Euro tunnel ... Idiots! (1 Viewer)

icantremember

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Called Eurotunnel from Gravelines aire at 18.47 last evening to change our return booking to the soonest possible and was given a crossing at 04.45 this morning at £20 extra.

Arrived at French terminal at 03.30 this morning to be told we had missed out booking which they reckoned was yesterday morning, before my call even, so wanted to charge £170.:devil::doh:

After keeping us at the check in for half an hour they finally saw the error of their ways and said we could go on the 06.30 for £20 .... okay I agreed to this only to now be put on the 04.25.

In the past we have always found Et to be very efficient, although expensive, but after this fiasco I think we will revert to the ferry in future.
 

Inthezone

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We came back yesterday through the tunnel, was at Gravelines Friday night, rocked up a few hours early and asked the girl in the kiosk and she said no proplem had achoice of three trains, before the one we were booked on.
 

BwB

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Although I prefer ferries, I think on the right day you could have just as much frustration with any of the ferry companies too. If you've always had good service from EuroTunnel then it seems a shame to smite them because of one error on a last minute booking change. Maybe things will look better to you after a few days.

Hope it didn't spoil the rest of your trip. Did you swing by Düsseldorf for the show in the end? :)
 

sdc77

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Always found eurotunnel to be pretty efficient tbh. They would have to be regularly rubbish for us to forgo the convenience they offer.
We ended up on a carriage with no Aircon on our last trip back and got a full refund a month of so later.

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icantremember

icantremember

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We came back yesterday through the tunnel, was at Gravelines Friday night, rocked up a few hours early and asked the girl in the kiosk and she said no proplem had achoice of three trains, before the one we were booked on.
That has been our previous experience but in this case we were originally booked for the 28th but needed to get back 2 weeks early .... They were happy to change the booking but ended up trying to put us on a train that left 24 hours earlier ... hence "IDIOTS"
 
Feb 24, 2013
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trouble is you have tried to do the right thing by ringing ahead and sorting it 'properly', with hind sight you would have probably done better just to turn up and change at the terminal, nothing better than face to face franglais

but I agree with the idiot bit ref booking you onto a train that had already gone :doh:
 

100brian

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Frustrating ands annoying yes, but one person made one mistake which was then rectified. Hardly a reason to brand them idiots and never darken their doorstep again is it.

have to agree with you always found them much better that the ferries.
 

autoswan

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My ferry caught us for an extra £80 when we returned on a flexi ticket a few weeks back arriving at calais port a couple of days earlier than the date we were told we had to roughly pick but not held to, hence the flexi part !
Last year we turned up when we wanted near the date again on a flexi ticket same routine and no problem !

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Trouble is though, you weren't the one stood at Calais at 03:30 in the morning discussing a booking you had only made a few hours earlier

I don't think I would have been best pleased either

True, and not a pleasing experience, but I never will be travelling at such an hour unless there is a very very urgent indeed need to get back.
 
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icantremember

icantremember

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Although I prefer ferries, I think on the right day you could have just as much frustration with any of the ferry companies too. If you've always had good service from EuroTunnel then it seems a shame to smite them because of one error on a last minute booking change. Maybe things will look better to you after a few days.

Hope it didn't spoil the rest of your trip. Did you swing by Düsseldorf for the show in the end? :)
You are probably right and we'll most likely use them again.

We didn't get up into Germany at all as we are having problems with the van with was the reason we wanted to get back early.

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icantremember

icantremember

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Frustrating ands annoying yes, but one person made one mistake which was then rectified. Hardly a reason to brand them idiots and never darken their doorstep again is it.
It was not just the booking error, anyone can make a mistake, but the way they kept us waiting at the check in for half an hour at 03.30 in the morning while insisting it was our fault ... so IDIOTS they remain in my eyes.
 
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icantremember

icantremember

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True, and not a pleasing experience, but I never will be travelling at such an hour unless there is a very very urgent indeed need to get back.
Neither would we but we wanted to get back and they insisted all the other trains were fully booked, which also proved untrue.
 
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Both the tunnel and ferry companies have stories to be told at being unhelpful, One experience i had on ferry re arriving early was trying to be charged extra, drove out of gate and straight back into another kiosk operator, no probs she said you can catch the next ferry. Now this is okay if tariff was the same but this was a dearer sailing.
I do think its all down to the integrity of the operator in the booths, some go by the book and some are more helpful, after all if you managed to get on with no extra costs you are likely to use that company again. Now the tunnel is excellent for the children to get out and look at the fish but thats another story.

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icantremember

icantremember

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Would love to go via the tunnel, but with costs of a tad over £60 more per direction it is just WAY WAY too expensive
The initial total cost for our return journeys, at reasonable travel times, was £173 .... so are you saying John the boat is only about £50 return? If so we shall definitely use boats in future
 
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Would love to go via the tunnel, but with costs of a tad over £60 more per direction it is just WAY WAY too expensive

Funny you should say that. I've always thought there wasn't much in it or even the tunnel a little cheaper.

I've just had a look for fun to travel 7PM tonight and return 7PM tomorrow night, 2 adults, 7.4m MH:

Ferry (P&O, Dover - Calais) £178
Tunnel £132

I guess it depends when you travel but whenever I've looked thats about an average price for the tunnel.
 

cruiser

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we hope you got your van home, safe and sound.and no real bad props. hope to see you rolling along soon.

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icantremember

icantremember

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we hope you got your van home, safe and sound.and no real bad props. hope to see you rolling along soon.
Cheers Mike, the m/h is still running but but still has a engine warning light on all the time and is lacking top end power. We are staying in Kent for a few days and will then take it back to Norwich where it was supposed to have been fixed before we went to France.
 

lou020

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only used the tunnel once,this easter, did'nt like it,, very depressing,awful place,, i much prefer the ferries where i can walk around and have a beer.
reminds me of a time when i turned up at freightliner(rail terminal)trafford park to pick up a tanker from europe,,, to be told they did'nt know where the train was, bloody useless in there,
and they want to put freight back on the railways.
 

Minxy

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Cheers Mike, the m/h is still running but but still has a engine warning light on all the time and is lacking top end power. We are staying in Kent for a few days and will then take it back to Norwich where it was supposed to have been fixed before we went to France.
Out of interest, what is the problem 'supposed' to be?

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sdc77

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Cheers Mike, the m/h is still running but but still has a engine warning light on all the time and is lacking top end power. We are staying in Kent for a few days and will then take it back to Norwich where it was supposed to have been fixed before we went to France.
Sounds like the throttle body issue.. (error 638 or something like that).. If it is its a new throttle body and technically (but not essential) a new loom to the throttle body. Mine was recently done under warranty for £518.
 
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icantremember

icantremember

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Out of interest, what is the problem 'supposed' to be?
Sounds like the throttle body issue.. (error 638 or something like that).. If it is its a new throttle body and technically (but not essential) a new loom to the throttle body. Mine was recently done under warranty for £518.
We had the motorised throttle body and associated loom replaced (£640 & no guarantee) in Norfolk before leaving for France. However after a few miles over there the problem reappeared and was confirmed by a Peugeot dealer who said we should continue our journey.
We continued on our way as far as Eguishiem, but with reduced top end power and confidence decided to head back home to get it sorted.
 
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Last couple of times on the Tunnel we have come back early without any hassle. Just turned up at Calais, explained the situation and first time paid £20 (we were 3 days early) and second time (a week early) didn't cost anything.

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