| Author |
Message |
Mark Blower
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 - 02:33 pm: |   |
RE: your article, ‘Family given £203 refund by Condor after ferry delay’ (Guernsey Press, 11 August).
Having never received so much as a cup of tea in compensation from Condor Ferries for the many hundreds of hours I have been delayed, it is most certainly newsworthy that Condor should make a compensation payment, let alone volunteer it.
However, I cannot help thinking, as I am sure do the many other unfortunate victims of Condor’s erratic timekeeping, that this was a slick stunt staged by Condor itself in an attempt to gain public approval in the light of its appalling timekeeping during the period in which it has operated the service.
MARK BLOWER |
Phil Smith
Guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 03:22 pm: | |
I NEEDED to go to the UK for a christening and was worried that the aircraft might not be flying due to the new volcanic dust cloud. I decided to go by ferry as this was not going to be affected.
The ferry takes longer and is less convenient and I was shocked to find that the cost of a foot passenger was more expensive than flying with Aurigny or Flybe.
I am sure that competition is keeping airfares low but I don't understand why the ferry price has to be so high?
PHIL SMITH |
Simon Edsall
Guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 - 02:10 pm: | |
I would like to thank your correspondent for their comments about their sailing from Jersey to Guernsey when flights to Guernsey were diverted a couple of weeks ago.
As your correspondent says, Condor staff "coped pretty well" given the circumstances and I'd like to thank them and in particular the six who responded to a call-out and came back to work, for giving up their free time.
In the first instance, it's important to confirm that we knew exactly how many passengers were on the sailing to Guernsey and there were no issues that could have affected the safety of passengers.
There is a tried and tested system which is used to deal with such incidents and Condor Ferries is accustomed to operating in these circumstances, helping people get to their destinations. Unfortunately, on this occasion incomplete paperwork was supplied to the Condor Ferries team at the port and this resulted in some confusion. I am sure that you will appreciate that we rely on this information to operate the system smoothly.
Condor Ferries is committed to supporting island life and is often called upon to step in when there are unavoidable problems with air travel. This has been particularly relevant recently with the problems caused by the volcanic ash.
Condor expanded services to the UK then as well as in situations such as the one that affected passengers including your correspondent.
I can assure your correspondent that we are working with the airlines to avoid similar confusion in the future and will always strive to help travellers reach their chosen destination.
Simon Edsall,
Managing director,
Condor Ferries |
J. K. Siddorn
Guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 - 02:09 pm: | |
I WAS one of the warm bodies trying to fly from Bristol to Guernsey just before Easter
As we know, the flight was diverted to Jersey (why in 2010 has Guernsey no ILS?) and we were then bussed to Condor Ferries for an interesting 'make it up as you go along' trip.
I ought to say first off that it was pretty obvious that it doesn't happen very often, as no one knew what they were doing. I've no doubt that there is a contingency plan, but on the Sunday afternoon before Easter, I suspect that no one could be found who knew where it was.
The obvious didn't occur to anyone. Why did someone not stand on a box and shout 'Use your flight boarding passes to get a coffee and doughnut at Starbucks. Guard it with your life.'
We all had them so they could easily have been used to get us onto a coach and the ferry.
There was a lot of unnecessary confusion at the ferry terminal and although people were irritated and tired, no one that I saw was getting their hair off or shouting at people wearing a tie and sitting down. There was no 'leader of men' on duty as no one thought to shout to say what was going on or make a Tannoy announcement.
A man appeared with ferry boarding passes and was handing them out like toffees. I asked for three and got them without question without the production of any paperwork. I'm certain that I could have had three eyes and green skin and he'd not have noticed.
I suspect that it did occur to someone on the ferry as it dashed across the narrow sea as there was a Tannoy announcement to '. . . give your flight boarding pass to the man in the fluorescent jacket when he asks you'. Being curious to see what happened, I didn't and have it yet.
To sum up, I think everyone did their best and Condor deserves a pat on the back for coping pretty well despite duplicated faxes and lost manifests.
Anyone who was on duty that afternoon or evening deserves a mention in dispatches.
However, Mr Elf and Safety must be rubbing his chin and looking pensive as I'll guarantee that Condor had no real idea how many foot passengers they had on board.
J. K. SIDDORN,
Bristol.
