France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

ShamoBuc

kindalen wrote: »

When were you due to sail Deeman?

I presume June if the voucher was 18months??

Deeman83

kindalen wrote: »

When were you due to sail Deeman?

28th June 2020 so just inside the window.

Hopefully they will extend it soon.

Class MayDresser

Got 100% credit note valid til Dec 2021 on a €480 deposit for a sailing in August with BF. Happy enough in that we didn't have to pay the full amount for a credit note.

Barbeapapa

I've been reading most of this thread as a consolation for cancelling this years trip to France.

These have been a couple of questions that went unanswered that i can throw some light on just in case anyone ever comes back about them.

1) La Sylvamar is in Hossegar, not quite Biarritz. It is a HUGE campsite and has possibly been my least favourite Yelloh one we've stayed in. We were there late June, early July and it was thronged. They did have a lot of Spanish campers which we thought made for a good jolly atmosphere (they seem to be very chilled). I remember the surrounding area as being a bit grotty. Ilbarritz in Bidart (suburb of Biarritz) is also a Yelloh campsite, much smaller and way nicer I thought. Though from reading their reviews getting caravans onto their pitches can be tricky. There is a free (or very cheap) bus stop outside bring you to Biarritz or St Jean de Luz. A big intermarché or Géant 5 minutes walk from the campsite and a great beach across the road but equally you can walk along the seafront into Biarritz (5km or so I think...foggy memory).

2) Ferry from Ireland to Spain: I have only taken the Cork to Santander "Conemara" one (and Portsmouth to Santander on the Pont Aven previously). To those who mentioned the long sailing which includes two nights this was the easiest of crossings. You get on just before midnight so straight to bed and then spend a whole day at sea. When you wake up on Sunday morning you are docking. The reason this crossing is so long (apparently) is that they go slower in order to arrive as Santander (or presumably now Bilbao) port opens rather than when they're all still asleep! The Conemara was fine. It is clean and yes basic but while the Pont Aven has more places to walk around we wouldn't have used the pool or cinema so the extras were surplus to our requirements. My youngest child is 9 though, I don't think I could have handled either trip with younger children. We travel in august and out of 4 trips only one was rough (Santander to Cork in late August!) It was a steady roll though which was easy enough to get around in and very comfortable when in your bunk. I would definitely take this ferry again as the convenience of arriving into beautiful, friendly northern Spain is worth every minute of the 30 hours. It's a small boat but didn't feel crowded. The PA did have a good talk in whales and dolphins though (we didn't spot any ever) so I suppose it did have more entertainment but the hassle of getting to Portsmouth was a huge penalty to pay for that.

scouse1990

IF took out the full balance for our boat, due to go 12th June, on th 8th May. We got no reminder mail from them and, to be honest, completely lost track of when we had to pay the balance (other things on our minds having 3 kids and me being high risk for Covid).

We contacted them to get a refund, as we had the flexibility fare and their website says that if you don't want to avail of the cancel and credit you can phone for refund options. They flatly refused a refund offering only a credit. We dont need a credit, we need the money - the change in circumstances means that money is far more important than a credit note.

This is the first year that IF didnt send on any communication before taking money out of our account, in their response they said they hadn;t heard anything from us so they took the money - surely a reminder would be the correct thing to do.

Stone Deaf 4evr

just off the phone from a very morose sounding rep for lifestlye holidays as I cancelled our trip for this July. I really feel for people in the industry, they're going to take an absolute battering this year. I was generally chatting about how he sees things going and he expects that we'll see prices rise by about 15% next year based on initial discussions they'd been having with campsites. Obviously, thats just one person in one company, but its food for thought if nothing else.

trev44

scouse1990 wrote: »

IF took out the full balance for our boat, due to go 12th June, on th 8th May. We got no reminder mail from them and, to be honest, completely lost track of when we had to pay the balance (other things on our minds having 3 kids and me being high risk for Covid).

