Amendment fees

vinylmusic

Many travel companies charge amendment fees
Personally I feel that in most cases these are excessive

I have travelled really a lot in my time and used to travel very regularly across different routes across the Channel to the continent. I remember the days that I could call up a ferry company and make adjustments to my sailing times or dates and only have to pay difference in published prices if any

Now you have to pay rediculous amounts such as £20 or £25 for the privelige on top of any difference in fares

Personally I find these fees extortionate
We all found bank penalties extortionate and successfully reacted against them
So why are air lines and ferry companies allowed to get away with it
Why are we all accepting this?

How can we effectively react against it?

Any suggestions?

spiro

Get the booking right in the 1st place.

What the ferry companies do is no different to the airlines.

vinylmusic

spiro wrote: »

Get the booking right in the 1st place.

What the ferry companies do is no different to the airlines.

Thats a very unhelpful answer
Unforseen circumstances can arrive for just about anyone
Changing a departure date by two or threee days can cost £20 or more
I think that's excessive

Someone working in a ferry company takes around 3 minutes to move a booking from one date to another and the original date becomes free to be sold to the next customer

I know that Ferry companies do the same as what airlines do but that doesn't make it right

I know airlines have never made it easy to cancel or amend. The fact is that ferry companies have gone on for years allowing amendments. I have even called them on the same day because I was held up and they just moved me onto a later sailing without extra cost or hassle
The fact that they are now charging is because they can. Everyone accepts it and its become an extra source of income for them.

I dont think that the fees fairly represents the time or trouble

wealdroam

vinylmusic wrote: »

The fact that they are now charging is because they can. Everyone accepts it and its become an extra source of income for them.

That sounds reasonable to me.

Isn't that what businesses are supposed to do... make money?

whatmichaelsays

vinylmusic wrote: »

Thats a very unhelpful answer
Unforseen circumstances can arrive for just about anyone

And that's the fault of the travel company because..........?

At the end of the day, these "amendment" fees are subsidising my cheap ticket.

PolishBigSpender

It isn't published on the websites, but all ferry companies will offer a fully flexible ticket in which you can amend the booking to your hearts content. Of course, it's much more expensive - just like the airlines.

It's no different to how the railways work - buy the most expensive ticket and you can take whatever train you want, when you want. Buy the cheapest ticket and you have to expect restrictions - it's called giving the customer choice, and most of us that are capable of actually making a correct booking love it.

vinylmusic

wealdroam wrote: »

That sounds reasonable to me.

Isn't that what businesses are supposed to do... make money?

Theres nothing wrong with making money it's more about how it's made.

I run my own business and people make appointments with me to visit them at certain times
Sometimes I get a call to change an appointment because of unforseen circumstances
If I could charge £20 for every changed appointment I would be hundreds of pounds better off by the end of a year
Then if I tried to do that I'd lose a lot of customers

These businesses don't miss a trick these days

I wonder why everyone misses my point

How can £20+ be justified? consider the amount of work involved

How come were all up in arms about unreasonable penalty fees for being a day or two late or a few pounds over an allowance yet we just lie down and take it from ferry companies and airlines?

dmg24

vinylmusic wrote: »

Theres nothing wrong with making money it's more about how it's made.

I run my own business and people make appointments with me to visit them at certain times
Sometimes I get a call to change an appointment because of unforseen circumstances
If I could charge £20 for every changed appointment I would be hundreds of pounds better off by the end of a year
Then if I tried to do that I'd lose a lot of customers

These businesses don't miss a trick these days

I wonder why everyone misses my point

How can £20+ be justified? consider the amount of work involved

How come were all up in arms about unreasonable penalty fees for being a day or two late or a few pounds over an allowance yet we just lie down and take it from ferry companies and airlines?

So don't use the company anymore? It is your choice.

Some of us were not up in arms regarding bank charges.

Bob_the_Saver

Your said "I wonder why everyone misses my point" because it's stupid. It's a small price to pay for the lower fares we have.


The prices now can be much lower than they used to be, but if YOU change your mind YOU have to pay, failing that book at the port - there you are problem solved - next.

dzug1

vinylmusic wrote: »

Personally I find these fees extortionate
We all found bank penalties extortionate and successfully reacted against them

Successfully reacted against them? What planet are you on?

OK for a while the banks paid up but eventually it had to go to court which found in favour of the banks.

spiro

vinylmusic wrote: »

How can £20+ be justified? consider the amount of work involved

a) Because their T&Cs allow it.
b) Because they may end up with an empty space on the ferry.
c) You get a cheap ticket by booking in advance and not being allowed to change it.

The less you pay for travel the more restictions apply. If you want to be able to change your bookings at a whim pay for a full unrestricted fare.

'Unforeseen circumstances' - thats what travel insurance is for.