West Mids Railway delay

[WesternLancer]

Hi all - I'm just trying to think this one through to see what my course of action would be.

The other Saturday I bought ticket Nottingham - Sutton Coldfield (bought at ticket office Off Peak Rtn, ahead of departure, did not check train running info before departure, just got on timetabled train with planned change at B'ham New Street).

Got to New Street on time - no sign of Sutton Coldfield trains (a Lichfield departure) on boards as I expected (not even listed as cancelled). Asked a platfrom member of staff who advised the route had been suspended since the Friday night and tickets were being accepted on WM travel buses (ie no provision of rail replacement buses). No immediately obvious information of where the relevant WM Travel buses left from, or how to get there, but I assume had I gone to ticket office I may have been advised of that.

Rang the friends I was going to see in Sutton, and we basically changed plans, met in Birmingham City centre, and then later on went to Sutton Coldfield in their car.

So - had I used the WM travel bus as soon as I could find it, and checked my arrival time at Sutton Coldfield by that mode, I am sure I would simply be able to claim Delay Repay (but I did not do this so I don't think a D-R claim would be valid?).
or
Had I decided to immediately return to Nottingham from New Street on the basis that there was no train to complete my journey I expect I could have had my ticket refunded. But I did not do this so that does not apply.
but
I made my own travel arrangements to get to Sutton Coldfield but I did not incur any extra cost at my own expense (I suppose my friends did as they drove in to B'ham when I told them their train service from Sutton Coldfield to New St was suspended that day).
However,
there was an unused potion of my ticket ie New Street to Sutton Coldfield

But
The fare Nottingham New St is the same as the fare Nottingham Sutton Coldfield

So, in the opinion of forum members, am I due any recompense from West Midlands Railway as a result of this disruption?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

It seems to me that you abandoned your journey to Sutton Coldfield at New Street due to disruption. Which I think means that a full refund is due - even though you (presumably) returned by train from Birmingham to Nottingham at the end of the day.

 

[WesternLancer]

It seems to me that you abandoned your journey to Sutton Coldfield at New Street due to disruption. Which I think means that a full refund is due - even though you (presumably) returned by train from Birmingham to Nottingham at the end of the day.

Thanks. No, not quite, as it happened I returned from Sutton Coldfield the following day on the return portion of the ticket as the service was restored by the next day. So I abandoned the journey at New Street outbound (but effectively continued it by car to my planned destination rather than use the railway's recommended alternative).

 

[Haywain]

Thanks. No, not quite, as it happened I returned from Sutton Coldfield the following day on the return portion of the ticket as the service was restored by the next day. So I abandoned the journey at New Street outbound (but effectively continued it by car to my planned destination rather than use the railway's recommended alternative).

On that basis, you are probably entitled to nothing at all but a letter explaining the inconvenience you suffered (and DR payment you saved them) really should elicit a gesture of goodwill.

 

[WesternLancer]

On that basis, you are probably entitled to nothing at all but a letter explaining the inconvenience you suffered (and DR payment you saved them) really should elicit a gesture of goodwill.

Thanks - that accords with my thinking. I certainly was not of the view that it would be the 'right thing' to expect a large share of the fare back. Had the fare difference between New St and Sutton C from Nottm been different that would be the basis of my expectation of a refund sum, but it's not.

 

[robbeech]

I think you’ll be limited to a good will gesture at best and I wouldn’t hold your breath.

As the services were cancelled on the day as opposed to planned cancellations then you may be more successful.

 

[WesternLancer]

I think you’ll be limited to a good will gesture at best and I wouldn’t hold your breath.

As the services were cancelled on the day as opposed to planned cancellations then you may be more successful.

Thanks for that.

 

[yorkie]

It seems to me that you abandoned your journey to Sutton Coldfield at New Street due to disruption. Which I think means that a full refund is due - even though you (presumably) returned by train from Birmingham to Nottingham at the end of the day.

A refund would only be due if you immediately return to origin. Not if you change plans to go somewhere else.

 

[WesternLancer]

A refund would only be due if you immediately return to origin. Not if you change plans to go somewhere else.

Thanks Yorkie - agree, that was my understanding. If I had gone direct back to Nottm that would be fair to request, but I did not do that so used my ticket at least to B'ham so even on a moral level I would expect to pay for that - which is the same as the fare to Sutton C !

 

[Fawkes Cat]

A refund would only be due if you immediately return to origin. Not if you change plans to go somewhere else.

You learn something every day. Thanks for the correction.

 

[WesternLancer]

You learn something every day. Thanks for the correction.

Yes, I've benefited from this policy in the past, or a variation of it, - set off for a work meeting and train delayed en route such that we had to abandon the journey because by the time we had got there the meeting we were going to attend would have been over. On return made this point to ticket office (where ticket bought from) who issued immediate refund. Was under old NRCoC.

 

[WesternLancer]

I think you’ll be limited to a good will gesture at best and I wouldn’t hold your breath.

As the services were cancelled on the day as opposed to planned cancellations then you may be more successful.

Update: Reply from WMR received yesterday (well written and ref'd the actual circs I set out so I feel understood by the staff member dealing with it) - your guess was closest - tho emphasis needs to be on not holding breath.

WMR advised that as journey was abandoned I should go back to retailer (EMR) for refund. I'm not going to do this for reasons set out above as I think that inappropriate. I'm just musing over asking to look at it again (and suggesting cost of 2xNew St to Sutton Coldfield singles as a suitable sum), or just writing it off.

 

[WesternLancer]

Update: At long last an update to this - after considering their reply I e-mailed back and asked for it to be looked at again (and suggested the cost of 2xNew St to Sutton Coldfield singles as a suitable sum they might consider - and that I would be happy with either Rail Travel Voucher or for WMR to donate the sum to a charity of their choice eg if they have a charity they supported corporately - that sum would have been abut £5). I asked that on about 20 Jan.

After me sending an e-mail reminder after the 6 week period they say they aim to reply within, and a phone call to them last week to find out what was happening by way of any sort of further reply (on that call a helpful staff member explained that reply had in fact been prepared and was awaiting a check before posting out to me), I have now received a letter enclosing an £18.15 Rail Travel Voucher.

Explanation states that as I did not choose to return to departure station as an 'abandoned journey' they would treat this in line with a 60+ minute delay.

I'm perfectly satisfied with this - it is in fact more generous than my own feeling of what was due, so all credit to WMR for going back and looking at this again more carefully, even if it seemed to take them quite some time to do that.