Unanswered telephone calls by Brittany Ferries

[sciac2001]

I am trying to investigate whether it is advantageous to me to switch my booked ferry routing from Portsmouth to Plymouth and have made 3 telephone calls to them, each of which has had me on hold for 45, 55 and 1 hour respectively and have ended without the calls being answered.

Even allowing for the omnipresent Covid excuses, these lengths of time on hold - at “standard national charges - are totally unacceptable.

I do not believe that there are so many people on the line or on hold at any one time to justify these times. Either they do not have enough personnel manning the helplines or they are simply ignoring the calls altogether.

If there are not enough personnel, then the number of available lines on that contact number should reflect accordingly.....unless, the company is making money on every phone call which is initially answered with the usual taped message whilst we hold.

Whatever the reason, these hold times are unacceptable and in my opinion perhaps worthy of investigation either by Trading Standards or the Office of Fair Trading.

Would any funster with some knowledge of official public protection bodies agree?

 

[robrace]

No excuse for bad service like that!Are you ringing the booking line? If so they must be losing business during these difficult times!

 

[busby]

I am trying to investigate whether it is advantageous to me to switch my booked ferry routing from Portsmouth to Plymouth and have made 3 telephone calls to them, each of which has had me on hold for 45, 55 and 1 hour respectively and have ended without the calls being answered.

Even allowing for the omnipresent Covid excuses, these lengths of time on hold - at “standard national charges - are totally unacceptable.

I do not believe that there are so many people on the line or on hold at any one time to justify these times. Either they do not have enough personnel manning the helplines or they are simply ignoring the calls altogether.

If there are not enough personnel, then the number of available lines on that contact number should reflect accordingly.....unless, the company is making money on every phone call which is initially answered with the usual taped message whilst we hold.

Whatever the reason, these hold times are unacceptable and in my opinion perhaps worthy of investigation either by Trading Standards or the Office of Fair Trading.

Would any funster with some knowledge of official public protection bodies agree?

Would have thought you could find that information on their booking site on line..I have never found it that bad when I contacted them earlier this year.Try ringing my wife's medication supplier who delivers her injections..Four phone calls to them last Friday and the quickest one was 35 mins,longest 50 mins.Similar times to yours but I would think with the losses in revenue this last 18 months they do not have many staff for passenger enquiries as its freight that's kept them going.Just put your phone on speaker and chill.BUSBY.

 

[sciac2001]

I am calling the line that my booking says i need to call if making any changes to my booking.
Online changes not accepted and so I am left with Hobson’s choice.

 

[busby]

I am calling the line that my booking says i need to call if making any changes to my booking.
Online changes not accepted and so I am left with Hobson’s choice.

Weird I have just changed mine on line ..Had to put it back a week.BUSBY.

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[eddie]

I am trying to investigate whether it is advantageous to me to switch my booked ferry routing from Portsmouth to Plymouth and have made 3 telephone calls to them, each of which has had me on hold for 45, 55 and 1 hour respectively and have ended without the calls being answered.

Even allowing for the omnipresent Covid excuses, these lengths of time on hold - at “standard national charges - are totally unacceptable.

I do not believe that there are so many people on the line or on hold at any one time to justify these times. Either they do not have enough personnel manning the helplines or they are simply ignoring the calls altogether.

If there are not enough personnel, then the number of available lines on that contact number should reflect accordingly.....unless, the company is making money on every phone call which is initially answered with the usual taped message whilst we hold.

Whatever the reason, these hold times are unacceptable and in my opinion perhaps worthy of investigation either by Trading Standards or the Office of Fair Trading.

Would any funster with some knowledge of official public protection bodies agree?

I know that it is unacceptable but it is a private company, it can do what it likes and no Official Public Protection Body and any jurisdiction whatsoever which is why one doesn't exist

Your options as a customer are

1. Keep trying
2. Take your business elsewhere
3. Buy some shares and take it up at the AGM
4. Write to the MD

Just a heads up I suspect that option one is the only thing that will get you to Plymouth

 

[sciac2001]

Weird I have just changed mine on line ..Had to put it back a week.BUSBY.

I had previously changed my cabin on my original booking as because I did this the system will not allow me to make another one myself.

Aside from the above, my reason to want to speak with them is firstly to find out whether the specific sailing that I am interested in will be a one-night crossing or whether it is one earmarked for a crew change in Brest and therefore also be a two-nighter as my existing one is and hence make the change irrelevant.

 

[sciac2001]

I know that it is unacceptable but it is a private company, it can do what it likes and no Official Public Protection Body and any jurisdiction whatsoever which is why one doesn't exist

Your options as a customer are

1. Keep trying
2. Take your business elsewhere
3. Buy some shares and take it up at the AGM
4. Write to the MD

Just a heads up I suspect that option one is the only thing that will get you to Plymouth

The joys of a Monopoly!

 

[busby]

I had previously changed my cabin on my original booking as because I did this the system will not allow me to make another one myself.

Aside from the above, my reason to want to speak with them is firstly to find out whether the specific sailing that I am interested in will be a one-night crossing or whether it is one earmarked for a crew change in Brest and therefore also be a two-nighter as my existing one is and hence make the change irrelevant.

