“I have been booked to travel with Brittany Ferries since December. Our date to travel August 18
On the B. F. website in mid June there was a note to the effect that our ferry would not be used for our route to Spain this year, however it was still being shown on the sailing schedules, and it still is today June 30.
I emailed BF 6 times to question this, because they have shut down their phone lines.
I HAD NO REPLY.
On June 22nd they took my final payment for the trip.... Now £403
On June 30 they emailed telling me the sailing was cancelled offering a credit note or refund and with a contact phone number.
I rang the number which was engaged so i put it on auto redial.
The number re dialed 183 times and finaly connected to a machine which told me the office was now closed and explained how much my call had cost me.
I completed the form online as advised to request a refund rather than a credit note.
The next page advised me not to expect a reply for 45 days.
My conclusion;
I have at best been taken advantage of by. B. F.
It seems they should never have taken my final deposit even if it does help their cash flow in these difficult times.
I am left wondering if I will ever see my money back {bigger they are the harder they fall}.
I have now had to make alternative arrangements and find the money again to do this.
Be ashamed Brittany Ferries this is disgraceful behaviour.
Ian Henderson”
“While sympathetic to Coronavirus disaster , a website as clear as mud and feeling like I've been cajoled into a last minute decision regarding travel, government guidelines and an obvious attempt to maintain normality , I now find it impossible to get a refund or credit note.”
“The staff at Brittany Ferries are as nice as you meet anywhere. The management of Brittany Ferries are as customer friendly as any street mugger. Having taken my money months in advance and cancelled my journey at less than one weeks notice, I find they have no desire to refund my money.”
“Club Member Stranded in Portugal with 2Y 4Y 6Y babies on my own Ignored by Brittany Ferries
Hello I been so patient with Brittany Ferries even with them cancelling twice now on us, I am am loyal club member and was shocked to be told by my friend who used our card as a guest that he was rang by Brittany Ferries for secret booking they would sort out for him and his wife with one daughter!! I am stuck here in Portugal with a 2 year old 4 year old 6 year old who have not seen there mum in months (Mummy been working in the NHS taking care of dying Cvirus patients) so it would be nice to get back home as living here in a tent is not so good for this long a time........ Hearing my friend is going to get a ferry and that Brittany Ferries have rang him many times promising him a boat home soonest, then us all they have done is emailed us saying our 29th June ferry is cancelled. I do not want a credit note I want a refund or to be allowed onto the secret ferries they are taking who they choose home, who are these special guests and why has Brittany ferries hidden this fact that they are choosing others over us long term customers left abandoned. I complained to Brittany Ferries and was blocked on Twitter and Facebook for asking if they are going bust as no other reason they could be trying to keep everyone's money like this??? We will go back to the UK and take civil action over them abandoning us here like this and also will be complaining to UK trading standards for them to investigate if what the BF is doing could be classed as fraud and deception taking bookings money for ferries they have no intention of abiding with!! 30 years of traveling with them and now this treatment. I even read they were telling people on there FB page they are cancelling because they can not make enough money!! like seriously that comment I found disgusting after I had been so calm before and feel hurt by that comment most of all.”
“Shame you can't leave minus stars....The worst company by far I've had the misfortune to deal with during the present crisis. Other companies can manage to still be contacted, offer refunds as well as vouchers and give full refunds if asked. Brittany Ferries however take any balance owed even when there is no chance of sailing, make communication next to impossible when you don't accept the "compulsory" voucher and even when you manage to contact them through the very well hidden live chat will not give any indication of how long the requested refund will take.
At best I would say they are using "sharp" business practice and at worst I'm sure they are breaking more that one law.
Anyhow after a month trying to get the money back I've now raised a complaint with my credit card company and if that doesn't work sharpish I'll be banging them in small claims court.”
“We’ve now had 3 ferries cancelled due to covid, desperately trying to get home to the U.K. I’m a essential worker and my husbands medication is running low. We need a refund not vouchers, we have jumped through all the hoops filling out online forms emailing everyone from the CEO to his dog. So sick of it, they are quick enough to take our money by law they should no give it back so that we can make alternate arrangements, alternatively put us on a freight ferry in our two cars with our two dogs we will quite happily stay in the car if need be. This is how desperate we are to get home. do the right thing Brittany Ferries, help stranded folk don’t hinder them. Not everyone can afford to pay for other travel whilst you sit on their money. Still waiting for refund from this dreadful company”
“I would give them 0 stars if I could. I am fuming. My partner's sister was recently diagnosed with last stage cancer, just as lock down happened. She lives in France. He was desperate to get over there to care for her, it has been so distressing. He was delighted to be able to book a crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo on the 29th April to travel on the 15th May. During this period nothing has changed in terms of government guidance. I discovered, via their website, on the 8th May they had cancelled all crossings, although were not notified until 12th May.
This was so upsetting. Fortunately he was able to travel to France with Euro star on the 11th May as his sister's condition had worsened. This has incurred additional cost for us. A voucher is just not acceptable we need a refund. The response has been an apology but with the sentiment 'we are all in this together'. I can't believe they accepted a booking and out money when they must have known there would not be a crossing.
I have travelled with Brittany ferries for many years but wont be again.”
“I DONT WANT A VOUCHER, WANT MY MONEY BACK! Brittany Ferries have cancelled my return trip to France in early June. It was specifically for the DDay celebrations with my family.
