Stranded due to action short of a strike tomorrow, very expensive situation, advice needed

[Fibee]

I travelled from London Paddington to Totnes on Thursday, and was due to travel back to London tomorrow.

I booked earlier in November, when some strike action had been announced, but none affecting GWR on these dates (at least not according to the GWR website at the time).

I received an email from GWR on Friday afternoon (once already in Totnes) stating that services on Sunday (and the weekend) would be severely disrupted or non-existent and that I should travel before the weekend or after Sunday. Unfortunately, due to patchy phone signal and being on holiday I only just saw the email today. However, travelling home a day early would have meant losing £120+ on the final hotel night.

As it stands now, we will have to try and book another night in a hotel (if we can get one), and as a self-employed couple will now potentially lose two full days pay on Monday as we try to get home. So all added up, that could be well over £600 out of pocket.

I’m looking for advice regarding how much if any of this I can take to GWR or the ombudsman for compensation. Their Twitter account told me I was to blame for travelling during a strike period, but ASLEF’s notice of strike only includes GWR for the 7th of December. I was also permitted to buy an advance ticket, which they say on their website would not have been possible during strike action days.

I do have annual travel insurance but haven’t looked to see if I’m covered there yet, it might not even count this as strike action because the GWR website itself just says “non strike day” for Sunday 3rd.

Please help me to understand if I have any claim here. I was very careful to check the details both before booking and before travelling outwards to avoid this situation, and on the basis of the 14 days strike notice law, didn’t expect to get stranded in such an expensive situation like this due to a change only 48 hours before the trip.

Just to add insult to injury, I’m also not physically well enough to undertake a complex alternate journey that includes standing on cold train platforms or standing on a packed train. This was supposed to be a respite trip due to ill health. Yes, I am still able to work from home, but have problems standing / with physical activity.

Thank you in advance

 

[yorkie]

Unless there is something drastically preventing you taking alternative routes, if it was me, I personally would be taking alternative trains.

The journey is possible changing at Bristol and Salisbury; Bristol will have warm places to wait while changing trains and I am unsure about Salisbury.

This gets you to Waterloo; if Paddington is your final destination, you simply finish with the Bakerloo Line.

Yes, it will be slow, but you would get there.

 

[AlterEgo]

This isn’t meant to sound unfeeling as I’m sure this is a stressful time for you, but any train trip you take, especially on a Sunday, has a risk of ending up involving alternate routes or standing at short notice. I’d agree with @yorkie and look to take alternative trains.

However, if you really can’t face that prospect, you’ll have to travel back on Monday. I doubt you’ll have much ease in claiming compensation for this, beyond the price of your tickets, and I fear this will be a stressful endeavour for you.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Presumably GWR would at least ensure the ticket was validated for travel by the alternative Salisbury route (if it isn't anyway), so that no new tickets are needed; that way there's no financial loss. (And there might be some Delay Repay due - which would refund a lot of the original ticket cost - on account of having a London arrival much later than on your booking.) This seems preferable, and a financially safer bet, than buying new tickets and trying to get the originals refunded.

 

[fandroid]

Salisbury has warm places to wait, but if GWR services are disrupted, there might be cancellations on the Bristol to Portsmouth route too. As for strike days, there is a blanket overtime ban on all rail services, not just on strike days, so this itself could cause cancellations.

Add in that the only services at Totnes appear to be CrossCountry then severe crowding is to be expected on their trains.

I would have thought that insurance would pay up, depending on the company and the terms of the policy. You were sold a ticket for today by GWR and then later advised to not travel today, so that ought to be sufficient.

 

[Haywain]

I would have thought that insurance would pay up, depending on the company and the terms of the policy. You were sold a ticket for today by GWR and then later advised to not travel today, so that ought to be sufficient.

I wouldn't be so sure about that, given that the OP has said:

I booked earlier in November, when some strike action had been announced,

 

[Llanigraham]

If nothing else, aren't there buses that run from Devon to London?

 

[AlterEgo]

If nothing else, aren't there buses that run from Devon to London?

I’ve checked National Express yesterday and they were all sold out.

 

[yorkie]

Presumably GWR would at least ensure the ticket was validated for travel by the alternative Salisbury route (if it isn't anyway), so that no new tickets are needed; that way there's no financial loss. (

It's automatically valid

And there might be some Delay Repay due - which would refund a lot of the original ticket cost - on account of having a London arrival much later than on your booking.)

I believe delay compensation should be based on the contracted itinerary but some people take a different view; this is covered in other threads.

This seems preferable, and a financially safer bet, than buying new tickets and trying to get the originals refunded.

A refund of any unused tickets, for which the booked itinerary is no longer possible, would be a contractual right. However not all websites make it as easy as ours to do that.

 

[johncrossley]

If nothing else, aren't there buses that run from Devon to London?

Surely they will be fully booked? You can't use coaches as backup for trains in the event of train industrial action. You either book coaches in the first place or have your own car as backup.