GP Editor's footnote: Aurigny declined to comment on this occasion. |
Simon Edsall
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 02:32 pm: | |
In the event of cancellations to our services, Condor Ferries aims to minimise the impact on those passengers affected and endeavours to contact as many as possible in person. Unfortunately, the weather conditions on the weekend your correspondent was due to return to Guernsey were very poor and the Sunday sailing on which they were booked to travel was cancelled at 5pm the previous day when it was clear we would not be able to operate the fast ferry.
In line with our normal operating procedures, we attempted to contact our customers in person and to alert tour operators and travel agents so that they might contact their customers and advise them of their options. I have checked and can confirm that Weymouth port staff contacted the local media, amended the Sailing Update page on www.condorferries.com and contacted all travel agents to inform them of the cancellations.
We did contact the operator through whom your correspondent booked at 5:10pm on Saturday to enable them to pass the message on to their customers. It is common practice in the travel industry (for sea and air operators alike) that tour operators and travel agents should communicate such messages to their customers given that the contract exists between them and the customer.
Condor Ferries is committed to high standards of customer service for all our passengers and in addition to making sure we have alerted tour operators and travel agents as soon as possible, Condor Ferries customer service teams attempt to contact all customers (no matter how they booked) individually, offering a superior level of customer care than the industry standard.
Condor Ferries staff spent all of Saturday evening phoning customers to advise them of the cancellation and our records show that they were able to speak directly with 75% of customers due to travel.
Furthermore, information was provided on www.condorferries.com and to the relevant media to ensure the best possible awareness of the schedule change. Indeed, most customers who we weren't able to reach, phoned us on Sunday morning, having read the www.condorferries.com sailing update. Given the outline above of our thorough actions, I am sorry to learn that your correspondent was amongst the minority that were not contacted on this occasion.
May I take this opportunity to encourage all Condor Ferries passengers to provide us with a mobile phone number when they book or to check that the contact numbers we hold for their accounts are up to date. Customers can do this either by logging into their account on www.condor- ferries.com, calling our reservations team or visiting the Guernsey Port office. Up to date phone numbers allow us to maximise the numbers of passengers we can contact swiftly should the need arise and islanders have my assurance that they are only used for operational reasons.
Simon Edsall,
Managing director,
Condor Ferries |
C. Le Noury
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 02:30 pm: | |
WE were due to return from Weymouth on the fast ferry on Sunday, 1 November. Due to hearing weather warnings for the weekend, we tried to find out about cancellations of the ferry. Having booked through a travel agency, we tried them first. They had not been informed of any cancellation and there was nothing on Teletext or the internet.
I was assured by the travel agents that they had supplied my mobile number and that Condor would contact me in the event of any cancellation. I did not hear anything until my daughter phoned me on the Sunday morning to say that Teletext now said the ferry was cancelled. I then phoned Condor only to be told this was correct and that I could have been transferred to the conventional ferry, leaving Portsmouth at 9am. Unfortunately that only gave us half-an-hour for a journey that would take one-and-a-half hours, so the only option available to us was to return on Monday. This meant another night in a hotel, plus loss of wages for Monday.
When speaking to Condor, we were more or less told that because we had booked through a travel agent and not through them, they were not concerned about contacting us as the travel agent would. However, the travel agent concerned was not notified and again confirmed that my mobile number had been supplied to them for contact.
Another lady booked on the same ferry (booked directly with Condor) who had also supplied her mobile number knew nothing of the cancellation until she arrived at Weymouth terminal on the Sunday morning. This proves they had not contacted everyone and I can only presume that people were contacted until the return boat was filled and their concern for the remaining passengers ended there.
Condor has the monopoly if you wish to take your car on holiday from Guernsey. We are forced to use this way of travel and therefore feel that Condor can do what they like without any recriminations.
It is time Condor had some opposition for both prices and customer satisfaction.
MRS C. LE NOURY. |
Simon Edsall
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 - 03:04 pm: | |
Condor Ferries uses a number of on and offline media to publicise our services and encourage bookings. In August this year, we introduced new products on the routes between the Channel Islands and the UK, which offer great value for money for both the holidaymaker visiting Guernsey and the local resident who is travelling to the mainland.
Our intention when we launched these products - the SuperBreak, SuperSaver and Saver - was to offer all prospective customers equal access to them, regardless of whether they had access to the internet or not or were members of a discount website. With that in mind, we are advertising them widely, including in this paper, to generate good public awareness. So far, feedback from customers has been very positive.
Furthermore, passengers travelling with Condor Ferries have a choice to book in person at our port offices, over the phone for a local call cost or over the web with no additional handling charges or fees. We recognise our customers have a choice and work hard to compete with other transport providers operating to the Channel Islands - the States of Guernsey Facts and Figures booklet 2008 indicates that over 70% of people arriving in Guernsey do so by air.
