Episode 8 Rip Off Britain

We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off when it comes to your

holidays, and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.

We said no, we're going to stick with this

and we're going to try and get something done about them.

When you are on holidays, you don't want to fight with people.

You just want to enjoy.

So whether it's a deliberate rip-off,

a simple mistake or a catch in the small print,

we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.

Your stories. Your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain where, for this series,

we're going to be focusing on one of the subjects of which you write to us

just about every day - and that is travel and holidays.

Now, of course, when everything goes according to plan,

a trip away is, for most of us, one of the highlights of the year.

But it's a very different story when things go wrong

and if there is one part of the experience where it feels like

there is plenty of scope for exactly that to happen,

it's the journey to or from your destination.

Now, apparently, there are people who consider the whole process

of getting from A to B as part of the fun,

but for the rest of us it can often feel too much like hard work,

a necessary evil to get us to the main event.

So, if you're someone who considers

the actual travelling part of your holiday to be a bit of a slog,

then the stories we're investigating today

will definitely strike a chord.

Because in each case,

whatever it was that spoiled things, in some cases disastrously,

occurred not on the actual holiday itself but en route.

For example, at the airport, on the train,

even on a cross-Channel ferry.

And I have to tell you, the situations we'll be hearing about

are all ones that could very easily happen to you as well.

So if they do, we have all the advice you need

to make sure you know exactly what you should do and what you can do.

Coming up, a cross-Channel journey with a tragic end.

Have the ferry companies got it right

when it comes to carrying pets?

The kids were crying, they got the other dogs out of the car

to cool them down. It was awful.

And after this family turned out not to be covered

when their bags were stolen in France, would you have

the right insurance for driving your car abroad?

I don't understand the difference between having your car

smashed up in England or having it smashed up in France.

Much as we love them, holidays are not cheap.

And even if you succeed in bagging a low-cost flight

or a bargain hotel room,

you've still got all those extra costs to take into account.

And they can start mounting up before you've even taken off.

Airport parking, for example,

can take a particularly big bite out of your budget.

That's why so many of us ask friends or family to drop us off.

But at some UK airports, even that is now likely to cost you.

And to make things worse, you could even find yourself

charged for parking when you haven't really parked at all.

Just when you think you've budgeted for the entire cost of your holiday,

if you're travelling abroad by plane,

you might have the hefty cost of airport parking to factor in.

Airport parking, you've spent X amount of money to go on holiday,

you've took your family, so you've got a massive cost.

Then they go, "Here you go, here's an extra 50-60 quid

"to leave your car for a week, two weeks." It's bang out of order.

They could charge, really, what they like and people have to use it,

so that's quite an unhealthy thing, isn't it?

Well, I think it should be less hassle for a start

and I think it should be cheaper.

I think you shouldn't feel as though you're being ripped off

before your holiday's started.

These days, you don't have to be using one of the airport's

long or even short-stay car parks to face a charge,

because more than half of the UK's busiest airports now impose a fee

simply for dropping someone off.

Many of these so-called "kiss and drop" charges have been

introduced in the past few years

and according to a recent Which? survey,

47% of holiday-makers say they drive them mad.

Charges vary, but at Edinburgh

it costs £3 for a five-to-ten-minute stop.

East Midlands and Belfast International charge £1

for up to ten minutes.

And stop directly outside the terminal at Leeds Bradford

and you can pay £3 for up to 30 minutes.

What's more, at some airports,

stopping for just a few seconds can result in a hefty charge,

as Simon Lind from Warrington and his wife Donna

have found to their cost.

My sister Nicola lives in the south of France,

and she makes pretty regular visits to us.

'We usually pick my sister up twice a year from Liverpool Airport.'

Liverpool John Lennon Airport offers several options for parking -

long stay, short stay and express drop-off.

There's even a free drop-off zone slightly further from the terminal.

But on one occasion when Simon went to pick up his sister last year,

he didn't opt for any of these.

As I was driving up the approach road, I didn't see her,

so I went into the car park.