 

[Fibee]

The coaches are all fully booked, we’ve exhausted every ride sharing/bus option we could find.

The GWR twitter account is stating that ticket acceptance is not in place for other train companies, so to take Cross Country services we would have to buy a new ticket.

It seems that a lot of people have ended up in this predicament based on a quick Twitter search. Some people only got the email about widespread cancellations at 4am this morning.

I’m not going to be well enough to make multiple transfers / waiting without access to drinks and toilets unfortunately, so a 6 hour busy journey isn’t an option, we’ll have to try and travel tomorrow instead.

I appreciate that Sunday/strike action disruption is to be expected but I feel like there’s been significant difference here between “some services may be subject to cancellation” and “no trains will run on this route at all”, and I really feel like GWR has screwed a lot of people over today. Of course we wouldn’t have planned around travelling today if we had the information that they only made available this weekend. If they got notice from ASLEF according to the 14 day rule, why did it take so long for them to announce this to passengers? All the news outlets still only say Dec 7th for GWR even now.

 

[Haywain]

You can't use coaches as backup for trains in the event of train industrial action. You either book coaches in the first place or have your own car as backup.

That is a ridiculous statement. When a strike was announced last year and I was due to be away, I immediately booked a coach for my journey home. Why, as someone who prefers to travel by train and does not own a car, would I book coaches at the outset?

 

[Bensonby]

Surely the correct thing to do would be to present yourself at the station shortly before your booked time to travel and then get staff present to make arrangements as per their obligations under paragraph 28.2 of the NRCOT?

 

[johncrossley]

That is a ridiculous statement. When a strike was announced last year and I was due to be away, I immediately booked a coach for my journey home. Why, as someone who prefers to travel by train and does not own a car, would I book coaches at the outset?

Because, as noted, coaches are highly likely to be booked up as soon as a strike is announced.

It is unwise to book train travel, especially long distance, more than 2 weeks in advance.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Surely the correct thing to do would be to present yourself at the station shortly before your booked time to travel and then get staff present to make arrangements as per their obligations under paragraph 28.2 of the NRCOT?

The response to which is likely to be as suggested elsewhere in the thread, namely go to Waterloo via Bristol and Salisbury.

 

[Haywain]

Surely the correct thing to do would be to present yourself at the station shortly before your booked time to travel and then get staff present to make arrangements as per their obligations under paragraph 28.2 of the NRCOT?

The reality appears to be that the OP has certain requirements which mean that any alternative to a through train is likely to be unacceptable, and it will not be possible for GWR to offer that today.

 

[Deerfold]

Because, as noted, coaches are highly likely to be booked up as soon as a strike is announced.

It is unwise to book train travel, especially long distance, more than 2 weeks in advance.

Thereby potentially paying much more for it.

 

[johncrossley]

Thereby potentially paying much more for it.

Indeed. Therefore, at present, long distance train travel is not really a budget option at the moment unless you are prepared to take a big risk. If you don't have a car as backup then your choices are:

1. Book well in advance. You might get a good value train fare but if there is industrial action you may have no option other than to cancel the trip because there are no viable alternatives, such as coach travel as that is sold out. There could be several consequences. You might waste annual leave. You might miss out on seeing friends who cannot rearrange their dates. You might lose money on accommodation. You might miss out on an event and lose the money spent on tickets.

2. Book less than two weeks in advance, thus paying more for the train tickets.

3. Book coach at the outset.

 

[Deerfold]

Indeed. Therefore, at present, long distance train travel is not really a budget option at the moment unless you are prepared to take a big risk. If you don't have a car as backup then your choices are:

1. Book well in advance. You might get a good value train fare but if there is industrial action you may have no option other than to cancel the trip because there are no viable alternatives, such as coach travel as that is sold out. There could be several consequences. You might waste annual leave. You might miss out on seeing friends who cannot rearrange their dates. You might lose money on accommodation. You might miss out on an event and lose the money spent on tickets.

2. Book less than two weeks in advance, thus paying more for the train tickets.

3. Book coach at the outset.

Why would you do 2.? If you're going to wait until it's too late for strike action to be announced, it'll be too late to do anything as an alternative, too. With 1, you can choose to refund your tickets if there's a problem and you got cheaper tickets if there isn't.

 

[johncrossley]

Why would you do 2.? If you're going to wait until it's too late for strike action to be announced, it'll be too late to do anything as an alternative, too. With 1, you can choose to refund your tickets if there's a problem and you got cheaper tickets if there isn't.

You would only generally do that option if you don't know you are travelling until less than two weeks before travel. If the trip is important, then option 3 is the only realistic option.

 

[Deerfold]

You would only generally do that option if you don't know you are travelling until less than two weeks before travel. If the trip is important, then option 3 is the only realistic option.

I can understand doing 3, but not 2. I don't understand you advising 2 over 1.

