Spitting feathers ----- DFDS (1 Viewer)

[Stealaway]

As we don't have any Tesco vouchers left at the moment we thought we try DFDS ferry for the first time in 20 years. All done last night and £50 cheaper. Then I noticed I'd mistakenly chosen a sailing to Dunkirk - easily done if you look at there sailing choices. I contacted them this morning to make the change to Calais sailing.

Dover] to accept invitation to chat ...
11:51:23 AM Dover: Invitation to chat with Dover has been accepted by Sam B
11:51:24 AM Samantha B: Hello, how can I help?
11:52:31 AM Alexander McLean: Hi I booked a crossing yesterday but failed to notice I had chosen a sailing to Dunkirk. I need to change it to Calais
11:52:59 AM Samantha B: Hello Alexander can i take the booking number from you please and i will check this for you
11:53:31 AM Alexander McLean: 16126815
11:54:21 AM Samantha B: I have a 16.50 or 18.20 on the Dover to Calais crossing ?
11:54:49 AM Alexander McLean: 18.20 Please
11:56:32 AM Samantha B: To change the booking it would be an additional 16.00 pound
11:59:07 AM Alexander McLean: You are joking!!!! So much for customer service - Robbing bleeders spring to mind. Dunkirk is only 25 minutes a way so I'll drive it. Thanks for nothing and be aware your pettiness has lost you another good customer

Not happy. A £64 crossing is OK ------- an extra £16 isn't

 

[Flamenca]

I would send an email to Customer Services who might make the amendment at no extra charge.

 

[DBK]

Brittany Ferries charge for changes to bookings made by telephone as well, but they are free if you make them online.

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[Stealaway]

I would send an email to Customer Services who might make the amendment at no extra charge.

That IS FROM customer service. -- Changing bookings ON LINE

 

[DBK]

That IS FROM customer service. -- Changing bookings ON LINE

So you were speaking to someone or using a chat facility? With BF you go onto their website and alter the booking directly. You can even change routes, which I've done, for free. But as they don't do any of the short crossings this may not be a lot of help.

 

[buttons]

How much???!!! ------- The Yorkshire war cry

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[Yorick]

Buy a map of France and you'll save £16 next time

 

[Theonlysue]

Still saved on original

 

[BreweryDave]

Seriously

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[tacr2man]

at 11:59.07 you probably lost any chance of changing their minds if that was an exact transcript of the "Chat"

 

[chaser]

Contrary to my usual stance on spending money , I don't think that is too bad considering they had to set it all up and then start again, I know at this time of year it wouldn't be but what if your booking filled the ferry and they had turned someone else away and lost another booking , it all has to be looked at.

 

[icantremember]

be aware your pettiness has lost you another good customer

Were you planning to use them again in 20 years?

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[MC 55 FUN]

Additional charges are clearly stated in their T's & C's :

You have the opportunity to change certain types of bookings via our website, or by telephoning us direct.

The rules for changes made by you may vary depending on the travel category as categorised in the booking terms and in any event subject to availability

Should changes to the booking reduce the value of the booking then the original cost is still valid.

Changes in the route, date, time, passenger numbers or vehicle type for non promotional fares will result in any increase in price from the original fare and the fare applicable on the day you make the amendment being charged plus an amendment fee.

 

[Yorick]

at 11:59.07 you probably lost any chance of changing their minds if that was an exact transcript of the "Chat"

I missed that bit. Extremely rude.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I booked to come home from Dunkirk DFDS and turned up at Calais by mistake .
He changed us to Calais and got us on an earlier ferry, no charge

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[The Nomad]

Ummm - but wasn't it due to your mistake? Them having to put right your error?

Maybe I'm out of line here, but to be honest I'd have thought 16 quid for them to have to take the time to chat to you, find your original booking, then cancel that booking , then complete another one instead due you your error not theirs would be fair enough, especially as you accepted the term to that effect in the contract you entered into when you made the booking.

You said you were saving 50 quid by using them. If it's cost you 16 quid for them to correct your mistake then it would still have saved 34 quid.

I suspect that quite a lot of companies might actually simply ban for life anyone who calls their staff directly "robbing bleeders" in writing for simply doing what is in the contract that you freely agreed to with them; and then shares that insult all over the internet too?

 

[Speve]

You should have waited till you got to port we used them in April and when we got there they offered us an earlier ferry to Calais instead with no extra cost.

