UPDATE: Thalys has reached out to me and they are investigating the case. They have also agreed to donate the money to a charity that supports less fortunate children this Christmas. They have been trying really hard to fix this situation and I trust that such cases shouldn't occur anymore. I'm glad that this video has helped to make travelling a little better for us again. Thanks everyone!
Yeah this situation is very unfortunate. Such a Scam! However I would like to let you know I've taken Thalys almost every week for a while and they are by far the best service between Brussels and Amsterdam. The Flixbus is almost always delays and the NS Intercity to Brussels slow and sometimes the train is cancelled outright. Thalys however is fast and almost always on time. In terms of delays, so far I have never experienced a delay over 15 minutes. They haven''t scammed me in my dozens of journeys and while it is not something that should have happened to you, I believe what happened to you is quite unusual. It's crazy how experiences of the same product can vary so wildly between people. In my (humble) opinion, Thalys deserves a second chance ;)
If you go on Trip Advisor you will see a large number of people have had similar problems with Thalys train tickets. They book online money taken from acc but get no e-ticket or its cancelled or they purchase it through a Travel Agent and Thalys claim to not have a booking. Either they have a poor booking system or they are ripping people off. Dispute the charge with your Bank Josh they will get it refunded.👍
@@brilliantbutblue It's possible that it happens. On the other hand, anyone who experiences someting like this will post a review about it and everyone who had a normal experience didn't know about it and thus never posted anything. Considering this has never happened to me, my family or any of my friends who also take Thalys every weekend to travel between Brussels and Amsterdam I still believe this issue has only affected a very small number of travellers
@@nathanaelhalim8191 Exactly. And on a practically empty train too, so they can't use the "social distancing means we have to cancel half the bookings" excuse.
I would have raised holy hell... blatant fraud - I would report this immeadiatly to the appropriate EU organization. At least make the SOBs have to spend money to defend themselves. Also no a CHANCE in Hell they will donate this to charity. You need to make a follownup to this and very, very hold them publically accountable.
192 miles I was a frequent Thalys traveller until they "lost" my reservation. Same scam. I had a printed ticket and they had no proof of cancellation. Thalys was forced to acccept me as the Premier passenger according to my ticket. It was my last trip on that train. I cancelled my return from Paris and ever since this nightmare I fly Transavia or KLM to Paris 10 times a year
As many others have pointed out - things go wrong with Thalys - yes the internet sometimes doesn't work - the overall price value is sometimes questionable. Unfortunately there is no competition on this route, if you don't want to fly, it is Thalys or a bus taking double the time. As a regular customer I do have to say I've never seen people refused to board because of cancelled tickets. Pre-corona when trains were full and you have +100 people in front of you at Gare du Nord, I never experienced such a case, yet I wouldn't rule out, that it happens. My other question however is, when you show your initial ticket, it was a "comfort" one, that is first class without service, while in the video you're seated in "premium" which is first class with service. Premium was been reinstated from the 1st of September so technically if you travelled after that date, it wasn't the same class. I'm also surprised to see that the food and beverage service wasn't mentioned, if you haven't received anything, while paying the "premium" class price, that would be worthwhile mentioning while reviewing the product. Waiting more than six weeks for an answer from customer service doesn't leave a good image, yet again in corona times others have been waiting for months to hear from airlines.....
You also go with the tgv to lille and than go to Brussel with the tgv and than go with the normaal train to Amsterdam but it Will cost extra time in it
I've travelled on the Thalys quite a lot during the past 2 years and I've genuinly had only good experiences. This has never happened to me, the trains were almost always perfectly on time and the one time it was delayed (which wasn't even their fault) the staff went out of their way to help me get home and get my money back, which I received 2 weeks after. The only things I consider bad at times is the price of the ticket and the slightly outdated interior, though I have heard they will be refurbished.
Thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention. My wife and I booked tickets on Thalys for a trip from Amsterdam to Brussels last year. We had to cancel our trip when the travel ban went into effect flying in from the USA. It was a nightmare trying to get a refund back on my credit card. I had to get the credit card company involved. There is nothing on their website that allows you to get a refund or to communicate with Thalys. The lady at the CC company spent a week trying to find something and trying to contact Thalys and she never was able to reach anyone. The CC company refunded us and they took the hit. Pretty sad way to do business.
@@xandrios You didn't read what I wrote. We could not locate any info on getting a refund. There's nothing on their website that allows you to submit for it. Even Barclay's could not locate anything or get them to respond.
Unacceptable. Can you imagine older people that have saved for the trip of a lifetime around Europe and getting stung an extra €150 each in a couple €300 or your stuck at the station!!! They would pay out of fear. I would have moved into the private cabin and remained there purely on principle for the scam. Well done on keeping these companies accountable 👍
It's terrible! Said similar comment above, imagine for people who have never traveled to Europe before and everything is strange and confusing anyway then have this happen; it's heartless!
