Guest Joe90 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 So here we are one week from returning to the UK, having made arrangements to use the tunnel instead of the now defunct MyFerry return ticket, only to read that there is no end in sight to the anarchy at Calais, all the more worrying is the apparent ease the tunnel can be compromised, diabolical at every level, and yet no one seems to be getting a grip. A pal of mine in a similar position has decided to give Calais a miss altogether, and has now booked from Caen to Portsmouth, on telephoning the Caravan club to cancel his overnight booking no longer needed at Folkstone, and explaining the reason for doing so, they thanked him for letting them know,, but said he'd lose his deposit, he also thanked them, and said they'd just lost a member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hold on ! The Caravan Club doesn't accept deposits for booking sites ? so how can he have lost his deposit ? Unless it was part of his ferry deal ,otherwise It makes no sense. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Was it the Camping and Caravanning Club? They are the ones with a site at Folkestone. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooty10 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 A few years ago I had booked a ferry crossing with the C.C. When I asked to change my booking they said it was going to cost me £50, that was £25 for changing the booking with P&O and another £25 for the C.C. to change the booking. After a few heated words the C.C. said they would let me off this once as it was a medical emergency but I still had to pay P&O £25. I am no longer a member of the C.C.. Keith (sooty) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 I recently changed a booking with CCC and it cost £15 and no payment to P@O. Surely if you cancel a booking without real cause you do not expect to get a full refund? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 sshortcircuit - 2015-07-02 10:39 PM I recently changed a booking with CCC and it cost £15 and no payment to P@O. Surely if you cancel a booking without real cause you do not expect to get a full refund? That is quite correct .... unless you are dealing with an organisation set up to incorporate a membership, with all the benefits that such an organisation brings. Sadly, these days there is very little difference between the Caravan Company and the Camping and Caravan Company. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I've found in my travels that ... if buying the cheapest passage then there are no 'free' alterations at all. However if buying a flexible passage 'not the cheapest' then alterations will be allowed. You cannot expect to travel on the cheap and be given all the perks. You make your choice ... simple. I've been known to change a ferry travel time and date 3 times in one day 'for free' because I PAID for that service. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdf Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Rayjsj - 2015-07-02 9:25 PM Hold on ! The Caravan Club doesn't accept deposits for booking sites ? so how can he have lost his deposit ? Unless it was part of his ferry deal ,otherwise It makes no sense. Ray Actually they do for this site if you need one of the early departure/late arrival Ferry Pitches. You have to contact the site directly and make full payment BEFORE your booking is accepted. Used this site in June for recent trip and attitude of Warden because I arrived at 7.15pm, when the office is meant to be still open, and disturbed their tea is going to be the subject of a complaint to CC. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I change our frequent traveller tunnel crossing.... Frequently:-) last year because of health problems changed outward five times..no charge. As for clubs do me a favour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Having never used the tunnel before, and returning on the 9th, can anyone answer the following. If trucks are stacked up on the French side which is where we are, is non commercial traffic still able to access the check ins, if not does anyone know the procedure if through no fault of our own we are snarled up in stationary traffic and miss our slot. I have tried Le Shuttles info line which was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, thanks, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 JudgeMental - 2015-07-03 8:46 AM I change our frequent traveller tunnel crossing.... Frequently:-) last year because of health problems changed outward five times..no charge. As for clubs do me a favour! Frequent travel option of no use to me. Can somebody please explain where I apparently can get a better deal than 10% of P@O best price through CCC? Never found one yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 sshortcircuit - 2015-07-03 9:21 AM JudgeMental - 2015-07-03 8:46 AM I change our frequent traveller tunnel crossing.... Frequently:-) last year because of health problems changed outward five times..no charge. As for clubs do me a favour! Frequent travel option of no use to me. Can somebody please explain where I apparently can get a better deal than 10% of P@O best price through CCC? Never found one yet! Why not? You can share the account with someone else, you have 2 or 3 returns....whatever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Joe90 - 2015-07-03 9:12 AM Having never used the tunnel before, and returning on the 9th, can anyone answer the following. If trucks are stacked up on the French side which is where we are, is non commercial traffic still able to access the check ins, if not does anyone know the procedure if through no fault of our own we are snarled up in stationary traffic and miss our slot. I have tried Le Shuttles info line which was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, thanks, Mike. We came back on 25 June. There was quite a long stack of trucks in the RH lane but everyone else was allowed through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Bump Having never used the tunnel before, and returning on the 9th, can anyone answer the following. If trucks are stacked up on the French side which is where we are, is non commercial traffic still able to access the check ins, if