We contacted them to get a refund, as we had the flexibility fare and their website says that if you don't want to avail of the cancel and credit you can phone for refund options. They flatly refused a refund offering only a credit. We dont need a credit, we need the money - the change in circumstances means that money is far more important than a credit note.

This is the first year that IF didnt send on any communication before taking money out of our account, in their response they said they hadn;t heard anything from us so they took the money - surely a reminder would be the correct thing to do.

I have had a very similar experience. Now wondering what else I can do?

SusanC10

Has anyone had a recent response to an Email from Eurocamp in Cork ?

They have transferred our holiday to next year but the Dates and Campsites are wrong.

No response to Emails and no other way to contact them.

tnegun

Only that they would contact us to discuss options closer to our travel date, our holiday was paid in full for 3 weeks and 6 people so I don't want to leave it all with them for another 14 months and asked for options 2/3 weeks ago. The reply took about 10 days.

54and56

scouse1990 wrote: »

IF took out the full balance for our boat, due to go 12th June, on th 8th May. We got no reminder mail from them and, to be honest, completely lost track of when we had to pay the balance (other things on our minds having 3 kids and me being high risk for Covid).

We contacted them to get a refund, as we had the flexibility fare and their website says that if you don't want to avail of the cancel and credit you can phone for refund options. They flatly refused a refund offering only a credit. We dont need a credit, we need the money - the change in circumstances means that money is far more important than a credit note.

This is the first year that IF didnt send on any communication before taking money out of our account, in their response they said they hadn;t heard anything from us so they took the money - surely a reminder would be the correct thing to do.

If you have the Flexi fare can't you just go online and cancel? The terms of the flexi fare (IIRC) are that you get 100% refund less an admin fee for cancelling anytime up to X days beforehand which you should be well within.

Flippyfloppy

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

just off the phone from a very morose sounding rep for lifestlye holidays as I cancelled our trip for this July. I really feel for people in the industry, they're going to take an absolute battering this year. I was generally chatting about how he sees things going and he expects that we'll see prices rise by about 15% next year based on initial discussions they'd been having with campsites. Obviously, thats just one person in one company, but its food for thought if nothing else.

So for a lot of people, letting the holiday operator keep their deposit will just encourage the them to freely raise the prices next year!

tnegun

54and56 wrote: »

If you have the Flexi fare can't you just go online and cancel? The terms of the flexi fare (IIRC) are that you get 100% refund less an admin fee for cancelling anytime up to X days beforehand which you should be well within.

I had flexi and the best they would do was refund me €70 of the €150 or so deposit. Wasn't due to sail until the 14/06 and called them last week. I took 100 for next year and was told to expect an email re the €50. No sign of it yet.

54and56

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

So for a lot of people, letting the holiday operator keep their deposit will just encourage the them to freely raise the prices next year!

Plus three other issues which will affect price:-

1. People (like myself) who are going to miss out on their holiday this year will be even more determined, and therefore more willing to pay a higher price, to secure a holiday next year.

2. Flying like sardines in a can for 4-5 hours in order to spend 2 weeks crammed onto beaches and poolsides is unlikely to be an attractive option for most, certainly not before a vaccine has been made widely available, which will only boost demand for staycations in Ireland but also increase French domestic demand for campsites and demand for ferry+drive type holidays for Irish people.

3. Holiday operators who are incurring unprecedented losses this year and may be forced to take on debt to survive will have to increase margins in order to get back to profitability and service the debt they've taken on.

54and56

tnegun wrote: »

I had flexi and the best they would do was refund me €70 of the €150 or so deposit. Wasn't due to sale until the 14/06 and called them last week. I took 100 for next year and was told to expect an email re the €50. No sign of it yet.

I've cancelled lot's of Flexi fares over the years and never once called the ferry company. Log in, cancel the trip, receive a refund a few days later. Those are the terms of the contract, no need to ask anyone or be forced to choose lesser options.

