German railway tickets
May 8th, 2009, 01:21 PM
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German railway tickets
Friends in Europe bought railway tickets for us including reservations, made Xerox copies, sent us copies over the internet, then mailed the tickets and reservations receipts to us. Problem: they used the wrong address. The documents are lost...somewhere.
If we talk to the customer service desk in our German departure city, show them our copies of tickets and reservations, will German Rail let us get aboard? Help -- we are stumped.
If we talk to the customer service desk in our German departure city, show them our copies of tickets and reservations, will German Rail let us get aboard? Help -- we are stumped.
May 13th, 2009, 01:54 AM
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A copy of a ticket is not a ticket.
As a rule your tickets are gone. But the staff may accept them, cancel the tickets and issue you new ones. This would be easier with standard tickets than with some advance purchase specials.
As a rule your tickets are gone. But the staff may accept them, cancel the tickets and issue you new ones. This would be easier with standard tickets than with some advance purchase specials.
May 13th, 2009, 05:34 AM
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German stations don't have barriers or check-in desks, so you can board almost any train whether or not you have a valid ticket.
The problem with lost tickets is that anyone who finds the ticket could then use the ticket or claim a refund. It they are standard tickets, they would be refundable and valid on lots of trains. If they're cheap advance tickets, they would be valid only on the specified train in the reserved seats, so it should be easy to verify that the ticket is not being used by anyone else.
The problem with lost tickets is that anyone who finds the ticket could then use the ticket or claim a refund. It they are standard tickets, they would be refundable and valid on lots of trains. If they're cheap advance tickets, they would be valid only on the specified train in the reserved seats, so it should be easy to verify that the ticket is not being used by anyone else.
May 13th, 2009, 06:17 AM
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I don't know all of the byzantine prizing systems of the German railway but I doubt that any ticket is only valid on a reserved seat. The reservations are normally just an add on and if you find a different seat or want to go to the restaurant, you're free to do so.
So normal tickets are like cash - anyone who has them can use them. That makes refunds difficult, I fear. But asking for a refund doesn't cost anything.
So normal tickets are like cash - anyone who has them can use them. That makes refunds difficult, I fear. But asking for a refund doesn't cost anything.
May 13th, 2009, 06:28 AM
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Hans, many railways now offer cheap advance tickets for long train journeys. They can be much cheaper than standard tickets because they have limited availability and are only valid in a specified seat on a specified train (you are allowed to leave your seat to go to the bar or the toilet, of course). If you have one of these and, for example, miss the train, you need to buy another ticket to travel on another train. These tickets are generally not refundable.
A normal ticket can be used by anybody and gives the right to a refund, so is much like cash.
A normal ticket can be used by anybody and gives the right to a refund, so is much like cash.
May 13th, 2009, 12:06 PM
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It depends on the type of ticket.
If it is one of those stone-age paper tickets (the format is the third of a letter), it is lost (your postman can use it). Copies and receipts are worth nothing.
If it is an online ticket (format is like a letter with a barcode in the right top corner) then it must be validated by your credit card and the copy is as good as the original (it is of no use for your postman because he has not your credit card). But in this case there was no need for your friend in Europe to purchase it because you can buy such a ticket from every internet terminal in the world within a few seconds.
If it is one of those stone-age paper tickets (the format is the third of a letter), it is lost (your postman can use it). Copies and receipts are worth nothing.
If it is an online ticket (format is like a letter with a barcode in the right top corner) then it must be validated by your credit card and the copy is as good as the original (it is of no use for your postman because he has not your credit card). But in this case there was no need for your friend in Europe to purchase it because you can buy such a ticket from every internet terminal in the world within a few seconds.
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May 14th, 2009, 03:24 AM
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>They can be much cheaper than standard tickets because they have limited availability and are only valid in a specified seat on a specified train
Well, the "specified train" is right but you can still sit within this train wherever you like (in the right class of course)
Well, the "specified train" is right but you can still sit within this train wherever you like (in the right class of course)
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