@@amstergal: My parent's have travelled from Australia to Europe a few times and these type of things really throw there confidence and impact the trip. In Italy they have been harassed on trains by "authorities" demanding extra cash payments otherwise they will be thrown off the train, often the cash demands are 10 times the original price of the ticket they purchased for the journey. Thalys needs to fix whatever problems they have with booking systems. 👍
@@brilliantbutblue it's terrible and makes me so sad and angry especially when it's older people.. Just thinking about it and re-reading your comment makes me furious!
I took Thalys on the same route 8 years ago in first class. They served sandwiches and soft drinks at your seat like a full service airline. I guess they must be cost cutting by scamming customers and eliminating meal service.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s very disappointing that a company can do this to a customer, who has booked a service for what was I think, a reasonable fare. (Promotional Fare to encourage people to use the service?) They cancel it and charge more to make up the difference because at that point you will have little options. I’m so glad you highlighted this. I would love to know if you hear from the company. I think they picked the wrong person to scam!
I still remember when I watched you when you have 70k subs (I guess it was 2016) and now 4 years later you have 325k. what a growth and thank you for making the videos about planes.(your videos are very enjoyable).
Such cancellations should not occur, I agree. I did take the Thalys dozens of times to Paris from Brussels and I never had any ticket related problems.
10 years ago, I purchased a ticket from Aachen to Brussels for my relative. Apparently, I printed only the booking confirmation with a reference number, but forgot to print the actual ticket. The conductor refused to accept the confirmation and my relative had to book an expensive ticket on the train! I complained to the German transport authority and they decided in my favour and advised Thalys to reimburse me … which Thalys simple disagreed with and refused to follow its proposition! I have never ever travelled on this train again!
What a cool thing to have a 747 in your garden view! I'm sorry you had a fraudulent experience with Thalys, Josh. I have travelled with them a few times on advance purchases and never had that happen. Did you purchase directly through Thalys or via a third-party vendor? Come on, Thalys. Do the right thing and donate the money to charity! Thanks for the video, Josh. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Stay safe!
Thalys is not a company that scams people. Yes , mistakes are made but if you would address this problem to their customer service they will solve this and refund you. I use the Thalys train a lot and for me personally its the most comfortable to travel to Brussels or Paris.
@@JoshCahill You are aware that there is a pandemic going on? I have waited 3 months for a reply from Eurostar. They will get back to you, and if they made a mistake, they will refund you. To call this company a scam is libel. I thought you were better.
@@JoshCahill Sorry Josh but mistakes occurs and yes ... I believe you seem to forget the pandemic we are in? So calling it "scam" right away, writing "don't take Thalys train" and "they do it intentional" is one step too far! Thalys has given us for years now amazing opportunities to travel between main cities in Europe and except for Japan's Shinkansen, I think most of the world envy us for our high speed train connections. So deal with their customer service; yes it will require patience ...but in the end you'll get your refund ;-). P.S. I am not working for or affiliated in any way to Thalys ... just a customer a few times a year :-)
Some years ago I went from Duisburg via Bruxelles Midi to Eurodisney and it was horrible. The seats in their "economy class" were so uncomfortable and the seat pitch was horrible. But then on my day when I was about to leave, Thalys cancelled the train from Paris to Bruxelles Midi and there was no help at Marne la Vallee. They told me, I should take a train back to Germany, but there was none. So I took Air Berlin from CDG to DUS. Deutsche Bahn in Germany refundet me the costs back for the trip home. But, never ever again Thalys
It sounds like fraud to me! Buy a ticket, they cancel and don't tell you? Screw them! Did you get free frites when you got to Belgium? I always remember that 240kmh is 150 mph, fast enough on my motorbike!
Wow,my wife and I are scheduled to take a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Brussels. Now I am having 2nd thought on taking the train. Maybe we will just fly.
I actually had this happen to me on an Shuttle by United flight way back in the late 90's. They couldn't "find" my flight even though I booked it with a CC and had a conf number. I had to pay full price for the SFO to BUR flight and when tried to reimbursed, they only gave a fraction of the airfare that I had. After that I said never will I fly United. Well little did I know back then, never say never, lol.
Hello Josh, I am disappointed that you had a bad experience on Thalys. I had a wonderful meal and bar service on my journey. Totally enjoyable! Kenneth Brohard.
Buy your Thalys train tickets online at least 3 months before departure as its the cheapest option. If you show up at the station to buy a ticket on the same day as intended travel, then you'll be paying the top fare which is an expensive ripoff. Buy in advance online.
