# Short stay return instead of one way on tunnel?



## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

We've just been looking up prices for the tunnel for 18th January, one way. Cheapest is £88, going before 6a.m. and £107 at midday.

But for an overnight return, it's £27 anytime on the 18th, and £27 anytime on the 19th.

What's to stop us getting an overnight return, and treating it as a single? Has anyone done this? Would there be a problem booking a single to come back at some later date?

It's not just the tunnel, the ferries do this as well. It seems so unfair that people who live near the ports can pop across to France for next to nothing to do their shopping, subsidised by people who are going for a proper trip.

We're sorely tempted to try the overnight return and not returning then, are there any repercussions?


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

Good question! Has anyone out there got the answer :?:


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## StAubyns (Jun 4, 2006)

Its been suggested before, I'll look for the thread!

Think this is it

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-128266-anyone-used-a-ferry-day-trip-as-a-single.html


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

interesting point!

see their T&C's

http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/tickets/types/day-and-overnight/

on ticket validity 1.1

"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."

so you could not turn up for the booked return, then 6 weeks later book a one way Calais - Folkestone. Would they say you didn't do the return journey, so we're charging you £xx being the difference between the price you paid for the return and the single price that was applicable at the time for that original crossing? Would they connect the two bookings? If you use a different name to book it, and different credit card, would they find your orighnal booking? Would tehy connect the registration number? Maybe not, but I'm not sure I'd want to try it

:lol:


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Definitely worth a try particularly if you could use a different (spouse?) name for the booking and a different card.

They must recognise that a few will try it, and "get away" with it but not many.


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

They will ANPR your reg no and cop you when you try to travel back

They have you bang to rights so i suggest you dont try it.

the reason its 88 quid is because your booking so late. Do you have to leave it so late to book (not being funny just asking) we booked our trip in June last week and its 68 quid each way.

Phill


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

drcotts said:


> They will ANPR your reg no and cop you when you try to travel back
> 
> They have you bang to rights so i suggest you dont try it.
> 
> ...


Reason it's so late is our van has been in for repair to a badly leaking Heki. It's supposed to be back this week, but we don't want to book until we're sure we're leak free.


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

Thanks to all who replied. Guess we'll have to bite the bullet and pay for each way as single fares, because we don't know yet when we'll be heading back.

Still think it's unfair of the operators, though. People taking longer trips (and often having to travel a long way to get to the ferry port or tunnel terminal) are subsidising the few who can just pop across for a day or two. Why can't they just charge the same for everyone as a flat rate?

We're thinking of writing to Eurotunnel and saying just that, but it would be better if lots of people said the same thing, more like a petition.

Anybody here fancy signing a group letter on this point, maybe to all the cross channel operators? They seem to have us by the goolies at the moment!


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## Hymervanman (Aug 20, 2010)

Book a return and just guess the return date. When you are more sure of your exact return date you can ring up Eurotunnel and they will amend your return, either for free or for a small charge. This was pointed out to me by their staff when I booked using Tesco vouchers; I was told that the dates could be amended if you gave them notice?


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## Dougaitken (Aug 14, 2009)

*Ferry costs*

Hi Easyriders

Have you not thought that the day trippers are subsidising the longtimers.

If the Ferries or Tunnel did not offer the day trips then they would see a reduction in that business.

This means they would have to put the other fares up to get the same turnover.

The day trips fill the boats which are going anyway and so can help keep down the normal fares.

You will note I am from Kent so do use the daytrip offers but only when they are on special offer.

Doug


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Re booking one way.

My holiday insurance limited to 30 days away or 45 with suppliment

(bank insurance) stipulated return booking must be booked.

margaret


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

What if you don't return onthe tunnel, but on a ferry?
How would they know?

We never book return

We use an 8week slot, could be longer or shorter depends on how we feel , and the weather

The joy of retirement is the ability to choose just when you will return

And apart from the older grand kids who get restless if they don't get their dose of complete chill out time at regular intervals 

No one is concerned

Aldra


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: Ferry costs*



Dougaitken said:


> Hi Easyriders
> 
> Have you not thought that the day trippers are subsidising the longtimers.
> 
> ...


In the last year or so I've been on 3 or 4 daytrips both by ferry and tunnel - if it hadn't been for special offers I would have been on precisely 0 day trips.

The special offers are designed to fill otherwise empty spaces on trains and boats.

I do not live in Kent.

I have also had 4 or 5 £48 return crossings with DFDS most of my day trips have cost £24.

It's just like getting a "cheap day return" on the railways really.


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

Wasn't happy at having to pay £100 one way when bringing my motorhome back from Germany when the return cost was £44.On a recent crossing I made there were only 7 vehicles on the train.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

We have never (returned) on the tunnel

turn up at P&O ( only 15E for the dog) and book the next convenient boat AFTER midnight that becomes a next day booking and much cheaper

Other ferries charge 30 E for the mut, as he stays happily in the van not a problem 

Aldra


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Argument*

We were booked with Tesco deals on a return trip during that bad winter a couple of years ago.

We ended up going out via Brittany ferries at our additional cost.

When we came to return, the booth operator refused to let us cross back on our £180 return ticket at Eurotunnel, insisting we pay something like £75 additional cost. This was because we had not completed the outward journey.

Turned the engine off and stayed put arguing until She gave in and put us through. Que was big as she was the only manned booth.

TM


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## bigtree (Feb 3, 2007)

Not used a ferry since getting Orville,bit concerned about catching his backend on the loading/unloading ramp.


