Hello,

Yesterday I made a mistake of boarding the wrong Trenitalia train because the train I had tickets to was late (I didn't notice), and I ended up boarding another train at the station that was there at the time my train was supposed to leave, was going to the same final city (Roma) and was literally next to the platform I needed to go. The only difference was the train number, because all the rest was pretty similar (same train type, same time, same final city and and similar plataforms).

When I boarded the wrong train, seconds laters the door closed and the train started running. I noticed someone on my seats and only then I noticed my mistake.

The problem was that the conductor wouldn't let me leave on the next station since this train was going directly to Roma and forced me to pay 50 euros for the tickets + 50 euros because I bought it on board (which felt like a fine), for each person.

The conductor even told me I could get refunds for the other tickets I bought if I talked to Trenitalia customer service if I showed I had two tickets for the same time and city, but that didn't happen since Treinitalia customer service in Roma Termini told me they couldn't refund any of my tickets because of the fare that I paid.

I felt like I paid a ransom, since I had tickets for the same city and at the same time, wasn't allow to leave the wrong train at the next station so I could wait there for the correct train and was forced to pay a ridiculous price for the tickets (three times more than what I originally paid for my other tickets). I wasn't trying to be smart since both trains would arrive with only 20 minutes from each other at the same station. It was just a stupid mistake from a distracted tourist with literally zero benefits for me since both was arriving at similar times in Roma Termini.

I never had this happen before with me and I don't know what to do since customer service in Italy doesn't seem to offer the best experience for the customers.

Does anyone have any experience with this and how can I request a refund for at least the first tickets?

I'd do what you've been told to do, talk to Trenitalia customer services, by phone, Twitter DM, email. No-one else can help you!

On paper, you had a ticket for train X, you didn't board train X you were a no-show, ticket forfeit.
You boarded train Y, you didn't have a ticket for train Y, you were sold one, at the on-train rate.
On paper, all is in fair and square. But if you were confused then maybe they'll help you out and refund one ticket. But you have to ask them!

In addition, I suspect that your original ticket was cheap because it was non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

If you hadn't bought the ticket they could/would have fined you. Letting you buy the new ticket was the conductor giving you a cheaper alternative. The fine would have been more.

You could have gotten off and the next stop. With the fine in hand. That would have let you contest the fine. They can't keep you on the train by force. That would be kidnapping.

Thanks for posting - this backs up my stance of not using trains due to their ridiculous costs and terms.

I downloaded a ticket in the U.K. for a journey in the U.K. - I then flew to France and left my iPad at our house - this had the downloaded ticket - the train operator wouldn’t let me download the ticket onto a second device - I had to buy another ticket.

Most European train operators are so heavily unionised, they live in the dark ages.

much easier to shun trains , charge an electric car and just go as you please.

Nice idea BC but have you seen the EV charging deserts in Europe?

Most times trains work just fine, better than airlines certainly. Saying that NS is on strike today.

Just as when flying it is up to you to check you are on the right flight/train. The Conductor charged you the right amount for an in train ticket. It sounds like it was a non stop to Rome, in which case (s)he couldn't let you off at the next station. If it wasn't then (s)he could have sold you a ticket to the next station, always assuming the train you were booked on stopped there as well.
If the T&Cs on your original ticket didn't offer a change/refund then I am afraid you are probably out of pocket but you could try an email explaining things and see what they say. Just don't be surprised if they say nothing.

To the OP you made a lot of errors which you have admitted too. The train cannot do a stop for which it is not scheduled for. Even for one persons mistake.
You are correct all trains look the same.
As for BC's political message about Unions. Their suggestion of renting electric cars is making a joke, right?

The last time I regularly used the train service was a student, 30 years ago. You bought a ticket to London (all of them were open) - with just 4 structures - first, second, peak or off peak. That was that you could get on and off when ever you wanted, chose the day you travelled and the route you wanted.

In the U.K. it’s currently frequently cheaper to travel say from Lancaster to London than Preston to London even though the journey is 30 miles shorter and on the same route. Passengers started buying Lancaster tickets but getting on at Preston station - they were fined and threatened with criminal prosecution - the sooner we dig up all railway lines and build more motorways the better.

hets

France as ever is amazing for overfunding projects - high speed chargers are around 50 miles apart - charge times around 15 minutes. I’m not sure about the urban myths of missing flights - out of the 400 odd flights I’ve taken - I’ve never missed one. Of the friends and family who have, due to their fault or extenuating circumstances, the airlines have put them on the next flight. I know what thé tickets say and I know what Ryanair would do but many scheduled operators are fairly understanding.

