Eurostar left us stranded at St Pancras {24/10/15)....

[Zoidberg]

Quick update..they say traveller care team to ring me tomorrow. I have asked for senior contact, so I can ring them direct. Rather than wait for same team who have not got back to me this week. Will keep you posted.

Good to hear that some progress is being made, or promised. Best wishes for a satisfactory resolution.

 

[gray1404]

Let us know how you get on when they contact you tomorrow. Fingers crossed they do

 

[MotCO]

Just a thought. The clocks changed last Saturday night / Sunday morning. Did this account for Eurostar getting the times wrong, although I accept the clocks didn't change until 02.00 Sunday.

 

[najaB]

Just a thought. The clocks changed last Saturday night / Sunday morning. Did this account for Eurostar getting the times wrong, although I accept the clocks didn't change until 02.00 Sunday.

It's as likely as not accounting correctly for European v UK time so it could be a possibility.

 

[Quakkerillo]

Just found a twitter feed for Eurostar. To my surprise a member from here had contacted them yesterday and sent them the link to this thread. Thanks to whoever it was (that's amazing). They did not get in touch with me like they said they would.

That was me, taking the liberty.

 

[Merseysider]

It's unlikely Eurostar will refuse to compensate you as the risk of bad press could drive even more people off the train and onto flying instead.

Out of interest, did you hold tickets with CIV protection for this journey?

 

[CheesyChips]

Its very concerning that you seem to have gone from TF to the press in less than 4 hours - is this all you do, complain? And if you don't get your way you run to the press with a suitably grumpy picture? Seems on a lot of posts you reply to you never give the railway a chance and always seem to jump in with first mentioning compensation or running to a body and now the press before the more sensible notion of conversation first.

Yeah E* haven't done well on this but theres many factors as to why not but it appears that they are trying to make amends now so give them a chance eh?

What's concerning about that? Some larger companies only ever tend to listen when they're put in a position where their inaction or poor service is likely to become a PR issue.

That's why tv shows like Watchdog make a point of embarassing companies who take the p.

 

[najaB]

That's why tv shows like Watchdog make a point of embarassing companies who take the p.

Yes. But only having first given the company a reasonable chance to make amends. One missed phone call is not taking the p*ss.

 

[satmann]

Yes. But only having first given the company a reasonable chance to make amends. One missed phone call is not taking the p*ss.

It's not one phone call. Their social media team said yesterday they would ring today. Have they no. The amount of time I have spent this week on this is crazy.

I have just tweeted them again. Shouldn't be doing this, they ruined my week.

 

[najaB]

It's not one phone call. Their social media team said yesterday they would ring today. Have they no. The amount of time I have spent this week on this is crazy.

At the point where gray1404 posted that you go to the press, it had only been one missed phone call.

Now it isn't. If I was in your position I would insist on the direct number for the person dealing with your case. If they refuse to give you one, then I would contact Passenger Focus. I hope you have been keeping a note of your contact with Eurostar and their failed promises.

 

[satmann]

At the point where gray1404 posted that you go to the press, it had only been one missed phone call.

Now it isn't. If I was in your position I would insist on the direct number for the person dealing with your case. If they refuse to give you one, then I would contact Passenger Focus. I hope you have been keeping a note of your contact with Eurostar and their failed promises.

Thanks for the reply. I have already tweeted asking for a direct contact for a customer services director. Yes I have noted everything.

Just got this back...... I see your case is being dealt with by our Traveller Care team. They'll be in touch with you as soon as possible.

They have lied all the way from the train manager, control room employee...too every person I have contacted this week.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It's unlikely Eurostar will refuse to compensate you as the risk of bad press could drive even more people off the train and onto flying instead.

Out of interest, did you hold tickets with CIV protection for this journey?

Yes all the tickets were CIV protected.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

. . . . , I think you could go to the press about this one. Daily Mail here we come.

Sometimes this forum makes me feel very sad.