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## IzzyJnr (Dec 28, 2012)

bognormike said:


> interesting point!
> 
> see their T&C's
> 
> ...


Am I reading the T and C wrong!! does it say you've got a year to complete the outward and return journey - so there's no problem is there? when you book your ticket you;ve got a year to return, book a date and then just change it a week or few days brfore


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

IzzyJnr said:


> bognormike said:
> 
> 
> > interesting point!
> ...


If you take a special offer return and then effectively change the terms by extending the return leg I guess they will charge you the difference!
You can change times and dates on the website of course, but it does automatically pick up any extra cost due (but does not give refunds, as I found to my cost!)
We live in a market economy and that means prices vary for different markets. Day trippers are a different market from long distance travellers.

Alan


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

alhod said:


> IzzyJnr said:
> 
> 
> > bognormike said:
> ...


Exactly - in order to book you have to tick the "accept terms and conditions" box.

Once you have done that you have accepted whatever terms and conditions they wish to impose.

This may well be a problem with bookings made under the recent DFDS offer which, specifically excluded vehicles over 2.4metres high, where people claim to have a "confirmed" booking for vehicles specifically excluded from the offer. 
If DFDS choose to take a hard line and turn such vehicles away at check in, that will be that. They could of course take the other line of action open to them - allow travel but ONLY on the deck the offer applies to (as explained to me by DFDS customer service), the upper car deck, which is accessed by way of the steep, narrow & restricted headroom side ramps.
"Yes Sir/Madam, of course you can travel, your space is up there - good luck getting your m/home up there in one piece".


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Variation on the theme.

Coming back to the UK a few years ago we had to come through the tunnel earlier than originally planned and had to do a last minute booking. A single from France was about £80 but there was a day return offer for £25 or so from the UK.

I bought that and turned up at the booth with the intention of just using the return bit but they wouldn't let me on as I hadn't used the outward section. Ended up paying the single cost as well as the return!

Brian


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

In that instance the T&Cs you had accepted, said that both crossings must be used and in the right order, for the ticket to be valid. 
As you didn't use the outbound crossing the return was void.


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Yeah- should have read the T&C - like you never do. It almost made me want to do three trips just so I got my money's worth!


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

Hm. Not sure about the idea that daytrippers subsidise those of us paying through the nose, because they help fill up empty trains or ferries.

If there's too many trains or ferries to fill to a reasonable level, then just provide fewer crossings, e.g hourly instad of every 15 minutes.

This would save energy and operating costs, and a flat one-way charge could be levied - much fairer. Eurotunnel make a big thing about being the greenest way to cross the channel, but they'd be greener still if they only ran the trains that are needed. And the energy and fuel wasted running half empty ferries must be colossal!

After all, how many plane or even train routes in the UK run every 15 minutes?


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## goldi (Feb 4, 2009)

Afternoon all,


Sounds like one for The competition commission to me.


norm


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

I can understand the reason for you going down this route of speculation and suggestions to the management on how they can improve their own business. However, bottom line (horrible expression - don't know why I use it!!) is that Eurotunnel have an inbuilt incentive and motivation to run the service in the best way possible - that incentive is called profit! If they thought that reducing the number of trains would result in more profit I am sure that would be done.
But there is a bigger picture here which we cannot possibly understand and so their decisions about the best way to produce the optimum profit at the end of the year prevail. 
One can speculate all day about how much they might save by cancelling one train but we have no way of knowing how such micro decisions would impact on the macro view which is what their management is concerned with!

If running a train service was that easy there would be many more people doing it.

Sorry to disagree with you - only trying to put a different perspective on it  

Alan


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## tony5677 (Jul 9, 2007)

Hi to all
We use the tunnel , we book a return crossing with Tesco vouchers.
We allways book a return date about 10 weeks away.
My good lady gets homesick after about six weeks.
If you turn up at the tunnel in the same time slot, as your booking, we have never paid more than 10 euros. 
You cannot amend Tesco bookings on the net.
At least I havent been able to.
Happy travels to all

Tony


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

I always use Tesco vouchers. The last ones I received are dated 2014 so no problems.

Why not make the outward journey by tunnel, ring them up when you are suposed to return with some excuse that you cannot make it. Then use a ferry.
Dave p


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> I always use Tesco vouchers. The last ones I received are dated 2014 so no problems.
> 
> Why not make the outward journey by tunnel, ring them up when you are suposed to return with some excuse that you cannot make it. Then use a ferry.
> Dave p


It sounds as though Eurotunnel would take the extra from our credit card anyway, Dave, if we didn't turn up for the return journey.

Anyway, a ferry is out because I get sick crossing the Mersey, and anyway we adopted a dog in Portugal recently, and he hates to be left alone, so the tunnel is better for him too.

We did think about a Tesco credit card for the vouchers (we don't shop at Tesco), but our Nationwide Select credit card actually offers more benefits, so we stuck with that.


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## hymerbeliever (May 8, 2009)

I have done it this August..... I didnt hear anything. You can only use it for UK to France not inbound.

I did pay using one of those prepay mastercards that you can get from Londis stores etc in case they tried to claw back the difference


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

hymerbeliever said:


> I have done it this August..... I didnt hear anything. You can only use it for UK to France not inbound.
> 
> I did pay using one of those prepay mastercards that you can get from Londis stores etc in case they tried to claw back the difference


I think it may depend on how often you try and get away with it - once or twice probably isn't worth the hassle of chasing you but if you did it regularly I think they might be a little less accomodating.

Otherwise - have you tried making another booking for that Reg plate yet? Your non-return may flag up next time you book.


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