I looked around and did see her thereafter at the roundabout, waving,

so, instinct was to get her picked up as quick as possible,

stopped by the roundabout, got her in the car

and we got heading on our way.

They assumed that was the end of that

until, a week later, there was an unwelcome surprise in the post.

I got a letter and it was a parking charge - £60.

As Simon had only stopped very briefly for his sister to jump in,

he felt he hadn't done anything wrong, so he wrote to VCS,

the company that runs parking at Liverpool Airport, to appeal.

I was told I would have to allow 28 days for them to reach a decision.

I said to Donna, there was no way I was going to pay that amount of money

for being stopped for such a short length of time.

What Simon hadn't realised was that VCS, or Vehicle Control Services,

enforces parking not just in the car parks, but also on

all the privately-owned roads that run around Liverpool Airport.

Like many other private parking companies,

VCS follows a code of practice

laid down by the British Parking Association, allowing it to set out

terms and conditions which, if broken, could lead you to

getting a parking charge notice.

But Simon insists he didn't know he had broken the rules.

The reason I'd be willing to fight this, er...

I just think it's unjust, it's unfair,

they're picking on people that are unaware of such restrictions.

I think it's disgusting, really. It shouldn't be happening.

The British Parking Association guidelines say their members

should use specific signage

to spell out exactly what their terms and conditions are

and they should be placed throughout the site

so that drivers are given the chance to read them.

So how easy is it to read the signs at Liverpool Airport?

Well, according to Simon, not easy at all.

'When I was driving up the approach road to Liverpool Airport,

'I did not notice any signage whatsoever.

'I mean, your focus is, if you're driving at 30 or even 40mph,

'it's hard enough to notice signs as it is.'

A quick search online reveals a number of other motorists

complaining they were hit with penalty charges

after stopping for mere seconds on the approach road at Liverpool.

So to see just how clear the signs really are,

we sent along one of our team to take a look for themselves.

Turning into the airport,

it's pretty obvious there are plenty of signs

and the red lines on the side of the road would

seem to be a pretty clear indication that you shouldn't stop there.

But are the specific signs clear enough to get

a full understanding of the rules?

Well, if you're driving on the approach road at a normal speed,

then perhaps not.

Because, oh, look - there goes the sign.

And to properly read all the information on it,

which the British Parking Association says you should be able to do,

you'd have to stop, so you can have a good look at the details.

And though that will give you the information you need,

surely you risk getting a parking notice for your trouble?

We've heard of dozens of others who say they too have been caught out

by these restrictions at Liverpool Airport.

Like Brian Reddy.

I would say we were parked between 30 and 35 seconds,

but certainly no longer than 35 seconds.

And Ralph Twiss.

I was there for, literally, six seconds at the side of the road.

And Dave Bowers.

When I stopped for 32 seconds, I ended up with a fine for £60.

And Christian Daniels.

The actual "fine", so to speak, was £60

and that's more than a pound a second.

It's just ridiculous.

Whilst all the drivers acknowledge that they did break

the rules, by stopping where they did,

they think the size of the penalty for their brief misdemeanours

is completely disproportionate. And Simon agrees.

I think the charge that they were asking for, £60,

was absolutely ridiculous. I mean, my sister's flight cost less than that.

Legally, VCS have to charge a reasonable amount

to cover their losses,

but they can't hand out penalty notices simply to punish people.

I was only stopped for seven seconds.

To be stopped stationary for seven seconds is just,

is just the same as being in a traffic queue, really.

And what Simon considers especially unreasonable is that he

wasn't in any way trying to get out of parking,

it just so happened that his sister was waiting beside the road.

It wasn't a case that I was trying to avoid paying the charges

within the car park, it was more the fact that my sister was just

where she was at the roundabout.

And these other drivers don't think they stopped for long enough

to justify being penalised, either.

In total, these four motorists and Simon

received tickets adding up to £300 for the combined time

they'd stopped, which between all five of them,

wasn't even two minutes.

Vehicle Control Services pay Liverpool Airport

£25,000 a year to look after the parking.

