Eurotunnel get your act together.

[Baz]

Until this week, I had not used Eurotunnel since the introduction of their self service check in. Firstly I want to say that any visible  staff were very friendly and trains left and arrived with Swiss precision timing in both directions. The comfort of the journey was certainly not as smooth as previously, with all the cars noticeably rocking from side to side on a number of occasions. This I put down to the age and usage of the rolling stock.

 

However, I travelled at a quiet time and was not prepared for delay caused by the self service check in. On the outward journey even after changing lanes because of an excessive delay, I moved to a lane to be behind just one car and it must have taken that person at least 10 minutes to complete their check in with no staff at hand to assist, I also noticed the other lanes were having the same trouble. I myself took 5 minutes and had to repeat the whole procedure 3 times before my credit card was accepted. On the return journey again a long hold up by a couple of cars taking ages but for me was very much faster as the system accepted my card immediately and produced my ticket with just of couple of yes answers. With these apparent problems I cannot understand why both in the UK and France they do not open all the lanes at all times as they are not staffed, so the cost would be nil.

 

I cannot imagine the check in delays that must occur on busy days and the total length of the journey time from arrival at the terminal and departure at the other end. It is now plainly obvious why the ferries are here to stay and why Eurotunnel are losing so much business.

 

Baz

 

[chrisb]

I suspect that at any given time there are several of the self check in machines 'hors de combat'

[Fay]

As you can see from my posting earlier, I've all too often been that person stuck in front of you, looking like a complete twit unable to work a simple machine, because the machine doesn't recognize my Frequent Traveller account or credit card. Nightmare.

But in the absence of human helpers there is a red button at bottom left of the machine which connects you with a human voice and this person can override the system if you tell them your name and/or booking ref.

[Hotspur]

Came through today and the machine worked fine. But why should any of the lanes be closed? After all I doubt the machines are so unionised that they require a break every 4 hours!

[chrisb]

We came back on Sunday and for the first time ever the automatic machine offered us an earlier crossing at no extra charge - so now I believe it does happen.

What was weird though was that there didn't seem to be any PA announcements anywhere. There wasn't one in the terminal to call the letters round, or at the waiting area to announce loading starting, and there were none at all on the train - neither the pre-recorded safety ones nor the personal ones. New policy or just sloppiness?

[Lyza]

We travelled out on  the first Friday night of half term. Frequent traveller from Yorkshire and arrived 30mins late at 11 pm. Conditions on arriving late  as frequent traveller is you can go on the next available shuttle. First shuttle available 3.30am.  Then the machine broke down and the man had to go to a kiosk to get the hanger. I expressed my concern that we had to wait 4 and a half hours. They said to engineering works in the tunnel which they 'forgot' to cancel even tho it was half term weekend. So a tunnel was shut. There were no announcements that night either. I think the staff were so fed up they kept a low profile.

Arrived at hotel at 5.30 in the morning. The clerk who greeted us asked - The shuttle again? and just shrugged. It would appear to be a regular occurance.

No problems on the way back. But surely that how it should be all the time. This is the second night Friday that our crossing has been  a problem. 

[YCCMB]

Never, ever, ever had any problems with the tunnel till last week. Outbound, they had a technical problem with the train after we boarded, so we had to unboard again and be put on another train. This made us an hour late. The woman in the car behind was going through the roof, and chewing out her poor husband......doesn't sound travel a long way in those carriages? [:$] Returning, there was a problem with all the software, which meant that there were enormous queues at all the checkins, and still only one actually manned (or personned, if you want to be totally PC, or womanned if you want complete factual accuracy). Anyway, as we'd arrived very early (over an hour) we anticipated that we'd have enough time, and sure enough, although we were given a booking for the crossing we had reserved to travel on, we actually got onto the one before. I can imagine a lot of people did miss their scheduled crossing on Saturday, though.

[Alane]

We travelled back from France this evening - bad mistake as it was Sunday evening at the end of half term. Total shambles at Calais - queued for 55 mins just to get to checkin. Usual problem in that many people didn't know how to use the auto check in, machines running out of paper for the windscreen hangers, 3 auto check in machines not working etc. There appeared to be only one attendant sorting out the problems on all of the automated check-in lanes. Once through not too much of a problem other than usual long queues for UK passport controls, but despite arriving 50 minutes prior to our scheduled crossing ended up crossing 50 minutes late. In the great scheme of things 50 minutes isn't so long but we are paying premium prices for a rapid crossing and not getting it. I had praised them for seeming to get their act together this year but have had this experience 3 times in the last couple of months so am no longer their biggest fan.

