have been unsuccessful in obtaining a refund for unused train tickets booked through Rail Europe. I purchased what was advertised on their website as a "Rail Protection Plan" - which was supposed to allow one no-questions-asked change in train travel plans in Switzerland.We did not use one set of train tickets purchased through Rail Europe. We were told by a Swiss Rail agent in Switzerland that for refund we needed to go back to where we purchased the tickets (Rail Europe in USA).When I returned to the USA and filed the forms to obtain the refund - I was informed by email that unless the tickets were stamped "NOT USED" in Switzerland - they were not eligible for refund. The tickets were clearly not used. They have no stamps or holes punched in them (as is the practice in Europe). They are still attached to the original ticket packet from Rail Europe. I have no way to get the tickets stamped in Switzerland now. Rail Europe is using deceptive and dishonsest business practices -- for both the train tickets required for travel -- and more importantly their "Rail Protection Plan" train travel insurance.

Product_Or_Service: Train tickets and insurance of sameDesired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I would simply like to have the cost of the original unused (2) tickets @ $80 each -- and the cost of the unused and unnecessary seat reservations (2) @ $12 each -- for a total of $184 refunded to my credit card or sent to me by check.

Business

Response:

The terms and conditions of the Rail Protection Plan are

advised at the time of sale. The link for the terms and conditions is provided

for your information.

The RPP allows one exchange or cancellation when advised at least 3 business

days in advance of US departure. We also offer a coupon code for future travel

when notified of cancellation at least 3 business days prior to travel. The

after sales policy for Open tickets state they are refundable prior to the first

validity date. After this time, a refund may be processed only when the ticket

is stamped or endorsed for refund by the european rail carrier in order for Rail

Europe to process a refund. This information is provided in the ticket jacket

with the ticket. We regret the rail carrier did not endorse the ticket for

refund but we have no way to know if the tickets were used, if the tickets are

not endorsed. As an exception Rail Europe will offer a refund to the customer

for the open tickets per policy. The staff at the rail station gave incomplete

information. It is true that refunds are issued by the issuing office, although

they should have endorsed his ticket to allow us to refund upon his return. We

have emailed the customer to ask him to return the open tickets so we may

process a refund. As long as we receive the paper tickets before June **, we

will refund the customers original form of payment in his booking.

Review: I purchased train tickets from this company after my flight had been canceled. I took the email they provided, as instructed, to the train station but the ticket agent said the ticket numbers were invalid. I immediately emailed the company from the train station, they did not have a number that worked from Italy.

I reached out to the company through their chat service and was told that the ticket number was good and that I would have to submit a request for a refund. I emailed them again and they responded saying I wasn't entitled to a refund per the Italian train company and because I was traveling in Italy they have to follow their rules. The company also stated that they viewed my situation the same way as if I had missed the train. I also purchased trip insurance. I am shocked that they didn't try to immediately fix this situation. I had to pay for a hotel room that I didn't use and the tickets were just under $1000.00.Desired Settlement: I purchased a product from this company which did not work therefore it would be fair to provide a full refund.

Business

Response:

We are sorry to hear [redacted] was unable to print her tickets at the train station. We reviewed her claim with the rail carrier, Trenitalia and requested approval to refund the tickets due to the problem she had at the station. We are happy to advise a refund was approved this week and has been processed for the full amount of the tickets. We have just contacted the customer to advise the refund details.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: Rail Europe, an American company, sold us first class reservations on a train trip for six passengers from Budapest, Hungary to Cluj Napoca, Romania. When we arrived at the station, we found that the train we booked had been canceled due to construction BEFORE our tickets were purchased. On the replacement train, there were no first class cars, so we road in economy, with no food or water for 8 hours. The total ticket price difference for all 6 tickets, which I paid for by credit card, was several hundred dollars.We received all the needed endorsements from the conductors to prove we were entitled to a refund on the six first class tickets and provided those documents by certified mail to Rail Europe three months ago. A month later, they said they had a high number of complaints and were still waiting to resolve the issue. Now their customer service department has stopped responding to my email and failed to respond when I told them I'd have to open a Revdex.com complaint.The booking number was: [redacted]

Product_Or_Service: Rail tickets

Order_Number: Booking [redacted]Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I would like them to determine the actual difference in price for that particular trip between 1st class and economy, and reimburse that amount for each of the six tickets they sold me. I also purchased their Rail Protection Plan for each ticket, and in light of the fact that they neither provided the service they were paid for nor made good on the difference, I'd like to be refunded the cost of the protection fees for all the tickets.