And they also pay the airport

a percentage of all the charges they receive.

Airport parking is an issue that the AA

has previously raised concerns about.

Airport parking is a problem for drivers

because they're very busy places.

Signage is paramount in this situation.

We want customer-facing signing.

It has to be large, unambiguous, spelling out very clearly what

you should do as a driver and what the penalties may be if you don't.

But Paul also believes that we as motorists must accept more

responsibility when visiting airports, too.

We'd advise drivers to do their homework, look at the website of

the airport you're going to and if there's no stopping zones, clearly

you shouldn't stop, because the cameras are watching you everywhere.

So, don't take chances, stick with the rules.

In a joint statement, Liverpool Airport

and the parking company VCS told us their parking systems work well,

saying that prior to their introduction, there had already

been a "red route no stopping zone on roads owned by the airport".

It was because some drivers ignored the restrictions

that the new rules were brought in, under the guidance of not just

the British Parking Association, but the local council and police.

They say cars stopping instead of using the official car parks

cause "congestion" and are "a safety risk"

and point out that the maximum £100 penalty charge

"is discounted to £60 if paid within 14 days".

They added that "over 40 high profile signs"

advise of the consequences of not complying,

and that "all signage exceeds industry standards".

And they went on to say cars that break down,

or are "clearly stopping momentarily to familiarise themselves

"with the car park directions" will not be charged.

As for Simon, they say CCTV shows he parked in the outside lane of a

roundabout, creating "a significant safety risk to other motorists".

And they pointed out that Dave and Christian's parking tickets

were actually cancelled when they appealed.

But after their experience, Simon and Donna remain convinced that

drivers are treated too harshly at airports.

I don't disagree with certain parking regulations at airports

but I think what should change is they should allow a bit more time,

a more realistic time for people to be picked up and dropped off.

Now, in the past we've reported on the different policies

you might find on various airlines

when it comes to carrying your pets, because after all,

for those of us who consider our animals as part of the family,

and I certainly do,

sometimes we want to take them away with us, as well.

But one type of transport we didn't cover last time

we looked at this subject was ferries.

And in fact, the rules that some of these operators

have for carrying pets have come in for criticism from the RSPCA.

Not least, after incidents like the one

we're about to see in our next story -

and it's very disturbing.

Kirsty Wallace and her family have always gone everywhere

with their dogs.

We've got Trixie, who's a beagle.

We've also got Arthur, the pug, and we've got Teddy, the shih tzu.

They mean the world to the family, they're really part of our family.

Teddy is a new addition to the family,

who until very recently had another pug called Merlin.

Kirsty's husband, Deane, is an army chef

and the family had spent five years stationed in Germany,

until last summer, when they were told

they would be moving back to the UK.

My husband was posted back to England,

so we had to come back.

As Kirsty and family were going to be moving

all of their belongings and three pets, they decided the best option

was to drive from Germany to Calais and take a ferry back to the UK.

So they booked a one-way ticket with P&O Ferries.

It was a trip they'd made many times before, so they

and the dogs knew all the drill.

We set off really early morning.

We pulled over quite a few times for the dogs to have drinks and water.

Once aboard the ferry,

the animals were to stay below deck in the car, until the end

of the crossing, when the family could go back down to rejoin them.

We've never really worried about them

because we thought that if it was a problem,

then they wouldn't be allowed to stay in the cars.

If there was any reason to worry, they wouldn't be allowed in the cars.

It was a hot day. In fact, as the temperature rose,

it became one of the hottest days of the summer.

When we got out of the car, I did say it was really hot in there,

and I said, "Hopefully, it will cool down on the deck."

We spent about ten minutes adjusting the windows

because we didn't want Trixie to be able to get her neck

stuck in the window, and we left water for the dogs.

Reassured that the dogs would all be fine, the family said goodbye

and went up to the passenger deck for the crossing.

There were no signs at all that there was

anything wrong with any of the dogs.

Even when we left them in the car, they weren't panting, nothing.

There was no reason for us to worry.

An hour and a half later,

they reached Dover and made their way back to the car.

