Eurotunnel - A Warning For Van Drivers

[Jerac]

We have been using Eurotunnel for the past 5 years to carry furniture, building materials, tools and other personal property to our renovation in France. We have a Vito Van, capacity 4.5cubic metre (slightly smaller than a standard Transit) and gross weight well below the 3.5ton limit for Eurotunnel.

A new question has appeared on their online booking for a van.  First you are asked whether you are carrying goods for any commercial purpose and having assured them that all is for personal use, you are asked whether the total load exceeds 3 cubic metres. Answer yes and you cannot travel.

I queried this new question on the online booking form with Eurotunnel and got this reply -

Thank you for your email.

Providing that the laden weight of the vehicle does not exceed 3.5 tons and any goods being carried are no more than 3 cubic metres and are for private use, you would book as a van. You would then just need to select whether the overall height of the van was under or over 1.85 metres high. If, however, the weight will be more than 3.5 tons or the goods could be classed as commercial, you will need to call 0870 609 4081 for freight prices please.

Please note that if the goods are for private use and exceed 3 cubic metres in size, you cannot travel on our service on this occasion.

This has always been our policy. If you have been able to travel in the past, this has been at the discretion of the Check-in staff. This discretion has now been removed.

As you carry personal goods then you will not be able to use our freight service. The freight service is totally separate from passenger travel and you would not be able to use your frequent traveller tickets on this service.

So now we have the ludicrous situation where - "if the goods are for private use and exceed 3 cubic metres in size, you cannot travel on our service on this occasion" and yet - "As you carry personal goods then you will not be able to use our freight service"

They did not indicate where this new restriction appears in their terms and conditions.

Nor did they answer part of my question as to whether we could carry luggage over and above the 3cu.metre of goods. Their terms and conditions do make this distinction between goods and luggage.

Also they did not say whether this restriction was of their own devising, or whether it is a new demand by Revenue and Customs, in which case it strikes me as an unwarranted restriction on a perfectly lawful activity by European Citizens. As I recall Customs have a past history of this sort of restriction (personal importation of taxable goods) and have been forced to backtrack.

Just what difference does it make whether a light van is full or two-thirds full as long as it is underweight?

[PaulT]

Oh come on Jerac that tell you precisely why you cannot travel becuase of 'safety reasons'.

Unfortunately, they do not tell you why it would be unsafe. Plus, if the cargo area is well sealed, the fuller it is the less oxygen there will be to support burning, so I would have thought the fuller the better and that will mean more m3 the larger the van.

I presume this is to increase freight traffic which no doubt, on a one-off basis is far more expensive than passenger travel.

The only thing that I can think off is that tradespeople have been using the passenger side so to stop it they have brought in this rule and labelled it 'safety'.

Paul

[pouyade]

I too queried the new rules and was told it was a safety measure now enforced after the fire - one which really should have been before but wasn't. Hmmm. I had the bizarre experience of being told that the new load restrictions meant that I could carry a load 3m by 3m by 3m. 'or half a transit van full'. I did try to explain the difference between 27m2 and 3 m2,  but I am afraid the lady had somewhat less maths than I and I only have  A level. I would imagine that a large 4 by 4 or our old people carrier could easily be found to be carrying this amout anyway, just for a long familly holiday. As you say what really is the difference between a load of luggage, ski kit and food and a load of flat pack or whatever? In our case a cooker, various books and the normal accumulation of 'bits and bobs for France'. We finally went on a long crossing overnight, and overall had better value for money, given current tunnel prices.

Pouyade

[Chancer]

You can carry 27m3 of personal goods on a trailer towed behind your small sallon car using your frequent traveller tickets without any restriction. Ludicrous springs to mind.

My friend after using his Vito van several times has just invested in a brand new and larger Transit, still within their size limits, he is not happy.

I am trying to convince him to fill  the space over and above the permitted 3M3 with empty cardboard boxes and to film the scene when we offload them and crush them down when refused at the check in.

[Dog]

I had a similar stupid discriminatory situation in UK at the local recycling centre (tip).

I had a Vito and was not allowed in as it was a van - so I went home and loaded my trash into my neighbours ridiculously expensive Vito people carrier as it has seats in the rear and a couple of extra windows.

They allowed that so next week I went in my Vito - they said if I tipped I would be prosecuted - so I tipped and told them to get on and prosecute me.

It was moronic and after much fly-tipping vans are now allowed at the tip.

[Théière]

[quote user="pouyade"]

I too queried the new rules and was told it was a safety measure now enforced after the fire - one which really should have been before but wasn't. Hmmm. I had the bizarre experience of being told that the new load restrictions meant that I could carry a load 3m by 3m by 3m. 'or half a transit van full'. I did try to explain the difference between 27m2 and 3 m2,  but I am afraid the lady had somewhat less maths than I and I only have  A level. I would imagine that a large 4 by 4 or our old people carrier could easily be found to be carrying this amout anyway, just for a long familly holiday. As you say what really is the difference between a load of luggage, ski kit and food and a load of flat pack or whatever? In our case a cooker, various books and the normal accumulation of 'bits and bobs for France'. We finally went on a long crossing overnight, and overall had better value for money, given current tunnel prices.

Pouyade

[/quote]

Yes another one of those "safety measures" that magically goes away if you pay more money.

Was it a van that caught fire last time, or the time before that? I believe it was a fully paid and manifested lorry both times.

It will take a court action to get them to back down. If they except vehicles with more than a 3 m3 payload on their booking system then they will have to expect people to use their space, its been paid for.