Business

Response:

The customer purchased an open ticket from Budapest Keleti station to Cluj Napoca. The rail carrier in Hungary did not make reservations available for us to sell in North America so no schedule changes were advised to Rail Europe. Customer was advised to they can purchase the open ticket and buy reservations locally since they are not available for sale in North America. Customer was advised locally that train selected did not offer first class seats. Rail Europe would have no way to know this. The open ticket was valid for any train between October [redacted], 2014 and Rail Europe would have not known first class was not offered on the train customer took locally.Once the customer advised us of the problem with no first class seats, we emailed Hungarian Railways who authorized a refund for the difference in price between first class and second class tickets. The customer has been refunded $198 for the difference. We are sorry there were no first class seats on the train locally, but we have provided a refund once we were authorized to do so.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I requested from them substantiation of the amount of refund, since it was less than half of the anticipated amount. I have asked them to provide some documentation from the European rail company they dealt with to justify the small refund. So far they have ignored my email sent to their customer support in response to their offer of a refund.I'll consider this closed when/if you can convince them to justify their small refund by providing me with documentation, or to correct the amount, also with appropriate documentation.Thanks, and regards,--[redacted]

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

James Vaigl

Business

Response:

We regret to hear that the customer is not satisfied with the refund amount. The refund provided is for the difference in price between first and second class. The difference in price is $33 per person for six travelers, the refund amount is $198. We have not heard back from Hungarian Railways after several attempts we decided to refund the customer the difference and wait for the carrier to refund us. If a response is received and the carrier authorizes a higher amount, Rail Europe would process the additional refund to the customer. The cost paid locally may include a reservation surcharge which is compulsory on high speed trains.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.Hopefully, they'll follow through on their promise to increase the refund if they receive more than that once the Hungarian Rail issues a larger refund than they estimated.

Sincerely,

Due to [redacted] web application flaw that their exchange/cancellation links are enabled even if you purchase a non-refundable/non-exchangeable ticket online, I make a mistake to cancel my ticket that I had purchased by mistake by selecting the PM time instead of AM for the same day. Again due to another flaw in [redacted] web application, I got a message that my cancellation was successful and that the money will be refunded back to my visa within 7-10 days. I then booked and purchased the AM ticket (so paid twice for the same trip). I did attempt to contact their customer support to confirm if I can do this exchange/cancellation online fore clicking on the links but their Chat support that was available said s/he couldn’t help me and that I had to contact their main support line and their customer support department was closed at the time. The next day, after some serious difficultly to reach out customer support (and waiting for 2 hours on the phone), I found out that the cancellation was not successful and that there will be no refund for my first purchase. Here is my experience:

Here is the mistake I made:

I was trying to book a round trip from Karlsruhe-Paris online for 3 adults. The search result (even though I had picked 8:00am) returned both the 7:30 AM option and 7:30 PM option for the first trip. I thought I'd search again and this time only one search result was returned and I misread it and thought it was the 7:30 option. I worried it would go fast soon as it showed 9 seats was available so proceeded with the booking. When I printed the ticket I noticed it shows 19:30 and in a state of panic I tried to contact the customer service. The only option was online chat and the person said you need to contact by phone or email. I phone and the office hour was closed. As my web browse was still open, I noticed the "exchange" button was enabled. I read the policy on the ticket (as suggested). There was no indication that I couldn't exchange by using the online option and the button was ENABLED for me. I so I clicked on it and it took me to a screen where the CANCEL button was also enabled. I cancelled it and it said the cancellation was successful! But said the modification to the trip can't be made online and I need to contact the customer support. Again because I didn't want to loose the seats I went ahead and booked 3 seats in the morning train as I worried by morning (when I can reach out to someone by phone) those seats would become unavailable. I also searched for the 7:30pm to see if my cancellation correctly go through and it did because prior to purchasing the 7:30pm, the available seats were 9, it was then down to 6 and after my cancellation it was back to 9.

Here is my customer service experience with your support line:

I live in Vancouver so I tried calling the support at 6:30am our time before I go to work. I waited for exactly 45-50 minutes before anyone responded and the person only 2 seconds to tell me that he had to transfer me to someone else. Since I was worried about the time (as I had to go to work) I asked how long more should I wait on the phone and he said 20 minutes. I also took the opportunity and said could the other person FIX the issue and he said YES! My next wait time wasn't 20 minutes but I waited for another 50 minutes or so...until 8:30 (so I was on the phone for almost 2 hours!!). She listened to me and said your tickets are non-refundable/non-exchangeable ...SORRY!....

Why I think my situation should be exempt from your "non-exchangeable" rule:

I only made a technical mistake using your website and tried to fix my mistake within minutes of my transaction. [redacted] website had technical issues in a sense the search result for 8:00am returned 7:30am trip the first time I searched and the second time it didn't. Also even thought I had chosen the non-exchangeable option, the exchange and cancel buttons were enabled for me on the website (under my account). If based on customer support rail expert (for whom I waited 2 hours to talk), the answer was so simple (NO REFUND) why wasn't the chat support line able to tell me so (to whom I tried to reach right before I attempt the cancellation for the PM ticket). I wouldn't have bought the second trip (with correct time) if I knew there is no way for me to get my money back.

