Morris Minor Owners Club

Brittany Ferries' webpage now has them cancelling all passenger sailings up to and including 1st June.

They will be therefore be offering Refund Credit Notes, with a two year validity. However they don't seem to have replied to my questions:

a. Are these are guaranteed by ABTA?
b. Are they - at the customer's option - convertible to cash at some future date?

It would be helpful if their FAQs addressed these important points.

Another update. BF have emailed to say they are issuing me with a "Refund Credit Note" for the return sailing; but then later describe it as a mere "voucher". They say they'll eventually send another one for the 15th May outbound leg.

But they are still not saying whether these instruments are ABTA backed, &/or redeemable for cash.

Keep us updated Mike

Although Brittany Ferries is an ABTA member (number Y6117), the ABTA website seems to be saying that it's only BF's package holidays that enjoy ABTA's financial backing for the Refund Credit Note scheme; ie any "RCN"s for ferry crossings alone are NOT protected by ABTA.
Instead ABTA's webpage suggests approaching your credit card company or travel insurer for any reimbursement!
This all seems to make BF's use of the Regulation's specific expression "Refund Credit Note" somewhat misleading.
Unhelpfully, the offer comes from a "Do Not Reply" email address. I've contacted Customer Services directly, to ask for clarification. But they keep telling me to wait 28 days for their reply.
Is anyone else having refund grief (or joy) with any of these cross channel outfits?

My emails from DFDS and Travelodge all come from a Do Not Reply address - it's an intentional fob off. I told Travelodge today I'm bored with their games - either refund me, or issue me with a letter of deadlock and I'll go via MCOL and let them sort it out.

Everyone's playing fast and loose with the rules in the hope they get away with it - Travelodge's idea is to email you and say "you can have a refund, or a credit note for the value plus 25%". If you want the voucher, click their link. If you prefer a refund, do nothing and they'll refund automatically. Except if you do 'do nothing', they send you a voucher for the standard amount instead, again from a Do Not Reply. I'm happy to chuck the £30 fee for a county claim at it - they either lose and I get my money, or I lose and they get to have paid their solicitor thousands for defending

Hi Mike (et al)
I've just emailed Brittany Ferries yet again, to tell them that I've instigated a ChargeBack through my credit card company. I won't withdraw it unless BF refund my payment within the EU's regulation seven days.
BF's auto-reply says it may take them 28 days to respond; so it looks like the ChargeBack process is the course it's all going on. It will have been BF's choice to go down this expensive, time-consuming process.
It's such a shame that Brittany Ferries' conduct isn't matching Eurocamp's commendable offering.

Well it would seem that telling them not to bother and I'd just go to court for it has changed their minds - I received three automated credits back to the original card from Travelodge this morning. Happy now, just dunno why we had to spend so long arguing about it!

Well done, Mike D. One down.....
Meantime Brittany Ferries' Customer Services takes us round in circles.
As mentioned before, the Customer Services' email auto-replies that it may take 28 days to respond (four times the statutory refund timetable). So I tried different routes in, to (again) demand a refund.
When I enter my booking reference into their My Booking function, it denies me access, as the sailing is Unavailable.
Instead it tells you to ring a number, where a recorded message tells you (as does their webpage) that all their phone lines are closed, and to go to their webpage!
Their only other login resource, the password-protected My Account, flags up as Unavailable, Try Again Later.
Hopefully the credit card Charge Back process will bypass all this circular obfuscation.

Brittany Ferries have just said they will refund the full fare onto my credit card.
The whole process has been reminiscent of the Dead Parrot sketch; I was half expecting the rep to tell me the boat was pining for the fjords.

Good result, well done