Big Green Coach Company
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Citizen-of-Sheldonopolis
Posts: 29 Forumite
Hi all,
Can anyone offer some serious advice?
Long story short - I booked two tickets (returns) for the Big Green Coach trip from Leeds city centre to Roundhay Park to the (magnificent) Ed Sheeran on Friday night.
We joined the queue at 15.40. The gates opened at 16.00, with Lewis Capaldi going on about 17.15. We were told to get to the coach pick up point about 20 minutes before we wanted to travel, so we thought we would have loads of time to get the 3 miles to the park. Several thousand other people were told and thought the same thing.
WRONG.
We finally got on a coach at 19.10, missing the first and second acts, and getting in to the venue 10 minutes before Ed came on.
Ed finished at about 10.30, and the last train back to our hotel was 11.40. We missed it, and didn't even get onto a return coach until 00.45. It cost us £40 in a taxi to get back to our hotel.
I simply can't explain how poorly organised the coach travel was, we were queueing for almost 3 hours to be given a wristband then told to wait in a further queue for the bus, despite having pre paid for the ticket. The venue sent their own staff down to see what was going on as so few people had made it to the park!
I was really looking forward to seeing Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran, but because of the awful planning, missed out on a really good part of the event.
What, if any, recourse do I have?
Can anyone offer some serious advice?
Long story short - I booked two tickets (returns) for the Big Green Coach trip from Leeds city centre to Roundhay Park to the (magnificent) Ed Sheeran on Friday night.
We joined the queue at 15.40. The gates opened at 16.00, with Lewis Capaldi going on about 17.15. We were told to get to the coach pick up point about 20 minutes before we wanted to travel, so we thought we would have loads of time to get the 3 miles to the park. Several thousand other people were told and thought the same thing.
WRONG.
We finally got on a coach at 19.10, missing the first and second acts, and getting in to the venue 10 minutes before Ed came on.
Ed finished at about 10.30, and the last train back to our hotel was 11.40. We missed it, and didn't even get onto a return coach until 00.45. It cost us £40 in a taxi to get back to our hotel.
I simply can't explain how poorly organised the coach travel was, we were queueing for almost 3 hours to be given a wristband then told to wait in a further queue for the bus, despite having pre paid for the ticket. The venue sent their own staff down to see what was going on as so few people had made it to the park!
I was really looking forward to seeing Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran, but because of the awful planning, missed out on a really good part of the event.
What, if any, recourse do I have?
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Comments
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What were the terms and conditions of the coach tickets you booked? Was the coach service specifically for the concert? If so, I think you've got a case for partial refund of your coach tickets. As to the amount, I don't know. 50%?0
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Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »W If so, I think you've got a case for partial refund of your coach tickets. As to the amount, I don't know. 50%?
If the coach was specifically for the concert I'd be after the money for the taxi and a part refund of the concert tickets, I would also push for a full refund of the coach tickets.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/56/enacted
Right to price reduction
(1)The right to a price reduction is the right to require the trader to reduce the price to the consumer by an appropriate amount (including the right to receive a refund for anything already paid above the reduced amount).
(2)The amount of the reduction may, where appropriate, be the full amount of the price.0 -
Hi, taken from the T&C's:
2.2 2 If Big Green Coach Limited need to alter a departure or arrival point or the date and time is changed then we will notify all Customers using the contact details provided during the ticket booking process with reasonable notice being given to the Customer. Big Green Coach Limited accepts no liability for changing any details of the journey when forced to by events out of its control as detailed in clause 4.6
4.6 6 Big Green Coach Ltd will not be liable for any failure to fulfil our service as advertised to the customer, which is caused by events outside our reasonable control. These events include any act, event, non-happening, omission or accident beyond our reasonable control and include in particular (without limitation) the following:
*Reasons of emergency and events considered beyond our control:
- Riot - Civil Unrest – Fire and/or damage at a scheduled arrival or departure point - War or threat of war – Acts of Vandalism and Terrorism – Strikes, Lock Outs or other industrial action – Stoppage or restraint of labour – compliance with requests, acts, decrees, legislation, regulations or restrictions from the Police, other emergency services, customs or other government officials and security services - extreme weather condition or natural disaster – impossibility of the use of other means of public or private transport - extreme road conditions, including unforeseen traffic delays and accidents causing delays on the service route – vehicle being unavailable to Big Green –impossibility of the use of public or private telecommunications networks - problems caused by other customers – bankruptcy, insolvency or cessation of trade of any carrier used by us – any circumstances which affect passenger safety.