not does anyone know the procedure if through no fault of our own we are snarled up in stationary traffic and miss our slot. I have tried Le Shuttles info line which was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, thanks, Mike. Thanks Muswell, post crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanlindaclare Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Hi, we travelled from Boulogne to the tunnel on Tuesday morning & the lorries where stacked on the inside lane. However, at that point access to the slip road to the tunnel was clear & we were able to get to the actual terminal. Only delayed 1.5 hours, but things may have changed since then. Good luck Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Many thanks, I'm still mystified how apparently a group of people can gain access with a load of tyres and sabotage the lines.........just as well there are no other groups with an axe to grind, and wanting to cause mayhem. Bonne journee eh ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 your not travelling at weekend so that's good....You will be filtered past trucks so little concern there. As for delays when you get there, just watch the news....My instincts are that it will be fine (more or less) :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdf Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 We travelled back on Wed lunchtime and got a text message from Eurotunnel to tell us NOT to join the queue of lorries but just to continue to the exit where there was a lane open. We got into terminal no problem and caught the booked train. The problem we had was the closed M20 - should have doubled back to Dover and used M2. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Thanks everyone, I've got the missus here having kittens in case someone hides in the wardrobe...........she wasn't particularly amused when I said, how they going to manage that with all your clobber in it, and six pairs of shoes......and my few measly tea shirts and my 3 euro E Leclerc crocs ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I think you may be wise to try to arrive as early as possible relative to your booked time. You should be carried at your reserved price (or given a cost option when you get to the book-in) if you are no more than 2 hours early. When we returned in June, Calais was slow due to passport and security controls. You've a longish journey home once you land, so I guess you won't want to start off delayed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 gdf - 2015-07-03 7:46 AM Rayjsj - 2015-07-02 9:25 PM Hold on ! The Caravan Club doesn't accept deposits for booking sites ? so how can he have lost his deposit ? Unless it was part of his ferry deal ,otherwise It makes no sense. Ray Actually they do for this site if you need one of the early departure/late arrival Ferry Pitches. You have to contact the site directly and make full payment BEFORE your booking is accepted. Used this site in June for recent trip and attitude of Warden because I arrived at 7.15pm, when the office is meant to be still open, and disturbed their tea is going to be the subject of a complaint to CC. Dave I think there is some confusion - people are referring to 2 different sites and two different clubs. The initial post referred to a site at Folkstone - that would be CCC. CCC charges deposits or payment in full at time of booking if the total is less than £25 "gdf" is referring to a CC site., almost certainly Black Horse Farm. CC does not charge deposits at all but folks staying for one night at BHF must pay in advance direct with site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Joe90 - 2015-07-03 9:12 AM Having never used the tunnel before, and returning on the 9th, can anyone answer the following. If trucks are stacked up on the French side which is where we are, is non commercial traffic still able to access the check ins, if not does anyone know the procedure if through no fault of our own we are snarled up in stationary traffic and miss our slot. I have tried Le Shuttles info line which was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, thanks, Mike. we travelled over on Thursday. We stayed overnight at Gravelines Wednesday night and set off from there at 6.30 am for a 9.20 am crossing we got to the automated registration booth early enough yo be offered a place on the 8.20 am (Which actually left at 8.05) train at no extra cost. As has been said the outside lane of the A16 and the outside lane on the exit slip to the tunnel are left clear for non freight vehicles. It was a bit tight in places as the wagon drivers only leave a narrow gap so other wagons can't jump the queue. There were vans at Gravelines that had been waiting 3 days to be rebooked on a ferry and had not got a confirmed booking. So it is tunnel every time for me in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 We came back yesterday via the tunnel. We left our Aire (not Cite Europe) at 0615 to catch the 0740 train. We travelled along the A16 at 60mph and we had no holdups at all. We took the La Manche exit and we could see overhead the lorries queuing but our exit was clear. We made it into the booking in booths by 0640 ish only to find we had been pushed back to the 0836 train. We saw no problems with illegals or the alleged angry policeman who is trying to con Brits out of 90e! We found the tunnel to be its usual efficient self and although our train left at 0845 instead of 0836, we had a good experience. There were miles and miles of lorries queuing on the M20 South and a big section was closed. No problems going North mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydeco Joe Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Came back on Friday only had a short delay of 15 mins but should have sailed on Tuesday not Friday. All went well with checking in etc, boat was full of motorhomes and tuggers not many cars or trucks. Had to contact CC who then had to contact P&O on Tueday as P&O would not give us a booking as we had booked with CC, cost us long phone calls but had a good few days extra so alls well that ends well. Best of luck to all who are still stuck. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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