Trixie and Arthur were barking.

We tapped on the windows, we normally would,

to say that we were back and everything was all right.

And I commented to my husband I couldn't see Merlin,

and he said, "Well, he couldn't have got out

"cos the windows weren't low enough."

And he said, "Look again."

It was only when Kirsty opened the door that she saw Merlin

wedged on the floor behind the back seat.

We started pouring bottles of water over him,

other passengers came and some of them

had the big gallon water bottles, pouring that all over him.

Sadly, there was no response from Merlin.

And for the next 20 minutes,

the family desperately tried to resuscitate him.

We couldn't open his mouth properly, it was clamped shut.

My husband...kept giving mouth-to-mouth.

We ran out of water,

so I seen a staff member walk by, asked him for some water.

Some other workers came across,

and...it was just so hectic.

The kids were crying,

they got the other dogs out the car, to cool them down.

We poured water over them and the other two dogs just sat silently.

It was awful, it was like they knew what was going on.

Despite all their best efforts, Merlin had died.

I was just shocked. I didn't know what was going on,

I've never saw, like, a dog or something

just...like that in my life

and it was just a very scary moment for me.

It was the worst day of my life.

All the dogs had passed a health check, in order to

obtain their pet passports.

And Kirsty and her family had thought they'd done everything

they could in order to keep them safe on board the ferry.

But they believe Merlin's death could have been avoided

if P&O policies were different.

If we are paying for our pets to travel,

what are we paying for if it's not for the staff

to go and check up on our dogs?

We wished that we would be able to take them out.

But on P&O's cross-Channel ferries

and, indeed, many of their rivals, that simply isn't allowed.

So, if you're thinking of taking your dog on a ferry,

it really is worth checking each operator's rules

because they do vary.

The RSPCA has campaigned on the conditions for pets

on ferries for some time

and has previously called on the operators to change their policies.

The best possible advice would be to have a designated area

where dogs can go to, away from the vehicles, and where owners

can know that they're not going to suffer from potential heat stress.

Travelling with a dog, leaving it unattended in hot weather

is not something that the RSPCA would recommend.

It's something we'd want to see stopped.

It's time for the ferry companies to review their policies.

Until that happens, the RSPCA would like to see ships' crews trained

to identify dogs suffering from heat stress.

And there's advice for owners to keep in mind, as well.

It's very important, especially on long journeys,

whether that's by road or ferry, that adequate time out

of the vehicle is given to the dog and that they're not left alone.

When we contacted P&O Ferries, they pointed out that their 90-minute

crossing "is usually a fraction of a much longer Continental

"road journey"

and that Merlin's death was on the hottest day of the year.

They stress that they carry pets "in accordance with the rules set

"out by DEFRA, with car decks well ventilated"

and cars placed "under cover in the shade".

Even so, this "tragic incident" resulted in an "urgent review",

during which the company even considered a total ban

on carrying flat-nosed breeds of dogs such as pugs,

known to have breathing difficulties in hot weather.

However, as a total of 251 dogs were carried that day

"without further incident", they decided against that.

They went on to say that it is "not practical or sensible"

to allow dogs into the passenger accommodation

"for obvious safety and hygiene reasons"

but added that they do "now allow pet owners to have supervised visits

"to their animals", a policy Kirsty and Deane hadn't been aware of.

But since this report was first shown,

the ferry company has announced "new measures

"to improve the travelling experience of animals on board",

giving away free pet travel packs,

including items such as a wind vent and water bottle,

designed to "help keep our furry friends safe and well"

when they're left in cars for the duration of the crossing itself.

Meanwhile, the UK Chamber of Shipping told us that 150,000 pets

were safely carried last year,

and that suggests a high level of confidence

from passengers in both the service

that the companies provide and the comfort of their pets on board.

But after the sad story of what happened to Merlin,

Kirsty says until dogs are allowed out of cars,

ideally into a designated area,

she won't be taking any of her dogs on a ferry again.

Merlin will never be replaced. He was a one-off dog.

