Brittany Ferries Refund Credit Note

NI_Sense

Hi.
Due to uncertainty over Covid 19 and the fact that I didn't want to travel later this year, I recently accepted an offer of a Refund Credit Note (RCN) from Brittany Ferries. All good until I had a look at the ABTA website re RCNs. According to ABTA, RCNs are only valid for package holidays. As our intended trip (Rosslare to Bilbao return) was for the journey only and not a package holiday it makes me wonder if my RCN is actually a financially protected RCN or simply a voucher that is being wrongly named an RCN by Brittany ferries? 

Help is appreciated.

AlexMac

Can't really advise on the legalities, and I know these are exceptional times, but  as no-one else has attempted a reply I would observe that in 25-odd years travel with Brittany Ferries, we have found them to be a very reasonable Operator, with efficient staff and excellent customer care. 

We have hols booked with them for this September- already deferred from May.  The Spanish authorities are signalling that they'll be open to travellers, but in the event that the UK government continues to fkeck up with two-week quarantines and cop-out "essential only" FCO travel advice, I'm confident BF will treat us right.

Examples of great past customer-care include BF pulling out all the stops when, on three separate occasions, over a few years, our sailings to or from Spain were cancelled at short notice by unexpected mechanical failure. They offered a variety of helpful alternatives from a full refund, to deferral or alternative routing.

In one case when contacted only the day before our planned sailing, and as they don't sail to Spain every day, we took the option to jump in the car, dash to Portsmouth to cross that evening (overnight, with a nice cabin upgrade) to Caen, drive enjoyably through France with two newly rearranged stopovers including an extra free hotel night en-route (as we argued that us geriatrics  couldn't do the whole added1000km-odd drive in one schlep!) and collect a £250 compo bung for fuel and tolls.

So back to your case, and reading between the lines of their FAQs (link below), they are using the words Voucher and RCN interchangeably in respect of  a "ferry journey or inclusive holiday".  Elsewhere they promise flexibility and also claim to be confident they won't go bust, so I bet they'll make it easy and not try to wriggle out of their obligations; at least that's what I'm expecting!  
https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/coronavirus/faqs

I'm an arch cynic, but when their CEO says " ...my teams are working tirelessly to secure our long-term future, while protecting the welfare of teams, their families and the communities we serve.  We are determined to be the company that you begin your holiday with in the future, when the stormy seas of the current situation have calmed. And they will pass in time...." at the news release below, I'm inclined to believe him.
https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/an-open-letter-to-colleagues-customers-and-friends-ceo-christophe-mathieu/

Life__Goes__On

NI_Sense said:

Hi.
Due to uncertainty over Covid 19 and the fact that I didn't want to travel later this year, I recently accepted an offer of a Refund Credit Note (RCN) from Brittany Ferries. All good until I had a look at the ABTA website re RCNs. According to ABTA, RCNs are only valid for package holidays. As our intended trip (Rosslare to Bilbao return) was for the journey only and not a package holiday it makes me wonder if my RCN is actually a financially protected RCN or simply a voucher that is being wrongly named an RCN by Brittany ferries? 

Help is appreciated.

So far even a RCN isn't protected even thou ABTA wrongly states it is.

If it's just a voucher,  claim back from your card stating you were promised a CRN  but got a voucher instead.

NI_Sense

Life__Goes__On said:

NI_Sense said:

Hi.
Due to uncertainty over Covid 19 and the fact that I didn't want to travel later this year, I recently accepted an offer of a Refund Credit Note (RCN) from Brittany Ferries. All good until I had a look at the ABTA website re RCNs. According to ABTA, RCNs are only valid for package holidays. As our intended trip (Rosslare to Bilbao return) was for the journey only and not a package holiday it makes me wonder if my RCN is actually a financially protected RCN or simply a voucher that is being wrongly named an RCN by Brittany ferries? 

Help is appreciated.

So far even a RCN isn't protected even thou ABTA wrongly states it is.

If it's just a voucher,  claim back from your card stating you were promised a CRN  but got a voucher instead.

Hi. Pretty sure Abta is correct. I'll seek more clarity from brittany ferries as to what my 'rcn' actually is, so thanks there.

Alan_Bowen

Companies are issuing Refund Credit Notes for all types of bookings except flight only. For a ferry booking, there will be no ATOL protection but there may be ABTA protection as many ferry companies are members and bond their bookings for customer confidence. If ABTA confirms it is protected, they can hardly go back and deny it at a later date

Life__Goes__On

NI_Sense said:

Life__Goes__On said:

NI_Sense said:

Hi.
Due to uncertainty over Covid 19 and the fact that I didn't want to travel later this year, I recently accepted an offer of a Refund Credit Note (RCN) from Brittany Ferries. All good until I had a look at the ABTA website re RCNs. According to ABTA, RCNs are only valid for package holidays. As our intended trip (Rosslare to Bilbao return) was for the journey only and not a package holiday it makes me wonder if my RCN is actually a financially protected RCN or simply a voucher that is being wrongly named an RCN by Brittany ferries? 

Help is appreciated.

So far even a RCN isn't protected even thou ABTA wrongly states it is.

If it's just a voucher,  claim back from your card stating you were promised a CRN  but got a voucher instead.

Hi. Pretty sure Abta is correct. I'll seek more clarity from brittany ferries as to what my 'rcn' actually is, so thanks there.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/06/holidaymakers-with-refund-credit-notes-could-pay-more-than-100-in-legal-fees-to-get-money-back/
Don’t accept a refund credit note. Even if they are Atol protected, which is by no means assured, getting your money back if the company issuing the note goes bust is likely to be time consuming and potentially costly.

Life__Goes__On

Alan_Bowen said:

Companies are issuing Refund Credit Notes for all types of bookings except flight only. For a ferry booking, there will be no ATOL protection but there may be ABTA protection as many ferry companies are members and bond their bookings for customer confidence. If ABTA confirms it is protected, they can hardly go back and deny it at a later date

ABTA can say what they like, but they don't underwrite ATOL, the CAA does, and they haven't confirmed that RCN are covered.