We started travelling 350 miles in the WRONG direction to Germany after bus mix-up – now we can’t get a refund
Q) FLIXBUS is refusing to refund me and my wife £115 after it let us board a coach in Slovenia travelling to Germany instead of Croatia.
We were waiting in Ljubljana, Slovenia for a coach to Umag in Croatia – the service 943.
When a 943 service finally showed up half an hour late, we boarded and asked if it was the right bus and the driver nodded, scanned our tickets and let us board.
But we later found out it was going to Munich, Germany, 350 miles in the wrong direction.
Flixbus has refused to take responsibility, but I feel the driver should have told us it was the wrong bus when we gave him our tickets to board.
Can you help us get some compensation?
Stuart McCulloch, Edinburgh
A)WHAT a nightmare you had when you realised you were on a bus heading to Munich, Germany, 350 miles away from your intended destination of Umag in Croatia.
You arrived at Llublana bus station 20 minutes early and waited for 50 minutes before a Flixbus coach labelled service 943, the service you needed, finally showed up.
As no other 943 buses had come and gone, you assumed it was yours and handed your tickets to the driver.
They scanned your tickets before allowing you to board, without mentioning it was a 943 service going in the other direction.
A little while into the journey, you realised you were going the wrong way and asked the driver, who then confirmed you were on the wrong bus.
You got off the coach in Bled, Slovenia, around 55km North of Ljubljana, and contacted Flixbus for help – but no one responded.
Eventually, you managed to get another bus back to Ljubljana, and then booked another coach to Umag a few hours later.
Having already lost the £43 you paid for your original tickets, you forked out another £75 for the new tickets, plus £10 to get back to Ljubljana from Bled.
You were hopeful you would at least get a refund for the original unused tickets.
But when you eventually got through to Flixbus, it said your case was “an exception, not the standard” and refused to take any responsibility for what happened.
It eventually agreed to refund you £13 after deducting various fees. But this meant you were still £115 out of pocket.
When I spoke with Flixbus, it acknowledged that the driver should have told you it was the wrong 943 service when you asked and showed your tickets.
What is Flixbus?
FLIXBUS is a cheap coach service that travels across the UK and Europe.
Originally from Germany, the brand now runs over 400,000 routes across Europe to over 5,000 locations.
It also has some routes in North America, South America and Asia.
Tickets are typically a lot cheaper than getting a train or plane.
A coach from London to Bristol this month has seats for as little as £8.99.
It said it believed your original bus had departed on time and couldn’t explain why you hadn’t seen it come and go.
But, it has now agreed to refund all your extra travel expenses, plus your original tickets in full, amounting to £115 extra compensation.
A spokesperson for FlixBus said: “We apologise that the passengers ended up travelling in the wrong direction, as their tickets should have been more thoroughly checked by the driver.
“FlixBus acknowledges the inconvenience caused and has offered a full refund for the original tickets purchased and the additional tickets needed for travel.”
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