*The conversion of speed/velocity between "kilometers per hour" (km/h) and "miles per hour" (mph) is as follows:* 100 km/h ≈ 62.1371 mph, or 100 mph = 160,9344 km/h. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_units#Speed_or_velocity.
Hi Josh! Omg. Hope it doesn't happen to me on this Thalys Train. Provided that the next day IF i happen to fly to other cities/country. Thank you for complaining this matter, Josh. Tq.
As a frequent traveler on the Paris-Brussels route, I have noticed a significant drop in the overall service level at Thalys over the years. The trains are functional and quick, but the staff members have become aloof and mean-spirited. Plus, trains are frequently delayed for no reason. Thankfully the trips I take are only 1h22.
I never had any problems with Thalys, TGV, ICE, IZY or Eurostar. In the past, there was once a problem with the reservation (we didn't know it until we were on the train), and because of the fact that the train was full, I got 3 free first class seats for me and my grandparents 🙂.
This really helpful video. I am planning to use Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam this July.. I hope this will not happen again.. thank you for your video!
when i was 13. my dad wanted to go to paris whit the thalys. sadly thalys did not operated that day. so 587 euros were gone. instade we were going to roterdam. it was fun tho. thank you for making this review josh.
Thalys is terrible. Took it sometimes many years ago from Cologne to Liege in Belgium when I visited my parents. And because DB mostly delayed and Thalys not DB, Thalys didn't wait when my train was delayed and had to wait 2 hours for the next one. Then you have to book a ticket and the seats are narrow in that train in second class. . But I've never seen it got a speed of 300. But the ICE between Cologne and Frankfurt Airport is very fast.
Thalys, like Eurostar, is 100% owned by SNCF which is not a privatised company but owned by the French government! SNCF is renowned throughout Europe for it's poor customer service and I avoid travelling with that company or any of it's sunbsidiaries. Eurostar have been offering vouchers in respect of cancelled journeys throughout the pandemic (including refunds on reservations made for Interrail pass holders) but it is only when you redemm said vouchers that you are told that they can only be redeemed for full tickets (and not future reservations). It took a threat of legal action to get my money back.
Thalys is operated by THI factory, which is 60% owned by SNCF and 40% by NMBS, the headquarters are in Brussels... But the structure is pretty complicated. And Eurostar is operated by EIL, which is owned by SNCF (55%), NMBS (5%) and investment firms... I love these companies, never had any real problems, they're always very helpful with me if there's something.
[comment May 28, 2021] AHA !! Paris Gare du Nord train station .. train to Amsterdam . I've done that :-) Yikes that train section where you are sitting looks so empty. So amazing Paris to A'dam by train in only 3 hrs is TGF for sure :-)
Did I get it right? They charged you 205 € additionally and you recieved nothing to eat? When I traveled Thalys 3 years ago, I recieved a meal, nothing outstanding, but a meal included on the ticket. Your travelspeed was 186 mph or 300 kph.
Not used Thalys but have used Eurostar and never had a similar problem. Once I did have to travel on a £175 ticket (actually my journey was a lot more expensive than that, but that's a long story, partly explained by the £175 ticket actually being paid for by my car breakdown insurance...) And yes, absolutely you should get your money back. You paid for a cheap book-ahead fare in good faith and have to pay the full walk-up fare for an empty train/
Geez Josh, I wonder if Paul Lucas has as much fun on his train trips with respect to the Thalys scam?! Kind of reminds me of your experience with Malaysia airlines...good luck with the donation! Great review as always❤️👍✈️
So they cancel a ticket, don’t email you and don’t refund you? Yeah, that’s a scam for sure. I would’ve showed them the transactions on my bank app and make them let me embark or they would have to give me the money back right away... What a shitty thing to do.
Lemme get this straight.... you paid for a ticket, you got evidence of that... yet they told you ''no'' and you paid more?! ... wow. Good thing you called it out, bad thing you accepted it.
My experience with the thalys is better... sort of. Once went from brussels to london with it. No complaints. Paid €61 (Lübeck -> London) as or flight was canceled due to fog. About 14-ish years ago though.
That is super odd they just cancelled the ticket - if you have any legal insurance you should go legal against it. They have to accept your ticket if no cancellation was issued to you by email. Think first class in Europe is not shiny like an airplane - but at least you have some space. German ICE is not that comfy as the TGV one. I hope you have an update on this story, cuz this shouldn't happen and thanks for the video
Hello, just to verify that they don't ask for any identification from Rotterdam to Paris? And from Paris to rotterdam. They only ask for your tickets right? Hoping for your response! ☺️
Interesting video makes a change from planes to see a train journey review, bit like Noel Philips does sometimes. Shame about the scam and hope you get the money back, you should report them thats nonsense! ;o)
You have only faced a scam. It breaks your heart when you face racial discrimination. I have had the worst experience with Thalys. Not only was I boarded into the wrong compartment by the staff, but they even refused to buy myself a ticket because I was "not white" and according to them couldn't afford a ticket. Being a doctor, it's painful to experience such behaviour from another human being. To make things worse, I was asked to get off at Antwerpen by the train staff, because the fellow white people with me were feeling uncomfortable.
