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Likely to be stranded at Manchester - what to do?

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Egg Centric

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Due to tonight's disruption on Euston, my wife and I are currently on a train (1H36) which was going to get in with enough time to get the last TPE to Glasgow.

It is now looking extremely dicey as the train has continued to get later during the journey and at present there's an estimated 1 minute to change at Picaddily.

On the assumption we don't make it, what do we need to do on arrival at Picaddily, firstly to get ticket endorsed so that we can travel tomorrow without any bother and secondly to get accommodation (will train company provide this)?

Our ticket is an advanced Watford Junction - Glasgow Central booked to take the 1930 from Euston, but due to the disruption we went via Milton Keynes.
 
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30907

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The TPE is currently +6 so you stand a chance.
Ironically the 1930 isnt badly delayed.
 

gray1404

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I'd make the train manager Aware of your situation now in case they are able to make a phone call ahead.
 

Ianno87

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Save time at Piccadilly by alighting next to the footbridge steps to go straight over to P14. Should be the rear door of Coach E nearest, if I recall correctly and the train has standard class leading as usual.
 

Egg Centric

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Save time at Piccadilly by alighting next to the footbridge steps to go straight over to P14. Should be the rear door of Coach E nearest, if I recall correctly and the train has standard class leading as usual.

Thank you, it worked out ok before this message though. Currently somewhere between Lockerbie and Glasgow.

Next question: will we be able to claim delay repay based on the arrival of the TPE train, or would it be the arrival of the 7:30 Virgin Train - even though we couldn't possibly have known that we would have been able to get it and had been advised to head north from Watford?

My expectation from other threads here is we're entitled to delay repay based on the train we actually took (which might *just* make it over the hour threshold from the look of it) but will take a while to convince customer service of this.
 

hkstudent

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Thank you, it worked out ok before this message though. Currently somewhere between Lockerbie and Glasgow.

Next question: will we be able to claim delay repay based on the arrival of the TPE train, or would it be the arrival of the 7:30 Virgin Train - even though we couldn't possibly have known that we would have been able to get it and had been advised to head north from Watford?

My expectation from other threads here is we're entitled to delay repay based on the train we actually took (which might *just* make it over the hour threshold from the look of it) but will take a while to convince customer service of this.
It's based on the time you arrived at your final destination, which is Glasgow, as long as you have ticket(s) to get to Glasgow.
If the CS team rejected your claim, you may need to appeal it, and get a more senior person to review your case (which more likely to succeed)

On the assumption we don't make it, what do we need to do on arrival at Picaddily, firstly to get ticket endorsed so that we can travel tomorrow without any bother and secondly to get accommodation (will train company provide this)?
They would try to arrange an alternative transport first (e.g. private hire coach/taxi). If not fruitful, they have to book you a hotel for the night before you take the train the next day.
 

Hadders

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Delay Repay is based on the delay to your overall journey. If you were travelling from London to Glasgow what time were you due to arrive and what time did you get there in the end?
 

Ianno87

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If your Advance fare was from Watford via Euston, would you have made the 1930 if you'd have got the intended train from Watford to connect with it?
 

yorkie

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There is no need to over complicate this.

It's simply a case of comparing the actual arrival time with the originally booked arrival time.

This of course assumes the customer held a valid itinerary (which, given the ticket held, they clearly did), and acted reasonably and in accordance with any advice given, regarding taking alternative services due to the disruption.
 

Bletchleyite

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There is no need to over complicate this.

It's simply a case of comparing the actual arrival time with the originally booked arrival time.

This of course assumes the customer held a valid itinerary (which, given the ticket held, they clearly did), and acted reasonably and in accordance with any advice given, regarding taking alternative services due to the disruption.

I agree.

As another example I've claimed Delay Repay when travelling from East Croydon to Bletchley when the Southern has been canned and I've taken Thameslink to St Pancras, walked to Euston and LNR back home. This isn't the absolute quickest (well, it might be now, but it wasn't when everything was avoiding London Bridge) but Victoria in the evening rush is a meat market and you are generally advised to avoid the Tube there if you can. It's always been paid in full without question.

In the confusion of serious disruption like this, unless you were given a specific written itinerary by a member of staff and chose to ignore it (but I bet you weren't - no way would they have had enough of a handle on what was going on to do that, and in any case the Delay Repay team have no way to know if they did or not) it sounds to me like the OP acted totally reasonably and is due Delay Repay based on the difference between actual arrival time and when they were originally going to arrive.
 

gray1404

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As others have said you claim delay repay based on what actually happened. So you compare the time you should have arrived had everything ran to plan against your actual arrival time. I see the TPE train you took arrived in Glasgow at 00:49 and had you caught your intended 19:30 then you were due to arrive at 00:03. You therefore arrived 46 minutes late and have a valid claim based on a 30-59 minute delay.

You need to claim against the company who caused you to not be able to take the 19:30 from Euston. I suspect this will be the operator of the service you were meant to take from Watford Junction to Euston. As you have an Advance ticket you will be able to work this out easily based on your itinerary. Was it the 18:46 West Midlands Trains service from Watford Junction to London Euston arriving at 19:10 you were meant to take? If so, then you need to claim against West Midlands Trains as I see this train was in fact cancelled.

