Compensation for having to book a hotel?

Welshspacechick

I was due to travel from London Euston to North Wales this evening but the whole of Euston was shut due to a fire at Leighton Buzzard and all trains were cancelled. I had no way of getting home so had to book into a hotel overnight.

I know I can do a delay repay for the train delay but does any one know if I can get compensation for the cost of the hotel? I was travelling with Avanti West Coast. Thanks 

daveyjp

Conditions of Travel.

28.2 Where disruption prevents you from completing the journey for which your Ticket is valid and is being used, any Train Company will, where it reasonably can, provide you with alternative means of travel to your destination, or if necessary, provide overnight accommodation for you.

Did you approach Avanti before booking the hotel?

stig

I think a key part if this condition is “……and is being used.”

if you turned up at Euston with a ticket from Euston for onward travel, then if you never got on a train your ticket wasn’t being used. 

This condition applies to people actually travelling, whose journey is interrupted. If the Euston to Wales ticket was one section of a longer journey covered by your ticket  you might have a case. However, If you turn up for a train that is cancelled then you’re entitled to a refund and/or compensation, but not accommodation costs. 

I think this sort of loss (presumably you were away from home before the journey otherwise you would have returned there when the trains were cancelled) is where travel insurance kicks in.

p00hsticks

daveyjp said:

Did you approach Avanti before booking the hotel?

I think this is the key - there should have been someone either at the station or available via customer services online/on the phone to deal with those who were intending to travel but whose journey had been disrupted.  They would have advised on how they were intending to get you to your destination (e.g. taxi or replacement bus service) or of alternative arrangements they were prepared to make - e,g. book a hotel room for you. 

KeithP

Another option could have been travelling to Birmingham from Marylebone and continuing to North Wales from there.

What advice did the people at Euston give you?

Welshspacechick

Keith that's what they suggested so hundreds of people legged it to Marylebone, the platform was rammed and there was no info. At this point the internet was saying Euston was back open so people started making their way back only to find the gates shut and police again directly everyone to Marylebone. I later found out from someone in the Saturday train that 2 Birmingham trains had been cancelled and they had evacuated the station due to crowding. Yes I suppose at could have tried to get to Birmingham and maybe Crewe but I doubt given the infrequency of trains on a normal day i would have made it the whole way. The lack of communication, and contingency planning/ joined up thinking was what caused half the problems 

Welshspacechick

https://www.mylondon.news/news/london-euston-live-updates-people-24259558

This sums it all up

KittenChops

You have my sympathy...
We were in the same situation as you but we were lucky enough to get on a train to Birmingham from Marylebone (we needed to get to Wolverhampton). There were no Avanti staff at Euston when we arrived around 7:45pm.  Network Rail staff told us about travelling from Marylebone to Birmingham.  When we got to Birmingham (close to midnight), there were huge queues of people at the customer service desk and I believe (from what I saw on Twitter the next day) that Avanti were paying for taxis to & from London, or hotels.  From what I saw online, the service was still unavailable on the Saturday morning.
If you haven't already, contact Avanti and ask that they reimburse you for the hotel, and any other travel expenses you incurred.

CKhalvashi

I've had no problems claiming fuel for a colleague (at the government recommended 45p/mile) for having to collect and drop me home in the circumstances trains in London have been down in the past. I'd therefore argue that there's probably no issue claiming a hotel given the longer journey, especially as in your case this is likely to have been cheaper than a taxi.

You should have notified them first, but as long as your claim is reasonable (meaning not 5 star hotel etc) then I don't see why they shouldn't pay.