High sped chargers were nowhere to be seen on our trip to Brittany. A few normal rate ones in towns and villages, but we only saw one sign y a motorway service offering charging. We were looking particularly as we are considering getting an EV.
Friends bravely took their EV to the south of France and described it as a desert beyond Dijon. They really struggled, on and off the motorway, even with a couple of good apps to find the things.
Of course they are spoiled by the Dutch network. They had planned to continue into Italy but decided against it. Hasn't put them off though, they will go again next year.
When they did find high speed chargers, usually at supermarkets they were either in use (often other Dutch cars) and or blocked by non EVs.
But I know the French like many countries are playing catchup - they have to as the EU demands it.

British trains are a mess, too many different companies offering similar routes and labyrinthine ticketing systems.
Cross Europe ones can be a mess too, if you don't do your homework, but less of a mess than UK trains and prices.

There is an argument for having a paper copy of your ticket.

It sounds like you tried all the options and didn't have any luck. Unfortunately, I think you've done all you can do. At least you didn't end up paying for an extra train ticket that landed you in the wrong city!

I was carbon offsetting my Ryanair flight with the paperless ticket

With the base (meaning full-price) fare from Trenitalia, you can take the train before yours (up to an hour earlier, I think), paying the fare difference if any (which is usually small or zero for the base fare) and a 10 euro charge (if you do it on board, it's free at the ticket office). If the conductor didn't let you do that, it means you hadn't paid the base fare, but a cheaper fare that only allowed you to board the specific train you booked. It sucks that you had to pay, but you don't have a leg to stand on, technically; you can only hope the customer service is generous. Insulting Italian customer service is not a great way to approach the problem, by the way.

Other replies on this thread are fairly off topic. The mess that is the British railway system, or whatever way you need to show your ticket in France, is not relevant on a thread about train travel in Italy. With Trenitalia, you can show the ticket in any form (digital, paper, or just quote the booking number), and prices are usually quite reasonable... But if you buy the cheaper, non-flexible fares, you should check the train number before boarding. (Note that train numbers are not shown in other countries, where you only have the scheduled time and destination to go by, whereas in Italy they are.)

Yes we know all this - Being « off topic » is a pretty basic function of discussion, I’m not sure your contribution progressed the conversation - it was just stating the obvious - we were questioning the obvious.

[QUOTE=Man_in_seat_61;17395167]I'd do what you've been told to do, talk to Trenitalia customer services, by phone, Twitter DM, email. No-one else can help you!

I'm opened a complaint of their website and I'm still waiting for a response. But I also wanted to know if that would be my last option, because I'm from Brazil and we have a lot of customer organizations from the government than gives fines to companies doing abusive work against customers and I don't know if Italy/EU has something like that.

I suspect this was indeed my case, but the conductor affirmed to me I could get a refund for the "no show" ticket at Trenitalia customer service at Roma Termini and that actually gave me some relief while paying the ridiculous prices he charge me since I was hoping to get back at least what I paid for the first tickets.

Since this train was going directly to where I needed to go, the only stop I could get off was the same terminal that I had tickets to on another train. They probably would let me off at that station, but I wanted to get off at the first station they passed through, which they didn't let us because it was a direct train.

The only reason why I did this mistake was because the wrong train was the only train at the station going to Rome at the time my train should've departed, but my train was even more late than the wrong train. But yeah, at least it was where I wanted to go, but unfortunately for 3 times more the price I thought I would pay.

The conductor didn't even check my tickets for the wrong train. Firstly he said I would need tickets if I wanted to have my luggage insured, because without tickets the luggage insurance is nulled. This was something I was willing to risk since I have smart tag trackers on my luggage and that train was going to its destination, so it would be harder for someone to get my stuff without I noticing. Then after a few minutes he changed and said I would need to buy the "onboard ticket" (50 euro + 50 euro "fine" for buying it onboard) for the 2nd class but he would let me ride on the business class, not because of the luggages, but I think it was because he could get in trouble for letting me ride on the wrong train.

Since I was scared of getting a fine or even being arrested in another country (at the time I didn't know what they would do with people without a proper ticket), I ended up accepting and paying for it, but he never checked my "wrong train" tickets to let me know they were not refundable or something like that.

If you purchased discounted tickets, there is no possibility of a refund. The conductor didn't look at your ticket, but just told you to take it up with the company at your destination. The advice he gave you was not wrong, even though it wasn't useful in your case, because you bought a non-refundable ticket. This can't be considered customer abuse.

The conductor is required to make you buy a new ticket and pay a fine. He could be disciplined or get in trouble with his supervisors if he let you ride free.

Did you really think there was a possibility that a train would stop at a non-scheduled station to let you off? There's no train in the world that would do such a thing. It's not even possible physically. The train would have to switch tracks, which would require the action of a control room at a remote location, and would affect the movement of other trains on the route. It would only be done in the case of emergency. This is a train, not a taxi.

You made a mistake, and it cost you money. It happens to everyone at some time in their lives. I once had to buy new plane tickets because I had mistakenly purchased tickets that coincided with the date of an important family event. That cost me a lot more than your mistake