Eurotunnel Frequent Traveller Tickets

[Cazza]

Is anyone else fed up with Eurotunnel and the way they treat Frequent Travellers?  We travel over at least two weekends out of 4 and see little benefit from the Ft tickets.  If we want to travel over late on Friday night and come back Sunday evening we usually end up paying a supplement of at least £20 for the return journey so overall trip costs £98 (that's when the service is normal).  Whilst the restricted service has been operating we can't even get booked when we want although if we look at bookings not logging into FT we can get booked!  So Eurotunnel only really want you if you are happy to pay more for the trip, doesn't matter if you travel very frequently or not.  The weekend can be made considerably cheaper by travelling early Saturday morning and coming back (on the same train as we would normally use) Sunday evening - this way the cost is only around £57.00 return andn no supplement. So no advantage there for FT's.  We now only use FT tickets if we have friends coming for the weekend as to get the cheaper crossing we have to get up at 04.30!!

I know that some people will argue that FT tickets are cheaper and therefore crossings should be restricted but my answer to them is that we pay up front (Eurotunnel will be earning interest on the money) and are guaranteed customers (not that Eurotunnel seem to appreciate that). We have recently used the ferries and even with the extremely rough crossing we had last month have decided that we will use them on a more regular basis in 2009 and at least we can have dinner on the way. 

Flexiplus travellers get better benefits that FT's and once again it's because they are well off enough to pay for it!  You can get the privileges on a one off trip if you are happy to pay a couple of hundred pounds.  We have spent a couple of thousand pounds in the last year on crossings and this means nothing to Eurotunnel.  They would rather have a customer who is happy to pay a lot for a one off trip than to have regular customers.

Thanks for letting me rant but I have been increasing frustrated over Eurotunnel's attitude and wanted somewhere to let off steam and to see if we are the only people who feel like this. 

[Russethouse]

How much of this problem is permanent, and how much is due to the ongoing situation regarding the earlier tunnel fire ?

Are they keeping to their published terms and conditions from when you purchased the tickets ?

[Cazza]

The only thing that has changed since the fire is that we have learnt that each train has a limited amount of spaces.  I had not noticed this clause when we first started using the service.  It could have been in force but as I haven't read them recently I can't comment.  I still feel though that with the recent restrictions they should be encouraging the frequent travellers not restricting them.

[Alex H]

[quote user="Cazza"]

Is anyone else fed up with Eurotunnel and the way they treat Frequent Travellers?  We travel over at least two weekends out of 4 and see little benefit from the Ft tickets. 

[/quote]

I think it's not for you - you need VERY Frequent traveller if there were such a thing [:D]

I have used FT for the last 4 years, at the rate of 5 crossings a year (generally we go for 3 - 5 weeks at a time).

It suits us well to use FT because;

We have a 3 hour trip to Folkestone, therefore we can use the afternoon to get there, missing the morning rush hour round London

We get to use the French motorways overnight, so they are even more traffic free (if thats possible[:)])

Coming back we can use most of the day to clear up and close the house.

We can get to Calais  in the early hours of the morning and therefore use traffic free motorways in the UK (unheard of!) to get back home

I don't think frequent traveller was ever intended for LOTS of short duration trips, but I may be wrong

[odile]

We are on the Frequent traveller programme. I have just phoned them to change our return booking to the UK as we are unable to find a vet who will see us on the 1st of Jan - we also changed from early am crossing to a late afternoon one - expected to pay surcharge as per CLEAR conditions when we joined - but was told they are not applying surcharges at the moment, in compensation for inconvenience caused by earlier fire. Yupiieee.

[Cazza]

Frequent traveller implies that someone will be travelling frequently not just occassionally.  We do a weekly commute as our French house is just outside Calais.  I am sure we aren't the only commuters in Pas de Calais region so this must affect  more people than just us.

[Baz]

It might help as previously mentioned if  you read the terms and conditions. I think the summary  under Frequent Travellers Fares,Dates and Times gives an indication of the intended use: "As a Frequent Traveller, we can offer you our best prices for travel during less busy, "off peak" times " Possible the more flexible and higher charge "Frequent Traveller Flexiplus" scheme fits your use more appropriately.