Am I missing something?

fits

54and56 wrote: »

I've cancelled lot's of Flexi fares over the years and never once called the ferry company. Log in, cancel the trip, receive a refund a few days later. Those are the terms of the contract, no need to ask anyone or be forced to choose lesser options.

Am I missing something?

With IF I had to email to cancel our booking. Did it before balance was due for June 15 sailing.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

So for a lot of people, letting the holiday operator keep their deposit will just encourage the them to freely raise the prices next year!

i had a 200E deposit down and was due to pay the balance of 2000 at the end of this week.

I'd sooner lie to the loss of the 200 than pay another 2000, and lose it all if the company goes under.

ChelseaRentBoy

fits wrote: »

With IF I had to email to cancel our booking. Did it before balance was due for June 15 sailing.

Did they send you a voucher number ?

tnegun

54and56 wrote: »

I've cancelled lot's of Flexi fares over the years and never once called the ferry company. Log in, cancel the trip, receive a refund a few days later. Those are the terms of the contract, no need to ask anyone or be forced to choose lesser options.

Am I missing something?

I think that's what I did wrong I called them to discuss my options and once I did that had no more control over the booking

SusanC10

tnegun wrote: »

Only that they would contact us to discuss options closer to our travel date, our holiday was paid in full for 3 weeks and 6 people so I don't want to leave it all with them for another 14 months and asked for options 2/3 weeks ago. The reply took about 10 days.

Thanks for that.

amor3

There is no option on my booking on irish ferries to cancel, I can only amend to a different date.

54and56

amor3 wrote: »

There is no option on my booking on irish ferries to cancel, I can only amend to a different date.

IF don't send you a copy of their T&C's when you book, they only include a link.

I've gone back over a few of my booking confirmations with them where I paid for the "Flexibility" option and clicked on the "T&C's" link - https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/terms-and-conditions/#def

It no longer makes any reference to the term "Flexibility" which is strange as it's sold as an additional term you can have included in your contract if you pay the fee.

I can only assume that IF have used some form of force majeure clause either in their legacy T&C's or in some sort of maritime regulations/legislation to retrospectively alter the terms on which they sold Flexibility options such that refunds are no longer included and have been replaced with vouchers.

I'm no lawyer but I've been around commercial contracts for many years and it is very unusual for one party to a contract to have the unilateral right to alter the terms of the contract once it has been agreed and consideration paid etc.

I get why they are doing it (to preserve cash and stay in business) but transferring the financial cost of an exceptional macro event from the vendor to the customer, particularly for those who paid a premium in order to be able to cancel for a full refund, seems bang out of order but does demonstrate the old adage that "possession is nine tenths of the law" is as relevant today as it ever has been. IF are in possession of the cash and unless you want to take a civil case against them to enforce the terms of the contract you entered into you ain't getting your cash back.

Typical oligopoly behaviour. We're more or less captive customers so even if we're royally pi$$ed off we'll still likely travel with them again if they have the best dates and price for our needs.

amor3

Well I bit the bullet and cancelled, got a response very quickly through fb messenger, whole thing done and dusted within 5 minutes, although I knew we were not going it's quite sad now that its definite.. I got refunded whatever I had paid minus €33 euro admin fee..

Munsterbhoy

Anyone who are flying to their campsite with Ryanair just to say some routes to France Spain and Italy are already up for booking for summer 2021. Our refund credit note would cover nx years flights into Toulouse almost to the cent. Tempting..

average_runner

Munsterbhoy wrote: »

Anyone who are flying to their campsite with Ryanair just to say some routes to France Spain and Italy are already up for booking for summer 2021. Our refund credit note would cover nx years flights into Toulouse almost to the cent. Tempting..

Much difference in the price?
Always found aer lingus return time better.

Munsterbhoy

average_runner wrote: »

Much difference in the price?
Always found aer lingus return time better.

