Avanti Split Ticket - Incorrect Advice?

[palmersears]

Before next week's strikes were announced I purchased tickets to travel with Avanti from Stockport to Euston on 6 April. The outward journey had a split at Nuneaton.

This train has subsequently been cancelled, so I sought the advice of Avanti's twitter team as to what my options were. I was surprised to be told I could get on the 1024 or 1104, despite neither stopping at Nuneaton. When I queried this I was told the following:

"I would say as your train has been cancelled, this will be ok. You can double check with the Train Manager onboard but this is usually fine with them."

Is this typical for Avanti? I'm not sure I want to be relying on the good will of a train manager when planning my itinerary.

 

[Benjwri]

If you have a message on Twitter from Avantis official account saying you can travel on those trains with your tickets you have been permitted to travel by an authorised member of staff, and therefore your tickets are valid.

If anyone queries it you should show them the Twitter messages (So make sure you have them available to uou). Any penalty fare or further fare you were forced to buy by a rogue ember of staff should be quickly overturned retrospectively given this authorisation.

 

[alex_alexs28]

Before next week's strikes were announced I purchased tickets to travel with Avanti from Stockport to Euston on 6 April. The outward journey had a split at Nuneaton.

This train has subsequently been cancelled, so I sought the advice of Avanti's twitter team as to what my options were. I was surprised to be told I could get on the 1024 or 1104, despite neither stopping at Nuneaton. When I queried this I was told the following:

"I would say as your train has been cancelled, thi s will be ok. You can double check with the Train Manager onboard but this is usually fine with t hem."

Is this typical for Avanti? I'm not sure I want to be relying on the good will of a train manager when planning my itinerary.

Hi,

I am working for Avanti.

If your train was cancelled, you no longer have to follow the split ticket. Although, should be one train before or after, to your destination, if your ticket is advanced.

If you made the purchase the 20th of March, you can travel more flexibly between 5-8 April. The website should show all of the changes.

 

[DLRfan1]

I’ll counter what Alex is saying (I also work for them) by saying if your split ticket is cancelled, you do still have to follow the split. That is unfortunately the cost of split ticketing in that you lose flexibility in a trade off with having a lower price.

You only get the “right” as far as I’m aware if your delay is likely to be over an hour, and as the Manchester splits repeat every hour it would be difficult to argue it would be over an hour unless the next is delayed.

All that being said, if you have a twitter message/tweet authorising it from the official account, that would certainly class as an authority and would override mine/anyone else’s opinion on this matter.

Also I’ve only just now seen that this relates to the strikes and I think you’d probably be fine getting any service that day really.

 

[yorkie]

I’ll counter what Alex is saying (I also work for them) by saying if your split ticket is cancelled, you do still have to follow the split. That is unfortunately the cost of split ticketing in that you lose flexibility in a trade off with having a lower price.

I disagree; it's not materially different to having an Advance ticket for a train that is cancelled.

It makes no sense for a company to increase its liabilities by denying a passenger the right to take the next available train ( TOCs are bankrolled by taxpayers, so it's us who foot the bill for any such crazy decisions!).

A split ticket may, as with a route or TOC restricted ticket, provide restrictions when things are going smoothly, but it does not reduce rights in the event that the train is cancelled.

You only get the “right” as far as I’m aware if your delay is likely to be over an hour, and as the Manchester splits repeat every hour it would be difficult to argue it would be over an hour unless the next is delayed.

I agree that if it is foreseeable that a delay could be over 60 minutes, then the passenger has a legal/contractual right to be re-routed, to minimise the delay, if at all possible, but that doesn't mean they aren't entitled to be conveyed on an alternative service if the delay would be less than that.

All that being said, if you have a twitter message/tweet authorising it from the official account, that would certainly class as an authority and would override mine/anyone else’s opinion on this matter.

Agreed

 

[palmersears]

Thanks to all for your advice. It seems like tomorrow is going to be a bit of a free-for-all, particularly with the forecasted weather, so I'll probably head for the 0844 that does stop at Nuneaton and give myself a bit of extra time.