Satmann, I admire your frank request for advice and assistance, and am pleased that you have already been given some practical and constructive advice.

But I do hope you don't fuel the nation's passion for petty adversities by seeking to create another sterile 'them and us' outrage in the popular press. There can be a positive outcome for you and others from this unfortunate incident, without contributing to the mindless noise from the popular press.

Good luck.

 

[Darandio]

I think you could go to the press about this one. Daily Mail here we come.

More proof that you and others are in this section for nothing more than to satisfy your voyeurism.

I've said it recently and will say it again, the disputes and prosecutions section is now a complete circus with loads of users just sitting there waiting to chime in with nonsense. Meanwhile, the small snippets of genuine advice disappear within the guff.

 

[najaB]

...then I would contact Passenger Focus...

Of course, I meant Transport Focus. The advice is still the same - give Eurostar one more chance to come good and then take it to TF.

 

[gray1404]

At the point where gray1404 posted that you go to the press, it had only been one missed phone call.

Now it isn't. If I was in your position I would insist on the direct number for the person dealing with your case. If they refuse to give you one, then I would contact Passenger Focus. I hope you have been keeping a note of your contact with Eurostar and their failed promises.

At the point I said the OP COULD (not should) go to the press, Eurostar had knowingly left a customer stranded in London into the early hours, after contact had been made with the control centre. That is very serious. I want to be very clear here, at no point did I directly say they should go to the press.

The railway companies can be some of the worst at taking passengers to court when they do not have the correct ticket or something, so when the railway company messes up why should they be afforded a second (or in this case third) chance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What's concerning about that? Some larger companies only ever tend to listen when they're put in a position where their inaction or poor service is likely to become a PR issue.

That's why tv shows like Watchdog make a point of embarassing companies who take the p.

I agree - this is just about getting them to listen and respond. Be that presure on the internet, social media or even a post on this forum.

 

[najaB]

I want to be very clear here, at no point did I directly say they should go to the press.

Ahem....

Daily Mail here we come.

The railway companies can be some of the worst at taking passengers to court when they do not have the correct ticket or something, so when the railway company messes up why should they be afforded a second (or in this case third) chance.

Because be it in court or in making a complaint there is a process to be followed. Transport Focus won't even take on a complaint if the passenger hasn't let the TOC's complaints process run its full course, never mind running to the press.

 

[satmann]

Sometimes this forum makes me feel very sad.

Satmann, I admire your frank request for advice and assistance, and am pleased that you have already been given some practical and constructive advice.

But I do hope you don't fuel the nation's passion for petty adversities by seeking to create another sterile 'them and us' outrage in the popular press. There can be a positive outcome for you and others from this unfortunate incident, without contributing to the mindless noise from the popular press.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I have never gone into this with the intention of going to the press. The incident happened last Saturday, on Sunday I spoke to 2 Eurostar employees. The second Eurostar employee gave me the email contact and he was going to inform his manager. I sent email Sunday night, Monday I got phone call. I was told they would ring Tuesday, they didn't. I emailed the same person on Wednesday, no response. On Friday I contacted Eurostar twitter team they said they would ring me today which they did not.

I have given Eurostar every chance of sorting this out, I have not threatened them with anything.

 

[gray1404]

I think your next steps should be to submit this in writing to Eurostar. Although you could argue you have actually done this already be email (I am assuming you scanned and sent in a copy of your receipt). I would then give them a reasonable amount of time to reply. If you are not happy with their reply when this happens or if indeed they have replied already, then I would take the matter up with Transport Focus or London Travel Watch - people on here will be able to advise as to the best body to take it up with? IF you refer the matter to one of the above bodies and in the mean time Eurostar get bach to you with an outcome you are happy with, you can always cancel your complaint with TF.

