Dover Calais - Pricing Madness, or Missing Someting?

[gatvol]

We are travelling abroad next week. We only need a one way ticket to France as we are returning on a ferry from Spain.

Just looking at P&O and using the same outbound ferry at around midday
A same day return is £38
A single is £50

The same thing seems to apply with the Eurotunnel. Again travelling around midday
A same day return is £65
A single is £132

In radical (and logical) contrast a return ferry journey to Spain costs about twice what a single does.

So presumably one just books a return UK to France and fails to show for the return leg ? Or am I missing something here please ? Do you get hit with a penalty for failing to catch the return journey ?

Many thanks

 

[Martin]

Some ferries have in the T&C that if you book a return you MUST return otherwise you will be charged the cost of 2 x single fares.

 

[Martin]

Failure to complete both the outward and return journeys in respect of a return booking will invalidate your booking and in the event that you complete only one journey in respect of a return booking, you will be liable to pay the difference between the price that you paid for your return booking and the single fare applicable at the time that your journey was made. Eurotunnel reserves the right to obtain from you payment in full for all sums so arising. All travel must be completed within 1 calendar year of the date of original purchase.

 

[Les]

Try DFDS we have booked one way at £39.

 

[Meoncoast]

See the cost of a oneway flight to the USA :censor same issue if you fail to turn up for a return flight

 

[T5WOB]

look at dover Dunkirk cheap as chips

 

[2into1]

I'm not sure if the companies ever actually enforce such rules. Just because it is in their terms and conditions doesn't mean they implement it.

I used to half-use plane tickets most weeks and their terms & Conditions excluded that 'trick' but nothing ever came of it.

I'm not saying they won't come after you, just that you need to do more research rather than just be scared off by their T&Cs.

 

[calicasas]

I agree, Dover Dunkirk, always been cheaper. In any event I have always found P&O to be the most expensive...

 

[muttley]

A friend only used the outward leg of a return trip on Eurotunnel last year, and received a letter from Eurotunnel a few months later, warning him that he would be charged if he did that again.

I would imagine that the ferry companies wouldn't have such an obvious pricing loophole without having some enforcement action in place.

Simon

 

[Brent]

I used the tunnel last week just needed a single, so I booked a 24 hrs return much cheaper, it does say that you must use the return leg or notify them, so I just sent an email.

 

[gatvol]

After doing some digging ....

The cheapest ferry I could find for a midday one way sailing was £32.83 on DFDS using www.aferry.co.uk (a price comparison site) to book the trip. This was the cheaper than the £50 booking direct with DFDS. The same trip was £52.93 on directferries.co.uk

 

[Calincolnshire]

Brent, can I ask which email address you sent your email to. We are using the tunnel in October and have had it booked a while (using tesco vouchers) but a couple of weeks ago we decide to book our return journey Zeebrugge to hull. I didn't think it would be a problem with us doing this until I read this thread!!

 

[Brent]

Brent, can I ask which email address you sent your email to. We are using the tunnel in October and have had it booked a while (using tesco vouchers) but a couple of weeks ago we decide to book our return journey Zeebrugge to hull. I didn't think it would be a problem with us doing this until I read this thread!!

%20customer.relations@eurotunnel.com

 

[Brent]

sorry remove the %20

 

[Calincolnshire]

Ok, thanks