Here is the response I received from their Customer Relations as I provided all above justification for my request:

Thank you for contacting Rail Europe. We are here to assist you. We are truly sorry that you ordered an evening train instead of a day train. We have reviewed the after sales policy for the purchased tickets. Per the after sales policies of the tickets, they are non-refundable and non-changeable.

The after sales policy is set forth by the railroads. As the North American distributors for the European Railroads, we must abide by the rules set by the companies themselves. This information is displayed online when you choose your fare and once you add your itinerary to the shopping cart. If booked in the Contact Center, it will be on the Performa Invoice that is emailed under the after sales section.

Lamentably, we cannot issue a refund for the non-refundable tickets. Please feel free to use this letter to file a claim with your travel insurance.

We regret that we are not able to provide the response you were expecting. We hope you understand our position. We look forward to booking your next trip abroad.

Review: Attention Rail Europe Customer Relations, My Family booked a vacation in Europe for the month of May and June 2013. This vacation included various flights, train rides etc. All train transportation was purchased from you in the amount of $1250.00. All train transportation went as should, until our last destination of Paris France departing from [redacted]. The beginning of the trip started off with the train arriving late at [redacted]. The original train car had broken down and another was sent in it's place. After boarding the train and departing Venice we found our way to our cabin in car #** to find two other women occupying our compartment. We found the conductor and had them removed. The four young ladies in cabin #** next to us thought it was fine to occupy someone else’s cabin. After getting into our cabin we began to gather all our linens and make our beds for the trip. Upon removing the sheets, pillows and blankets we notice they were all filthy and dirty. The sheets were the only piece of the linen’s that were clean. We complained to the conductor again. She said she would try to find some fresh linen’s…in which she never did. We decided we were not going to use the dirty blankets and pillows covered with black dirt and fifth, it was also at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit inside this car making it miserable. So we didn’t really need blankets immediately. After entering other cars seeing the temperature was nice and cool, we spoke to the conductor again to ask why it was so miserably hot in our car. She stated the air usually works….but it is what it is and was nothing she could do about it! We tried to close the blinds on our windows…they didn’t work. Was there anything on this train ride from hell that did work? The answer we soon found out was no! Nothing worked! We asked to be switched to a working car. She stated it was all sold out! This car should have never been hooked to this train. In addition to the blinds or air conditioning not working, the linens being filthy, the restroom stunk so bad you could smell it four compartments away! It had not been cleaned. We found out that this car had no heat either. The first 4-5 hours of the trip we sweated like pigs. About the middle of the trip it finally cooled off and continued to get colder and colder. Around 3:00 am it got so cold we were all now freezing. We finally had to get up, get all of our luggage down to get coats, jackets, more shirts, sweat pants extra socks for our feet, and use socks on our hands for gloves in order to keep warm. As much as we didn’t want to use the dirty, nasty blankets, we were finally forced to because we were so cold. I and my family have traveled many places in the world but this ended up being the worst excuse for public transportation I’ve ever seen in my life. If an Airline or Cruise line had provided this same service the board of health and Revdex.com would have them shut down! It was NOT the vacation experience that I and my family wanted or spent our hard earned money on. This was a joke and the most miserable experience we’ve ever had. It was the closest to being a Hobo that you could’ve possibly ever experienced. It was truly a 13 1/2 hour train ride from hell. We were dirty, filthy, covered in sweat, stunk and then frozen like popsicles the following morning. In addition gum stuck to my clothing from the non- clean bunk area and nothing on this car working properly. I know we aren’t the only passengers to complain about this train ride. This car should’ve never been hooked to this train. Your staff is unhelpful and could care less about any passengers concerns. We could of flown, been comfortable, and clean… we now wish to God we would have. Thanks for ruining this portion of our vacation and this experience for my family. I’m enclosing my tickets, shipment manifest and a copy of this letter. I’m expecting a full refund for this portion of a poor excuse for transportation from [redacted]Desired Settlement: A full refund of $499.00 for portion of our trip that was an inexcusably very poor service provided by rail Europe. They had problems with the original train car we were suppose to ride and sent a replacement with partial electricity, no heat, no air conditioning. dirty filthy, no cleaned smelling of feces and urine. This was a nightmare of a ride for our entire family. Their customer service has informed us they've gotten dozens of complaints filed in regards to this same trip and train car. They are trying to scam everyone who spent money on this trip by refusing to refund their money or trying to get all consumers to settle fo+

r 10%. I want a full refund for this trip!