If so you can claim here:

https://londonnorthwesternrailway.delayrepaycompensation.com/index.cfm?action=myclaims.add

You are entitled to 50% of the value of your advance single ticket as compensation. If for any reason they calculate the claim incorrectly then you can appeal, which will allow you to give a more detailed explanation of what happened but hopefully they will get it right first time.

I am assuming that Glasgow Central was your final rail destination and you didn't continue further anywhere else by train once you arrived at Glasgow Central?
 
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Egg Centric

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As others have said you claim delay repay based on what actually happened. So you compare the time you should have arrived had everything ran to plan against your actual arrival time. I see the TPE train you took arrived in Glasgow at 00:49 and had you caught your intended 19:30 then you were due to arrive at 00:03. You therefore arrived 46 minutes late and have a valid claim based on a 30-59 minute delay.

You need to claim against the company who caused you to not be able to take the 19:30 from Euston. I suspect this will be the operator of the service you were meant to take from Watford Junction to Euston. As you have an Advance ticket you will be able to work this out easily based on your itinerary. Was it the 18:46 West Midlands Trains service from Watford Junction to London Euston arriving at 19:10 you were meant to take? If so, then you need to claim against West Midlands Trains as I see this train was in fact cancelled.

If so you can claim here:

https://londonnorthwesternrailway.delayrepaycompensation.com/index.cfm?action=myclaims.add

You are entitled to 50% of the value of your advance single ticket as compensation. If for any reason they calculate the claim incorrectly then you can appeal, which will allow you to give a more detailed explanation of what happened but hopefully they will get it right first time.

I am assuming that Glasgow Central was your final rail destination and you didn't continue further anywhere else by train once you arrived at Glasgow Central?

Yup. You pretty much have our situation exactly.

It is a bit peculiar that we only made it because a) the TPE was late but also b) We arrived at Watford Junction with LOTS of spare time - my original plan had been to take a train around 5:30ish towards Euston to either chill in the lounge or go to the Doric Arch. The actual increase to our journey time was therfore considerably more - we'd never have made it had we arrived at WJ at the specified departure time - and we missed out on decent first-class catering. So wondering if it's worth getting in touch with Virgin nevertheless for increased compensation possibility?

Strange "company" Virgin. I have a well used Virgin credit card, and one of their more 'exclusive' group companies is one of our clients. But I don't think either of these connections will assist.
 

hkstudent

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Yup. You pretty much have our situation exactly.

It is a bit peculiar that we only made it because a) the TPE was late but also b) We arrived at Watford Junction with LOTS of spare time - my original plan had been to take a train around 5:30ish towards Euston to either chill in the lounge or go to the Doric Arch. The actual increase to our journey time was therfore considerably more - we'd never have made it had we arrived at WJ at the specified departure time - and we missed out on decent first-class catering. So wondering if it's worth getting in touch with Virgin nevertheless for increased compensation possibility?

Strange "company" Virgin. I have a well used Virgin credit card, and one of their more 'exclusive' group companies is one of our clients. But I don't think either of these connections will assist.
It would not likely, as the meal is just a complimentary service mentioned in NRCOT. (But well notice that, advance fare on dinner car service is much higher than other ordinary service [couple of advance fare scale up], there is sort of "premium" in the ticket, but be difficult to calculate)
However, NRCOT is certainly go againist Consumer Law, which downgrade / missing of food & drink service consisted of poor train service (require case law to test, and could be costly to pursuit)
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act-travel-amendments
Do try ask, and see if they would give you some "goodwill gesture"
 
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yorkie

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...We arrived at Watford Junction with LOTS of spare time - my original plan had been to take a train around 5:30ish towards Euston to either chill in the lounge or go to the Doric Arch. The actual increase to our journey time was therfore considerably more.....
Technically you'd not have been allowed to go to the Doric Arch as it's a breach of the T&Cs ;), but of course it would be undetectable and no-one would mind you doing that. The lounge would be fine though.

However, departing earlier than booked and spending more time at Watford Junction station rather than the lounge at Euston isn't something that entitles you to more compensation, unfortunately.
we missed out on decent first-class catering. So wondering if it's worth getting in touch with Virgin nevertheless for increased compensation possibility?
The position isn't entirely clear from your posts.

But if the first-class catering on '1H36' was reduced compared to the advertised catering on the 1930 from Euston then you could additionally write to Virgin about that. You'd need to make your correspondence with them clear and concise and disclose the fact you have a Delay Repay application with West Midlands Trains and are only claiming on the basis that the reduced 1st class offering was not available.

Alternatively if you are comparing the reduced first class offering on the TPE train to what you would have got on Virgin on the northern part of the route, then that is definitely not something to contact Virgin about. You could mention it to WMT in your correspondence with them, as it was WMT who caused this to happen, however I suspect it would overly complicate your claim. A simple DR claim that is clear and concise can be turned around by most TOCs in hardly any time, while a claim for additional compensation can make cases drag on and cost more in your own time than the extra compensation might be worth!!
 

gray1404

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To add to the above I would make a simple delay repay claim only to West Midland Trains using the form link provided above.

However if you wish to make a separate complaint to Customer Services at V
WMT because the delay to their train caused you to miss out on the first class offering then you can do so. They may be willing to issue a goodwill gesture/compensation.

Likewise if you feel there were any faults with the first class service on the Virgin service to Manchester then you can contact Virgin Trains Customer Service. They may be willing to issue a goodwill gesture.

Remember to attach copies of your tickets to any of the above.
 
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