Has it affected you?

[Val50]

Just got back from UK this morning - had to come overnight Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Brittany Ferries, due to industrial action in France. As a regular (weekly) traveller between France/UK I was wondering if anyone else has found themselves affected by the withdrawal of the P&O ferry? I am nursing in Portsmouth,UK but live close to Cherbourg. Not only have I found I now have to add an extra 2 hours each way to my travelling time, the cost of the journey has increased by at least 100 pounds a month - dread to think what it will go up to in the summer! As much as I enjoy my job, I am seriously considering quitting. I just wondered if anyone else has found the loss of the P&O route has had a knock on effect to their lives. I know of a few others, working in the medical field in UK, living here in Normandy, who are also considering resigning. I will hold out until end of March when Flybe start their Southampton/Cherbourg route but cannot face using Brittany Ferries on a long term basis.

[Linnorton]

Yes, it has affected me as well and am in process of writing to Brittany Ferries.  Do you travel as a foot passenger?  I was thinking that it might be worthwhile sorting out some sort of lift-sharing between us super-commuters but logistically it probably wouldn't work.  I'm considering flying as well but normally I'd rather chew my own arm off than fly and that is one of the reasons that we moved to Normandy in the first place.

[Chrisb]

My husband also commutes weekly, and had a very nice all-year deal set up with P&O. He has tried speaking to, and writing to Brittany Ferries to see if they will match his current deal or at least give him some reasonable form of discount. So far he has come up against a brick wall, the only thing they will offer is the Property Owners Discount which means that the cost at the moment would be OK, but fairly horrific in the summer!! He is now planning to sail with P&O via the Le Havre/Portsmouth route until October.

He also loathes flying, Lin, but has decided that he might actually learn to fly to try and beat his fear - but flying means having to keep a car in the UK, which he really doesn't want to have to do.

Chris

[Linnorton]

Have just been speaking to a friend and she too will cross via Le Havre for as long as it runs.  It's not really an option for me and it is easy enough for me to leave a car in the uk.  What would be really helpful would be to locate cheap parking in Poole or Portsmouth so that I could avoid using the train.  Fares from Stafford to Poole/Portsmouth have gone up from £57 return to £71 in just over a year. Perhaps we should be trying to get a coach company to run Normandy to England once a week.  Have a feeling doing it that way could be cheaper even for foot passengers.

[Diana]

I read somewhere on the Open Univeristy web page for their weeks course at Caen University all their suggested ways of travelling from the UK. There was mention of a direct coach service from London, Portsmouth, Caen. I can't remember any more of the details.

Diana

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

I find this subject quite interesting. Whether you are commuters or holiday home owners, when you decide to buy abroad, you really cannot rely on current transport links on a long term basis. Business is business and if an operator 'needs' or wants to change their routes/timetables then you really cannot expect them to start giving you discounts on other routes or pandering to your needs, they are running a business and will make changes to it to the benefit of the company's profits which might not necessarily benefit all the customers (and staff come to that). I certainly would not rely on a transport link when making a major purchase such as a home, especially if I was intending to live there but work in another COUNTRY!

[Linnorton]

You're absolutely right of course. I can remember having scant sympathy in the 70's for commuter owners of Essex 4 bed detached houses who sold up and bought rambling piles in Norfolk for the same money and then whinged like mad everytime their train fares into London went up. 

I think though that the main objection to Brittany Ferries having a monopoly on the Western Channel routes is in the potential for abuse that exists.

This is a company that does not publish fares and who will only quote for a specific journey on a specific day.

I consider their current advertising in the UK press to be misleading and the small print is very small indeed.

I wouldn't expect to go into Tesco's and have to interrogate a computer to obtain a fluctuating price for each item I was thinking of purchasing.

I'm all in favour of company transparency these days, it reduces the potential for suspicion and mistrust. At the moment I'm afraid I don't trust Brittany Ferries and I'm not certain they fully comprehend their marketplace.

[Val50]

Don't think any of us are looking for sympathy. We did not choose to live in France as such, my husband was offered a job here, but because my French is limited I cannot work as a nurse in a hospital here, hence my working in the UK (where I should point out there is a dire need for health professionals). What we are trying to do, I think, is highlight the monopolies enjoyed by certain companies, and the effect of this on people whatever their circumstances. At least if I was living in UK and working there I would have the option of taking the train, bus or car. Here in Normandy I really now only have the choice of one service provider - Brittany Ferries. If their prices escalate the knock on effect could be detremental to many, especially gite owners looking to rent out homes etc, not to mention tourism in Manche in general.

Would never dream of looking for sympathy on a Living France forum - just fair play!

[Le Scouse]

I am still travelling to and from France a couple of times a year as we are in the early stages of renovating he first "house" we bought in Normandy 3 years ago

I was due to come over on the 20th of Jan to put pen to paper for a second property (this one has a roof and four walls this time.. hurrah!!), and was half way through confirming a booking on ferrysavers.com to go on a five day return Portsmouth-Cherbourg at a cost of £131.00 for car and 3 adults, when the site crashed and when i logged back on, ferrysavers had removed all crossiings to that part of the coast.

I had to hastily arrange a BF replacement, this time from Poole, at a cost of £183.00

There were no more than 20 cars on the ferry (23:45hr crossing on the 20th). Now I understand the laws of supply and demand, but in all honesty, BF are shooting themselves in the foot if they think it makes any kind of commercial sense to sale with such a small number of "Retail" passengers. I understand that the hauliers subsidise the routes with their year round crossings, but this surely can't make up for the empty car decks which are their most profitable customers

Either the freight trafic makes them enough money, or the crossing prices are being kept artificially high for us all in off peak times to protect and justify the peak time crossing prices.

Surely the Ferries would be full if they did £50-80 round trips in the off season, and they would have all the bar, cafe, cabin, and

retail sales they are missing out on.

BF could very easily offer a PROPER frequent travellers price structure. I know they have the annual discount card scheme, but I personally have always managed to find a better price than the full members discounted price just on web searches.

Lets hope someone out there picks up the baton.. someone like Branson should do it.. he's obviously no good with trains !!

Lee

[Russethouse]

>>Surely the Ferries would be full if they did £50-80 round trips in the off season<<

But they do ! and the crafty devils make it just 24 hours in France too, so you have to spend in their retail shops or eat in their restaurants twice in 3 days at the outside !

I think they used to do cheaper weekend deals too, but I haven't seen good offers on that for a while.

[Miki]

Oh be fair you want to live in France and see what B.F offer us. They have promos on a round trip on the Pont Aven, you can't get off though, same with Le Mont St Michel, a day out on the water in midwinter, what a  good idea B.F !

You can go to the south of England for a couple of days as well with another promo....oh yes they are quite good at this promo stuff

The 5 days trips are not worth the trouble, a few measly euros off. I have to say, one look at the yearly sales and promos here in general and you have the French mentality on sales. "Do you want to buy it ? No well too bad, we will wait for some other mug  I mean punter sorry I mean client to come along"  Then see what happens when you want to return the said item, that's when French after sales mentality really kicks in

I despair when I see some promos and the gullibility of the French, Have you seen when some drool over a 3 for 2 promo, you know the one where they put the price up then offer 33% off but make you buy 3, thereby giving them greater profit on the sale !

Well that's B.F that is......

Moan over, we're off out to see how we can get stitched up I mean sold something for the house and perhaps the vendor will really understand the product and offer us no bull*****and fibs (Mum told me never to say lies).