He was just a gentle giant. He was gorgeous.

We'll never replace him.

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,

how choosing the wrong type of train ticket

can leave you out of pocket.

You don't know you're going to fall down the stairs,

hurt yourself, break your foot.

You would hope that the train company would be a bit more compassionate.

With France just a small hop across the Channel,

it's no wonder that so many thousands of Brits

choosing to go there prefer to take their own car.

But if you've ever thought about taking your car abroad,

well, here's a cautionary tale I promise you will have you reaching

out for your insurance documents and checking the small print.

If you're heading to the Continent, forget the plane or even the train.

For many Brits, driving is the ideal way to get there.

In fact, an RAC survey found that over half the people asked

would choose to take their car over any other form of transport.

Which is why over four million of us

took to the European roads last year.

Among them were Dave, Hannah and Jess Rowett from Worksop.

For them, choosing a driving holiday was an easy decision.

I love driving, so that was one of the reasons,

you know, have that freedom,

that you can just drive, get in the car whenever you want

and go where you want. We went to France last year

and, I guess, last year, we, kind of, just got the bug.

So, having made the trip before,

Dave and Hannah thought that they had a good idea

of what they needed to do to prepare.

'I did a bit of research,

'looked into what I needed to be able to drive in France.'

We got the warning triangle you need, in case you break down,

a full set of spare bulbs in the car,

er, the breathalysers, you have to have two breathalysers.

So yeah, we prepared well.

Dave had carefully planned the route to Frejus in the south of France

and booked an overnight stop along the way.

When we drove down last year,

we decided to drive the whole lot, nonstop,

which was really, really tough.

Very, very hard, which is why, this year we decided

that we'd break it up and stop halfway

just to make things a little bit easier.

The family stop in Beze, a charming village in Burgundy,

and spent the night at a small hotel.

But when they woke up the following day to start the next leg of their journey,

their holiday took a turn for the worse.

I went out of the hotel, down...

you know, turned the corner onto the road

and that's when I saw the car.

Somebody had smashed the back window,

and it wasn't till I got right round the car

that I realised that they'd smashed three other windows

on the driver's side as well.

I was angry, I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream.

I just stood there for ages thinking,

"How do I go back to the hotel and tell Hannah and the kids?"

The family had taken their overnight bag into the hotel,

leaving their main suitcases out of sight in the boot of the car.

But it was obvious that these had been stolen,

leaving the family with little more than the clothes on their back.

When I went back and told the family what had happened to the car,

the girls just broke down in tears.

They were absolutely devastated, they thought the holiday was over.

They'd lost all their belongings. I was just so angry and...upset.

Obviously, a huge blow to the family,

but Dave was confident that as he had comprehensive car insurance,

that all would quickly be resolved

and they would soon be back on their way.

But when Dave called his insurer

to sort out getting the windows replaced,

he was in for quite a shock.

I explained where we were, to which he immediately said,

"Let me just check your policy, see if you've got a Green Card,"

which I'd never heard of.

I asked him what one was

and he said, "If you're driving abroad,

"you need to have a Green Card, but I see you haven't got one,

"so you're not covered."

Dave had assumed that his comprehensive insurance

was valid wherever his car went.

But I'm afraid he was wrong.

When I got the insurance,

I got fully comp insurance with business use as well.

I, maybe naively, assumed

that that was the maximum cover you can get,

and I thought it covers you wherever you are.

I don't understand the difference between having

your car smashed up in England or having it smashed up in France.

So, what is the Green Card Dave's insurer had mentioned on the phone?

Well, it used to be the certificate

that proved you were insured to drive in Europe.

Now, it's only needed if you're planning to drive in countries

that don't belong to the EU.

So, in countries like France, a Green Card is no longer required.

But Dave's insurer, and perhaps yours as well,

still use the term to describe the additional cover you'll need

to upgrade your insurance,

so that it gives you the same protection throughout the EU

as you have in the UK.

If you don't extend your insurance,

even though you have fully comprehensive cover at home,

you may find yourself with only third party in the rest of the EU.

