Cancelled Ferry
Has anybody been contacted by The Club or in fact managed to get a reply from the overseas booking team.
I received an e mail from them on 24th April saying I would be contacted as priority as I had an outward ferry booked for the 19th May.
As the ferry sailing has now come and gone I thought I would have been contacted either by telephone or e mail. In fact my latest e mail still remains unanswered.
Comments
-
I was contacted regarding my sites and ferry sailings for June. The sites were cancelled there and then but ferry sailings were still being mulled over by BF. I was advised to ring once the sailing timetable had been revised. Contact was difficult as most will know.
I received an email with confirmation of my actual booking to which I responded with instructions to cancel the booking. I awaited an email response.
Another telephone call on Monday last and a 'call back' by CAMC and my ferry was sorted and RP cancelled.
This week I was called in response to my email, just to make sure that I had been attended to.
Did you not try a phone call and/or a call back? I messed up my first attempt at a call back, but that was my fault!!!
Considering the number of calls that the club must have been receiving, and the fact that they were pretty well all were working from home, I think that CAMC did pretty well.
0 -
I made contact successfully using live chat. The cancellation was agreed, but in did take over 3 weeks to receive refunded element (75%) And I have had no reply during that 3 (now 4) weeks to emails declining the 25% voucher (apart from automated acknowledgement).
Trying to be understanding of the challenges faced by lower staffing and home working.
0 -
I fully understand the problems as my Daughter is working from home as theatre box office staff. She along with her colleagues are contacting customers in date order of show bookings.
I would have thought the caravan club would be contacting somebody with a booking in May before customers with bookings in June and July.
My Daughter has a booking for a crossing to Spain in August and has already been contacted by Brittany Ferries and issued with a voucher.
Have tried ringing them but just get a message saying they are unable to take the call.
0 -
See my post "Return of Ferry Fare". 12/5
I used Live Chat. My ferry crossing wasn't until 24th Aug . It was so simple, the crossing was cancelled there and then and a confirmation email the next day. My full refund was credited to my bank on 19/5. So it just took 8 days.
My ferry was Stena Line and the CAMC agent did say they were the quickest in dealing with cancellations.
0 -
I rang and hung for ages in the early days but tried a call back -without waiting for the request for name and details! Hence my call back failed due to my impatient rush to get the phone down ( I have been accused of impatience by my OH on many occasions!!!). My second attempt was successful and within an hour!
0 -
Before the Covid-19 had struck, I had booked the whole of our planned 6-weeks French holiday - due to have started 18 May - through the CAMC (ferry, site fees and Red Pennant For car and caravan). Have now received a full refund to the last penny.
Health insurance (too expensive through Red Pennant) was purchased separately. There was a £46 cancellation fee, with the option (which we have taken) to put the policy on hold for 12 months. Then we can reactivate the policy for the same destination and time period without further cost - plus, if we still cancel, the refund will be the same as that which would apply had we cancelled immediately.
In hoping that it will be deemed safe to travel in 2021, and that bookings will be available by then, I do have a few questions:
1) Will CAMC be offering the European campsites, ferries and Eurotunnel catalogue as usual?
2) for any members who take up offers and book, in the event of a resurgence of the Covid-19 problem resulting in a return to banned travel, would cancellations and refunds be as easily obtained, and in full, as happened with the recent cancellations?
It would be helpful if CAMC HQ picked up on these observations and provided some early advice/assurance as to what the situation would actually be.
0 -
I had an email a week ago indicating my Brittany Ferries outbound sailing for the 7th June was cancelled and a travel voucher will be issued, and a similar voucher was requested for the inbound sailing which hasn't been cancelled yet.
I'm not sure how long the vouchers take to be issued though. I guess they've got a lot to get through!
John
0 -
Your last sentence is important, certainly as far as the CAMC and its members are concerned.
It is dangerous to try to look into the future in too much detail. There are so many possible situations, plus a rather inhospitable Brexit brewing atm, that any advance decisions cloud be questioned.