You should usually be able to tell by how many nights aboard the crossing takes.One night no change over at Roscoff,two nights there will be.I actually changed my earlier booking this year because of travel uncertainty 14 times on line..Started in Jan,, finished up travelling June 2 nd.Try an e.mail explaining your difficulty and ask them to ring you, it may work.BUSBY.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I am in a 9 month battle with BF.

I don’t bother trying contacting them by telephone anymore.

I wait 21 days for them to respond to emails.

I have just rebooked a crossing down in price from £800 to approx £550. I have to email them and wait 21 says for the reply and 10 days for a refund of the difference.

I have also checked the fresh new booking of the £550 crossing immediately after and it’s only £420.

So another email off to them and another 21 day wait.

They promised me some other refunds. 3 of which I have received, the other has gone missing. I am now 2 months on and still trying to resolve that one.

Might be worth a call to some consumer TV program. Kiss of death for BF

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[franknjan]

I phoned them twice on Sunday. First time to query crossings. The second time to complete my booking, as there was a problem with the website.
I didn't have to wait long on both occasions, I also spoke to the same person who was very helpful.

 

[sciac2001]

You should usually be able to tell by how many nights aboard the crossing takes.One night no change over at Roscoff,two nights there will be.I actually changed my earlier booking this year because of travel uncertainty 14 times on line..Started in Jan,, finished up travelling June 2 nd.Try an e.mail explaining your difficulty and ask them to ring you, it may work.BUSBY.

Thanks Busby, I have sent an email too but these are currently running at a 10 day response time.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Thanks Busby, I have sent an email too but these are currently running at a 10 day response time.

My last email was answered after a months wait.

it read,” you have already been refunded”

nothing more.

One email was answered with something like …..

“in order for me to utilise my time better” “ you need to be more specific “
“These queries go back several months”

 

[deleted79651]

Years ago a frustrated customer of Timex had a problem with his watch that the company really wasn't able to/interested in fixing. Eventually the customer wrote [it was years ago!] to the CEO:

'I recently bought one of you watches. What time is it?'

Problem resolved at the double ...

Steve

 

[deleted79651]

View attachment 536611

I'm sure I've seen those jolly, motivational round robin emails from the CEO , Christophe Mathieu, thanking his loyal customers and promising to work together and all the trite corporate comms bovine excrement that gets trotted out.

I wonder if, when he makes a request, one of his fantastic team, reply, 'Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We aim to answer within 21 days etc etc'. Because if that's good enough for the loyal customers, it should be good enough for him. His customers loyalty and bookings provide the revenues that sustain and grow the business that justify Executive Remuneration.

It is perhaps time for him to deploy the business acronym GOYA [it involves lifting one's rear end off one's chair as a precursor to taking action] and get things moving

Steve

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[sciac2001]

And of course, it must be horrendous for the staff themselves who are most probably so overworked and who then have to face the backlash of the callers who have been kept waiting since the Norman invasion...

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I would suggest keep trying, slightly off topic comment here.
We arrived back to Plymouth on Pont Aven on Sunday and were located down in the bowels of D deck by the air conditioning unit. The van now stinks of rotten fish and two days on even leaving all the windows open it isn't much better. The irony is the boat and that deck were nearly empty so why squeeze us in by the stinky aircon unit! Should I say something!

 

[sciac2001]

Yes, if you have nothing else planned until Christmas!

 

[cmcardle75]

Aside from the above, my reason to want to speak with them is firstly to find out whether the specific sailing that I am interested in will be a one-night crossing or whether it is one earmarked for a crew change in Brest and therefore also be a two-nighter as my existing one is and hence make the change irrelevant.

The arrival/departure time information is published on the website. You don't need to speak to a real person to find it out. It won't help if you actually want to make the change, but if you find out you don't, then you'll save a lot of time.

BTW, the two nighter with crew change is my favourite. You get two nights accommodation for the same price as one. You arrive at the departure nicely in the evening (late enough to eat before you get on board to save cash) and get deposited on the roads early in the morning ready for a long drive. The extra hours for the crossing are spent asleep, not bored.

 

[EuroTrotters]

The arrival/departure time information is published on the website. You don't need to speak to a real person to find it out. It won't help if you actually want to make the change, but if you find out you don't, then you'll save a lot of time.

BTW, the two nighter with crew change is my favourite. You get two nights accommodation for the same price as one. You arrive at the departure nicely in the evening (late enough to eat before you get on board to save cash) and get deposited on the roads early in the morning ready for a long drive. The extra hours for the crossing are spent asleep, not bored.

I like the two nighter for the same reason. Shame it’s not Pont Aven

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[sciac2001]

Managed to get through... very lovely helpful lady.
All done....
For the record, all plymouth/santander sailings are one-nighters. Crew changes only affect portsmouth santander.

Thank you all for your inputs.

 

[busby]

View attachment 536611
My last email was answered after a months wait.

it read,” you have already been refunded”

nothing more.

One email was answered with something like …..

“in order for me to utilise my time better” “ you need to be more specific “
“These queries go back several months”

I sent an email.mail to them at the end of Aug,, they replied in 72 hours.Luck of the draw I suppose. Think with the double wammy of BR..IT and COVID 19 many companies are struggling ..BUSBY.