Last November I travelled from London to Glasgow using the overnight Caledonian sleeper train operated by ScotRail. I’d bought my ticket in advance online for collection at Euston on the day of travel, but when I arrived at the station my booking reference number was not recognised by the automated ticket machine. My phone was out of power so I was unable to access my booking confirmation email to check the reference number, and there were no staff present at the ticket office at that late hour.
I boarded the train to ask the help of the ScotRail staff, who confirmed that my name was on their list of passengers booked to travel in the sleeper berths that night, but they insisted I buy a new ticket at the full price of £151. They promised this would be refunded in full, so I duly purchased a second ticket. I completed the compensation form but ScotRail is now refusing to reimburse me the £151. CS, Glasgow
You need a sense of humour to travel on British trains these days, and to deal with this sort of attitude. We asked ScotRail for an explanation, and it has now agreed to refund you the £151 it charged you for the second ticket. We are not clear why it didn’t refund you as promised, but there seems to have been a mix-up over the original tickets, which it wanted back. The moral of the tale is to print out your tickets prior to travelling, or to carry a paper version of the booking and not rely on your phone.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number
