West Midlands Railway are fine. They have shit timetables and are a huge downgrade from London Midland however they are fine, their fares aren't too bad and they don't really care for checking tickets between the smaller stations.
Avanti are by far the worst train company in the UK, gay marketing, bullshit ticket prices and always cancelled / late.
Just for comparison it costs £29.70 to go to London on LNR while Avanti charge £48.40 for a 20 minute difference, meanwhile the cheaper ticket is far more reliable compared to Avanti services.