Boeing 747 outside your hotel window...Wow the best view 😍. If Josh reviews and gives a feedback, You can trust on him blindly because his reviews are always honest. The scam part which you said of donating the money to charity...That was a sweet attitude towards the train company. Well done mate. God bless you and be safe in this pandemic 😇🙂
The truth is, If Josh says that airline is 👎🏻 then the comment section is horrible to read. If he says that airline is 👍🏻the comment section is so pleasant 😂😂 LOL😂😂 Note : Not related to this video😂😂😂
Great review Josh. How dissapointing that you were ripped off. Thank you for letting us know so that we, as consumers, are aware of this.. Now the Thallys train is aware that their scam is known public and people are aware of this and more people will not be scammed in the same way.
Hej, have you ever received an apology or a cash refund? By the way, Rotterdam is Europe biggest harbour (in the old days it was the world's biggest harbour. By the way, i do like your reviews.
You should have adressed that scam way heavier in your thumbnail and title because this is just insane and I'm pretty sure it's not legal at all. I can't actually believe that this happened to you. Also why would your ticket get cancelled? The train was empty, it's not like it was overbooked or something. Shame on Thalys but hey, what can you expect when you go over to your western neighbour and former land, right haha :D?
I like the Thalys. The single seat in first class is much more comfortable than any economy seat in an airplane. In the case of last-minute cancellations and rebookings, I have found the Thalys company to be generous and customer-friendly. At least that was my experience. However, the Thalys on-board restaurant is only a take-out and is of a rather poor standard.
UPDATE: Thalys has reached out to me and they are investigating the case. They have also agreed to donate the money to a charity that supports less fortunate children this Christmas. They have been trying really hard to fix this situation and I trust that such cases shouldn't occur anymore. I'm glad that this video has helped to make travelling a little better for us again. Thanks everyone!
Awesome videos Josh where'd Cat go to I really wanna see her again
Amazing Josh 😍😍😍😍
Yeah this situation is very unfortunate. Such a Scam! However I would like to let you know I've taken Thalys almost every week for a while and they are by far the best service between Brussels and Amsterdam. The Flixbus is almost always delays and the NS Intercity to Brussels slow and sometimes the train is cancelled outright. Thalys however is fast and almost always on time. In terms of delays, so far I have never experienced a delay over 15 minutes. They haven''t scammed me in my dozens of journeys and while it is not something that should have happened to you, I believe what happened to you is quite unusual. It's crazy how experiences of the same product can vary so wildly between people. In my (humble) opinion, Thalys deserves a second chance ;)
If you go on Trip Advisor you will see a large number of people have had similar problems with Thalys train tickets. They book online money taken from acc but get no e-ticket or its cancelled or they purchase it through a Travel Agent and Thalys claim to not have a booking. Either they have a poor booking system or they are ripping people off. Dispute the charge with your Bank Josh they will get it refunded.👍
@@brilliantbutblue It's possible that it happens. On the other hand, anyone who experiences someting like this will post a review about it and everyone who had a normal experience didn't know about it and thus never posted anything. Considering this has never happened to me, my family or any of my friends who also take Thalys every weekend to travel between Brussels and Amsterdam I still believe this issue has only affected a very small number of travellers
Your attitude towards the scam was pretty good 😌. The company should actually donate the scam money to charity really.
Mridul Bihani No, Josh could have the money back so he can use the money on more journeys.
Can they just cancel without any valid explanation? That sounds so dodgy
@@nathanaelhalim8191 Exactly. And on a practically empty train too, so they can't use the "social distancing means we have to cancel half the bookings" excuse.
I would have raised holy hell... blatant fraud - I would report this immeadiatly to the appropriate EU organization. At least make the SOBs have to spend money to defend themselves. Also no a CHANCE in Hell they will donate this to charity.
You need to make a follownup to this and very, very hold them publically accountable.
its not a scam ITS A TRAIN TRIP what do you expect
192 miles
I was a frequent Thalys traveller until they "lost" my reservation. Same scam. I had a printed ticket and they had no proof of cancellation. Thalys was forced to acccept me as the Premier passenger according to my ticket. It was my last trip on that train. I cancelled my return from Paris and ever since this nightmare I fly Transavia or KLM to Paris 10 times a year
That's sad if there's actually a convenient train connection. Why Thalys??
