kenthecamper Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Hi, I have recently sold my car and caravan and purchased a small motorhome which I was intending to take to Spain this winter on the Brittany Ferries route from Portsmouth to Santander as I have done in recent years with the car and caravan. I plan to sail around the 18th October 2011 and tow a small trailer. In previous years my car was up to 5 metres long and up to 1.83 metres high towing my caravan up to 7 metres long and 2.6 metres high, the price for this year with 2 passengers using an inside 2 berth cabin would be £389.00. My new motorhome is up to 6 metres long and 2.6 metres high towing a trailer up to 4 metres long and up to 1.83 metres high, the price for this comes out at £428.00 The overall length and volume is shorter and lower than the caravan and car yet I am expected to pay more for taking up less space on the ferry, how can this be fair.? I contacted Brittany Ferries Customer Service regarding this and they replied and I quote "Our pricing is such to ensure that to be fair to all our customers, those travelling with longer or higher vehicles than the norm pay a supplement per crossing on the basis that their vehicle occupies a greater volume on board than do some other vehicles. Rather than charging for the overall length of a vehicle, we price each element separately, with each individual component falling into its own price category" Bearing in mind the above, I started to look at various options with the car and caravan against the motorhome and which ever way you look at it the motorhomer always seems to come off financially worse than the caravanner. Now I cannot see how they can justify this as I am taking up less length/height and overall volume, I should be paying less not £39.00 more. According to their costings, the motorhome trailer at 4metres long and 1.83 metres high is being charged £117 the same price as a caravan 7 metres long and 2.6 metres high. I can except that I should have to pay more for my motorhome as it is 1 metre longer than the car and 2.6 metres high and therefore I am happy to pay a supplement which according to their figures works out at £39.00. What I cant understand is why my trailer at 4 metres long and up to 1.83 metres high is priced the same as my old caravan at £117.00? If I was to tow my old caravan of 7 metres long and 2.6 metres high with the motorhome, then the price goes up yet again from £117.00 to £146.00 for the caravan, how can this be fair when I have already paid a supplement for the motorhome? There is something fundamentally wrong with their pricing that needs to be sorted out as they are penalising motorhome owners that are towing trailers. A car towing a 4 metre trailer would only be paying £88.00 for the trailer against £117.00 for the Motorhomer, who as I said has already paid a supplement. Check it out yourself and you will see that its not right. Numerous emails to Brittany Ferries Customer Services have failed to make them see reason and they keep saying that this is their pricing structure. I suppose that with P&O not operating out of Portsmouth to Spain any more they have the monopoly and can do as they please. With this in mind I for one will not be using this service any more until they see that this is a completely unfair situation that is penalising the motorhomer and they rectify the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 yup, >:-( >:-( welcome to the wonderful world of motorhoming you'll find that attitude is about par for the course not a member of caravan club are you? cos they wont help you either but, on balance, imho I'd rather be motorhoming than anything else :D :D or perhaps that should be camper-vanning in my case :D :D vive la difference :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 It's one of the reasons that we drive through France into Spain, I have done the santander / Bilbao route in the past but as you say the cost simply got to be too high. 140 Euros for fuel (one way) and three leisurely days should do it. Stopping at our favourite Aires and shopping at Lidl. Roll on Sept. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Agree that Brittany Ferries are taking the mickey. We always used P&O for our Portsmouth to Bilbao Spring and Autumn breaks. Because we live in Portsmouth we looked at Brittainy for Portsmouth to France and gave up. But salvation was at hand, LD lines O/N Ferry out End May 2011 and Fast Cat return End june 2011 cost us £277 total. So for us it is stuff Brittainy and hope that they get competition on the Spanish routed and suffer because of their current attitude. I am well aware that business bean counters rule and profit for shareholders etc, so I hope that members do not condem my feelings Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Buy your fuel at Tesco, build up your points and get a free crossing via the chunnel :D................now that you have a camper you can take advantage of aires traveling down to Spain, which are usually free at that time of year :D.....................enjoy B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Just playing Devils Advocate here, but I wonder if some consideration is given over to weight? As opposed to volume in terms of length/height. Just a thought. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 LordThornber - 2011-06-29 7:53 PM Just playing Devils Advocate here, but I wonder if some consideration is given over to weight? As opposed to volume in terms of length/height. Just a thought. Martyn Over weight?.................you maybe be able to read what I can't Martyn as I have a bit of a problem with block text :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger s Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I go along with Pelmetman, go via the Tunnel courtesy of Tesco points. We stick everything on the Tesco Credit and get our points this way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenthecamper Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 As far as I know there is know consideration given to weight. In fact the car and caravan weighed more than the motorhome and trailer. You have already paid an increase in the fare using a motorhome instead of a car and are then getting charged more for the same size trailer. What a rip off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ChrisB Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 roger s - 2011-06-29 8:11 PM I go along with Pelmetman, go via the Tunnel courtesy of Tesco points. We stick everything on the Tesco Credit and get our points this way Agree with all the above but with regard to trailer charges Eurotunnel are the worst offenders. They charge the same for a 2m luggage trailer as a 8m twin axle caravan. I have contacted them on several occasions to explain these disproportionate charges but have received the usual Customer Services platitudes. Still use them for convenience. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I wonder if it's down to their view that a motorhome can/may carry more people than a car? I know there are 7 seater cars and also 2 seater motorhomes, but its just another possible reason? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dave, I was referring to weight of the motorhome not it being overweight.... 8-) Ken has happily conceded he doesn't know if weight is a factor. Just because Ken's set up (caravan & car) was lighter than his m'home doesn't mean that ferry providers don't use weight as a factor in their pricing structures. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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