None of these occurred - it was a Friday evening in Leeds - and always was going to be so BGC knew it would be busy. And it was raining - quite a bit actually - but I'm fairly sure that's a regular thing in England's August...0 -
Easiest thing to do OP is send them a letter through the post, detail what happened and what you would like (taxi, coach tickets, concert tickets). Keep it factual and as short as possible.
Advise they have 14 days to refund or you will proceed to small claims without further contact.
Advise they are obligated to adhere to the following:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/49/enacted
and as they sell themselves as the official and exclusive coach travel partner to the tour the service was clearly not carried with due care and skill.
I'm not sure whether small claims would award any 'compensation', usually you can only claim loses, whether missing part of the concert would allow anything extra to be awarded I don't know.
Assume you have a receipt from the taxi driver or some kind of proof for the taxi booking and payment.0 -
Would the company counter that claim with the fact that they did provide the service - albeit woefully - and that therefore only a partial refund is appropriate?the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »If the coach was specifically for the concert I'd be after the money for the taxi and a part refund of the concert tickets, I would also push for a full refund of the coach tickets.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/56/enacted
Right to price reduction
(1)The right to a price reduction is the right to require the trader to reduce the price to the consumer by an appropriate amount (including the right to receive a refund for anything already paid above the reduced amount).
(2)The amount of the reduction may, where appropriate, be the full amount of the price.
Their list of events "outside of their control" is pretty exhaustive and perhaps unfair. For example, "vehicle being unavailable" sounds very much like something they should have control over! With the list as it is, they could probably call on a variety of reasons supposedly out of their control to refute the OP's claim.0 -
the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »I'm not sure whether small claims would award any 'compensation', usually you can only claim loses, whether missing part of the concert would allow anything extra to be awarded I don't know.
When the service is in relation to an entertainment contract then "loss of enjoyment" can be factored into the claim. As Ed was the headline act then I'd imagine you could claim 20% or so as compensation for missing The Darkness and Lewis Capaldi.0 -
...and 40% if you'd got there in time to see them.When the service is in relation to an entertainment contract then "loss of enjoyment" can be factored into the claim. As Ed was the headline act then I'd imagine you could claim 20% or so as compensation for missing The Darkness and Lewis Capaldi.0 -
Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »Would the company counter that claim with the fact that they did provide the service - albeit woefully - and that therefore only a partial refund is appropriate?
Their list of events "outside of their control" is pretty exhaustive and perhaps unfair. For example, "vehicle being unavailable" sounds very much like something they should have control over! With the list as it is, they could probably call on a variety of reasons supposedly out of their control to refute the OP's claim.
I guess a puncture or unexpected mechanical fault might be fair enough although for a big event you'd expect them to be prepared and have extra capacity in reserve.When the service is in relation to an entertainment contract then "loss of enjoyment" can be factored into the claim. As Ed was the headline act then I'd imagine you could claim 20% or so as compensation for missing The Darkness and Lewis Capaldi.
Personally I'd expect them to cover the % of the ticket price in relation to the % of the concert missed (whether there is a right to that or not I don't know). Maybe only support acts but they build the atmosphere and are part of the whole event.
In a fair world (which we don't live in), "loss of enjoyment" on top of that concert ticket refund would be right.
You can see the post on Facebook is already trying to pass the buck as they know they'll be out a small fortune refunding so many people.0 -
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:D:D - I really did want to see Lewis Capaldi! 0
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