Amadeus Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 about time: OFT probe into Steam Packet fuel surcharges An investigation into Steam Packet fuel surcharges will be launched by the Office of Fair Trading it was announced in the House of Keys today. This move follows another call by Graham Cregeen (Malew and Santon) for the charges to be scrapped immediately. Last month Mr Cregeen told the House passengers booking online for sailings as far ahead as September were still having to pay the £10 fuel surcharges - despite the Steam Packet agreeing to review its charges.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilitantDogOwner Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 about time: OFT probe into Steam Packet fuel surcharges An investigation into Steam Packet fuel surcharges will be launched by the Office of Fair Trading it was announced in the House of Keys today. This move follows another call by Graham Cregeen (Malew and Santon) for the charges to be scrapped immediately. Last month Mr Cregeen told the House passengers booking online for sailings as far ahead as September were still having to pay the £10 fuel surcharges - despite the Steam Packet agreeing to review its charges.... If the OFT puts the same effort into this investigation as it did the price of petrol, I don't think the SPC have much to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 They're doing a documentary on the OFT investigation, apparently it's called 'bigfoot in bigmouth and the Hendersons'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Judging by past investigations the basic OFT investigation goes like this:- "Hello this is the OFT is that the Steam Packet?" "Yes, yes it is" "Right, this fuel surcharge can you justify it?" "Yes, yes we can" "Really?" "Yes" "Are you sure?" "Yes, fuel is very expensive you know, ask anybody" "Bah, well ok then" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyconcrete Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 These aren't the fuel surcharges you are looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 "Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around the eyes, look into my eyes. [click] You're under! ...and the fuel surcharge is fair...and Kenny Craig has never worked for the Steam Racket...er...Packet. You're awake Bill....I said you're awake Bill...I said...oh fuck it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monasqueen Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Fuel prices are allegedly their lowest for 3 years. 3 years ago, there were no surcharges. Practically every other operator has scrapped their surcharges, yet SPCo clings on to theirs, well into the future. This has the appearance of blatant profiteering. Why can they not do the decent thing and take them off, NOW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesemonster2005 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I imagine that the results of this enquiry will show that the fuel surcharges were introduced to make more money. Simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 There's been no justification for a fuel surcharge for the last three months. It should undoubtedly be scrapped. It's the Steam Packet's equivalent of those charge you get landed with whenever you book a flight with a budget airline. "Wearing black shoes? 5 GBP surcharge." "Want a seat? 10 GBP surcharge" "Want the plane not to crash? 80 GBP surcharge" "Want customer service? No chance! All the money in the world can't buy you that!" [in the interests of full and frank disclosure I just got shafted by EasyJet during the recent 'extreme weather conditions' in the UK.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaldestination Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Slightly off topic (somebody else mentioned air travel first!) the OFT should be investigating flybe and their sharp practices. Recently claimed off holiday insurance for a holiday cancelled due to illness - they paid up all apart from the taxes flybe had charged. They said the airline had a legal responsibility to refund them. Contacted flybe - yes, of course we can refund them, oh, by the way, there is an administration charge of £25 per person per sector which we will deduct. You telling me it costs £100 to put some money back on a charge card? Left me with £81 ! B**t*rd* In fact, I have just written to them! and their English equivalent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyrotten Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Flybe is without doubt the airborne equivalent of the Racket, and I wish we hadn't give them the idea for a black shoe surcharge. But the similarity doesn't only extend to ripoff charges, they have also mastered the "don't give a f*ck" method of customer care. Not blaming the staff here or across (well some of the ones at Gatwick, maybe), but the corporate culture is one where we pay them for varying degrees of efficiency, and under no circumstances do they ever give any money back, or even reply to correspondence. I only ever travel Flybe as a last resort. I'd almost rather go by boat. Only almost, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikehpeel Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 As the Manx Independent has highlighted this fuel surcharge scam, sorry levy, this week, I am of the opinion that it will soon end. The reason for this is that a couple of days ago I checked a car and passenger price for the end of March and it was shown as £169. Today it is £188, irrespective of what day you travel so it can't be that the cheap fares for that day have been taken up. So, my theory is that if they put the prices up now they won't miss out if the fuel surcharge has to go. Am I right or not??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 A word with Woodward Welcome to ‘A Word With Woodward’ a chance to have your say….. Stop being rotten to me Frustratingly the Steam Packet Company is being used yet again as a political ‘football’. Some people seem to forget that the company is actually comprised largely of Manx resident workers. Many of these staff have expressed their utter frustration at the many inaccurate statements made in the press and in Tynwald. It is easy to forget the benefits that the agreement between the Government and the Company has delivered since 1995. That is, stability and frequency of service, prices increases that have been capped each year at 0.5% below Manx RPI and steadily improving passenger satisfaction with service standards. Overlooked too is the huge investment in our fleet and facilities over the same period. With an average load factor of under 40% year round, we are providing enormous capacity and frequency that has to be paid for. Elsewhere this is provided by taxpayer subsidies of many tens of millions of pounds - but not here. The cost of transport can be reduced but only by cutting out unprofitable sailings and routes, and by increasing load factors on each sailing. Many of our fast craft services for example do not even cover their own direct costs yet these services, provided under the User Agreement, have been instrumental in growing visitor numbers to the Island at a time where many other communities have suffered falling numbers. A minimum of two daily trips in each direction is something we have become used to but would not be provided if there were no User Agreement. Food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD4ELI Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Flybe is without doubt the airborne equivalent of the Racket, and I wish we hadn't give them the idea for a black shoe surcharge. But the similarity doesn't only extend to ripoff charges, they have also mastered the "don't give a f*ck" method of customer care. Not blaming the staff here or across (well some of the ones at Gatwick, maybe), but the corporate culture is one where we pay them for varying degrees of efficiency, and under no circumstances do they ever give any money back, or even reply to correspondence. I only ever travel Flybe as a last resort. I'd almost rather go by boat. Only almost, though... Flybe also seem to treat their staff poorly - see http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/06/flybe_redundancies/ - and the victims of the airline's cost-cutting programme will get only the minimum statutory payout. Given Flybe's profits I will do everything i can to avoid that company in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monasqueen Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 A word with WoodwardWelcome to ‘A Word With Woodward’ a chance to have your say….. Stop being rotten to me Many of our fast craft services for example do not even cover their own direct costs yet these services, provided under the User Agreement, have been instrumental in growing visitor numbers to the Island . Is this an example of the growth in visitors he's talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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