As many others have pointed out - things go wrong with Thalys - yes the internet sometimes doesn't work - the overall price value is sometimes questionable. Unfortunately there is no competition on this route, if you don't want to fly, it is Thalys or a bus taking double the time. As a regular customer I do have to say I've never seen people refused to board because of cancelled tickets. Pre-corona when trains were full and you have +100 people in front of you at Gare du Nord, I never experienced such a case, yet I wouldn't rule out, that it happens. My other question however is, when you show your initial ticket, it was a "comfort" one, that is first class without service, while in the video you're seated in "premium" which is first class with service. Premium was been reinstated from the 1st of September so technically if you travelled after that date, it wasn't the same class. I'm also surprised to see that the food and beverage service wasn't mentioned, if you haven't received anything, while paying the "premium" class price, that would be worthwhile mentioning while reviewing the product. Waiting more than six weeks for an answer from customer service doesn't leave a good image, yet again in corona times others have been waiting for months to hear from airlines.....
You also go with the tgv to lille and than go to Brussel with the tgv and than go with the normaal train to Amsterdam but it Will cost extra time in it
Josh, you are so diplomatic and classy in the way you handle situations.
I took Thallys in 2009 on the same route. I absolutely loved it. I'm disappointed to see them going down this path. Loved the video. Keep it up!
I've travelled on the Thalys quite a lot during the past 2 years and I've genuinly had only good experiences. This has never happened to me, the trains were almost always perfectly on time and the one time it was delayed (which wasn't even their fault) the staff went out of their way to help me get home and get my money back, which I received 2 weeks after. The only things I consider bad at times is the price of the ticket and the slightly outdated interior, though I have heard they will be refurbished.
this train is cool it don't wast your time
At 8:00 you drove by my house Josh just behind that wall! How cool. Next time drop by for a cup of coffee haha ☕️
Actually he didn't drive.
Thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention. My wife and I booked tickets on Thalys for a trip from Amsterdam to Brussels last year. We had to cancel our trip when the travel ban went into effect flying in from the USA. It was a nightmare trying to get a refund back on my credit card. I had to get the credit card company involved. There is nothing on their website that allows you to get a refund or to communicate with Thalys. The lady at the CC company spent a week trying to find something and trying to contact Thalys and she never was able to reach anyone. The CC company refunded us and they took the hit. Pretty sad way to do business.
@@xandrios You didn't read what I wrote. We could not locate any info on getting a refund. There's nothing on their website that allows you to submit for it. Even Barclay's could not locate anything or get them to respond.
@@Andrew-sv6zq Thalys only offers refund for Classe Premiere, so if you booked in Standard or Comfort your screwed
Took it from Amsterdam to CDG in January, the restrooms were smellier than trains in India! It literally crawled to Brussels!
Come on Man.... Don't compare this with the Indian railways.... They are on the NEXT LEVEL....😂
The crawl at Brussels is due to limits of the Belgium rail network. I experience it every weekend. It's frustrating but yeah
Unacceptable. Can you imagine older people that have saved for the trip of a lifetime around Europe and getting stung an extra €150 each in a couple €300 or your stuck at the station!!! They would pay out of fear. I would have moved into the private cabin and remained there purely on principle for the scam. Well done on keeping these companies accountable 👍
Brilliant But Blue I would be out of pocket I would refuse
It's terrible! Said similar comment above, imagine for people who have never traveled to Europe before and everything is strange and confusing anyway then have this happen; it's heartless!
@@amstergal: My parent's have travelled from Australia to Europe a few times and these type of things really throw there confidence and impact the trip. In Italy they have been harassed on trains by "authorities" demanding extra cash payments otherwise they will be thrown off the train, often the cash demands are 10 times the original price of the ticket they purchased for the journey. Thalys needs to fix whatever problems they have with booking systems. 👍
@@brilliantbutblue it's terrible and makes me so sad and angry especially when it's older people.. Just thinking about it and re-reading your comment makes me furious!
I took Thalys on the same route 8 years ago in first class. They served sandwiches and soft drinks at your seat like a full service airline. I guess they must be cost cutting by scamming customers and eliminating meal service.
You have meal service but in premium they have 2 first class now and he have Travelled on the cheaper one that called comfort
Excellent review as always Josh, crisp, concise, informative and entertaining. Brilliant stuff and keep up the good work! Lots of love!!
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s very disappointing that a company can do this to a customer, who has booked a service for what was I think, a reasonable fare. (Promotional Fare to encourage people to use the service?) They cancel it and charge more to make up the difference because at that point you will have little options. I’m so glad you highlighted this. I would love to know if you hear from the company. I think they picked the wrong person to scam!
I still remember when I watched you when you have 70k subs (I guess it was 2016)
and now 4 years later you have 325k. what a growth and thank you for making the videos about planes.(your videos are very enjoyable).
300km is about 180 miles per hour so From New York to Charlotte, North Carolina it would take you a bit more than 2 hours. Thats pretty fast.
