Brittany Ferries and refunds for cancelled trips
Brittany Ferries, which has cancelled all sailings up to May 15, has confirmed it will give refunds to passengers who have had their crossings cancelled during the confinement period if they choose not to take up their offer of a credit note valid for two years.
On its website Brittany Ferries does not make this clear. It says: “If your ferry journey or inclusive holiday is among those cancelled, we will contact you by email with an explanation and Refund Credit Note.”
However, Brittany Ferries’ press agency in France has told Connexion that an email sent from the company to every client with a cancelled sailing outlines all the options: booking amendment, refund and credit note valid for 24 months. It is up to the client to ask for the refund if that is their preferred option. This applies to sailings up to May 15 which have been cancelled.
According to European law, if a ferry crossing is cancelled, the carrier must offer you a choice between a refund of your ticket or re-routing under comparable conditions to your final destination at the earliest opportunity and at no extra cost. For those who opt for a refund, it should be made, according to EU rules, within 7 days of application.
Brittany Ferries says it is better for the firm if passengers accept a credit note because it is simpler for them to administer.
It says it is dealing with thousands of cases as it has to contact everyone who has booked a sailing since it stopped crossings between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain at the beginning of April. It has diverted resources to customer services and say response times are beginning to improve.
The company is suffering huge financial losses. In March, it reported it had already lost an estimated €25million.
Brittany Ferries says it is not yet able to say when it will be able to start passenger sailings after May 15 and is waiting for information from the different countries it operates between.
Anyone who has a booking after May 15, but feels they will be unable to travel this summer can amend sailings free of charge, or cancel sailings and holidays and receive a Refund Credit Note for any lost deposit or balance.
All claims have to follow a strict procedure outlined here to be valid.
In his latest message to the public on May 4 on the Brittany Ferries website, the CEO, Christophe Mathieu says:
“We’ve asked a lot from our customers to get to this point and I’m increasingly confident we’ll be able to thank those that have supported us through the heavy seas of Covid-19 in the coming months. To the many thousands who have already made new arrangements with their credit notes, thank you! We can’t wait to welcome you back on board.”