€8 difference in total for 4 of us €560 vs €568. Although we were due to fly into Marseille this Yr but going back to Argeles in 2021 so looking at either Carcassonne Girona or Barca with Ryanair. Toulouse is a slightly longer journey but we enjoy driving in France and we haven't been to Toulouse-Blagnac region. It would take the hassle of battling ryanair for a refund.

average_runner

Munsterbhoy wrote: »

Anyone who are flying to their campsite with Ryanair just to say some routes to France Spain and Italy are already up for booking for summer 2021. Our refund credit note would cover nx years flights into Toulouse almost to the cent. Tempting..

Toulouse for july is not up:(

A good airport and easy to access. Car hire is easy there

spockety

When I log on to Irish ferries, manage booking, and then expand on the terms of my sailing, the Flexibility Option is still mentioned specifically.

"Cancellation fees and rules
For all bookings where outward travel commences up to 29 Jun 2020, if you cancel at least 72 hours in advance of the outward travel date, the normal cancellation fee (shown below) will be charged and will be credited to you for use on a future booking for travel on any Irish Ferries route up to 31 Dec 2021.
For bookings where outward travel commences from 30 Jun 2020, the normal terms and conditions apply as follows:

Cancellations up to 42 days before travel - loss of €100 deposit
Cancellations between 41 to 21 days before travel - loss of 50% of total fare (minimum charge €100), with the balance refunded in the form of an Irish Ferries credit.
Cancellations within 20 days of travel - 100% cancellation charge with no refund
Cancellation rules apply to any outstanding balances If travel dates are amended and the booking is then subsequently cancelled the cancellation fee is based on the original date of outward travel

Lower cancellation fees apply where you add ‘Flexibility Options’ to your booking in ‘Step 3 – Upgrade"


As an aside, where does the 29th June date come from? What's the significance?

spockety

54and56 wrote: »

IF don't send you a copy of their T&C's when you book, they only include a link.

I've gone back over a few of my booking confirmations with them where I paid for the "Flexibility" option and clicked on the "T&C's" link - https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/terms-and-conditions/#def

It no longer makes any reference to the term "Flexibility" which is strange as it's sold as an additional term you can have included in your contract if you pay the fee.

I can only assume that IF have used some form of force majeure clause either in their legacy T&C's or in some sort of maritime regulations/legislation to retrospectively alter the terms on which they sold Flexibility options such that refunds are no longer included and have been replaced with vouchers.

I'm no lawyer but I've been around commercial contracts for many years and it is very unusual for one party to a contract to have the unilateral right to alter the terms of the contract once it has been agreed and consideration paid etc.

I get why they are doing it (to preserve cash and stay in business) but transferring the financial cost of an exceptional macro event from the vendor to the customer, particularly for those who paid a premium in order to be able to cancel for a full refund, seems bang out of order but does demonstrate the old adage that "possession is nine tenths of the law" is as relevant today as it ever has been. IF are in possession of the cash and unless you want to take a civil case against them to enforce the terms of the contract you entered into you ain't getting your cash back.

Typical oligopoly behaviour. We're more or less captive customers so even if we're royally pi$$ed off we'll still likely travel with them again if they have the best dates and price for our needs.

It does reference flexibility though. If you follow the link you posted, then click on the Cancellation Fees section, they link to
https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/frequently-asked-questions/about-your-booking/cancel_your_booking/ , which still has all the same old details about the Flexibility Option terms.

54and56

spockety wrote: »

It does reference flexibility though. If you follow the link you posted, then click on the Cancellation Fees section, they link to
https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/frequently-asked-questions/about-your-booking/cancel_your_booking/ , which still has all the same old details about the Flexibility Option terms.

My bad, good spot. I searched the T&C's page for Flexibility, didn't spot the link from the Cancellation Fees section.



Looks like you can insist on a refund to your debit/credit card depending on how close to the sailing date you are.

necstandards

BF have advised they are offering this RCA (credit note) for two years. What if they happen to remove the cork - roscoff route & pulled out of Ireland (maybe a Brexit issue).. I'd rather my money back in my pocket - not sure how i could go about this thou..
Any thoughts?