Which is exactly the position Dave ended up in.

And Rosie Sanderson from the AA

says that's a mistake made by many drivers heading across the Channel.

If you have fully comprehensive insurance in the UK,

it's not always the case that it extends to overseas,

it may drop down to third party.

Check your policy documentation prior to travel

and if you are unsure, we'd recommend you contact your insurers directly.

Once back in the UK,

Dave had to fork out over £1,000 himself on repairs,

all because he didn't have the insurance he thought he had.

Foreign-registered vehicles

do undoubtedly attract the unwanted attention of thieves,

so I think it's always worthwhile that,

even though you may be entering the holiday mode,

that you remember you're a prime key target for thieves.

We asked Dave's insurer about his case.

They reiterated that he had "not extended"

or updated his level of cover ahead of his trip,

he was left with the "minimum cover" you need by law to drive in the EU.

They stressed that customers should read their policy booklet carefully

to understand their level of cover.

To make matters worse,

Dave discovered his travel insurance

didn't give him the cover he expected either.

The company said, as the bags had been left in an unattended vehicle,

the pay-out was limited to £100 per person.

So, for Dave, it's all been an expensive lesson

and one that he's keen for others to avoid.

It's made me realise that you should read the small print

with insurance companies.

Don't make assumptions,

because it can be very costly. Make sure you cover all eventualities.

-ANGELA:

-Having the right insurance

isn't the only thing you need to worry about when driving abroad.

Some countries have the most extraordinary rules and regulations

that you could unwittingly fall foul of.

So, here are our top five driving dos and don'ts,

that you ignore at your peril.

At five, don't carry a bike on the back of your car in Portugal.

It's illegal.

Number four,

do watch out for the unusual parking restrictions

on some one-way streets in Spain.

On odd days of the month,

you can only park on the sides of the road with odd numbers.

And on even days, it's the even side.

Number three,

do switch off your engine when stationary in Belgium

unless absolutely necessary. It's illegal to keep it running.

Number two,

don't risk eating or drinking ANYTHING while driving in Cyprus.

It's not recommended anywhere,

but in Cyprus, it is completely banned.

And our number one,

do make sure your vehicle is clean in Romania and Belarus.

Driving a dirty car there is against the law.

But however unexpected some of these laws may seem,

it's no joke if you end up having to pay a hefty fine.

Quite often, the penalties that you receive overseas

can be much more harsh than those found in the UK,

ranging from on-the-spot fines in Portugal,

where they will, literally, take the card from you.

In France, they'll take you to a cashpoint

to get the cash out of the machine, to pay the on-the-spot fine.

And for the more serious misdemeanours,

don't assume you're home and dry once you are back in the UK.

Because new proposals will give foreign authorities the power

to pursue you over here.

This basically means that,

if you commit an offence in any other EU country,

that they can obtain your details from the UK.

The new rules are going to apply to eight major road safety offences,

these include speeding, drink-driving,

not wearing a seat belt, using a mobile phone,

and it will be brought into force before May 2017.

So, next time you get behind the wheel on your holiday

there's a lot more to check

than simply whether you're driving on the correct side of the road.

On average, UK rail fares are now 50% more expensive

than they were a decade ago.

It's no wonder then that the cost of rail travel

has become such a bugbear

or that so many of us will do our very best to try to find

the absolute cheapest fares whenever we can.

The train companies will encourage this

and tell us that one way to do it is to book well in advance,

weeks, even months before you travel.

It is true that advance fares really can slash the amount you pay.

In fact, if you're lucky, you could even make a first-class upgrade

as affordable as the regular fare.

But all of these advance fares

may not always be quite the bargain that they seem.

Because some advance ticket holders

have told us that they feel that their cheaper fare

got them a distinctly second-class service.

And in one particular case,

far from saving them money, they ended up losing it.

After the party is over and the music is winding down,

New Year can leave you feeling a bit...

-BALLOON DEFLATES

-..well, deflated.

And the annual hike in rail fares

that comes into force every January

does nothing to lighten the mood.

