Richard Thomas Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 If you're travelling on the Eurotunnel Frequent Traveller scheme, do you have to do the usual 'turn up 30 minutes before departure', or are you fast tracked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Same time as anybody else - unless you have paid extra for the FlexiPlus option.If you are travelling at the weekend, be prepared to have to queue up to get through the check in, which can take almost half an hour! So if it's imperative for you that you go at the time booked, then turn up even earlier... If you turn up an hour early, the automatic check-in machine may offer you to go on an earlier shuttle for no extra cost; if you turn up late, there seems to be no problem about just getting on the next available one, as far as I have found.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Don't forget, either, that in theory loading finishes 15 minutes before departure - any later than that and you may just be sitting in a pre-boarding lane until the next train. Also, on the France side, the 'swabbing' procedure of steering wheel etc holds up a batch of cars at a time, so you may be within a spit of boarding and still miss your train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alane Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Also bear in mind that at busy times the "next available shuttle" might be a lengthy wait if you miss your booked shuttle. We were booked on the 20:31 last Sunday evening and for various reasons were 30 minutes late for check-in. We were offered the 22:36 crossing, ie a 2 hour wait. It has to be said that the service wasn't particularly busy so likely to be far worse in high season. Fortunately the 22:09 wasn't completely full and we were loaded on at the tail end of that train so at least had 20 minutes less of a wait. It was quite sobering as many of the cars and drivers that we had seen in the car park in Calais were strewn about the carriageway and verges on the M20 just north of the terminal back in the UK in a pretty nasty pile up that we could easily have been in had we been a little earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 We've never been troubled by this issue before - just arrived before if possible, but should the M25 prevent us doing so, then we've just got the next available crossing. That's all changed since our last horrendous experience in mid May. We checked 20 minutes before our schduled crossing, having negotiated 3 traffic jams on M25 and thought we'd get put onto another one within a reasonable time, so we were more than a bit shocked at 7.50 pm on a Friday night, to be told the next available crossing was 1.30am! Although there was plenty of capacity in the double decks, the coach section was full, and we had the roof box on. We pointed out that we were frequent travellers, and shareholders, and had a young child and a diabetic on board - none of this made the slightest difference, and in fact the woman we spoke to (we were at the auto check-ins) was extremely rude, and she actually said "that's not my problem". After much wrestling with the roof box in a howling gale, we eventually managed to remove said box (so we could fit on the double decks), put it inside the car, and we finally crossed (sitting on/ under all our luggage!) at 11.40 pm. Imagine how furious I was when we were loaded onto the apparently FULL coach section of the train for the journey!! I have, of course, written and complained, but got no real explanation as to how they can be full but not full, nor a satisfactory apology for the treatment we received. Being a frequent traveller obviously carries no weight at all, so the moral of our tale is to make sure you turn up in plenty of time, particularly if you are in a high vehicle! I suspect that when we next go in July, we'll be allowing even more than our usual extra 1 hour for delays to our journey. Will we get told off for being too early? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 We've never been troubled by this issue before - just arrived before if possible, but should the M25 prevent us doing so, then we've just got the next available crossing. That's all changed since our last horrendous experience in mid May. We checked 20 minutes before our schduled crossing, having negotiated 3 traffic jams on M25 and thought we'd get put onto another one within a reasonable time, so we were more than a bit shocked at 7.50 pm on a Friday night, to be told the next available crossing was 1.30am! Although there was plenty of capacity in the double decks, the coach section was full, and we had the roof box on. We pointed out that we were frequent travellers, and shareholders, and had a young child and a diabetic on board - none of this made the slightest difference, and in fact the woman we spoke to (we were at the auto check-ins) was extremely rude, and she actually said "that's not my problem". After much wrestling with the roof box in a howling gale, we eventually managed to remove said box (so we could fit on the double decks), put it inside the car, and we finally crossed (sitting on/ under all our luggage!) at 11.40 pm. Imagine how furious I was when we were loaded onto the apparently FULL coach section of the train for the journey!! I have, of course, written and complained, but got no real explanation as to how they can be full but not full, nor a satisfactory apology for the treatment we received. Being a frequent traveller obviously carries no weight at all, so the moral of our tale is to make sure you turn up in plenty of time, particularly if you are in a high vehicle! I suspect that when we next go in July, we'll be allowing even more than our usual extra 1 hour for delays to our journey. Will we get told off for being too early?Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyza Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Sounds like you were on the same crossing as us. I too am a small share holder and frequent traveller. All I asked for was an explanation for the delay and received a very unsatisfactory response. It could have been interpreted as an apology, but I don't think they took my email seriously. It is normally such a very good service, and it is a shame that on this occasion they got it so badly wrong.Lyza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alane Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 I'm not sure that the term "customer service" has been comprehended by Eurotunnel. After a sequence of poor service episodes I wrote to them towards the end of the summer season last year cataloguing all the problems I'd encountered and was reprimanded for the length of my complaint which, I was told, would stop them giving full attention to other customers! The point I made was that I was paying a premium price for Eurotunnel in order to cross the Channel quickly and they seemed to be doing all they could to delay me. They did make the excuse that staff were stressed due to the financial situation and I could give some sympathy to that and earlier this year they did seem to be improving but my view now is that they've reverted to type. They still don't get it.I have concluded that the best scenario is that they are forced into bankruptcy and a totally new management team come in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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