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Original poster

Eurostar booking disaster

28 replies

Hopfunko · 13/10/2017 12:05

Just returned from a family holiday for 4 on Eurostar and when we got to the ticket barrier at Paris we realised that my DH had booked the return tickets for the wrong day and we had therefore missed our train back by a day!! We had to then buy seats for the train back to London which cost us over 900€! The seats we had already booked were much cheaper as we had booked them in advance.

I realise that this is our mistake, but after speaking to customer service at Eurostar today it seems like they will give us no goodwill on this.

Can anyone recommend what I may be able to do about this as this is a financial disaster for us.

OP posts:
peglady · 13/10/2017 12:19

Sorry, but I don’t think you can do anything. It’s nobody’s fault but yours / your DH’s.
Certainly not Eurostar’s fault. You booked the tickets, but didn’t turn up on the day which meant they ran a train with unfilled spaces. They didn’t have any opportunity to sell them to anyone else as they didn’t know you weren’t coming.

WitchesHatRim · 13/10/2017 12:20

Not sure why you are expecting them to give you anything.

It isn't anything to do with the. It's entirely your DH fault.

mintteaandbananabread · 13/10/2017 12:22

I don't see what you can do. If you missed a concert, or a flight, or anything else by a day because you read the date wrong, would you expect a refund?
You paid for seats on a train. You did not use them. So you had to buy seats on another train, which you used.
For what reason should Eurostar give you any money? I realise it sucks massively, but it was your mistake and your cost to bear.

Ifailed · 13/10/2017 12:24

If I didn't bother to book a seat and just turned up and had to pay top whack, should I expect Eurostar to give me some goodwill?

blueskyinmarch · 13/10/2017 12:26

Of course they won't do anything. I am flabbergasted that you would even start to think they might. You made the mistake so you suck up the costs.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 13/10/2017 12:28

There’s no legal basis for a complaint here; and it’s not a rare enough situation for Eurostar to make a goodwill gesture.

Sadly, you’ll need to take responsibility for this one. Can someone do overtime?

Quartz2208 · 13/10/2017 12:29

Its your mistake there is no recourse

MarmaladeIsMyJam · 13/10/2017 12:30

You can't do anything?? Surely that's obvious to you??

MarmaladeIsMyJam · 13/10/2017 12:32

I'm honestly gobsmacked that you think there is any help available to you Shock

Austentatious · 13/10/2017 12:32

the legal position is that they had a contractual obligation to supply you with space on a train, which meant they could not sell that space to someone else.
They fulfilled the contract, whether or not you showed up.
YOu then required a new contract for new seats, which they were able to provide for €900 and you elected to take that (rather than go to CDG and get standby flights)

PotteringAlong · 13/10/2017 12:33

What are you expecting them to do? You booked tickets, didn't turn up and now want Eurostar to pay for your new tickets?! It doesn't really work like that...

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 13/10/2017 12:35

I'd save yourself any more costs in time and phone calls by putting this behind you now.

It's an expensive mistake but that's all. As pp said there is nothing Eurostar should do.

AppalachianWalzing · 13/10/2017 12:39

Honestly, there was a slim chance they may have done something at the time - e.g. I've missed a flight before due to a car accident on the motorway and Ryanair rebooked me charging a flat fee of 70 euro rather than the 100+ that flight would have been if I had just gone online and bought it.

But there's no way I'd expect a refund, or for this to be something you sort out after the fact.

Over 200/head is a lot, did you ask at the time if there was a discount? Or look at flight options? I understand €900 would be devastating but once you've paid it out I don't think there's any way to get it back.

HarrietKettleWasHere · 13/10/2017 12:40

What, seriously?

Why on earth didn't you check before you actually got your train back? It seems ludicrous to overlook such a big detail as checking your tickets! And Eurostar are very flexible at correcting mistakes and changing tickets in advance...

I think you just be having a laugh OP.

Aftershock15 · 13/10/2017 12:40

We once missed transatlantic flights by a day. Now that was an expensive mistake and to some extent was the travel agents fault - I wanted to fly Saturday, was told only flights on Sunday so took Monday off work etc. Tickets arrived, didn’t check them closely. They were for Saturday but as I didn’t check date against calendar I assumed it was Sundays date. Always check tickets very carefully now!

HarrietKettleWasHere · 13/10/2017 12:41

Also no way would I just merrily pay 900 euro with the expectation of them sorting it after! I'd have gone to look at Euro Line coach and paid a lot bloody less.

BritInUS1 · 13/10/2017 12:43

It was your fault. Euro Star have done nothing wrong - expensive lesson learnt

prh47bridge · 13/10/2017 13:10

I'm afraid I agree with the others on this thread. There is nothing you can do about this. You have no basis for a legal claim and you can't force them to make a goodwill gesture. As it was entirely your mistake I can't see any reason they would make a goodwill gesture.

Original poster
Hopfunko · 13/10/2017 13:31

Yes I do agree with you all, although it just seems so unfair as it was an honest, although stupid, mistake. We couldn't change our plans to come home a different way as my DD has ASD and the change of travel plans would have been very stressful for her. I guess the moral is for me to check everything my DH does in future!

OP posts:
Frisbeefreedom · 13/10/2017 13:36

We did similar once. A very expensive mistake which cast a shadow over the lovely (and up until then cheap!) trip, but in no way Eurostar's fault so there's no way I'd expect any discount/compensation/etc from them!

WitchesHatRim · 13/10/2017 14:05

Yes I do agree with you all, although it just seems so unfair as it was an honest, although stupid, mistake.

I get that, but why should someone else pay for your DH mistake?

Giverortakeafew · 21/10/2017 21:19

Not that it is likely that you have insurance for such a mistake , but could be worth checking terms if travel insurance to see if you can go down that route? I would.be very surprised if you do, but it is the only (tiny) straw I could suggest clutching at....

Therealslimshady1 · 21/10/2017 21:22

Ah, it sucks when that happens.

I have done this before with a flight, cost us ££££ but never thought to ask the airline to "compensate" us.

Let it go.

TwitterQueen1 · 21/10/2017 21:24

In what way is any of this unfair? You cocked up. You got the dates wrong. You had to pay to get tickets for the right day. There is nothing unfair about any of it.

SavoyCabbage · 21/10/2017 21:29

It’s not unfair. It was a mistake.

I don’t even slightly see why anyone but you should have to pay for the mistake.

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