Can I get a refund for cancelled train?

Q. I bought rail tickets to travel by train up to Nairn. I bought them in advance and then rail strikes were announced.

I was wondering if I am allowed a refund on the tickets as they were very expensive.

A. You’re entitled to a full refund if your train was cancelled – it doesn’t matter what type of ticket you bought.

If you’re delayed and arrive at your destination more than half an hour late, you’ll usually be able to get some money back. Some train companies will also give you compensation if your train is more than 15 minutes late.

You need to keep your train tickets to get a refund.

You should try to claim within 28 days, but some train companies allow longer.

If you have a season ticket, the best thing to do is ask at your ticket office or check your train company’s website. You’ll usually be able to get some money back for either a delay or cancellation.

Some travel insurers cover the cost of missed flights, if the reason was out of your control. If you miss a flight because your train to the airport was delayed or cancelled, contact your travel insurance provider to check if you can claim.

You can take your complaint further if you’re not happy with the response from your train company.

Contact the Rail Ombudsman – they can investigate complaints about most train companies. If they can’t help with your issue, they’ll put you in touch with another organisation which can help. If the Rail Ombudsman decides they’ve done something wrong, the train company has to put it right.

Q. I received an energy bill in June for over £600.

I do not know why there is a bill as I have a smart meter that updates my electricity readings, but the gas does not and I have to phone them in every month.

Last year I was over £700 in credit and I have made some random payments because I was so much in credit. I am now unsure why I owe all this money.

A. After speaking to an adviser with your energy firm it has been discovered that even though you were in credit last June your “actual” phoned-in meter readings have not covered a year’s worth of energy consumption that you have used.

You have only topped this credit up with a couple of payments.

It has been advised that your credit ran out at the beginning of this year and therefore you have not made any payments to your account, so you have been accumulating debt sine January 2022.

When investigating further it has been discovered that the wrong email address has been provided by yourself and this is why you have not received updates or bills for your account until a final reminder was sent out.

There is no valid reason to dispute the bill therefore it would be beneficial to get a payment plan set up as soon as possible to prevent further debt.

Q. I have received a letter from a personal injury compensation company dated June 22 this year, seeking compensation on behalf of my postman for an incident with my Labrador cross-breed dog.

The dog is alleged to have bitten the postman on the chest when the postman tried to deliver a parcel to my home.

They were walking away to put the parcel somewhere, eventually throwing the parcel on the floor.

I am devastated as my dog has no history of attacking or being aggressive. The compensation company advise they intend to pursue the claim under the terms of the Personal Injury PreAction Protocol (Voluntary in Scotland) and request the letter is passed to my insurers.

There is no pet insurance in place. I would like to know if you can offer some help/advice.

A. The Personal Injury Pre-Action Protocol is voluntary in Scotland. Unfortunately, you would need to seek some legal advice on this issue as it has been passed to a personal injury company.

You would have to research which local solicitors would be able to help you with this as well as enquire about the cost of seeking this advice.

Q. I suffer from terrible mental health. Before I go to my local GP to talk about medication I am wondering if you could advise me of any free helplines that I could get in contact with?

A There are a number of free helplines. Some organisations also provide webchat and email support.

NHS inform also has lots of resources to help people with their mental health. This includes: advice and information about mental health conditions, self-help guides, links to local support and ideas for improving mental wellbeing.

Mental health support is provided by the following free helplines: Age Scotland, Anxiety UK, Bipolar Fellowship Scotland, Breathing Space, NHS Living Life, Papyrus (people under 35) and Samaritans are a few.

If you feel that your situation is overwhelming and you are unable to cope we would always advise people to inform your GP.

■PLEASE NOTE: Rutherglen & Cambuslang Citizens Advice Bureau is open for telephone and e-mail advice every Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 3pm.