Business

Response:

The business has responded. Please read below:

" [redacted] Never received Revdex.com claim for this customer however notes show received complaint from New York Attorney General’s office. Customer was refunded $250 for the poor service delivered by Thello railways from Paris to Venice. "

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: On May **, 2013 I booked [redacted] Global Saver Pass for a trip with my 13 year-old [redacted]. I reviewed Rail Europe's online materials and concluded that the [redacted] Global Saver Pass was the most suitable option for our planned journey. I received a confirmation from Rail Europe shortly thereafter acknowledging the booking and confirming that my payment of $3145.90 had been accepted by Rail Europe and was charged to my credit card (reference number **). I had elected to purchase the Rail Protection Plan as well. Two passes arrived with special delivery shortly thereafter. Both passes listed [redacted], A MS and my [redacted], [redacted], [redacted] My [redacted] and I began our [redacted] trip in Brussels on June **where BOTH passes were activated at the Brussels [redacted] station just prior to our trip to Amsterdam. The rail station official reviewed our passes and documents and proceeded to activate both [redacted] GLOBAL PASSES with my [redacted] and me as the only passengers present. Not knowing differently, it did not occur to me that something might be amiss. When we consulted with a train ticket agent in Amsterdam about reservations for our journey to Milan, she told us that we did not need two [redacted] GLOBAL PASSES and explained and showed us why: each pass had the identical names and permitted travel dates. She advised us to stop using one of the two passes immediately. Unfortunately, the rail official in Brussels who had activated our passes did not provide us with this vital information. While an experienced traveler, I had never before traveled with [redacted] and the notion that one gets one ticket per person traveling did not seem too unusual. Upon concluding our travels I contacted [redacted]asking how I would go about getting a refund for the duplicate and unused [redacted] Global Pass. In an email reply from [redacted] at Customer Relations I was asked to "...send your original documents ... with a letter via traceable mail to the following address: Rail Europe Att: Customer Relations, [redacted]. On July **, 2013 I mailed the original [redacted] Global Passes together with my letter of explanation via registered mail (from Munich, Germany) to the address I was given. When, after about 7 weeks, I had heard nothing in response I called [redacted] and was informed that the mailing had never arrived. [redacted] told me she knew this for otherwise their mail room log would reflect receipt of my documents. She advised me to ask the post office to trace the mailing. I did so and received a letter from them telling me that they traced the registered letter: [redacted]which had been mailed on July **, 2013 to its departure point in Europe from where it was sent to its destination address in Rosemont, IL. From that point on their authority to trace was exhausted. [redacted] asked me to send copies of the two [redacted] Global Passes and my letter. I sent copies of the passes and my letter as attachments to an email to [redacted]. Again, I heard nothing in response. In January 2014 I sent an email to [redacted] wondering where things stood and noting that at this point Rail Europe had been in possession of $ 1542.00 of mine for a service they could not and did not provide for about 8 months. Her email response on January **, 2014 contained the following: "Dear [redacted], We appreciate the email following up on your claim. We have not received the rail passes in our office. Lamentably, as the rail passes are treated as cash, if the documents are not received we are not able to refund them. We have asked [redacted] for authorization to refund the pass without having the document, but we were denied. We regret that we are not able to provide the response you were expecting. As Rail Europe neither owns nor operates the European Railroads or their companies, we must abide by their rules and regulations. We hope you understand our position. We look forward to booking your next trip abroad. Best regards, [redacted] Customer Relations"Desired Settlement: Full refund for the un-usable and un-used pass I was issued and for which my credit card was charged $ 1,542.00 on May **, 2013.

Business

Response:

The customer contacted us in July to say she booked duplicate passes online and validated and used both passes before being told she only needed one pass. We asked her to return the pass to our office and we would contact [redacted] to see if an exception could be made to refund the pass. In September we advised the pass was not received and customer claimed the tracking number she had does not trace the package once it enters the United States. Without tracking information to show the pass was received, or the actual rail pass, Rail Europe is unable to provide a refund or contact the vendor for an exception.

We understand the customer made a mistake and ordered 2 passes online. We contacted [redacted] for an exception to refund the pass, but they require the pass be returned before any exception is made. If the pass arrives in our office within one year of purchase, we are happy to contact [redacted] again.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

EuRail's response fails to address significant aspects relating to the validity of my complaint. Further actions pertaining to this issue will be forthcoming.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We understand the customer is not happy since we have been unable to provide a refund for the lost pass. We did contact [redacted] to request an exception to refund the lost pass however, they have denied our request stating passes are non refundable if lost or stolen.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[redacted] continues to deny the core allegations of this complaint. I will take further steps to pursue the claim.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,