LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm interested to know if and what anything Eurotunnel has done about cancelled crossings in the past. We were scheduled to cross at 03.27am and duly turned up in the appropriate lane and waited. 03.27 came and went until eventually a Tunnel staff member came to our van, (this was 4am by now) and said, get your heads down you'll be crossing later. I asked what was going on and he said Eurotunnel would e-mail us after noting our vehicle registration number. To say we were hacked off would be an understatement. No info, no crossing, nothing. We crossed at 05.15 Before anyone chimes in with "it's only a couple of hours etc etc", please save your keyboard efforts, we chose this time deliberately, it was important, not life threatening, but important to our travel plans. I have e-mailed Eurotunnel but 1 week later am no wiser. To be fair they do advise up to 14 days for responses. Can we expect a grovelling apology and £2,000,000 in compensation or just a hard luck mate go back to the ferries? 8-) Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 When we had a delay we received a free return crossing. This was several years ago so the policy may have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 You need to read the terms and conditions. My guess is that they will state that for operational reasons the departure and arrival times may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 It is a bit unlikely you will get the top management in charge at those times, so you'll get whoever is the mug on night duty. Not an excuse, but I think, a fact. Any form of travel that depends on mechanised transport is prone to disruption, be it mechanical breakdown or human intervention. The tunnel, ferries, even motorhomes, can, and do, from time to time, let us down. Again not an excuse, but a fact. Travel plans just need to allow for these unpredictable events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Sorry to say it Martyn but that's life. But they should at least explain what is going on. We had a long delay at a ferry at Portsmouth once and it turned out that there had been an accident of some sort on the loading ramp. If that had been explained to us all it would have made the delay more tolerable. It's the 'contempt' for customers that gets me. The only way round it I'm afraid is to run your own ferry or dig your own tunnel. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 I have no problem with a breakdown or failure, that's life. My main grouses are that we kept our part of the contract, (check in by whatever time) and then were just left there to wither on the proverbial vine. It would have fractionally easier to bear if they could have knocked on the van door as soon as they knew it was going to be cancelled. This was achievable as we had our mirror hanger in place. Their technology would have known we were "on site". Also the fact that there was no one around to explain what was going on and that we were actually not crossing at all at our scheduled time. Our plans did and do have some flexibility built in, but if you choose a crossing deliberately to aid your journey time at the other side rather than to save money (i.e. a cheaper fare) then I believe we have a right to be miffed. £140+ for a crossing at that time and then to be cancelled is not acceptable to me. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I have to say that over the years we have had very few delays in ferry crossings, and that inlcuded a period of 16 years travelling backwards and forwards to Jersey, where I was living at the time. In 15odd years of crossings from UK to France since then, I can not recall any delays at all. The only major delay I did have about 3 years ago was on a visit back to Jersey October/November, and I was coming up from Cornwall to a meeting in Southampton, then was booked on the next day's slow boat from Portsmouth to Jersey. I reveived a calll on the mobile whilst on the way up from Cornwall advising there would be a 'delay' on my crossing. Expecting this to be a couple of hours or so, I asked the Condor Rep how long, and was rather takan aback to be told 12 hours!!!!!! It did not bother me as my time was my own anyway, but it would then be a night crossing, and a long one at that - 12 hours I think it was. So I just mentioned that it would be nice if they 'gave' me a cabin, and the reply was ' yes, no problems, no charge'...! How's that for good customer service,a nd the way to keep the customer happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 malc d - 2011-08-15 1:01 PM Sorry to say it Martyn but that's life. :-( Where there's blame Malc, there's a claim. And no I'm not buying into the compensation culture but I think it was unreasonable to be not kept informed. Mr Eurotunnel, Customer Service, if you're picking up on this thread, imagine you're a customer, you've done you're side of the deal, got there on time and then are just left there with no info. How would YOU feel? Malc, do you want to start the digging for my Tunnel venture? :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 LordThornber - 2011-08-15 1:34 PM malc d - 2011-08-15 1:01 PM Sorry to say it Martyn but that's life. :-( Where there's blame Malc, there's a claim. And no I'm not buying into the compensation culture but I think it was unreasonable to be not kept informed. Mr Eurotunnel, Customer Service, if you're picking up on this thread, imagine you're a customer, you've done you're side of the deal, got there on time and then are just left there with no info. How would YOU feel? Malc, do you want to start the digging for my Tunnel venture? :D Martyn Not if you are starting the tunnel from Blackburn Martyn. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 LordThornber - 2011-08-15 1:34 PM Where there's blame Malc, there's a claim. And no I'm not buying into the compensation culture but I think it was unreasonable to be not kept informed. Mr Eurotunnel, Customer Service, if you're picking up on this thread, imagine you're a customer, you've done you're side of the deal, got there on time and then are just left there with no info. How would YOU feel? Malc, do you want to start the digging for my Tunnel venture? :D Martyn Well,a tap on the door,just to let you know the state of play,would've been courteous,however,as that didn't happen,I don't quite know what you expect to happen next..? Would an "official" sorry be sufficient?...and/or do you have any receipts for any out of pocket expenses that the delay caused you..?..if,not..well in that case,it does indeed sound as if you are "...buying into the compensation culture..." ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 We turned up once for a Tunnel crossing 11 PM the day before our 4 AM crossing and were let on an earlier Train, No charge, Maybe I will have to compensate Euro Tunnel ?? Swings and Roundabouts ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Whoops double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Yes an official sorry will be a good start. Followed by a written explanation as to why they failed to get us over at the agreed time. Why they failed to let us know we wouldn't be travelling. Why they failed to let us know when we'd be travelling. As for the upset and distress caused by the inconvienience, (my Wife was very distressed at the failure to cross), well I'll leave that up to Eurotunnel. Perhaps we could work from this, they were charging us just over £4 a minute to cross, I'll be generous and discount that by 50% and charge them £2 per minute waiting time, so that's 105 minutes X £2 = £210. Seems fair and reasonable to me for service not received as paid for. Martyn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 We were kept waiting 5 hours, but they did explain the problem, electrical fault, it was a bit annoying, but keeping us informed kept us happy. Not to be told as you were not, would have annoyed us. Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 LordThornber - 2011-08-15 4:37 PM Yes an official sorry will be a good start. Followed by a written explanation as to why they failed to get us over at the agreed time. Why they failed to let us know we wouldn't be travelling. Why they failed to let us know when we'd be travelling. As for the upset and distress caused by the inconvienience, (my Wife was very distressed at the failure to cross), well I'll leave that up to Eurotunnel. Perhaps we could work from this, they were charging us just over £4 a minute to cross, I'll be generous and discount that by 50% and charge them £2 per minute waiting time, so that's 105 minutes X £2 = £210. Seems fair and reasonable to me for service not received as paid for. Martyn. Seems to me the crossing time is a ' scheduled' crossing time, not an 'agreed ' crossing time. Surely the contract is to get you across - I doubt if your booking included a promise to go on time. No operator could guarantee that. What frustrates me is the lack of information, whether it's a ferry, a train, or a bus. It's just common courtesy to keep customers informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I was badly delayed once crossing from France to England. The train left on time and then stopped for ages in the tunnel. I was given a free (undated) ticket in compensation. Not the same as your case Martyn and they only did it when I complained (nicely). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Well Michael I have complained and nicely too, it tends to work better in my experience. A good and fair result for you, well done. As for "scheduled" versus agreed, that's a fair comment Malc. The paperwork actually denotes "departure" time, so that's, (in my view), even worse for Eurotunnel. Because we didn't depart. At the time we paid for. It's odd, their website seems, and I've looked high and low, totally devoid of anything relating to potential crossing failure and outcomes of said failure. Hmm, wonder why? I wonder if some folk just take these things lying down, perhaps I'm a bit odd expecting to cross on time, be kept informed if I'm not doing and why I'm not crossing? Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Whilst I agree that being told what was happening, couldn't you have simply gone and found one of the staff and asked them? I certainly wouldn't have waited until 4.00 am for a 3.26 am crossing, before finding out. Not knowing isn't a nice thing I agree, but maybe they were up to their eyes trying to sort out whatever problem there was to ensure you got on your way as soon as possible. It may also have been because they weren't actually told what the actual problem was, hence why you were not informed either. It works both ways - when you have a Eurotunnel crossing booked, you can arrive up to 2 hours late without any penalty, and indeed often if you arrive early, you get out early (this has certainly been our experience on a few occasions), so all in all, whilst this has been annoying and frustrating, overall I don't think their policy is too bad compared to the ferries, especially when you consider that they will also do changes to your crossing dates with no admin cost, other than any additional cost in the new crossing time price, and you can call to amend your crossing date/time up to 24 hours AFTER your actual departure time which is good, if for some reason you can't get there (such as your vehicle breaks down). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Mel B - 2011-08-15 8:09 PM Whilst I agree that being told what was happening, couldn't you have simply gone and found one of the staff and asked them? I certainly wouldn't have waited until 4.00 am for a 3.26 am crossing, before finding out. Not knowing isn't a nice thing I agree, but maybe they were up to their eyes trying to sort out whatever problem there was to ensure you got on your way as soon as possible. It may also have been because they weren't actually told what the actual problem was, hence why you were not informed either. It works both ways - when you have a Eurotunnel crossing booked, you can arrive up to 2 hours late without any penalty, and indeed often if you arrive early, you get out early (this has certainly been our experience on a few occasions), so all in all, whilst this has been annoying and frustrating, overall I don't think their policy is too bad compared to the ferries, especially when you consider that they will also do changes to your crossing dates with no admin cost, other than any additional cost in the new crossing time price, and you can call to amend your crossing date/time up to 24 hours AFTER your actual departure time which is good, if for some reason you can't get there (such as your vehicle breaks down). Mel, you may not have waited in your van, but we would and did. I had no intention of seeking out someone for an explanation, it's not my responsibility. I did what I had to do - get there on time. As it happened there wasn't a soul around to be seen who appeared to represent Eurotunnel. As for benefits arising from getting on early crossings or amendments etc etc, that's not our raison d'etre. We book the Tunnel for it's crossing length - nothing more. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Well a good result for fair mindedness in my view. A comprehensive explanation as to why we were delayed. A comprehensive apology for the poor service received. A £35 discount valid for the next 12 months. Well done Eurotunnel. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 So when they start charging us for being an hour late we know who to blame !!! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 maggyd - 2011-08-22 6:23 PM So when they start charging us for being an hour late we know who to blame !!! ;-) Or who to thank when THEY'RE cancelling your crossing.......... :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I must agree that not being kept informed is annoying and greatly adds to the frustration of waiting. In a previous life, in a technical support role, I had to deal face to face with customers. I learnt then that if you keep people informed then they will often put up with a lot of inconvenience. And not just the one off flippant excuse but reasons and updates as appropriate. Whenever passengers are stranded at airports it’s often the lack of information that is cited as the most annoying aspect. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Its all your fault for upsetting eurotunnel. They are going out on strike Sat and Sun this week .That is the 26th and 27 th of august.This is a French strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Militancy rules ok? :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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