Eurail Pass has ripped me off big time! Does anyone have any ideas how I should proceed?

Question

I went to France on 11 November with a 7-day France saverpass for my wife and I. I had called Eurail before leaving and had asked if I would be due a refund if labor troubles made my pass unusable. I was told to keep all documentation and send it to Eurail for possible refund if there was a strike. I used the pass one day, the 13th, and that evening the strike began. I was able to rent a car and proceed, but I was never again able to use our pass until we left the 24th. When I called Eurail, they said "too bad"! They said their disclaimer specifically says they are not liable for damages caused by strikes. I said, "I'm not claiming damage, that would be like if I wanted reimbursement for my car rental - I was unable to use my pass because no trains were running". They said, basically, tough cookies. $773 for one train trip of 200 miles! I have called my credit card company and they are going to accept a dispute claim. Any other ideas how to pressure Eurail, anyone?

Answer 1

Hello,

I have lived in France for almost 3 years now and learned a few things.  

Complaining is something very, very few French people will do.  They accept to eat garbage in a restaurant but when the waitress uninterestedly ask how it was, they will not say anything bad about what was served to them and then pay the bill.  

This is how it is here.  No one cares if you are served well, if you eat well, or if you used  your train ticket or not.  They know that you most likely will not come back to France and even if you would, they don't care.  If you'll never buy a train ticket again in your life it is not going to make a difference to them, there will always be other customers.  After all, the whole world knows that France is one of "the" most visitited countries in the world.  And believe me, the French know it best.

I am sorry that I can not tell you anything more encuraging but this is a fact of life that I have to live with here and it's a big thorn in my eye.

You could try informing some of the European newspapers, they might write something up to warn others but don't put your hopes up high on getting a refund.

There is a saying that goes around here in the expat community:  France is such a beautiful country!  Why did God give it to the French?

Good luck anyhow.

Answer 2

You already answered your question. You say that they told you to keep everything for a "possible refund." That is very different from reimbursement for a car rental. Unfortunately if their disclaimer states they are not responsible, you are bound to that when you made you purchase. I would be thankful your credit card company is accepting the claim and move on.

Answer 3

There are some new consumer protection laws that have been brought in at the EU level. The media reports mainly focus on their application to airlines (refunds for cancellations, strikes, etc), but the same laws may apply to trains.

You'll have to do a bit of research on these.