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[Travel] F**K SOUTHERN FAIL. Help?!
- Thread starter jcdenton08
- Start date
Yes Chef
Well-known member
An old strategy of mine when I was younger was to get to Gatwick Airport and sleep somewhere there, and then get home in the morning
I did this many times. Sleeping at Gatwick is more comfortable and warmer and you blend in amongst those waiting for early planes.
- Oct 20, 2022
- 6,096
It’s a good strategy - I have travelled all my life on public transport and have always use this approach when I get stuck - Which is why I suggested at 12.30 last night, getting the next available train to Brighton then a taxi from Brighton to Seaford would have been how I would have got home (tickets to Brighton were on trainline for £20 last night so would have only cost £50 altogether including taxi so it wouldn’t have bothered me missing the last bus from Brighton.)
Horrible experience that should not have happened though and there is more than enough cause to lodge a formal complaint and full compensation for hotel and tickets.
Hope you had a restful night in the end @jcdenton08
Billy the Fish
Technocrat
Great advice.
The most annoying thing about this story is the station staff not saying this straight away.
Not everyone is experienced in these shenanigans, the station staff should be more bloody helpful. Cab from Brighton would be much cheaper than London hotel.
Billy the Fish
Technocrat
Another bit of advice, the national rail app is a very good tool. It gives you access to almost all the same info as the station staff in an instant.
Mate. Try to stay calm. First things first. Sort yourself out and make sure you get back home ok.
If you have to buy a new ticket, then you know that you stand a good chance of getting the money
back. So put that to the back of your mind if you can. I've just had a story of a wheel chair friend who took
three changes to get from the city of London to Paddington (lifts not working, buses threw them off
short of Paddington and train doors not working on train).
If you have to buy a new ticket, then you know that you stand a good chance of getting the money
back. So put that to the back of your mind if you can. I've just had a story of a wheel chair friend who took
three changes to get from the city of London to Paddington (lifts not working, buses threw them off
short of Paddington and train doors not working on train).
The Lemming Stomper
Under the flag
I'd have thought having your bike with you more of an advantage than a hinderance
Not if it's a two hour bike ride round the estuaries over steep country roads, after four pints. We'd already ridden to the station from the pub!
What are the DUI rules like over here? I know back in Aus you could get done for riding a bicycle drunk ... any mode of transport, actually (including horses, a kids tricycle, scooter, etc).
It's illegal to ride 'under the influence so as to not have proper control' - £1,000 fine max. But - because it's not a 'driving offence' as such, the Police cannot require you to have a blood test / breathalyser. So, in effect, it would be a 'their word against yours' case. No points on your licence either.
They could also possibly do you for careless / inconsiderate cycling.
- Oct 17, 2008
- 12,966
- Thread starter
- #34
Thanks for the responses x
thedonkeycentrehalf
Moved back to wear the gloves (again)
- Jul 7, 2003
- 9,131
Been many years since I last did this but coming back from gigs in London I did this a few times. They don't like people just waiting around so I used to head for arrivals and find a badly delayed charter flight on the board. If challenged, I would tell them I was picking up my parents from the delayed flight and they would leave me alone. Not sure if that works as well these days with internet information - we had to rely on ceefax being updated!
As for the OP, hope you got back okay this morning and that you get the compensation you deserve.
very sound advice, having had previous issues with that very service. got the first available to Brighton. found far more helpful station staff who arranged onwards taxis for those on the service.
fully agree it's not an easy thing to decide on when panicking and trying to get help where you are.
hope your journey down this morning was better and good luck dealing with southern fail going forward
Originunknown
BINFEST'ING
I sympathise but getting further south to Gatwick or Haywards Heath is always a wiser move. Without looking at the timetable I'm sure you could have then got to Brighton on a Thameslink service, or a cheaper taxi home compared to the hotel you stayed at.
Edit others have suggested similar
Edit others have suggested similar
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 71,886
Just did a quick check and there are four direct later trains from Victoria to Brighton (22:54, 22:59, 23:25, 00:02) plus a few other options to change to a Thameslink train along the way. Getting to Brighton would not be a problem
- Oct 17, 2008
- 12,966
- Thread starter
- #40
To be honest with the stress and anxiety of the situation and the constant conflicting advice on what to do (they kept telling me to go to Haywards Heath for some reason and pressing the “Emergency Help” button), and they said they couldn’t guarantee anyone at Brighton would help me.
So yes, in hindsight and based on advice here you’re quite right I should’ve gone to Brighton. But please remember it was a very stressful situation and I struggle with anxiety as it is. I’ve got different staff telling me different things and after an hour of this I wouldn’t have been okay to travel to Brighton anyway.
But yes I take on board the advice for the future. What I don’t accept is blame - this is solely 100% Southern’s fault, they broke their terms of carriage and didn’t care.
IF they refuse the reimbursement I’ll fight it to the bitter end. But I’ve kept a good paper trail with names and times of everyone I’ve spoken to and even a screen recording showing the hotel was the cheapest available at the time within walking distance.
So yes, in hindsight and based on advice here you’re quite right I should’ve gone to Brighton. But please remember it was a very stressful situation and I struggle with anxiety as it is. I’ve got different staff telling me different things and after an hour of this I wouldn’t have been okay to travel to Brighton anyway.
But yes I take on board the advice for the future. What I don’t accept is blame - this is solely 100% Southern’s fault, they broke their terms of carriage and didn’t care.
IF they refuse the reimbursement I’ll fight it to the bitter end. But I’ve kept a good paper trail with names and times of everyone I’ve spoken to and even a screen recording showing the hotel was the cheapest available at the time within walking distance.