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DID TRANSMANCHE SAILED FROM DIEPPE YESTERDAY @ 18:00HRS ?


Danglar

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I got scared off returning from Dieppe by all that fuus that the TV News channels put on about  the bad weather : Dover port closed, Portsmouth pictures of high waves and wind, flights cancelled  and so on. 

So in the morning I booked with Eutunnel and gave up the second  leg of the return ticket I had paid for weeks ago.

Then at around 16:00 hrs I called  the  Transmanche info tel number and the computeriseed voice (why  can we talk to human beings anymore ?????!)  said that all was running as per schedule . Aaarhhh!!!!!

So , what happened ? 

Does anyone know and/or did travell on the Seven Sisters yesterday ?

 

Nino

 

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thank you for your replies.

I have found the telephone number  (only a fax is shown on the  website)  of the Port of Newhaven from  the Newhaven  City Council and  I received confirmation the ship arrived as per schedule last night. So,  I have thrown money out of the window.

Never, ever will I fall for journalistic headlines again (I had good reasons to panic: a train connection in London for this morning and everyone knows  how much ic costs in UK  buying  a train ticket on the same day of travels).

Listening to the BBC 24hrs news and SkyNews it felt like the end of the world was near  !  What  c...y   sensationalistic reporting that was (and I feel I know where that type of reporting has been copied  from....).

Thanks again

Nino

 

  

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Talk about don't shoot the messenger [:)]They don't put Operation Stack into action without good reason so it seems that perhaps the reporters were not solely to blame, perhaps the people running the service could make the contact  number more easily accessible ???[Www][Www]

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Operation Stack is in place because of the SeaFrance strike - the Dover port closure due to the weather merely made the situation even worse.

The Transmanche Ferries web site ( http://www.transmancheferries.co.uk/contact.html ) has full contact details, including freephone numbers for both Britain and France. If you are booked on a ferry that is cancelled or seriously delayed, the operator should contact you - but I recognise that this doesn't always happen.

Portsmouth port was operating more or less normally, with slight delays.

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Danglar said

"I got scared off returning from Dieppe by all that fuus that the TV News channels put on about  the bad weather : Dover port closed, Portsmouth pictures of high waves and wind, flights cancelled  and so on. "

"Listening to the BBC 24hrs news and SkyNews it felt like the end of the world was near  !  What  c...y   sensationalistic reporting that was (and I feel I know where that type of reporting has been copied  from....)."

If you had been one of those people whose homes were threatened with flooding or indeed aboard the stricken Swedish ship near Isle of White I don't think you would have thought the TV News channels were making a fuss!

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2/1182074/ShowPost.aspx#1182074

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[quote user="Will"]

Operation Stack is in place because of the SeaFrance strike - the Dover port closure due to the weather merely made the situation even worse.

The Transmanche Ferries web site ( http://www.transmancheferries.co.uk/contact.html ) has full contact details, including freephone numbers for both Britain and France. If you are booked on a ferry that is cancelled or seriously delayed, the operator should contact you - but I recognise that this doesn't always happen.

Portsmouth port was operating more or less normally, with slight delays.

[/quote]

 

When one calls  the  tel  numbers  shown on their website  one does not speak to a person  but  one is  instead   given to  select options .   Select "sailings update"  and  you get a recorded COMPUTERISED VOICE message, which sometimes it is  difficult to comprehend without wanting to hear it a second time ! Select "sailings times" and you get back to the main menu!...

I bet the only time one gets through to  a person  is when selecting to purchase a ticket!

I am surprised to read that Portsmouth was operating almost to norm. I had considered Le Havre (the closest to my house) but was put off even trying by the BBC's  pictures of terribly rough sea  and their reporting of  sailings cancellation.

As for Dover, I had considered  - the night before my UK departure - to purchase a  one leg  ticket on the short crossing as a back up,  so I tried all the websites (P&O, SeaFrance, Speedferries) to  check on availability and prices and  ALL appeared to be accepting  my booking for Monday  afternoon.   Instead a warning would  have been nice  at that point, after all they have the capability of  rejecting a booking and -  showing why - when a sailing is booked up.

I think  there is a too much  commercially opportunistic hijacking  on   these days:  grab the money now, then we'll see , eh ?

 

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