Superb service, P&O Ferries

Superb service, P&O Ferries

Author
Discussion

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Hello chaps.

I have just returned from doing a quick service call in Vandaam .... Holland.

P&O ferries have apparently been trialling a new type of "anytime" ticket.

I sailed from Dover to calais (and obviously back again), and it is always tricky trying to guess how the job will go, over the years I've spent hours losing time, or paying extra to travel back earlier/later.

A normal crossing would have cost me £50, for £100 they gave me this anytime ticket, which as the name suggests meant I could do as I wish, like an old BA club class airline ticket.

This offer finishes on Dec 15th, and you can get the same thing from Eurotunnel, but they wanted £300.

I've emailed P&O customer service to say how good I thought it was, I just thought I'd share with you lot in case it's of any use to anyone.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

234 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
It is a very good service if you can't pin down your return time to within a couple of house either side of the time you are booked for.

The only issue, although less than with the Eurotrash version, is that by the time you have returned at the time you intended a couple of times you have spent the cost of the extra one way ticket for the time you are late...

Bit like with the beam benders. 10 Trips and you have paid for the 90Euro fine and the set you keep in the boot JIC you ever get picked up on it.

GTIR

24,741 posts

267 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
Hello chaps.

I have just returned from doing a quick service call in Vandaam .... Holland..
scratchchin

They are hot those Dutchy girls. yes

mnkiboy

4,409 posts

167 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I remember being on holiday in Kent the other year, and me and the girlfriend had planned to take a P&O ferry from Dover to Calais for the day. Checked the prices the week before and it was £24 each for a return ticket as foot passengers.

So on a nice sunny day, we take the train from Maidstone to Dover, turn up at the ticket desk, only to be told the tickets have changed price today. It's now £102 each. Then it dawned on us that the volcanic ash clouds were currently grounding air traffic, so P&O had decided to milk foot passengers for as much money as they could.
Strangely, the cost for cars hadn't gone up as much. We were told that if we took the train back and got in the car, we could take up to 9 people for £50!
My girlfriend wrote a letter to customer services and they replied saying that basically they could charge what they want, when they want.
I won't use P&O now (though they do have a rather large share of the market, so i'm not sure I can keep this up forever!).

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Rude-boy said:
It is a very good service if you can't pin down your return time to within a couple of house either side of the time you are booked for.

The only issue, although less than with the Eurotrash version, is that by the time you have returned at the time you intended a couple of times you have spent the cost of the extra one way ticket for the time you are late...

Bit like with the beam benders. 10 Trips and you have paid for the 90Euro fine and the set you keep in the boot JIC you ever get picked up on it.
I don't need beam benders, a lot of modernish cars don't (mines a ten year old beemer, every beemer I've ever owned doesn't need them).

The difference between £50 for a normal crossing, and £100 for this type is very swallowable.

£50 compared to £300 isn't, in my opinion.

Sevice calls are a nightmare to pin down time wise.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

234 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
mnkiboy said:
I remember being on holiday in Kent the other year, and me and the girlfriend had planned to take a P&O ferry from Dover to Calais for the day. Checked the prices the week before and it was £24 each for a return ticket as foot passengers.

So on a nice sunny day, we take the train from Maidstone to Dover, turn up at the ticket desk, only to be told the tickets have changed price today. It's now £102 each. Then it dawned on us that the volcanic ash clouds were currently grounding air traffic, so P&O had decided to milk foot passengers for as much money as they could.
Strangely, the cost for cars hadn't gone up as much. We were told that if we took the train back and got in the car, we could take up to 9 people for £50!
My girlfriend wrote a letter to customer services and they replied saying that basically they could charge what they want, when they want.
I won't use P&O now (though they do have a rather large share of the market, so i'm not sure I can keep this up forever!).
Had the reverse a few years ago in that we decided to to over on spec as were were int he area and has pisspots with us.

Eurotrash want £300+ for a day trip ticket.

Drove down to Dover, told the bloke at the dest the tale and he booked us over using his personal discount rate so it cost us about £24 iicr.

P&O are, as a rule, not too bad. But like any bigish company they have a few twunts working for them, one of whom we found the last time we went over.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
mnkiboy said:
I remember being on holiday in Kent the other year, and me and the girlfriend had planned to take a P&O ferry from Dover to Calais for the day. Checked the prices the week before and it was £24 each for a return ticket as foot passengers.

