Claiming for train problems in south west?

guitaristanime

Hi MoneySavers,
I am after some advice and possibly legal advice at that.

My daily commute consists of travelling from Teignmouth to Exeter Central by train Monday to Friday. To cover this, I buy (and have been for a long time) an annual ticket from First Great Western outright for the sum of £1114.00.

As you will probably know, around the 6th of Feb the track between these stations at Dawlish was destroyed and temporary replacement coach services are being run.

This causes me many issues, I do use this service, however:

It does not go to my destination and I have to walk part of a journey I am paying for.

It takes a lot longer than my normal journey and it has forced me to have to leave work around 40 minutes earlier every day so I am suffering financial loss through that now on top of the extra time I physically have to endure public transport.

I don't feel I am getting the service I have paid for. Other commuters who haven't paid for a season ticket are getting concessions due to the problems. This all just seems a bit unfair and I would like to ask you all, is there anything I can do in terms of claiming compensation from them?

Thank you

dotdash79

As a season ticket holder you have a different method for calculating any compensation due. This is based on the performance of the service over the last 12 months.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/about-us/customer-services/compensation has details

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Our-business/Performance
Has the performance levels.

Basically you might get 5% or 10% of your renewal.

wealdroam

guitaristanime wrote: »

It does not go to my destination and I have to walk part of a journey I am paying for.

Are you saying here that the rail replacement coach drops you at Exeter St Davids and you have to walk to Central?

If so, then why not get on a train from St D to Central?
After all you have a ticket for that.

Did you know that the fare from Teignmouth is the same to Central as to St Davids?

cosmojohnson

guitaristanime wrote: »

It takes a lot longer than my normal journey and it has forced me to have to leave work around 40 minutes earlier every day so I am suffering financial loss through that

If you are having to leave home 40 mins earlier than usual (but still then presumably arriving at work on time) how you are suffering financial loss?

I don't feel I am getting the service I have paid for.

I guess FGW's argument will be that you have paid for a season ticket for travel between Teignmouth to Exeter Central, and despite catastrophic infrastructure failure that was out of their control they have still managed to provide a service.

dotdash79

cosmojohnson wrote: »

If you are having to leave home 40 mins earlier than usual (but still then presumably arriving at work on time) how you are suffering financial loss?

I think he's saying that he needs to leave work 40 min earlier.

yangptangkipperbang

guitaristanime wrote: »

Other commuters who haven't paid for a season ticket are getting concessions due to the problems.

Such as ??

yorkie2

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

Such as ??

CrossCountry passengers from further afield can buy a ticket to Exeter and get the bus thrown in free. But that doesn't mean the bus is free for local journeys.

yorkie2

guitaristanime wrote: »

I don't feel I am getting the service I have paid for.

You're getting a bus service, which I believe would cost approx £940 per year for a MegaRider.

It could be argued you've paid for a train service, and if receiving a bus service you should be entitled to the difference between the fare paid, and a fare that would be appropriate for a bus, for the affected period. The difference between bus & train fares appears to be approx £174/year, so approx £29 for a two month period.

In practice, I believe FGW will actually compensate you to a greater level than that.

timbo58

To be fair I am sure FGW will resolve any issue so why not contact them and find out?

If you are talking about what they are strictly liable for however a train ticket covers a journey from A to B, in exceptional or planned engineering circumstances they can get you to the destination any way they can whether that is by rail or road.

Whilst your contract is with FGW, be fair -the washing away of the line is hardly avoidable or predictable and could be argued as an 'act of god' how many insurance companies would cover that?