But for CAMC members, many of whom will have Vouchers for ferries in particular, some advance decisions regarding actions if we are again stricken by Corvid will be essential for planning any holidays. It would be good to know just what action BF would take.
From the travel industry's viewpoint it would massively reduce the potential panic. Insurance companies will look after themselves I have no doubt, but it would ease the process if we knew which companies were likely to pay up!
0 -
I refer to my post in 'Not much chance of France...... " My refund, in full, was received within 48hrs. It pays to purchase an ITX package, sites and ferry as opposed to just ferry, as your contract is with the Club, not direct with the ferry company, who will try to palm you off with 75% credit notes or deferment to a later date. I do hope you get your refund soon.
0 -
Finally managed to get reply by telephone and have been issued with a voucher for Brittany Ferries by e mail and site night vouchers purchased are being refunded to my credit card.
Although the CAMC agent stated that the vouchers had been sent out to me. If this was the case I certainly did not receive them.
I had one site night voucher left from last year which was still valid until the end of 2020 and which I intended to use this year. I asked if it could be re issued for next year, as I had read on another forum that a member had got theirs re issued.
However the agent said that it couldn't be done, although the club has not made any loss on this voucher apart from the paper that it was printed on.
My Daughter had a booking directly with Brittany Ferries for Spain in August which she has cancelled. Brittany Ferries have issued her with a voucher for the full deposit paid and offered a 20% discount on a French crossing or 15% on a crossing to Spain for next year if booked by the end of July this year.
0 -
170. Despite all the people who have demanded cash refunds, that offer your daughter has had from Brittany Ferries of a voucher with 20% discount for a booking for next year is not a bad one.
The 2021 timetables should be out in the middle of July allowing her time to book by the end of that month to get that discount if she wants to delay travel till next year.
0 -
I had one site night voucher left from last year which was still valid until the end of 2020 and which I intended to use this year. I asked if it could be re issued for next year, as I had read on another forum that a member had got theirs re issued.
I had 4 vouchers that were due to run out of date at the end of 2020, got in touch with an agent on 'Chat' had an email to say they have been re-issued for another year.
0 -
According to the French government website, France have extended restrictions until the end of December 2020, including the advice against non-essential travel. So I would think that Brittany Ferries offering bookings before that date are a bit presumptive, apart from there currently being no guarantee that the December date will not be extended further.
Also, regardless of what bookings the ferries and/or campsites may accept, there is still the more than likely chance of being refused embarkation out of the UK, or refusal of entry into France. Add to this the very cloudy information about what the EU countries or the UK are allowing at any given moment in time, plus the unknown quantity as to what limitations cancellation insurers might apply now that they are aware of the Covid-19 threat, and it must raise the question, “Is it safe to commit one’s finances to any overseas venture this year?”
1 -
The connexion suggest they will be letting people into the country
0 -
My ferry crossing was 2 weeks ago with BF - booked via the CC.
No answer to my e-mail sent 13 days ago.
It would be good business practice for the Caravan Club to issue an updated statement regarding their position in relation to the Ferry Companies, as I suspect that BF are dragging their heels issuing refunds.
There is growing resentment that some ferry companies are not following EU rules regarding refunds...so why aren't the Caravan Club exerting pressure on companies like Brittany Ferries?
After all, by offering a booking service, they must take some responsibility to look after the welfare of its members.
0 -
well I have to say in defense of BF, there response for my bookings personally has been very good, ok I got vouchers not cash, but vouchers are valid for 2 years and you get additional 20 pct if you rebook before 31st July 2020, so i rebooked yesterday, used their flex ticket, slightly more expensive but i think worth it as you can easily change your own booking on line with no hassle, not once have i had to contact BF, everything has been automatic, my ferries were out mid April return mid June. Club gives some good savings but Portsmouth/Caen crossings are not particularly expensive, so prefer booking direct for this route.
0 -
Deleted User User,
surely your refund must have gone wrong. We received our 75% refund for a 1st May outward BF crossing, which was cancelled on around 15/4, after about 25 days. So logic suggests if yours was cancelled in mid March, you ought to have it by now.
Disappointing on response by club to not sort it after multiple contacts.
0