One way of saving money on a train journey is to buy an advance ticket

and if you do that, with a little bit of luck,

you may find that a first-class seat comes within your reach.

So, that's exactly what I did on a recent journey that I took.

Because I knew exactly when I wanted to travel,

I found that, by booking nice and early,

not only was I able to save quite a few pounds,

but by paying just that little bit extra,

I could upgrade to first, so that's exactly what I did.

As well as making my journey a bit more comfortable,

I was hoping for some of the other perks,

such as use of the first-class lounge.

But sadly, because I'd booked an advance first-class ticket,

that wasn't part of the deal.

Though still labelled first class,

it wasn't quite as first class as if I'd paid the full fare.

And to use the first-class lounge at King's Cross

would've meant forking out an extra fiver,

which the train operator says is because of

"limited capacity within the lounge".

I know it's only a little niggle,

but it seems I'm not the only one who finds that,

while buying a ticket in advance may well save you money,

it doesn't always deliver what you think it should.

And even worse,

you could be tied into restrictions you didn't expect.

Rebecca McKie lives in Plymouth, but has family dotted all over

the country and tries to visit as often as she can.

During the summer holidays, she planned a trip with

her 13-year-old daughter Megan, to visit friends and relatives.

A seasoned rail user,

she thought she knew how to find the cheapest fare.

Ticket prices are expensive but you look for a good deal,

shop around, see what you can find.

Using the Trainline app on her phone, Rebecca booked

individual journeys, instead of return ones, to save money.

Some were super off-peak tickets, but the rest were advance.

She spent a total of £208.70 on tickets, including booking fees.

Got the confirmation from my e-mail, to say that everything was

all booked and ready for me, so it was easy enough to do.

Part of the reason advance tickets are cheaper is because

you have to commit to certain trains, removing flexibility.

But Rebecca didn't think this would be a problem.

It's good because you can plan your journey.

I had people meeting me at the other end of my journey,

so it was essential that I had times to give them.

Before heading off on her trip,

there was one more date in her diary, taking part in

a charity event on the day before she was due to travel.

I volunteered to participate in a fun event, running around

in a sports hall, doing some crazy stuff.

What possibly could go wrong?

Famous last words. Rebecca tripped and broke her foot in three places.

The A & E consultant told her she wasn't fit for travel

and needed to rest.

So she called Trainline, to see

if she could cancel her train tickets and get her £208.70 back.

I phone and say I'm in a plaster cast, from my knee down

to my foot. It's very heavy.

I'll be travelling with a 13-year-old child.

Can I have a refund?

Rebecca was entitled to a refund for one of her planned journeys,

the super off-peak tickets from Plymouth to Reading, that had cost

her £68.50, although she did have to pay a £10 administration charge.

But what about the remaining three journeys that she'd booked

at a total cost of £140?

They said that they couldn't refund the tickets,

cos of the nature of the tickets, advance tickets.

Fine. I said, "What are my options? I've been told I cannot travel,

"I cannot go anywhere, I can't even leave the house, I can't even

"make a cup of tea." And then they said, "Well, we can reschedule."

Fine, I'm happy with that. Can I reschedule in October?

But Rebecca says she was told she had to reschedule her trip

within six weeks or she'd lose the money.

They could only offer for me to have a new trip,

which would be in mid-September and that's all they could do for me.

It's ruined my summer, ruined my daughter's summer.

And a £150-odd is a lot of money to me.

It might not be to them, but it is to me.

However unfairly she might feel she's been treated,

the no-refund policy is within the terms and conditions

of all the train-operating companies,

so Rebecca didn't have a leg to stand on.

Sometimes, individual companies may offer refunds

at their discretion, in the event of passengers being

unable to travel, but that didn't happen in Rebecca's case.

By plumping for the cheapest fares she could find,

she was locked into a ticket with no flexibility

and one that ended up leaving her out of pocket.

And what's particularly galling is that, for just a couple

of pounds more, she wouldn't be in quite the same situation.

