What on earth was going on with FGW on Saturday 3 November?  Arriving in plenty of time for the 14.47 from Salisbury to Southampton we found that the 14.08 was sitting on the platform (it was 14.28), the 14.30 was cancelled and the 14.47 was cancelled with noise that previous trains had also suffered a similar fate.  We had to get to Southampton for 15.30 so we had no choice but to leap on the delayed train which we were encouraged to do.  It was, needless to say, packed to the hilt.  There was an apology for the 'inconvenience' but no reason given.  The train was so packed it was impossible to get to the guard to buy the ticket we had arrived in plenty of time at Salisbury to purchase.

On arriving after further delay at Soton, we explained the situation and were faced with an accusatory jobsworth who insisted on knowing why we had not bought a ticket.  I explained the situation, that it was now or never and we needed to travel and so he begrudginly sold us a ticket but refused to sell us a cheap day return and stung us for the standard day return (£8.60 each) while at the same time seeming to sympathise with the situation but claiming he 'had to follow the rules'.  I challenged him politely and asked if situations beyond the control of a passenger are taken into account in the rules and there was no reply save for a mumble of 'I'm just doing my job'.  On asking for a FGW complaint form he pushed a photocopied leaflet into my hand. 

I always arrive at a station in plenty of time to buy a ticket but in these circumstances if I had waited I would still in be Salisbury a full hour or more later (who knows even if the 1530 ran on time) and I've have missed a meeting.  As it was I was lucky we were not fined for the hell of it.  While I realise the fault did not lie with the staff at Southampton, some understanding of the implications of what had happened would not have gone amiss.

I learned on Sunday that the rule can change within and hour.

12:45 - "Leisure Advanced Tickets are ONLY Valid ON THE TRAIN INDICATED on the ticket and NOT ON ANY OTHER SERVICE, and the staff have no discression"

13:45 - "This train will not be calling at Chippenham or Bath and YOU MAY USE YOUR TICKET ON THE BUS WE ARE PROVIDING, or ON THE 15:10 TRAIN from Bristol back to Bath"