GWR denied boarding earlier train today

[mrmartin]

Hi, my partner has a super off peak cardiff to paddington.

Given the disruption I messaged on their behalf GWR this morning on twitter to see if they are waiving peak restrictions for tickets *today* (they are for all older tickets).

I got a message saying that would be fine.

Partner gets to the gateline to get the 1748 and is denied boarding saying they can only get the 1848 by 3 people. She goes to the desk and is told she can only get the 1748 and the desk person wouldn't even look at the twitter message.

The 1908 has been cancelled - but it is also rerouted adding a lot more journey time on, so the 1848 would get in later than the original 1908 would have done - only the 1748 would get in 'on time' vs the original 1908.

Too late to do anything about it now, but not good communication from GWR on twitter vs staff on the ground. And I don't understand why they've came up with the 1848 only rule given the disruption and it is being rerouted? All they've done is created probably another passenger on the no doubt very busy 1848 and a delay repay claim?

 

[Discuss223]

Hi, my partner has a super off peak cardiff to paddington.

Given the disruption I messaged on their behalf GWR this morning on twitter to see if they are waiving peak restrictions for tickets *today* (they are for all older tickets).

I got a message saying that would be fine.

Partner gets to the gateline to get the 1748 and is denied boarding saying they can only get the 1848 by 3 people. She goes to the desk and is told she can only get the 1748 and the desk person wouldn't even look at the twitter message.

The 1908 has been cancelled - but it is also rerouted adding a lot more journey time on, so the 1848 would get in later than the original 1908 would have done - only the 1748 would get in 'on time' vs the original 1908.

Too late to do anything about it now, but not good communication from GWR on twitter vs staff on the ground. And I don't understand why they've came up with the 1848 only rule given the disruption and it is being rerouted? All they've done is created probably another passenger on the no doubt very busy 1848 and a delay repay claim?

I will say that the booked departure time is what stands vs the actual departure time and that it makes no difference if the service arrives later than an off-peak one, which I appreciate may not be what you were hoping to here. If it was GWR's official Twitter page, then it does seem to me that your partner had authority to travel, though I'm not sure on how enforceable that would be but I'd definitely recommend making an official complaint to GWR about the way it was handled and the breakdown in communications. Don't go via Twitter (X), as they'll only tell you to put a complaint in on their official website, they can't deal with staff complaints over social media. I hope that your complaint brings fruition.

 

[mrmartin]

What makes it even more frustrating is when she got on the later train; the TM was saying all tickets are valid etc. I assume this would have been the case on the earlier one too. Very frustrating that 3 gateline staff didn't allow boarding and the information desk person also said that.

 

[Wolfie]

What makes it even more frustrating is when she got on the later train; the TM was saying all tickets are valid etc. I assume this would have been the case on the earlier one too. Very frustrating that 3 gateline staff didn't allow boarding and the information desk person also said that.

Hammer them for as much delay repay as you possibly can and make sure when you complain that you tell them that.

Certain GWR staff rival some of those at Euston for obnoxious uselessness. To be fair though this seems more like a communication issue.

 

[mrmartin]

Yes - they refused to even look at the twitter message I sent to my partner showing that they were approving travel.

 

[OscarH]

Certain GWR staff rival some of those at Euston for obnoxious uselessness

I think Paddington is actually much worse than Euston these days. Massive culture issues there

 

[Blackpool boy]

Hammer them for as much delay repay as you possibly can and make sure when you complain that you tell them that.

Delay repay would only apply to the original start time of their journey and the journey they took would it not? Not from a journey that was before their timed train?

 

[Wolfie]

Delay repay would only apply to the original start time of their journey and the journey they took would it not? Not from a journey that was before their timed train?

A good point well made.

 

[Haywain]

Delay repay would only apply to the original start time of their journey and the journey they took would it not? Not from a journey that was before their timed train?

If you've been given permission to travel earlier and tried to do so then that clearly forms a travel plan and Delay Repay should be applicable to that journey.

 

[Wolfie]

If you've been given permission to travel earlier and tried to do so then that clearly forms a travel plan and Delay Repay should be applicable to that journey.

In principle yes. In practice it depends if you can prove the permission l guess.

 

[Haywain]

In principle yes. In practice it depends if you can prove the permission l guess.

The OP appears to have that, if it is required. In other cases a public message lifting ticket restrictions would be sufficient (where tickets might otherwise be restricted as to which trains can be used).

 

[Blackpool boy]

If you've been given permission to travel earlier and tried to do so then that clearly forms a travel plan and Delay Repay should be applicable to that journey.

I didnt think of that, apologies

 

[redreni]

Yes - they refused to even look at the twitter message I sent to my partner showing that they were approving travel.

This happened to me at Euston a while ago:

On Twitter:

• Me: May I please travel an hour earlier than booked due to Northern industrial action messing up my connection?
• Avanti: Yes

At the gateline:

• Staff: That's not valid on this train, mate.
• Me: I have permission from Avanti staff to travel on this train on this ticket, though, look [shows them the tweet].
• Staff: That's not valid on this train, mate [on a constant loop until the train left].

Getting permission to do stuff via social media is often a good idea. It's pretty solid evidence of validity and should generally allow the passenger to prevail in the end against any nonsense extra charges, penalty fares, threats to prosecute etc that arise from using a ticket as authorised by a representative of the TOC, even when the ticket wouldn't normally be valid.

What it won't always do, sadly, is get you through a gateline. There really ought to be better training on this.

Unless there's reason to suspect somebody is knocking up hookie screenshots of the TOC giving them permission to travel first class London to Penzance on an expired M&S Chargecard when there isn't any disruption, or something equally suspicious, they really shouldn't be preventing people boarding a train when they have evidence of having been given permission to do so by the TOC.

 

[mrmartin]

It's just frustrating. There had been multiple days of quite serious disruption to the GWML to S Wales at this point and there was various ticket acceptance in place, though annoyingly the GWR website wasn't clear if tickets bought on that day were allowed on peak time services (other tickets on previous days WERE allowed on any peak time services).

It wasn't some obscure rerouting being requested via twitter, it was bad disruption. You'd think they'd give the benefit of the doubt in these circumstances. It's not like they gained anything either - wasn't like my partner would have stumped up for an anytime ticket to get home an hour earlier!

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Yes, sounds like the long-running Paddington problem again....you may remember the old quip from Gerard Hoffnung about customer service: 'our motto is, ever serve you right!'.

If you are regular user of GW, one will ultimately get used to the reality of it and lower one's expectations accordingly. Allow an extra hour for all journeys over an hour, two hours for journeys to Swansea and Dawlish westwards, get your delay-repay account warmed up as soon as you are through the barriers so as to get ready for (some/all) of your money back and then relax at what ever the route/TOC throws at you each day. That's the view I've come to over c.30 years of regular, but fortunately not daily, experience of it.

In the past, it was sometimes easier to get on through the gates on the bridge from the Hammersmith & City. Often too many passengers streaming through for the gateline staff to have much of an argument...