When our team checked out the fares that were available to Rebecca

at the time she booked, we discovered that,

if she'd forked out an extra £1.65 for a super off-peak

for one of the legs of her journey,

it would have given her the flexibility to cancel

and have a full refund, up to 28 days after the expiry date.

She simply hadn't realised that paying such a small amount extra

would have given her so much more flexibility.

And when all you're trying to do is book a ticket,

the complexities of the options can be hard to get your head around.

Christian Wolmar is a rail author and transport commentator.

He knows better than most how easy it is to be bamboozled

when you're trying to choose the right fare.

The train companies' websites don't always explain properly

that sometimes you can buy a ticket for maybe a quid or two more

that is entirely flexible.

Be aware that if you're buying an advance ticket,

it's not flexible or refundable

and, sometimes, for just a quid or two more, you might be able to buy

an off-peak ticket or a super off-peak ticket,

that enables you both to have

a choice of trains for the return journey and also is refundable.

So, is Rebecca justified in feeling like she has been short-changed?

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the UK's

train companies, told us that, "To help keep prices as low as possible,

"advance rail fares are not refundable,"

which is "made clear to customers before they choose to buy".

However, it says that if customers' plans do change,

an advance fare can be altered, for a £10 admin fee.

Meanwhile, the website Rebecca used to book her tickets,

thetrainline.com, told us it's sorry Rebecca feels she has been

treated unfairly, but stressed it was "communicated clearly

"at the time of booking" that advance tickets are not refundable.

It points out that "policies regarding changes

"and refunds are set by the train operating companies themselves",

but added that it does offer the purchase of cancellation

protection, which would cover refunds on advance tickets as well.

But interestingly, First Great Western, who operate

one of the routes Rebecca booked, while agreeing that advance fares

are not normally refundable, says that "each instance is assessed

"on its own merits"

and that if Rebecca had contacted the company directly,

it would have been happy to arrange a refund under the circumstances.

But it does seem that navigating a clear track through

the cost of rail travel isn't always simple.

And while an advance fare may well save you the odd pound or two,

you need to decide if the trade-off between flexibility

and price is worth it, especially

if there's a chance you may end up having to cancel at the last minute.

As for Rebecca, she is still feeling bruised by the whole experience.

You don't know you're going to fall down the stairs,

hurt yourself, break your foot.

You would hope that the train company would be a bit more compassionate.

For anyone travelling by train, the Rip-Off team,

along with our travel experts, have produced this really,

really useful leaflet, which gives you fantastic information

about how you can get the very best deals

on your train ticket on any of the lines around the country.

You can find that advice at...

Or for a hard copy, send a stamped addressed envelope

to the address we'll give you later in the programme.

Here at Rip-Off Britain, we're always ready to

investigate more of your stories, and not just about holidays.

Confused over your bills or feel you've been paying over the odds?

I begrudge having to pay that kind of money out.

Unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out

and that great deal has ended up costing you money?

People are buying into this. I did. And are they going to be

as awkward with them as they were with me?

You might have a cautionary tale of your own

and want to share the mistakes you've made with us,

so that others don't do the same.

-I'm more wise now, but I was taken in.

-Yeah.

You can write to us at...

Or send us an e-mail to...

The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.

Well, I think if you're planning any sort of trip this year,

we hope that you and anything you take with you makes it safely

to your destination, without coming a cropper on the way.

And with any luck, our stories today will have given you a few tips

on some of the things you'll need to think about

when you're actually planning the journey.

It's all about the planning, sometimes.

Being a dog-lover, the one that really got to me

was what happened to the family's pet on the ferry crossing

-we heard about earlier.

-That was tragic.

I can't imagine how you'd cope with that.

But equally, do keep in mind everything we said

about the cost of parking or even simply stopping at some airports.

It really is all too easy to get caught out and, you know,

the price of that doesn't always come cheap.

But that's all we've got time for today.

Do please keep all your stories coming on any subject,

not just travel.

This is the place to send them.

We'll see you again very soon, but for now it's bon voyage -

and from everyone here...

ALL: Adios!