 

[trainophile]

Pay a bit extra for refundable hotel rooms. I've found if there's disruption that means I can't make my journey I can reclaim the tickets anyway. Trainsplit even email me when they hear of a cancellation, offering a refund if I don't travel, which is a huge help.

Probably not helpful for the OP though, as they have already made their outward journey before hearing of the cancellation, so are effectively stranded. I wouldn't think this happens very often. Do we know why GWR pulled all their services at such short notice? Is all their Sunday work purely overtime?

 

[johncrossley]

I can understand doing 3, but not 2. I don't understand you advising 2 over 1.

If you plan to do a trip on a more spontaneous basis. For example, you fancy a trip at the weekend after seeing the weather is fine.

 

[Peter Sarf]

That is a ridiculous statement. When a strike was announced last year and I was due to be away, I immediately booked a coach for my journey home. Why, as someone who prefers to travel by train and does not own a car, would I book coaches at the outset?

I book coaches because they are cheaper and more reliable even ignoring strike action.

Because, as noted, coaches are highly likely to be booked up as soon as a strike is announced.

It is unwise to book train travel, especially long distance, more than 2 weeks in advance.

That is why I currently make very few plans relying on the railways.

Indeed. Therefore, at present, long distance train travel is not really a budget option at the moment unless you are prepared to take a big risk. If you don't have a car as backup then your choices are:

1. Book well in advance. You might get a good value train fare but if there is industrial action you may have no option other than to cancel the trip because there are no viable alternatives, such as coach travel as that is sold out. There could be several consequences. You might waste annual leave. You might miss out on seeing friends who cannot rearrange their dates. You might lose money on accommodation. You might miss out on an event and lose the money spent on tickets.

2. Book less than two weeks in advance, thus paying more for the train tickets.

3. Book coach at the outset.

This is what I find myself thinking.

For #1 I would book in advance if its a day trip so no risk of wasted money on hotels. Does not work if there are other costs I will be left with or if I really do not want to miss out on something. So its often coach or car.

For #2 I recently got away with cheapish LNR tickets Euston/Birmingham £8 each way booked about three days ahead. I had to be quite flexible on what trains I booked on.

For #3 - yep I often book the coach as first choice anyway.

None of this helps the OP on his already committed itinerary and health issues.

 

[johncrossley]

Pay a bit extra for refundable hotel rooms. I've found if there's disruption that means I can't make my journey I can reclaim the tickets anyway. Trainsplit even email me when they hear of a cancellation, offering a refund if I don't travel, which is a huge help.

This is fine if the trip isn't very important, but not much good if you will be very disappointed if you have to cancel, such as for an event or if you can't easily get time off at another time.

 

[Deerfold]

I book coaches because they are cheaper and more reliable even ignoring strike action.

The last coach I got was London to Leeds. It took 4 hours to get from Victoria to Peterborough services where the driver had to have a break to not go over his hours on the run.

 

[Haywain]

Indeed. Therefore, at present, long distance train travel is not really a budget option at the moment unless you are prepared to take a big risk. If you don't have a car as backup then your choices are:

1. Book well in advance. You might get a good value train fare but if there is industrial action you may have no option other than to cancel the trip because there are no viable alternatives, such as coach travel as that is sold out. There could be several consequences. You might waste annual leave. You might miss out on seeing friends who cannot rearrange their dates. You might lose money on accommodation. You might miss out on an event and lose the money spent on tickets.

2. Book less than two weeks in advance, thus paying more for the train tickets.

3. Book coach at the outset.

Or just carry on as normal and if anything happens to disrupt your plans make adjustments as appropriate. In case you hadn't noticed their are other things that can cause disruption at even shorter notice than strikes - such as weather.

Ultimately, you can do whatever is appropriate to your attitude to risk, but you don't need to preach to other people based on your own prejudices.

 

[Deafdoggie]

The last coach I got was London to Leeds. It took 4 hours to get from Victoria to Peterborough services where the driver had to have a break to not go over his hours on the run.

Your driver was on the run?

 

[robbeech]

Surely the correct thing to do would be to present yourself at the station shortly before your booked time to travel and then get staff present to make arrangements as per their obligations under paragraph 28.2 of the NRCOT?

Apart from they’ll almost certainly be denied any help at all.

If the service is removed from a timetable it (and it generally staggers me) also appears to take an order of magnitude off of some rail staff’s IQ.
“But there is not 1600 to Preston, it doesn’t exist so we can’t put you on another train”
Despite them working there since late 1997 and there having been a 1600 to Preston 6 days a week since then.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Presumably GWR would at least ensure the ticket was validated for travel by the alternative Salisbury route (if it isn't anyway), so that no new tickets are needed; that way there's no financial loss.

It's automatically valid

Is that because it's an allowable route anyway (if it's not an Advance ticket), or do you mean in the sense that with cancellations like this any TOC is obliged to carry you to avoid you being stranded?