The shuttle is generally the more expensive way to cross the Channel and the best fares are usually found on the ferries as long as you are a good winter sailor.

Baz

[Alex H]

[quote user="Cazza"]Frequent traveller implies that someone will be travelling frequently not just occassionally.  We do a weekly commute as our French house is just outside Calais.  I am sure we aren't the only commuters in Pas de Calais region so this must affect  more people than just us.[/quote]

Are you really commuting with a car? [8-)]

[Cazza]

Yes we commute with the car we only live 50 mins from the tunnel and eventually hope to work from home in France.

OK I admit that the T&C's are not in our favour but I do feel that people who use the tunnel a lot should get some benefit over the occassional users. 

Well we do seem to be the only ones who are dissatisfied with the T&C's so thanks for all your comments.  We will definitely be using the ferries more so probably won't be so much of an issue in the future. :)

[andyh4]

As a frequent flier with a couple of airlines you would think they would give me some benefits too.  Well actually they do, fly lots of times and you can have a free flight - and guess what, when the flights are busy, there are no seats available for the free flights.

 

Surely common sense would suggest they (airlines or the tunnel) would throw of a full fare passenger in favour of a low fare/no fare one.

Only common sense does not seem to be very common.

[Alane]

The T&Cs haven't changed (on this point at least) since the scheme was introduced. Like you we travel every other week or so in the summer and up until last year had never had a problem with lack of space even for late bookings.

I suspect that the number of spaces for FTs on each Shuttle hasn't changed but as the scheme has become more popular the spaces are filled more often. With the limited crossings available at the moment the same number of Frequent Traveller ticket holders have fewer spaces to go round so it is likely that they will fill up quicker.

I avoid the problem as far as I can by booking well in advance at times I might possibly travel. If I then can't do so I simply change the date and time - the tickets are fully flexible. As has been mentioned, to compensate for the incomvenience Eurotunnel aren't charging a surcharge for peak travel at the moment so I don't think it's fair to say that they are making no effort to please the Frequent Travellers.

If you are looking for cheap travel for the weekend you can book to travel out on the first train after midnight on the Friday night/Saturday morning and book to return on the Sunday evening using a day trip ticket which allows for one overnight stay. You can then check in from 11pm on the Friday evening and usually travel on the 11:30pm crossing as it's rarely busy at that time of night.

Personally, I have found the service they offer to have improved in the last couple of years and their general attitude to customers much improved from the "take it or leave it" approach they adopted previously. Others may of course have had a different experience...

[Fay]

When ever I look at 'normal' rates on the Eurotunnel site I am always gobsmacked at the prices in comparison to the FT rates.

Even with a £20 or £30 surcharge each way (which is usually avoidable except on key days, especially if you don't have a long journey either end) you might be paying max £138 return as a FT. Still much less than the standard for peak-time or key-day crossing.

And, as Alane says, if don't have far to travel (or don't require sleep), you can manage a longish 'overnighter' for around the £50 return mark.

They have won Brownie points in my book for waiving the surcharges for FTs during the post-fire period, too.

Yes, they are being firmer with allocated space for FTs at the moment, because there are less trains, but I am neither surprised not shocked by this. Ultimately, it's in my best interest for them to run a viable business. We've all seen what happens when a cross-channel operator doesn't...

I'm no starry-eyed idealist about the operation, but the news of the fire really brought it home to me that my travels to and from France (especially with cat) would be a whole lot more of a hassle and much more protracted without them.

[Fay]

I'm sure I've driven down from Northamptonshire (not starting at an unearthly time of day) and got the cheap rate... maybe not. I probably haven't remembered the times I've paid the £20, but I would have remembered any 4.30am (or equivalent from Northants... 3am?) starts!

[odile]

we always have to leave East Leicestershire at 4.15 am to get cheap rate- done 5 times this year and remember it VERY well! Arghhhh.

[PaulT]

No supplements - well, I booked after the fire for a France UK journey on the evening of 21 December and paid the £20 supplement.

Paul