SNCF ticket destroyed and they won't send a new one?
 

Hi - hope anyone can help?

I bought a PREM ticket through SNCF online for an overnight train from Florence to Paris. Because I'm from Australia and they don't deliver tickets here, I put my friend's work address in London and asked that her name go on the envelop.

Later on, I checked my order and saw they'd put my name with her work address, and I knew this wouldn't be a good thing. My friend checked with their mailroom, who told her they destroy any correspondance if they don't recognise the name after a few days. So my ticket has been destroyed.

I emailed SNCF and told them what happened, and they said I have to buy another ticket as unless the ticket is sent back, they can't issue another. So if tickets are destroyed or lost in the mail - too bad. I've emailed several times asking for help but all they say is I have to buy another ticket.

Has anyone had something similar happen and can offer advice? Really appreciate it.

(PS for reference my ticket cost 70E for a 4 couchette compartment, but now they look to be 100E+)

ouch, so sorry, good luck

I am having a similar problem with DB, the German National Railroad...tickets I ordered were lost in the post...they also refuse to issue another ticket. What they have said is I have to buy another ticket at the counter, after the journey send them back the used ticket and they might give me a refund...this of course is unacceptable as it will cost me money to post the used ticket back to them and of course the euro has gone up almost 10% against the US dollar since I bought the original tickets.

I will play it out and insist they credit back the new ticket to my visa account.

If I were you, I would simply notify the credit card company that you did not receive the tickets and want the amount credited to your account. They are required to do so because of non receipt and then buy another ticket.

I think you both have a very good case with your credit card issuers. If the seller can't produce a signature document (charge slip, delivery confirmation), the transaction is back-charged.

Even e-transactions have to be backed up by a signature to conform to issuer requirements.

That's a great idea - I've asked my friend in London to see if the mailroom has any evidence that it was signed for, if not I'll be letting Visa know. For all I know (until there's proof it was signed for), it may have very well got lost in the mail.

It's funny that PREMs can't be printed - surely cheaper tickets should have the option of being printed instead of the expense of delivery.

Is that something new about PREM tickets not having the option to print them?

Francophile - mine didn't have the option to print them, only have them delivered (although I did read you could?) and the customer service lady from SNCF confirmed in an email that you can't print PREMs.

This is the first time I've heard that PREM tickets can't be printed. I've always been able to print mine and others have too. So I'm not sure why there wasn't an option given to you. Maybe it depends on the journey I don't know.

From her reply:

L'option "billet imprimé" ne vous sera proposée au cours de votre réservation uniquement si vous choisissez un tarif :

- Prem's
- Offres Dernière Minute
- Print and Go (à destination de l'Allemagne)
- Abonnement Fréquence avec carte S’Miles Grand Voyageur

When I printed my PREM tickets, I actually got a PDF file, which means that if my ticket is lost, I can reprint it (this is in the U.S., not France).

> "billet imprimé" ne vous sera proposée au cours de votre réservation uniquement si vous choisissez un tarif

I think there is an error on above. It should say "... uniquement QUE si vous choissez ". With QUE (for ne .. que = only), it would mean you will have the self printing option ONLY IF you choose one of the following tariff. That makes sense, Last Minute Offer, Print and Go (that's self evident, isn't it?), seem all that should be self printed. So I would say, SNCF person thinks you did not buy Prem's ticket.

Also if you choose to take an insurance along with the Prem's ticket, there you don't get self print option but I don't know if that's the case with you.

And, pity, Prem's tickets (self-printable) can be printed more than once. I do it sometimes in case I loose one.

Hi S,

Since it's a PREMS ticket, see if this works.

Go to www.voyages-sncf.com
Click the British flag
Click "print your ticket"
Enter your name and reference number.

Good luck.

((I))

I still can't get over the lack of customer service and downright courtesy from DB...

There is no reason whatsoever they cannot simply cancel the first set of tickets and print a replacement pair...they claim it can't be done....bs....several years ago the same thing happened with airline tickets...the airline had no problem voiding the original pair and sending me replacements without any further hassles on my part.

These clowns want me to buy anothe ticket at the counter, which defeats the whole purpose of buying the tickets in advance and having to try to deal with clerks who might not speak English and all meaning I have to get to the station an hour early or so just in case there are queues.

I don't know if this is the German way of saying customer relations are not important. After all it's a pair of railroad tickets and the train on that Sunday morning is going to go from Frankfurt to Paris whether I'm on it or not so what the hell do they think I want an additional pair of tickets.

I guess in Germany there is no such thing as customer service or the idea the customer is always right (first rule of customer service), the 2nd rule of customer service of course being if the customer is wrong, see rule #1...

What a messed up organization is DB.

Thanks ira - I tried that again and it just comes up with:

YOU HAVE CHOSEN: SEND TO HOME Your tickets have been issued and sent to your home.

When I ordered the tickets that was the only option, which surprised me as I've read, here especially, that PREMs can be printed, and that's the option I wanted. But when I saw the cheap price, I decided it would be ok to chose the free delivery option.

My friend in London just told me their mailroom doesn't log received post if it's not addressed to employees, so there is no record they received it. I'm going to try and call Visa and have them cancel the purchase. I'll report back.

Visa have started the chargeback process which takes up to 30 days, but say without proof that the tickets were received, I have a good case. I hope so!

Except now the same tickets are 135E...

See getting the tickets I purchased and did not receive charged back by visa is not a problem...it can be done.

But in brutal fact, and this of course is not DB's fault nor does it make any difference to DB, the USD has depreciated about 10¢/€ since I bought the tickets and the reality is that tickets bought at the counter will be more expensive than the original tickets in euro anyway so chances are I'm going to lose $15 to $20 even if I get the tickets charged back to DB...I simply want them to do the right thing which is simply to invalidate the original tickets which were not received and send new tickets the simplest and most logical conclusion to this and their failure to do this is simply arrogance and failure to give good customer service.

Good customer service is more of a surprise than the norm. Sorry that you had to experience it. These are one of the aspects of travel, travellers are going to lose money here and there - whether it's with exchange rates or whether it's deciding to buy tickets in advance or last minute. It's frustrating, but pretty much a fact.

I just found and purchased via Trenitalia an even better ticket, in a 1st class double sleeper, for 75E, so I'm greatly relieved, especially if the chargeback goes through (I've never had to go through a chargeback and am a bit cynical about the banks so if it happens I'll be very pleasantly surprised!).

Hi S,

>I just found and purchased via Trenitalia an even better ticket,...

Good for you.

Good luck.

There is a very high probability that if your first ticket is not used you will get your money back.

((I))