Refunds on crossings?
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Has anybody had a cash refund back from Brittany Ferries for cancelled crossings?
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I would have thought that accepting a voucher is simply a sign of goodwill on the part of the customer, but if the booked crossing is cancelled by the ferry operator the customer has a legal right to demand a full refund. If a particular crossing has been booked and if that part of the deal can't be met, then the whole purchase would be null and void and you would be entitled to a refund.
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I doubt if B/F has got the cash in hand to repay everyone at the moment. The last statement I saw from them said that their estimated losses for March /April would be €25 million, and inevitably further losses will follow.
So they are offering vouchers instead of cash and hoping that the French government will give them financial support to be able to stay in business in 2021 / 2022 and honour them.
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not sure what you are advocating is true, most holiday companies in the UK are only offering vouchers as a refund and some are only valid for 6 months, at least my BF voucher is valid for 2 years for my outbound Portsmouth - Caen for April, my inbound same route for June is BF flexi ticket i have only paid deposit thus far, but can keep moving the date out to avoid paying the balance right thru to next year if necessary when i hope to use it.
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Grant Shapps, aka Michael Green and at least 1 other alias,the Transport Secretary, relaxed the legal right across the board for Consumers to demand a cash refund for travel cancellations some 10 days ago.
From memory, the Travel Provider issues a 2 year validity Credit Note and if that is used, no problem. If the Note is not redeemed within that time, the customer can demand a cash refund, and if the company goes bust during the 2 year period, the Government [i.e. we the taxpayers ...] pick up the tab.
This scheme recognises the cashflow problems that the Travel Industry faces and is designed to minimise the damage to the Travel Sector and the wider UK economy.
In respect of the latter, the UK economy is forecast to contract by between 13.5% and 15% in the 2nd quarter alone in figures released today. UK Sovereign Credit Rating was downgraded to AA- and a negative outlook at the end of last week, and that was forecast to reduce the UK economy by 4% PROVIDED that the 2nd 6months led to normal conditions [highly unlikely] AND that a Trade Deal with the EU could be completed to avoid the cost of WTO Rules [all UK/EU negotiations suspended because of Coronavirus].
Interesting times!
Steve
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Re my earlier post. Here is a link to the article confirming the waiving of the obligation on Travel Companies to offer cash refunds:
Steve
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Thanks Steve. That's an interesting post.
I wonder though. Do the travel package regulations mentioned in the Independent article definitely apply to ferry only bookings? I was under the impression they only applied to "packaged" deals. I could be completely wrong of course.
I think I read somewhere that Brittany ferries are offering a 1 year travel voucher when they cancel a ferry. Personally I would be wary of accepting this. I think there could be a big problem with travel insurance further down the line. COVID 19 is unlikely to be covered and, unfortunately, next year we may also have to go without the benefit of EHIC cover. I don't wish to sound negative, and I do hope I'm wrong, but there could be difficulties ahead for those of us that like to take our caravans and motorhome abroad.
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To the best of my knowledge B/F are offering vouchers valid for two years not one. If they stay in business they will honour them. If they go belly up and cease trading you can try for a refund from the credit card company you used for your original payment. I can't see any other alternative.
But as 85% of the B/F customers are British, contributing a lot to tne French economy, it seems probable that the French government will support this French company.
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Thanks eurotraveller.
If that is the case then Brittany Ferries need to update their website as they are still saying you will be offered a voucher valid for one year. Of course two years is better than one but I would still rather have a cash refund. Again, I don't want to sound pessimistic, but the cost of fares could rocket over the next couple of years as BF try to claw back lost revenue. I would not want to be beholden to any one particular ferry company.
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Brittany Ferries will, I think, benefit from the EU Emergency Financial Package announced last week [the equivalent of the emergency package provided by the UK Chancellor]. EU has relaxed State Aid Rules and the French Government has a long track record of providing State Aid to French business by the simple expedient of declaring the business to be of strategic national importance.
EU knows that it has the same challenge as UK in keeping businesses viable to limit the damage to the European economy and to make it less costly to fund the eventual recovery.
Dealing with the Coronavirus is the current priority. The tweaking and implementation of the Financial Support Package, in UK and EU, will develop as the full effect of the damage to the various economies becomes clearer. There's a broad agreement amongst economists that the current support packages will not be enough.
Steve
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