Customers angry after P&0 refuses cruise refunds
CLAIMS FIRM IS USING A ‘LOOPHOLE’
P&O Ferries has refused to refund holidaymakers for mini cruises that were cancelled due to coronavirus – using a “travel loophole” as its defence.
The firm cancelled hundreds of mini-cruises between Hull and Rotterdam in Holland and Hull and Zeebrugge in Belgium when the Government cancelled all non-essential travel during lockdown in March.
However, unlike the airline industry, which grounded planes and were obliged to offer refunds under Passenger Rights Regulations, P&O Ferries has told customers they cannot have a refund using these rights because its ferries were “still sailing”.
Even though the ferries were sailing for freight only and for “essential travel” only, holidaymakers have been told they are not covered by the regulations and are not entitled to a refund.
P&O has now emailed hundreds of passengers to tell them the regulations do not “address situations where passengers cannot travel due to government restrictions”.
It has, therefore, kept customers’ money, and only offered a credit note, which expires after 12 months.
Jane Makepeace, 41, of Hull, was due to travel from Hull to Zeebrugge on an ABBA and Queen-themed mini-cruise to celebrate her partner’s birthday on March 27 this year.
Ten days before the couple were due to set sail, P&O cancelled their trip via email, offering a credit note as a replacement. Ms Makepeace has been battling for a refund ever since.
She said: “On March 17, they suspended their mini-cruises to Belgium and emailed me.
“I asked for a refund, but when they emailed me back they said that I could only have a credit for future use within 12 months as I had a saver ticket and they were still running the service on the route – but it was only for freight and essential travel, and my trip didn’t fall under package holiday regulations.
“I feel really disappointed that they are using that as a way of dodging refunds when non-essential travel was banned, so we couldn’t go, even if the freight service was still going.
“It’s made me think twice about using P&O again. It is ludicrous such a large company has failed so miserably to manage the situation.”
Ms Makepeace says she has no way to rebook her trip because the link sent to redeem the credit note does not work, and she cannot get through to anyone on the phone.
Another customer, who did not wish to be named, was due to travel to Rotterdam in Holland on April 16.
He said: “It’s an absolute joke. P&O can cancel our trip because the Government says we can’t travel, then tell us we can’t have a refund because the ship still went that day.
“The ship still going is irrelevant to me because I was not allowed on it or off it in Holland. They have used a travel loophole to be able to keep our money.”
A spokesman for P&O said the company would like to reassure people that the amend fees are waived.