They must have known how many people to expect as there were signs up indicating that only passengers with reservations could cross tonight so they had taken bookings, and cash, from all these people and not made the necessary arrangements to get them through check-in in good time. I see that Eurotunnel have told their creditors that the negotiations on their debt is at an end so we'll see in the next month what will happen to them.

Tonight was the last of my frequent traveller tickets so I think it's going to be LD Lines and Brittany Ferries for the forseeable future.

[Paulhogan]

We came back to UK late on Saturday, arrived at the check in at about 23.15, no hold up through "manned" check in (used this as thought we had arrived too late for booked crossing), told to go straight to passport control and customs and could board 23.45 shuttle. As we passed terminal building car park was almost empty. Boarded straight away and shuttle left on time. No problems at all.

Going out the week before, arrived Folkstone at 04:30 on Sat 21st for 04:55 shuttle, again straight through check in to boarding, loaded straight away and shuttle lefty on time. Strangely we reversed our way into France as one engine had technical problem so shuttle went "backwards" so to speak.

Both the above in sharp contrast to our last experience 2 years ago (used the ferries since, but forecast for Sat 21st was a bit rough in the Channel and OH is not a good sailor) when we sat on a shuttle train for 90 mins after boarding over 60 mins late with no explanation or staff available to talk to.

It looks like a bit of a lottery, sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bl**dy awful.

Paul

[Alane]

Paul

I think the secret is to travel at quiet periods like 23:15 and 5 in the morning as you have found. We usually travel out on a Thursday night - rarely a problem except when the cancel trains - but back on Sunday evening when they just can't cope with the demand despite having booked all these people onto the service.

Last night I calculated that they couldn't actually be clearing enough cars through the check-in to fill the 4 shuttles per hour that the signs said were being run and a quick check in the car park and our shuttle which was nowhere near full confirmed this.

Perhaps they should do a deal with the autoroute network and set up a telepeage lane at the French end and with the Dart tag outfit on the Dartford crossing at the UK end.

[mattjazz]

Travelled out on the 5.50pm on Friday 20/10 ,straight through check in,very kindly put us on the 5.15 train ,then disaster.The train broke down and could'nt move ,sat and watched our 5.50 train leave they then unloaded and reloaded us onto another train ,finally left at 6.40. Still,thems the breaks I suppose.Coming home Sunday all was fine and on time.

[Fay]

I came back home last Sunday and had exactly that same problem with the 15.11 train. Just made it in time for it after all the queuing (it was the one I was booked on)and then we sat around for about 20 mins, then all got loaded off again and were still sitting on the platform as the later train sailed off half an hour later. Total lack of info or staff to tell us what was going on. Are these technical faults becoming more frequent as the rolling stock ages, I wonder.

[Baz]

Having started this topic in early October, I thought it might be useful to follow up with my latest trip on Eurotunnel. Going out from the UK  last Monday the number of vehicles using the check ins were probably around 20 and the procedure was still very slow mainly due to people not knowing how to use the touch screen machines and some of the bays closed.

But the real problem was returning from France last Thursday afternoon. There were around 25 cars with a least third of the bays closed. A number of cars were taking upto 5 minutes with other vehicles having to reverse back into another bay. When my turn came, I found the touch screen would only work  in certain areas and the back button did not work at all, so cancelling the procedure was the only option and starting again. Then the screen stopped all together, I was lucky that I found the only on duty Eurotunnel personal who showed me a way of by passing a lot of the system by simply inserting my Debit card without any prior instructions. I asked the French Lady how Eurotunnel was coping and she said it was impossible as the staff had been reduced to a minimum and the situation at busy times was totally chaotic. Many of the the booths touch screens were malfunctioning and it was purely pot luck if you choose the right bay. I suspect with the Christmas booze rush now on many people will be waiting for ages to check in. The way round missing your booking is that you are given an alternative time, I suspect Eurotunnel have built this into the system to get round the their check in procedure problems.

As freight is where Eurotunnel  make their money, I am quite certain the lorry drivers are looked after far better as time is money to them and they really do not care about the car traffic.

Baz

[Chancer]

I will be taking a coachload of French students on a day trip to a technical college in Kent in April.

I sincerely hope that we don't experience the same sort of delays that I have had previously, it will make for an interesting comparison.