Delay Repay

[HDFLRED]

Sorry if this isn't the right place for this.

I was booked with my elderly mother to travel from Taunton to Durham on the 24th Jan this year. It was the day of storm Eowyn. Staff at Taunton told us that our journey would be terminated at Leeds but that there would be shuttles and staff at Leeds would help us.
We traveled to Leeds and there was absolutely no staff around at all to help, and because of my mother being with me we ended up booking in to a hotel for the night and carried on to Durham the next day.

I put in a claim to Cross Country trains which they refused, I then appealed and they refused that also. They stated that I should get a refund from Ticketline where I bought the tickets as we hadn't used them. Ticketline have said they can see we have scanned and used the tickets and therefore will not refund. Obviously Cross Country should be refunding me at least my full return journeys for me and my mother, I don't know where we stand with regards to the hotel in Leeds.
I have emailed and rang Cross Country to try and sort this, they have not replied to my emails and when I got through on the phone it was to India and the lady couldn't understand me and I gave up. I have tried contacting them on Twitter but they just say email.
I just don't know what to do now I feel I have run out of options. It's shocking they can do this.

 

[MrJeeves]

How did you submit your claim? Was it via their Delay Repay website? What was the reasoning for refusing your appeal?

What exact train(s) did you take on 24 Jan? I've found quite a few which all terminated short at Leeds, so this would be quite important to know.

Did you take the train through to Durham in the end?

 

[HDFLRED]

How did you submit your claim? Was it via their Delay Repay website? What was the reasoning for refusing your appeal?

What exact train(s) did you take on 24 Jan? I've found quite a few which all terminated short at Leeds, so this would be quite important to know.

Did you take the train through to Durham in the end?

I used delay repay on their website, they refused saying I should be refunded by Trainline where I bought my tickets as they said I hadn't used the tickets. Obviously I had used them and Trainline said no refund as they could see the tickets had been used.
I took one train direct from Taunton it should have been direct all the way to Durham but it instead it terminated in Leeds. The staff at Taunton told us we would be helped at Leeds to get a shuttle or alternative train. We carried on to Durham the next day, which was disappointing as it meant our trip was less than 24 hours long instead of a full weekend.

 

[Hadders]

From what you've said you made the journey from Taunton to Durham but were heavily delayed. Consequently you should claim delay repay from the train operator who caused the delay. This is CrossCountry and you should appeal their rejection. If they refuse to approve the claim then ask them for a deadlock letter so that you can take the case to the Rail Ombudsman. CrossCountry really should be paying your hotel although I suspect this could be difficult unless you specifically asked then when you became stranded.

I suggest you email their customer relations department and be very specific about what happened, enclosing copies of the tickets and your hotel bill. Tell them exactly what trains you intended to get and the actual trains you took - this is best done in a table form for ease of reading. Feel free to put a draft of your email in this thread and we can proof read it for you.

A refund is only appropriate if you abandoned your journey and returned to your origin. Based on what you've told us this didn't happen.