 

[John65]

Think I would have just gone to Dunkirk anyway. (I will go anywhere to save a pound)

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[Funnymunny]

They are not the cheapest these days and I have tried to get an earlier booking back and they wanted £60. But my biggest grumble with DFDS is that when you try and book for a 7m van with a bike rack you have to pay for 10m that is a huge increase from 7m and since they brought that in I have stopped using them

 

[Dorwyn]

I booked to come home from Dunkirk DFDS and turned up at Calais by mistake .
He changed us to Calais and got us on an earlier ferry, no charge

That doesn't sound like the DFDS that I've grown to love (NOT!). I fell out with them when I arrived back at Dunkirk a day early during an off season, the boat was nearly empty. They charged me nearly 3 times the amount I had already paid for the return crossing the next day. They wanted me to watch a nearly empty ferry sail off into the sunset. I had to get back, so I had to pay. I've only used them once since, it's cost them more than they overcharged me.

 

[magicsurfbus]

DFDS ferry terminal to the Calais port junction on the Autoroute is 18 miles, say 3 litres of diesel, so maybe £3.75 extra.

Surely cheaper to just accept the mistake was yours, drive the 18 miles and save a massive £12.25?

But my biggest grumble with DFDS is that when you try and book for a 7m van with a bike rack you have to pay for 10m that is a huge increase from 7m and since they brought that in I have stopped using them

Just tell them you're 6.5 metres when you book - nobody's stood on the car deck with a tape measure.

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[maison]

We made the same error for our December crossing. Thought we had booked Dover-Calais but on checking crossing times this week found we had booked Dover-Dunkirk. There must be something odd about their website.

Fortunately for us we had already decided to switch our trip from North West France to Belgium so it suited us to leave it as it is.

 

[Stealaway]

We made the same error for our December crossing. Thought we had booked Dover-Calais but on checking crossing times this week found we had booked Dover-Dunkirk. There must be something odd about their website.

I know they are all guilty of charging for changes and although I'm sure it's all covered in their T&C's it don't make it right.
It not as though they have to go through any paper/ticket/sales invoices. It all on computer and take seconds to amend/change a booking.
It's no real hardship to land in Dunkirk instead of Calais -- it's the any excuse to charge extra attitude that revs me up.

 

[John65]

They are not the cheapest these days and I have tried to get an earlier booking back and they wanted £60. But my biggest grumble with DFDS is that when you try and book for a 7m van with a bike rack you have to pay for 10m that is a huge increase from 7m and since they brought that in I have stopped using them

Our van is 7mtr.+bike rack, we just book 7mtr. Don't tell about bike rack and they haven't said owt yet. Bet we get caught next time

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[chaser]

On the tunnel it asks if you have a bike rack , but as far as I know doesn't charge if you have.

 

[funflair]

Well somebody will have to stand up for DFDS we booked the Newcastle to Ijmuden return last year through the Caravan Club or C&MC as it is now, we had to cut the trip short and come back early for family reasons but also wanted to change the return leg to Dunkirk to Dover, phoned the C&MC and they contacted DFDS who changed the crossing and refunded the difference and the C&MC didn't charge either.

Martin

 

[nicholsong]

We made the same error for our December crossing. Thought we had booked Dover-Calais but on checking crossing times this week found we had booked Dover-Dunkirk. There must be something odd about their website.

Fortunately for us we had already decided to switch our trip from North West France to Belgium so it suited us to leave it as it is.

I did similar only other way Calais instead of Dunkirk. Well they are on the same page - useful for price comparison, but difficult if one clicks on wrong line, as they are interdispersed. Only found out when we were entering Calais. No sweat - good laugh, and Basia is still dining out on it.

Geoff

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[Yorick]

I know they are all guilty of charging for changes and although I'm sure it's all covered in their T&C's it don't make it right.
It not as though they have to go through any paper/ticket/sales invoices. It all on computer and take seconds to amend/change a booking.
It's no real hardship to land in Dunkirk instead of Calais -- it's the any excuse to charge extra attitude that revs me up.

Maybe they should do free ferries as well ?

 

[Pilote87]

I can't fault the DFDS customer service this time.

I was fortunate last week-end when we arrived at Dover for the 18:00 crossing to Dunkirk, only realising that we had booked the 16:00. When I apologised profusely, the man in the kiosk said "That isn't a problem sir. We can put you on the service before your booking or the one following. We can even change the destination port". That was very good news for us as the fuel warning light had come on approaching Dover so we accepted the 18:20 service to Calais and docked 10 minutes before the 18:00 to Dunkirk, plus saved the drive along the coast.

J

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I would have gone to Dunkerque also it is just as easy as Calais maybe a bit slower.; Depends on where you want to go really.

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