Train Ticket Never Arrived! What do I do?
 

Help! In late May I ordered a ticket online from www.bahn.de for my husband and me to travel from Amsterdam to Hamburg on 6/27. On 6/8 I received an e-mail saying that they sent the ticket but it was returned because the state was not listed (although the zip code was correct). They said to e-mail back with the correct address, so I did. But the ticket still hasn't arrived, and we leave this Monday. What should I do? I have the confirmation from the Bahn site that we ordered and paid for the ticket, and my credit card info. Can I go to the Amsterdam station and get the ticket there if I show them the confirmation? Thank you for any help with this.

I think it wouldn;t hurt if you showed the Bahn confirmation at the international window at the Amsterdam Centraal Station...not at the Schiphol airport ticket office, though.

What harm can it do?

How about ringing your credit card company, and get them to cancel the transaction on the grounds of "goods not delivered"; then you buy a ticket at the booth on arrival...

There must be a phone # you can call Die Bahn directly and inquire what you should do at this point.

I don't know if there's a DB booth at Amsterdam Station, so it may be a problem if you try to show the Netherlands Railway employees your DB email confirmation.

I would start by trying to contact DB again, either by e-mail to the address you used to send your correct address, or better still by phone.
If you have no luck with that try presenting your confirmation etc at the International window at Amsterdam Centraal, but not on your planned day of travel - do it a couple of days ahead of time if you can. If they don't accept it, buy new tickets and inform you credit card company asap of goods not delivered.

The reason NS may not accept your confirmation btw has nothing to do with them not accepting a DB booking, but because they may have in the system that the tickets were sent to you and not be able to issue you with new ones.

If the Bahn is anything it is HONEST. I suspect you could probably get a refund from them if the tickets arrived too late for your use.

I have had nothing but good interactuions with them in the past when I've had to return tickets for justafiable reasons...HOWEVER, if the tickets you bought are non-refundable you might be out of luck.

The Bahn will undoubtedly tell your CC issuer that they DID, in fact, send the tickets and then it is a post office "issue."

You cannot say they didn't "deliver" the goods if they attempted to do so in good faith but the mails were delayed.

HI R,

I believe that you can get a refund on unused tickets from www.bahn.de.

Check the website.

((I))

I certainly would not cancel the transaction yet.

Folks have said that Bahn.de's English language help line is often very helpful

call and explain - 011-49-1805-14 15 14

Thank you, all. I appreciate your concern. I decided to try e-mailing again with a very specific subject (Ticket has not arrived). They actually responded! The note said to purchase a new ticket in Germany (well, we'll be in Amsterdam actually) and then after we return, mail this ticket with a request for a refund. Our seat reservations will hold, however. They said we would get a full refund. So I guess it's true about DB being honest. However, we will still try to see if our current order will be honored when we arrive and go to Centraal Station in Amsterdam. The best thing would be if the ticket arrived tomorrow or Saturday. That's it! That's all the time that's left. I will let you know what happens. (I ordered online to prevent taking time at the station -- oh well.)