Such cancellations should not occur, I agree. I did take the Thalys dozens of times to Paris from Brussels and I never had any ticket related problems.
10 years ago, I purchased a ticket from Aachen to Brussels for my relative. Apparently, I printed only the booking confirmation with a reference number, but forgot to print the actual ticket.
The conductor refused to accept the confirmation and my relative had to book an expensive ticket on the train!
I complained to the German transport authority and they decided in my favour and advised Thalys to reimburse me … which Thalys simple disagreed with and refused to follow its proposition!
I have never ever travelled on this train again!
You will live hundred years because I was just thinking about you and your video showed up
What a cool thing to have a 747 in your garden view! I'm sorry you had a fraudulent experience with Thalys, Josh. I have travelled with them a few times on advance purchases and never had that happen. Did you purchase directly through Thalys or via a third-party vendor?
Come on, Thalys. Do the right thing and donate the money to charity!
Thanks for the video, Josh. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Stay safe!
First time I ear this.. I've been using the Thalys often, never saw that. now I will be more carefull , thanks
Thalys is not a company that scams people. Yes , mistakes are made but if you would address this problem to their customer service they will solve this and refund you. I use the Thalys train a lot and for me personally its the most comfortable to travel to Brussels or Paris.
Thanks mate, I have emailed their customer service and I didn't get an answer. It's been 6 weeks now :)
@@JoshCahill You are aware that there is a pandemic going on? I have waited 3 months for a reply from Eurostar. They will get back to you, and if they made a mistake, they will refund you. To call this company a scam is libel. I thought you were better.
Google it and read some more reviews, I’m not the only one it has happened to. So yes, it’s a scam.
@@JoshCahill Sorry Josh but mistakes occurs and yes ... I believe you seem to forget the pandemic we are in? So calling it "scam" right away, writing "don't take Thalys train" and "they do it intentional" is one step too far! Thalys has given us for years now amazing opportunities to travel between main cities in Europe and except for Japan's Shinkansen, I think most of the world envy us for our high speed train connections. So deal with their customer service; yes it will require patience ...but in the end you'll get your refund ;-).
P.S. I am not working for or affiliated in any way to Thalys ... just a customer a few times a year :-)
Some years ago I went from Duisburg via Bruxelles Midi to Eurodisney and it was horrible. The seats in their "economy class" were so uncomfortable and the seat pitch was horrible.
But then on my day when I was about to leave, Thalys cancelled the train from Paris to Bruxelles Midi and there was no help at Marne la Vallee. They told me, I should take a train back to Germany, but there was none.
So I took Air Berlin from CDG to DUS.
Deutsche Bahn in Germany refundet me the costs back for the trip home. But, never ever again Thalys
What a nightmare!!
I would rather take a Flixbus than this scam train.
same hereee
Being an avgeek I'm not that into trains, but Josh always makes interesting vlogs and I appreciate the heads up on avoiding this scam! Well done Josh.
It sounds like fraud to me! Buy a ticket, they cancel and don't tell you? Screw them! Did you get free frites when you got to Belgium? I always remember that 240kmh is 150 mph, fast enough on my motorbike!
Wow,my wife and I are scheduled to take a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Brussels. Now I am having 2nd thought on taking the train. Maybe we will just fly.
Yes you was right Rotterdam is the largest harbour . Great video Sir Stay safe watching from the uk 🇬🇧
Great review as always! Love your channel man! 👍
I actually had this happen to me on an Shuttle by United flight way back in the late 90's. They couldn't "find" my flight even though I booked it with a CC and had a conf number. I had to pay full price for the SFO to BUR flight and when tried to reimbursed, they only gave a fraction of the airfare that I had. After that I said never will I fly United. Well little did I know back then, never say never, lol.
Hello Josh, I am disappointed that you had a bad experience on Thalys. I had a wonderful meal and bar service on my journey. Totally enjoyable! Kenneth Brohard.
Ah, the intro is at the same exact spot I almost snapped at my uni lecturer during a trip, fun times!
Buy your Thalys train tickets online at least 3 months before departure as its the cheapest option. If you show up at the station to buy a ticket on the same day as intended travel, then you'll be paying the top fare which is an expensive ripoff. Buy in advance online.
At least when Deutsche Bahn cancels your train you are allowed to take any other train. Didn't expect that Thalys sucks that hard.
*The conversion of speed/velocity between "kilometers per hour" (km/h) and "miles per hour" (mph) is as follows:* 100 km/h ≈ 62.1371 mph, or 100 mph = 160,9344 km/h. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_units#Speed_or_velocity.
Book your ticket at the NS. The Dutch Railways service is very good and you won’t be scammed.
I took the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto was very cool! Good report Josh 👍
Rotterdam-Paris: 2 hours 40 minutes. Excellent!