I paid in full and after contacting them I’ve been offered a voucher but just want a refund. They’ve said voucher or nothing but as this was a special, once in a lifetime trip, I DONT WANT A VOUCHER! My elderly relatives paid for it, now they can’t have their money back? Shocking. Shame on you Brittney Ferries and unless our money is returned for a service you can’t provide, court it will have to be. I know my Consumer Rights! Booking Ref DB13147”
“Customer service not existent, they cancelled our crossing 22nd March but will not refund despite 12 e mails three contact forms and an official complaint all ignored and as for the Consumer Rights and EU law forget it as they have. I will never ever use them again and to date no refund received”
“My BF return crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao has understandably been cancelled. What I can’t understand Is why I have been refused a refund and instead given a voucher. I paid £1250 for the crossing and want my money back. Other ferry companies are given refund so why not Brittany Ferries.”
“CAUTION: Brittany Ferries are continuing to take money from desperate people for crossings that are extremely unlikely to go ahead. Once they have your money, you will not get it back, and you will not be able to contact them. In our case, they took £505 pounds from a friend for a crossing and cancelled it only four hours later. He has finally managed to make his way to Calais, but can no longer afford the chunnel ticket home because Brittany Ferries have stolen his money. DO NOT hand ANY money to these crooks. You will not get it back. Seriously, DO NOT USE BRITTANY FERRIES.”
“Moved a sailing from Portsmouth to Plymouth, adding 170 miles journey each way.
Offered some customers £40 compensation, refused us. Their customer services is, at best, a disgrace. They don’t care about their customers at all.”
“Moved a sailing from Portsmouth to Plymouth, adding 170 miles journey each way.
Offered some customers £40 compensation, refused us. Their customer services is, at best, a disgrace. They don’t care about their customers at all. Clowns.”
“Lied to and humiliated by a staff that had NO idea about security and choose to punish anyone who tells the truth and/or then complains.
Having now been banned from Brittany Ferries for taking a useless and ignorant so called Customer Care to task (something they do when faced with facts!) I have started a page to highlight their lies and misinformation.
In short, do NOT take a small multitool with you or they will first try and steal it and then when you object, they will make you wait until the last minute and lie about why. They will put a big red sticker on your windscreen tell you it is for security and then let you watch dozens and dozens of motorhomes caravans campers and other touring vehicles loaded with "huge kitchen knives pass by with NO reference to "dangerous items". Worst of all this is that they lie about "who" decides this regulation. It is NOT the port authority, it is them! and then accuse you of being out of order when you dare to complain!
P&O (a ferry company under the same legislation I suggest) have told me it is ok as a foot passenger to carry on board, a pocket tool or knife as long as the blade is 3 inches or less. One would think then that a "Multitool" (leatherman) in the locked boot of a car SHOULD be perfectly acceptable to ANY ferry company? unfortunately no! you will be put into a special lane with the other "2" honest passengers and made to wait until the last minute before being put in exaclty the same car position as the cars that were simply, late arrriving but they will tell you, beforehand, it is a "special place where the security can monitor your vehicle"! this is utter rubbish as the whole deck SHOULD be under CCTV or it is a pointless system. It seems as long as you don't tell them, (lie) about your possessions, you can take a huge knife, corkscrew, bottle opener (I think we know why they don't want you opening your own bottles!!) on board because no one checks anything once loaded. It is a sham and completely lacks ANY security element, when you have the temerity to complain, you will be lied to and accused of things you haven't done because that is easy when you have a ferry monopoly on the main routes. Disgusting treatment disgusting so called Customer Care. You can read more on my pages "Bullsh tty ferries" (there is an "i" but it is offensive apparently! google it.”
“I have travelled regularly with Brittany Ferries on their Portsmouth to Spain routes, and having seen the misleading publicity which they propagate decided to join their Club Voyage (CV) scheme for Spain. The cost for this is a Registration fee £105, plus an annual fee of £125 = a total of £230. However, once joining you then find that they have lots of disadvantageous terms (only for the consumer, not for them) and exclusions in the small print of their CV agreement for the Spanish crossings; for example on Spanish crossings you do not get any discount on the cabins; you do not get any discounts on their Economie ferries, and you soon find that the discounts which you do actually get amount to very little, and unless you make somewhere around 8 crossings per annum you do not make any significant overall savings after taking the £230 up-front cost into account. I thus therefore decided not to continue my membership, when I discovered what a rip-off this scheme is.
Before I did cease my CV membership however I had made bookings for 3 more crossings leaving after my CV membership would then cease. As I was still a CV member at the time of booking these crossings I received the discount on those crossings. Suddenly after I had decided not to renew membership of the CV scheme I received a revised invoice from Brittany Ferries for the last two crossings yet to be made, stating that the discount which I had been given on the last two crossings would be retrospectively re-charged to me, although I had made those bookings whilst still a CV member, and was thus entitled to the discount. They now want to make a retrospective additional charge of £111.00.
I then wrote to make a formal complaint because I believed that they were contravening the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts legislation of both the UK and of the EU. The correspondence dragged on and on and I eventually contacted their John Napton (director UK & Ireland) who claimed that this retrospective surcharge was not a contravention of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts legislation of both the UK and of the EU; but that they assumed in good faith that a customer would renew their CV membership. I argued that this was nonsense because the term in their contract which they were attempting to rely upon was to their advantage only, not to a customer, and that it had not been negotiated with me individually prior to the contract, but instead had been hidden in small print.
They have refused to negotiate any further and it seems that the only option a consumer has is to take them to court for contravention of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts legislation of both the UK and of the EU.
The situation is made more farcical by the fact that on the last return crossing which I made, although I had booked this whilst still a CV member, the return crossing was made after my CV membership had ceased, and they did not attempt to make any retrospective surcharge for that. They are only attempting to make a retrospective surcharge for the next return crossing which I booked whilst still a CV member.
I would warn any other customers considering Club Voyage membership with Brittany Ferries to read all of the small print very carefully before joining, and you will find (as I did the hard way) that this scheme is a rip-off and not worth wasting your money on for Spanish crossings.”