From time to time, Condor Ferries has participated in cashback websites of the kind your correspondent describes but at present this policy is under review and we are bringing our marketing in line with our current strategic focus on the durational products, which are easy to find and book, and offer the opportunity for two people to take their car from Guernsey to the UK for a five-day break this month for just £100 each way.
The UK to France route is not our core business and effectively is a by-product of our lifeline service to the Channel Islands - our sailings to France stop over in either Guernsey or Jersey en route. The incremental revenue generated by the UK to France route contributes to the costs of running a fleet of high-speed catamarans and, as such, ultimately benefits our key market, being those customers travelling to and from the Channel Islands.
Simon Edsall,
Managing director,
Condor Ferries |
Damien Kelly
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 - 03:02 pm: | |
CONDOR Ferries, in common with many companies, use online cashback sites like Quidco and TopCashback to boost their business and say thank you to their customers. Shoppers can earn back 4% of the purchase price by booking via a cashback site, which, if you travel regularly with Condor, soon adds up over time.
Some would also say it's an added incentive to holidaymakers wishing to visit the islands, but there's a problem. Condor have recently stopped cashback payments for all journeys starting or finishing in Jersey or Guernsey.
They are quite happy to pay 4% cashback on UK-French routes, but not to Channel Islanders. Well thank you, Condor. It's nice to know you value our custom.
I would like to be able to take my business elsewhere, but as Condor have exclusive rights on the Channel Island-UK sea routes, I can't.
It's a shame Condor have used their position on these routes to treat Channel Island customers with such contempt. Flybe, on the other hand, continues to pay all customers 1.25% cashback regardless of their place of residence. So come on, Condor, we know we can't go elsewhere for our travel needs, but do you have to rub our noses in it?
DAMIEN KELLY |
Simon Edsall
Guest
| | Posted on Friday, July 03, 2009 - 03:55 pm: | |
Condor Ferries contacts customers by phone advising them of important changes to sailings which affect them personally to minimise any inconvenience to them and allowing them to modify their travel plans should they wish. These calls are a key part of our customer service programme and a significant investment on Condor's part in infrastructure and staff time: we believe we set an industry-leading standard in providing proactive
updates to passengers.
Unfortunately, it is not possible for Condor Ferries to establish the location of the passenger before we make the call and so if passengers travel to another country or time zone with a mobile phone whose number is registered with Condor, they may be called to advise them of changes just as they may be called by their bank or a friend.
Condor offers customers a number of low-cost options to get in touch with us. For instance, customers can contact Condor to make reservations in Guernsey on 12023 (local calls only) and in Jersey 01534 872240 as well using an 0845 number to contact our dedicated reservations team - all these calls are charged at the local call rate.
A few years ago, Condor Ferries conducted a trial of 0870 prefix numbers, but these are no longer publicised for bookings or amendments and should not be used. In addition, customers can book online or email Condor via condorferries.com.
Members of the Condor Frequent Traveller Club are not charged to make changes to their bookings. However, where customers make late changes to their travel plans or choose a more expensive travel day/time, this may result in an increase in their overall fare.
Simon Edsall,
Managing director,
Condor Ferries |
F. J. Kilpatrick
Guest
| | Posted on Friday, July 03, 2009 - 03:54 pm: | |
THE great Condor rip-off.
If you ring Condor on 0870 6085638 you are charged a premium rate to listen to their travel and holidays programme.
Do not give them your mobile number as you will pay overseas charges as they did to me and phoned me twice for the same thing when the boat was late, five days before sailing from St Malo and we were in Italy. Do we send the bill to Condor? And they charged me £33 per person to change my travelling arrangements, as we had to be back in Guernsey.
So much for frequent travel.
F. J. KILPATRICK |
J. Rault
Guest
| | Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 10:09 am: | |
MY HUSBAND and I have just returned from a holiday in Jersey. My husband is disabled and in a wheelchair. We also travelled with an elderly family member and I write in praise of Condor Ferries who assisted us on and off the fast ferry, both here and in Jersey.
They could not do enough for us and a staff member wheeled my husband right through to the waiting minibus and escorted the elderly member as well.
Recent criticism of Condor may have been justified at the time, but I can state that we could not have been more ably looked after.
I would like to thank Condor for making our trips so much more pleasant.
MRS J. RAULT |
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