What a miserable experience - DO NOT BUY RAILCARDS FROM TRAINPAL
What a miserable experience. I wanted to book train tickets but hadn’t yet purchased my Senior Railcard which would provide discounted prices. Trainpal promoted a discount on the Senior Railcard which was discounted from the standard Network Rail charge - the Railcard was setup to look like the Network Rail Senior Railcard including pricing. I went ahead and purchased the Railcard, which needed to be activated with a purchase from Trainpal. On attempting to book my journey, I found Trainpal does not offer travel from the station or via the route I need (direct service not offered, and offered options requiring 1-3 hours longer for a 1 hour 20 minute journey). On attempting to book the same journey directly via Network Rail I found the Senior Railcard is not legit. It’s a Trainpal scam - only useful if you purchase tickets from Trainpal. This despite the faux-holographic Network Rail logo on the digital Trainpal Rail Card issued once I paid the charge. On requesting cancellation of the transaction and refund of charges (within an hour of the transaction) I received emails from Trainpal stating the card was activated and not refundable. There’s no telephone number provided to speak with a representative, just an AI Chat and email. DO NOT BUY RAILCARDS FROM TRAINPAL unless you’re completely aware they only have any value for tickets bought via Trainpal. I’ll be taking this transaction up with my bank and consumer organisations as it’s my understanding any on-line purchase that hasn’t been used or damaged is refundable within 14-days of purchase.