 

[satmann]

I think your next steps should be to submit this in writing to Eurostar. Although you could argue you have actually done this already be email (I am assuming you scanned and sent in a copy of your receipt). I would then give them a reasonable amount of time to reply. If you are not happy with their reply when this happens or if indeed they have replied already, then I would take the matter up with Transport Focus or London Travel Watch - people on here will be able to advise as to the best body to take it up with? IF you refer the matter to one of the above bodies and in the mean time Eurostar get bach to you with an outcome you are happy with, you can always cancel your complaint with TF.

Thanks. Yes I scanned the receipt from the taxi firm and sent it in when the Eurostar employee requested it on Monday by email.

 

[najaB]

If you are not happy with their reply when this happens or if indeed they have replied already, then I would take the matter up with Transport Focus or London Travel Watch - people on here will be able to advise as to the best body to take it up with?

Although the issue occurred in London, it involved a journey that both started and ended outside London so London Travel Watch would probably refer you to Transport Focus.

IF you refer the matter to one of the above bodies and in the mean time Eurostar get bach to you with an outcome you are happy with, you can always cancel your complaint with TF.

I always like a response that includes some light classical music. More seriously, you shouldn't raise a complaint to Transport Focus until you have received a final response from the TOC concerned - it is one of the first questions they will ask you. Of course, if you have complained, and chased, but received no response you can take it to TF.

 

[reb0118]

bach

I always like a response that includes some light classical music.

Well spotted, but as a slight point of order gray1404 resides near Liverpool and was no doubt spelling "back" phonetically?

I'm a bit Brahms & Liszt at present after completing a mini E&G pup crawl.

 

[bb21]

Although the issue occurred in London, it involved a journey that both started and ended outside London so London Travel Watch would probably refer you to Transport Focus.
I always like a response that includes some light classical music. More seriously, you shouldn't raise a complaint to Transport Focus until you have received a final response from the TOC concerned - it is one of the first questions they will ask you. Of course, if you have complained, and chased, but received no response you can take it to TF.

What I tend to do is in my final communication with the company before escalating the matter, be it over email or in writing, state clearly that I expect a reply and offer of resolution by a certain date, or whatever else I was expecting. If this does not happen, then this will be taken further.

Normally I tend to offer the organisation either 14 or 28 days, depending on the complexity of the matter in question. For a situation as grave as the one the OP faced, I would say the final communication should offer them no more than seven days.

 

[swj99]

Anyone who has been let down by a company is entitled to complain in any way they see fit, to whoever they wish to complain to.
If you don't like it, why not apply for a job there in case you can help them improve their customer service ?
In my opinion, companies are faceless organizations, and although they have people working for them, the employees are not the company, whether they think they are or not. As such, there's no sentiment involved, and to me, it's simply a case of persuading the company to do what you believe is the right and proper thing to do, by the most effective means. A large proportion of county court claims are not defended, and a lot of those which are, don't ever progress to a trial because they get settled way before such a thing looms on the horizon. A lot of companies will issue a cheque to cover the amount claimed, plus the court issue fee as soon as a summons lands on the door mat, because it's cheaper than instructing solicitors or allowing court fees to mount up, which they would end up liable for if the case went against them.

Personally, I wouldn't go to a newspaper if I had a grievance, because I don't trust them anyway. In fact, the last time a press reporter approached me, he couldn't even speak properly, so how he managed to write news stories is anyone's guess.

When matters aren't concluded efficiently, I tend to use the county court system, and I've have very good results so far.
There are 3 initial stages to this.

1 - Request for the matter to be remedied (in this case, probably a cheque to cover the taxi fare etc).

2 - Letter before action (assuming a cheque was not forthcoming), and if two weeks goes by and you're still waiting, -

3 - The issuing of county court proceedings for recovery of the money. Money Claim Online is a handy way to do this, although there's a word limit for the details of the claim, and in some cases, when you might need to use a lot of words to set out your claim, it is sometimes more practical to do it the old fashioned way, with bits of paper posted to the court office in Salford, Manchester.

 

[anme]

they ruined my week.