So on a nice sunny day, we take the train from Maidstone to Dover, turn up at the ticket desk, only to be told the tickets have changed price today. It's now £102 each. Then it dawned on us that the volcanic ash clouds were currently grounding air traffic, so P&O had decided to milk foot passengers for as much money as they could.
Strangely, the cost for cars hadn't gone up as much. We were told that if we took the train back and got in the car, we could take up to 9 people for £50!
My girlfriend wrote a letter to customer services and they replied saying that basically they could charge what they want, when they want.
I won't use P&O now (though they do have a rather large share of the market, so i'm not sure I can keep this up forever!).
That's steep ..... I've never been a foot passenger.

I go over twice a year to get my tobacco, I've never paid more than £30 return for the car and up to nine passengers !

mnkiboy

4,409 posts

167 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
That's steep ..... I've never been a foot passenger.

I go over twice a year to get my tobacco, I've never paid more than £30 return for the car and up to nine passengers !
The foot passenger prices were so cheap and I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of insuring the car for a day trip.

It may have actually been £24 for the both of us. I think it was £6 each, each way.
It was the ridiculous fact that we could have taken a vehicle with 9 passengers, for less than one foot passenger. I even offered to grab some traffic cones and lay them out in the shape of a car in the car deck, if that's what they wanted. Strangely this didn't work.
I think the reason for car travel being cheap is that they hope you load up the boot with duty free booze bought on the boat.

tubbystu

3,846 posts

261 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
P&O ferries have apparently been trialling a new type of "anytime" ticket.
For a time in the 90's they applied this to all tickets (certainly those purchased there for immediate travel) and you could travel on either Stena or P&O.

You were just ushered to the first available space on a boat irrespective of what it said on the ticket.

Gone now of course frown

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
GTIR said:
scratchchin

They are hot those Dutchy girls. yes
Gosh ..... I'll say ! LOL

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

234 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
mnkiboy said:
I think the reason for car travel being cheap is that they hope you load up the boot with duty free booze bought on the boat.
Got it in one, together with the free 3 or 6 bottles of cooking wine vouchers which are intended to get you into the Duty Free [sic] shop in the first place.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
mnkiboy said:
I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of insuring the car for a day trip.
You don't mean that do you, or was it a very long time ago ?

I can't remember the last time my insurance didn't cover europe fully comp ..... I thought it had to now ?

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

234 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
You don't mean that do you, or was it a very long time ago ?

I can't remember the last time my insurance didn't cover europe fully comp ..... I thought it had to now ?
Not 100% but I have to let Flux know when I am taking mine over the water and let them know which countries I am expecting to visit.

Found that French Plod likes to see it when we were stopped at LM (with everyone else) a few years back. Didn't even look at the proper certificate.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I've never ever had a "green card" !

mnkiboy

4,409 posts

167 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
You don't mean that do you, or was it a very long time ago ?

I can't remember the last time my insurance didn't cover europe fully comp ..... I thought it had to now ?
This was only in 2009. I had to add european cover in 2008 when I last drove over there. I think.
Either way I didn't want the hassle of the car, as we just wanted a day out in Calais which is walking distance from the port.

louiebaby

10,651 posts

192 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I've not done a lot of crossings, but a few. We always try to make the one we're booked on to, but if we've always managed to get on the next boat, regardless of being early, late or on time.

I prefer the ferry to the tunnel, despite it being a good bit slower.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

234 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Nigel Worc's said:
I've never ever had a "green card" !
I don't 'think' that it is the same thing.

I 'think' the the Green Card was to prove that you were insured to drive outside the country of residence.

The requirement to notify Flux that is in place these days i think is more to let them know that the car is out of the country, than to comply with the law.

I can't remember as it is a long time since I ready my policy but there might be something about you have automatic 3rd party cover whilst over there but if you notify them it is fully comp.

Nigel Worc's

Original Poster:

8,121 posts

189 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
mnkiboy said:
This was only in 2009. I had to add european cover in 2008 when I last drove over there. I think.
Either way I didn't want the hassle of the car, as we just wanted a day out in Calais which is walking distance from the port.
Fairy nuff, I do at least six trips a year, I'm usually insured with the same company (RSA), so maybe they just know that about me, and I think it's just normal now.

Happy82

15,077 posts

170 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
GTIR said:
scratchchin

They are hot those Dutchy girls. yes
Especially when the clogs clap together when their legs are wrapped around your head hehe

Toby Le Rone

1,837 posts

153 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Might tell my dad this, we go to France nearly every second weekend on a day trip (we live 20 minutes from the ferries, 5 minutes from the Eurotunnel)