[Travel] F**K SOUTHERN FAIL. Help?!

[Rogero]

This cry for help just goes to show what a great group of people we are on here and in desperate need there is someone out there to share your problems with .

 

[Yes Chef]

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

 

[sparkie]

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.

 

[Zeberdi]

I spent years ss a commuter to London. I always followed a piece of advice I had in the early days and generally it lessened the aggro: go as far as you can, as soon as you can.

No use now, but for future situations, I hope it helps. For now I hope you're feeling less upset this morning and try not to let it ruin another day.

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]

This is always the best advice. Hopefully @jcdenton08 is home, de-stressed and otherwise OK. Easy to say with hindsight, but should really have a Plan B tucked away for future use. 22:46 is relatively early in train terms. Plenty of time to get a later train to Brighton. Being on familiar territory would possibly have averted a panic attack, and OP would be much nearer home, with multiple options including hotel near Brighton station, taxi from Brighton station, or just have some nice comfort food and wait for the night bus. Like I say, easy to say with hindsight, not so easy to do when you're having a panic attack and home seems a long way away. Sending best wishes to OP

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]

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.

 

[Bodian]

Cancelling the last train home is the worst experience, because you are so often left without an alternative. We had this recently and we had our bikes with us - which they really couldn't cope with.

 

[essbee1]

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).

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

Cancelling the last train home is the worst experience, because you are so often left without an alternative. We had this recently and we had our bikes with us - which they really couldn't cope with.

I'd have thought having your bike with you more of an advantage than a hinderance

 

[Bodian]

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!

 

[Audax]

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).

 

[Bodian]

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.

 

[dazzer6666]

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.

Thought careless/inconsiderate was a prerequisite to cycle here

 

[jcdenton08]

Thanks for the responses x

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I did this many times. Sleeping at Gatwick is more comfortable and warmer and you blend in amongst those waiting for early planes.

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.

 

[atomised]

This is always the best advice. Hopefully @jcdenton08 is home, de-stressed and otherwise OK. Easy to say with hindsight, but should really have a Plan B tucked away for future use. 22:46 is relatively early in train terms. Plenty of time to get a later train to Brighton. Being on familiar territory would possibly have averted a panic attack, and OP would be much nearer home, with multiple options including hotel near Brighton station, taxi from Brighton station, or just have some nice comfort food and wait for the night bus. Like I say, easy to say with hindsight, not so easy to do when you're having a panic attack and home seems a long way away. Sending best wishes to OP

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.

 

[atomised]

Thanks for the responses x

hope your journey down this morning was better and good luck dealing with southern fail going forward

 

[Originunknown]

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

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

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

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

 

[jcdenton08]

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.