Then I think you're taking this too seriously. They gave you a bad journey back and they should compensate you, but don't let this take over your life or you and your family will suffer far more.

 

[satmann]

Then I think you're taking this too seriously. They gave you a bad journey back and they should compensate you, but don't let this take over your life or you and your family will suffer far more.

Understand your point. If I was by myself maybe I wouldn't have let it get to me. But I had my children with me, and we actually never knew what to do.

When the train station staff were speaking to the Eurostar employee in the control room, he wasn't concerned about us being stranded. He was accusing us of not allowing enough time to make the connection to Leicester. Only on the third phone conversation when it was pointed to him again about our delay in France caused this, he went quiet on the phone and then said there's no managers here. Then the train station staff offered us one of the rooms in the station to sleep in.

The train manager said he confirmed the connection with the control room. What I get from all of this is, they lie. Maybe because of them being the only cross channel train company, but it seems to me it's this attitude, " we are Eurostar we do what we want".

I won't be contacting their social media team again. Or emailing them again. Won't let it take over my life.

Can also understand the post above that if it was the other way round the train company would have had me in court by now.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[33Hz]

The manager there is apparently called Kate. I spoke with her about an issue earlier this year and things got sorted out pretty quickly.

I've had cause to ask for a refund twice this summer (once due to a failed ticket printout and once due to flooding on the line). They refunded both, including a hotel stay for the latter.

I have also seen shoddy service meeting passengers on the late train. We were told on the PA that staff would be present in Brussels to help with connections and accommodation but there was no one to be seen. Even the train staff vanished into the night.

 

[satmann]

That was me, taking the liberty.

Thanks for trying.

 

[Clip]

What's concerning about that? Some larger companies only ever tend to listen when they're put in a position where their inaction or poor service is likely to become a PR issue.

That's why tv shows like Watchdog make a point of embarassing companies who take the p.

Yes, those who repeatedly take the p. In this case they have made some big cock ups but due to reasons we don't know have not addressed them yet. A week does not make the pages of the DM nor watchdog. As much as you may imagine that it warrants it, it doesn't.

At the point I said the OP COULD (not should) go to the press, Eurostar had knowingly left a customer stranded in London into the early hours, after contact had been made with the control centre. That is very serious. I want to be very clear here, at no point did I directly say they should go to the press. Yes you did.

The railway companies can be some of the worst at taking passengers to court when they do not have the correct ticket or something, so when the railway company messes up why should they be afforded a second (or in this case third) chance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I agree - this is just about getting them to listen and respond. Be that presure on the internet, social media or even a post on this forum.

We don't know how nor why this wasn't looked it - could be a myriad of things as emails get sent to a general address then fed out to the team to sort out - even phone calls do too - and the fact that they have faltered for whatever reason is a shame but we don't know why and I'm sure they will now try and sort it. To say go to the press after a week is downright disrespectful. I'm pretty sure that the OP wasn't the only one with this issue coming from France given that an E* train can hold 500+ people yet I don't see 500+ posts about this incident on here nor on twitter.


So before you get on your magical high horse stop and think eh? All companies have these issues from time to time but once again you decide to jump right in feet first and want to go press and such like. Bravo.

 

[gray1404]

I never said that they should. I said that they could i.e. it is an option. I am only sorry that there is a problem inreading what I said. I do believe you are going over old ground here. As I have already said before, Eurostar has made many brokwn promises to the OP, including their Control Centre knowingly leaving them stranded that night. That was their ideal chance to help correct the problem.

That is all academic now and what is important, moving forward, is seeing what reponse they OP gets or if they have to take the matter to Transport Focus?

Also, could the OP advise how they paid for their tickets and through which channel they brought them from? I am wondering if the transaction value was over £100 and they bought the tickets on a credit card they might have Section 75 protection under the Consumer Credit Act, in terms of claiming costs back.

 

[Zoidberg]

D'oh!

All I want to do is point people at my signature!