Is an international phone call really the only way to cancel Thalys tix bought on line?

[Turtles06]

I am in the United States.  My wife and I have tickets for a Thalys train in April from Amsterdam to Paris that we purchased directly on the Thalys web site some time ago.  Unfortunately, and for obvious reasons, we won't be making our trip to Europe right now.  Our train tickets are refundable, but there seems to be no way to cancel them on line.  The web site instructions for cancellation are to call a Thalys phone number in the Netherlands.   I have asked Thalys via Facebook Messenger about this, and while they have told me that their phones are "incessantly" busy right now (I did call, and they are), they said that calling is the only way I can cancel!   I am in the United States, and such a call might well cost more than the tickets, especially given what they have admitted are long wait times on the phone. 

 

It's hard to believe, in this day and age, that there is no other way but by phone to notify Thalys of this cancellation.   So far, their Social Media team on Facebook is telling me I have to call.

 

Any other info or suggestions?   

 

Thanks!

[Bob++]

You may have seen this already but...

 

CANCELLING A TICKETLESS TICKET

How to cancel a Ticketless ticket bought via thalys.com

You may cancel your ticket online using the thalys.com website: via your My Thalys World account or under the heading ‘MY TICKETS’ by entering your file number and the purchaser’s email address.

Be aware that cancellation possibilities and partial or total refund of the ticket depend on the after-sales conditions and the fares in force at the time of purchase.  

Optimum after-sales terms are obtained by cancelling your ticket prior to the initial date and time of departure of the journey.

If you have difficulties cancelling your ticket, contact this number +31 30 23 000 23 (local rate).

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, Bob++ said:

You may have seen this already but...

 

 @Bob++ thank you. Unfortunately, while the page you quoted from the web site does very clearly say you can cancel on line, when you pursue the directions to go to "My Thalys World Account" or "My Tickets," and then pull up your tickets and select "Manage My Booking,"  you are told that you can only cancel by calling them in the Netherlands.  (See below.) I have no idea why the web site says you can cancel on line, but you can't.  It is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.   I have Messaged them again on FB, but I am not holding out hope.  It's absurd.   I very much appreciate your effort to help, thanks. 

 

[VMax1700]

Does your cell phone have the facility for wifi calling?  There would be no charge for that call.  Just make sure you turn off data and wifi, then select Flight mode, then turn on wifi again (for safety! 😉).

When you have finished the call, restore to original settings.

[Turtles06]

59 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Does your cell phone have the facility for wifi calling?  There would be no charge for that call.  Just make sure you turn off data and wifi, then select Flight mode, then turn on wifi again (for safety! 😉).

When you have finished the call, restore to original settings.

I very much appreciate the suggestion, but while my phone does support WiFi calling, a call placed that way to a number outside the U.S. is still billed at international rates. 🙁 (And that’s true for both of our major carriers, AT&T and Verizon.) 

 

 

[scottbee]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I very much appreciate the suggestion, but while my phone does support WiFi calling, a call placed that way to a number outside the U.S. is still billed at international rates. 🙁 (And that’s true for both of our major carriers, AT&T and Verizon.) 

 

 

 

Skype outbound calling is pretty damn cheap.

 

[gnome12]

55 minutes ago, scottbee said:

 

Skype outbound calling is pretty damn cheap.

 

There is also a service called Keep Calling (keepcalling.com). Charges to the Netherlands are 4.9 cents/minute (US).

[GastroGnome]

Also perhaps look at the time differences?  You might get through quicker if you call in the middle of the night?  The banner says the lines are 24/7.

 

I guess personal contact to cancel does stop someone maliciously cancelling your booking.

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, GastroGnome said:

Also perhaps look at the time differences?  You might get through quicker if you call in the middle of the night?  The banner says the lines are 24/7.

Thanks. Indeed, that’s my fallback plan, especially since it isn’t the middle of the night my time. However, while that page of the website says 24/7, their Facebook people told me it’s 7AM-10PM CET.  I also suspect that, especially given the situation right now, the phone lines may well be understaffed. But for sure the middle of the night is the time to try if it has to be the phone route. Thanks again. 
 

I’ve also been thinking that if they won’t let me cancel except by phone, and if I can’t get through to them, I might explore a chargeback on my credit card, as I’m within the time for it. But I really don’t want to have to do that. 

[VMax1700]

On 3/13/2020 at 6:16 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

 

 

i just tried calling that number (2.45 pm CET, 9.45 am ET, 06.45 am PT) and after selection two options and hearing their messages it took 1 minute to get to the queue.  At that time the waiting time was 'up to 5 minutes'.  Now I would consider mid afternoon Sunday a quiet time.  Also it is not a 'Thalys' support line but the customer support line for NS, the Dutch national rail system.

[VMax1700]

did you try the 'chat' feature https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/contact

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

I’ve also been thinking that if they won’t let me cancel except by phone, and if I can’t get through to them, I might explore a chargeback on my credit card, as I’m within the time for it. But I really don’t want to have to do that. 

I would simply contact my credit card company for a chargeback. The problem lies with Thalys, not the customer as it clearly states on their website that tickets can be cancelled via the Thalys website. Thalys is not honoring their contractual obligation to their customer by insisting that they phone.

Several years ago I had an issue wherein what was stated on an Edinburgh hotel's website differed from what I was offered when I needed to cancel. I simply included a screenshot of the webpage when contacting Visa and my money was refunded. As a result of my chargeback, this hotel changed their website to reflect their current policy.

[Turtles06]

23 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

did you try the 'chat' feature https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/contact

 

THAT DID IT!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

 

I followed your link and posted on their FB Messenger page yesterday after I saw your post; they replied promptly to ask me for my ticket details, which I gave them, and I woke up this morning to emails and a FB message from them confirming that they have cancelled our tickets and issued a full refund.

 

I don't know why Thalys could not have given me that information (nor processed my refund the same way), since I bought the ticket on their web site, and, frankly, I'm still a bit confused about the relationship between the two companies. 

 

In any event, huge thanks again to you and to everyone who replied here trying to help.  This is another example of why the Cruise Critic community is so great.

 

I hope that all of you stay safe and healthy in this difficult time.

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

22 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

and, frankly, I'm still a bit confused about the relationship between the two companies. 

Thalys is the company that operates the trains between Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam.  Thalys is co-owned by the national railway companies of France and Belgium. The national railway company of the Netherlands is called NS. NS doesn’t own any shares of Thalys, but they are an official partner, because Thalys trains use the rail network in the Netherlands.

Edited March 16, 2020 by Dutch_Travelgirl

[Turtles06]

33 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Thalys is the company that operates the trains between Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam.  Thalys is co-owned by the national railway companies of France and Belgium. The national railway company of the Netherlands is called NS. NS doesn’t own any shares of Thalys, but they are an official partner, because Thalys trains use the rail network in the Netherlands.

Thank you very much for that explanation.  So when I buy a ticket (Amsterdam to Paris) on the Thalys web site, whose ticket is it?  Obviously I was confused because it says Thalys, but the cancellation apparently had to be done by NS, even though the Thalys web site said I could cancel on line, which I could not. 
 

All’s well that ends well, fortunately. 🙂

[VMax1700]

7 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

THAT DID IT!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

 

You are welcome!  Glad it worked for you!