Hi Josh! Omg. Hope it doesn't happen to me on this Thalys Train. Provided that the next day IF i happen to fly to other cities/country. Thank you for complaining this matter, Josh. Tq.
As a frequent traveler on the Paris-Brussels route, I have noticed a significant drop in the overall service level at Thalys over the years. The trains are functional and quick, but the staff members have become aloof and mean-spirited. Plus, trains are frequently delayed for no reason. Thankfully the trips I take are only 1h22.
Very poor Thalys ! - time to step up to the plate and donate the money to charity
If you want to know about the SGR train watch reviews on the SGR.What surprised me the most was that the train costed 3.2billon dollars to build
Thanks for sharing your experience! I was ready to book a ticket online with Thalys but changed my mind and switched to intercity
I never had any problems with Thalys, TGV, ICE, IZY or Eurostar. In the past, there was once a problem with the reservation (we didn't know it until we were on the train), and because of the fact that the train was full, I got 3 free first class seats for me and my grandparents 🙂.
This really helpful video. I am planning to use Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam this July.. I hope this will not happen again.. thank you for your video!
when i was 13. my dad wanted to go to paris whit the thalys. sadly thalys did not operated that day. so 587 euros were gone. instade we were going to roterdam. it was fun tho. thank you for making this review josh.
THank you for the info! very much appreciated!
Hey Josh there are 2 new 787-9 dreamliners and 1 new a321 neo delivered of vistara. When you are going to review?
Have you heard of Covid19? :D
Have you heard about LOCKDOWN? :)
Thalys is terrible. Took it sometimes many years ago from Cologne to Liege in Belgium when I visited my parents. And because DB mostly delayed and Thalys not DB, Thalys didn't wait when my train was delayed and had to wait 2 hours for the next one.
Then you have to book a ticket and the seats are narrow in that train in second class. .
But I've never seen it got a speed of 300.
But the ICE between Cologne and Frankfurt Airport is very fast.
Sir your videos are really awesome thank you so much for all the videos
Josh another good video vlog from u good going mate
Thalys, like Eurostar, is 100% owned by SNCF which is not a privatised company but owned by the French government! SNCF is renowned throughout Europe for it's poor customer service and I avoid travelling with that company or any of it's sunbsidiaries. Eurostar have been offering vouchers in respect of cancelled journeys throughout the pandemic (including refunds on reservations made for Interrail pass holders) but it is only when you redemm said vouchers that you are told that they can only be redeemed for full tickets (and not future reservations). It took a threat of legal action to get my money back.
Thalys is operated by THI factory, which is 60% owned by SNCF and 40% by NMBS, the headquarters are in Brussels... But the structure is pretty complicated.
And Eurostar is operated by EIL, which is owned by SNCF (55%), NMBS (5%) and investment firms...
I love these companies, never had any real problems, they're always very helpful with me if there's something.
[comment May 28, 2021] AHA !! Paris Gare du Nord train station .. train to Amsterdam . I've done that :-) Yikes that train section where you are sitting looks so empty. So amazing Paris to A'dam by train in only 3 hrs is TGF for sure :-)
Did I get it right? They charged you 205 € additionally and you recieved nothing to eat?
When I traveled Thalys 3 years ago, I recieved a meal, nothing outstanding, but a meal included on the ticket.
Your travelspeed was 186 mph or 300 kph.
I would love to know the justification for cancelling the ticket when the carriage is empty!
The highway in Belgium is 120kph and when it's a ring road around Antwerp for example it's 100kph
Cars in the Netherlands and Belgium are allowed to drive maximum 120 km/ hour
Awesome video Josh
Not used Thalys but have used Eurostar and never had a similar problem.
Once I did have to travel on a £175 ticket (actually my journey was a lot more expensive than that, but that's a long story, partly explained by the £175 ticket actually being paid for by my car breakdown insurance...)
And yes, absolutely you should get your money back. You paid for a cheap book-ahead fare in good faith and have to pay the full walk-up fare for an empty train/
TWA Hotel @ JFK ✅
Corenden Hotel Amsterdam - On the list!
I took Thalys only twice in my life, to CDG Paris airport from Brussels. It was ok then.
Josh, come to finland with finnair and try the Finnish train VR to Lapland, Remember if ya wanna go to Lapland go at winter
Thanks a lot
Hmmm, you should do one on ICE trains. I have had a string of disappointing experiences in their first class...
Geez Josh, I wonder if Paul Lucas has as much fun on his train trips with respect to the Thalys scam?! Kind of reminds me of your experience with Malaysia airlines...good luck with the donation! Great review as always❤️👍✈️
Always waiting for your new vlog
Shout out idol watching from Malaysia
So they cancel a ticket, don’t email you and don’t refund you? Yeah, that’s a scam for sure. I would’ve showed them the transactions on my bank app and make them let me embark or they would have to give me the money back right away... What a shitty thing to do.
