Help with GNER - Journey Doesn't Exist!!

[buffymad]

Hope someone can help - or this has happened to someone else before!

I booked (a few months ago) cheap tickets for Newcastle/London. I'm booked on the 15.22 from London KX on Sunday 23 December (changing at Peterborough) but on looking at the website recently, noticed there's engineering works and the 15.22 no longer exists!! There's trains at 14.30 and 15.30 instead by the looks of it. I tried phoning GNER (website support I think I was directed to) to ask if I needed to do anything and ended up speaking to 2 different people - both of which gave me conflicting answers! Unfortunately they were both (ahem) foreign and I had the feeling they weren't 100% sure of what I was asking and I had trouble understanding them also. I was told by one person that I could just travel on a train either side of my original departure time (ie I could get the 14.30 or 15.30) and by the other person that I'd need to send my tickets back and they'd issue new ones. Although to do this they'd need to speak to my husband because he's the cardholder. I tried saying I had all his details (because he hates speaking on the phone, especially to sort out things like this!) but the man on the phone said he couldn't speak to me and didn't know why!!

Anyway, HAS this happened to anyone before and if so, what did you do/what were you told?

I'm inclined to play dumb and just turn up at London KX on the day and say we'd only just found out about engineering works - but then scared in case they won't let me on the train/bus!!

Help !!!!

[Postdog]

Why not just do that. You booked and paid for tickets in good faith, and it's down to them, not you. Alternatively, when you go, go early anyway, then "find out" there is no service, but at least you'll be there and speaking to a person, and by going early you've got a chance of the earlier train.

[buildersmate]

With rail APEX fares, isn't it just the date that is fixed? - unlike air travel.
The train time booking would be relevant only to your seat reservation (if used).
There are then lockouts to prevent folks with cheap tickets getting on some specific (busy) trains.

[rabbitygirl]

Have had some horrendous experiences with trains. Once booked 2 seats London to Birmingham with Virgin. We got on the train, looked for our carriage, which was G I think only to find we walked from F to H. I called out the still open door to a uniform on the platform 'where's G, we have reserved seats in it.'

Unbelievably he calmly replied 'Oh sometimes we dont put that one on' !!!!!

We sat on the floor all the way to Coventry until seats became free.