pot hole on motorway caused a missed flight

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  • lesta1980
    lesta1980 Posts: 156
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    EveryWhere wrote: »
    Why didn't she call a local firm immediately? It's not as if she was driving and therefore couldn't abandon the car.
    These are all things that are not going in your favour.

    She did try getting a local taxi and eventually did, but first thing in the morning at a park n ride on the outskirts of Milton Keynes there wasn’t many options about.

    As for you incriminating comment, I wrote at the beginning I don’t know the exact timings 🙄
  • Westin
    Westin Posts: 5,923
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    lesta1980 wrote: »
    of course she did, they told her the only thing she could do was go online and book the flight for the next day.

    I find this strange and disappointing if this happened.

    I have missed a few flights (4) in my travels, as have friends and colleagues over the years. Rare but it happens. On each occasion airline ticket desk staff, when approached nicely, have assisted in rebooking. Sure it might have involved a rebooking fee but I or my friends have never been dismissed out right and told just to go away and book on line.

    Whilst UVF and perhaps other Caribbean flights may have been busy because of the cricket, I am surprised other routings were not looked at. For example BA over to JFK or MCO or TPA or FFL then a connecting flight onto UVF. Even if the airline was uncooperative I would have thought a search on Google Flights or Skyscanner might have listed a few options under £3,500.

    Someone, either your wife or the airline staff on the ticket desk, must have been having a really bad day not to get alternatives suggested and sorted out.
  • lesta1980
    lesta1980 Posts: 156
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    Westin wrote: »
    I find this strange and disappointing if this happened.

    I have missed a few flights (4) in my travels, as have friends and colleagues over the years. Rare but it happens. On each occasion airline ticket desk staff, when approached nicely, have assisted in rebooking. Sure it might have involved a rebooking fee but I or my friends have never been dismissed out right and told just to go away and book on line.

    Whilst UVF and perhaps other Caribbean flights may have been busy because of the cricket, I am surprised other routings were not looked at. For example BA over to JFK or MCO or TPA or FFL then a connecting flight onto UVF. Even if the airline was uncooperative I would have thought a search on Google Flights or Skyscanner might have listed a few options under £3,500.

    Someone, either your wife or the airline staff on the ticket desk, must have been having a really bad day not to get alternatives suggested and sorted out.

    The alternative routes were all full, there was nothing, they looked at getting her on the Antigua flight for example but then she would of been stuck for at least 2 days there.
    The reason the original flight couldn’t just be moved or rebooked was it was booked through a 3rd party who said it was tough. She had to then book it online as she had to get her dad to do it on his credit card as she had no funds and ba would not take a booking over the phone using a different credit card to the person flying
  • Dean000000
    Dean000000 Posts: 612 Forumite
    lesta1980 wrote: »
    The reason the original flight couldn’t just be moved or rebooked was it was booked through a 3rd party who said it was tough.

    Oh how awful. And she explained about the pot hole, taxi and all the other stuff too right?
  • mgdavid
    mgdavid Posts: 6,705
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    lesta1980 wrote: »
    .........., I wrote at the beginning I don’t know the exact timings 🙄


    May I suggest you'll be well advised to start asking questions and getting all the details and times precisely documented otherwise you're going to have a very weak case against whomever you sue.
    The questions that get the best answers are the questions that give most detail....
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    lesta1980 wrote: »
    She did try getting a local taxi and eventually did, but first thing in the morning at a park n ride on the outskirts of Milton Keynes there wasn’t many options about.

    As for you incriminating comment, I wrote at the beginning I don’t know the exact timings 🙄

    Insurance will ask the same questions, so hopefully you'll have the information then.

    I hope you get a positive result is all I can add at this stage.
  • melb
    melb Posts: 2,873
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    the venom on this board never ceases to amaze me. Also the comments that 'we leave enough time just in case just such an eventuality occurs' is laughable.

    how many hours extra do you allow in case of a pothole? how many extra hours do you allow in case of a road closure in the event of a serious traffic accident? how many days do you allow for travel in case of an aircraft crash-landing on the motorway? Or an alien abduction?

    I think the OP has been very patient in answering all the questions from people whose hobby seems to be thinking they are superior.

    not one piece of helpful advice amongst you.
  • societys_child
    societys_child Posts: 7,110
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    edited 4 March 2019 at 8:31PM
    Sounds like there was no way to mitigate the costs, on the other hand, if I'd been in the same position and found out it was because of 'the cricket' I'd have booked anything in the opposite direction . .
  • mgdavid
    mgdavid Posts: 6,705
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    did she try Guadaloupe via Paris and then a local charter, that would still have been way less than £3.5k
    The questions that get the best answers are the questions that give most detail....
  • Dean000000
    Dean000000 Posts: 612 Forumite
    Yes - most people leave around an hour or two for all of those eventualities.
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