I love trains so much more than anything else.. Finally I am watching some good vlogs on train.. Thank you very much..
Nice to see your vid pop up 😁
"I wouldn't recommend flying Thalys train" ... love it :) Personally I'm not a fan of flying trains.. Keep up the good work buddy
Nice to see you in France !
Lemme get this straight.... you paid for a ticket, you got evidence of that... yet they told you ''no'' and you paid more?! ... wow. Good thing you called it out, bad thing you accepted it.
My experience with the thalys is better... sort of. Once went from brussels to london with it. No complaints. Paid €61 (Lübeck -> London) as or flight was canceled due to fog. About 14-ish years ago though.
I like this, for a change.
Love your reviews
That is super odd they just cancelled the ticket - if you have any legal insurance you should go legal against it. They have to accept your ticket if no cancellation was issued to you by email. Think first class in Europe is not shiny like an airplane - but at least you have some space. German ICE is not that comfy as the TGV one.
I hope you have an update on this story, cuz this shouldn't happen and thanks for the video
May I get a heart from Josh please always wanted
Josh if you give thanks a million ton
Hope all is well. I have taken this trip a few times and never had this issue. But it was wrong what they did. Love your videos.
Hello, just to verify that they don't ask for any identification from Rotterdam to Paris? And from Paris to rotterdam. They only ask for your tickets right? Hoping for your response! ☺️
Now i am confused whether I should book a ticket with them.
Seems like a serious corrupted management issue .
Take pride what you do
nice jingles with bgm 👌🏻
For First Class looked pretty depressing and dated and certainly not worth the Euros
damn never clicked so fast
Yeah, Rotterdam harbor used to be the biggest in the world before (now not anymore 😂) and yes still a biggest harbor in Europe :)
Interesting video makes a change from planes to see a train journey review, bit like Noel Philips does sometimes. Shame about the scam and hope you get the money back, you should report them thats nonsense! ;o)
Thanks, they have reached out to me already, investigating the case. Let's see what happens next ;)
@@JoshCahill keep us posted Josh 🤞👍
This train is faster than the SGR train in Kenya.All that is 3hrs if it was the SGR it's a whole trip from Nairobi to Mombasa
You have only faced a scam. It breaks your heart when you face racial discrimination. I have had the worst experience with Thalys. Not only was I boarded into the wrong compartment by the staff, but they even refused to buy myself a ticket because I was "not white" and according to them couldn't afford a ticket. Being a doctor, it's painful to experience such behaviour from another human being. To make things worse, I was asked to get off at Antwerpen by the train staff, because the fellow white people with me were feeling uncomfortable.
Boeing 747 outside your hotel window...Wow the best view 😍. If Josh reviews and gives a feedback, You can trust on him blindly because his reviews are always honest. The scam part which you said of donating the money to charity...That was a sweet attitude towards the train company. Well done mate. God bless you and be safe in this pandemic 😇🙂
NICE HOTEL I RECOMMENDED THIS HOTEL THERE IS 747 AND NEAR TO AMS AIRPORT
Josh Cahill.it is Blair from Kenya an Aviation enthusiast. Hope to work with you soon#!😄🙏
The truth is, If Josh says that airline is 👎🏻 then the comment section is horrible to read. If he says that airline is 👍🏻the comment section is so pleasant 😂😂
LOL😂😂
Note : Not related to this video😂😂😂
I wish he did more videos about trains alongside planes
Great review Josh. How dissapointing that you were ripped off. Thank you for letting us know so that we, as consumers, are aware of this.. Now the Thallys train is aware that their scam is known public and people are aware of this and more people will not be scammed in the same way.
JoseDC1000 there must be a reason why they doing this
Hej, have you ever received an apology or a cash refund? By the way, Rotterdam is Europe biggest harbour (in the old days it was the world's biggest harbour. By the way, i do like your reviews.
You should have adressed that scam way heavier in your thumbnail and title because this is just insane and I'm pretty sure it's not legal at all. I can't actually believe that this happened to you. Also why would your ticket get cancelled? The train was empty, it's not like it was overbooked or something. Shame on Thalys but hey, what can you expect when you go over to your western neighbour and former land, right haha :D?
I've loved travelling Thalys every time Ive been onboard
can u do a review on Maharajas Express in india?....its actually very risky....
Josh, U missed the Central Station of Antwerp......very famous
I like the Thalys. The single seat in first class is much more comfortable than any economy seat in an airplane. In the case of last-minute cancellations and rebookings, I have found the Thalys company to be generous and customer-friendly. At least that was my experience. However, the Thalys on-board restaurant is only a take-out and is of a rather poor standard.