BC Ferries passengers rant, call for refunds over reservation system

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A series of online rants are serving as a reminder to passengers who plan to take a BC ferry this long weekend, after they say they were left high and dry due to the reservation system.

Several passengers have taken to social media in recent months to express their frustration with the cut-off penalty for arriving at a much-coveted reservation, calling it unfair and financially frustrating.

“…I just missed my not-a-reservation by 4 minutes and got out at the end of standby. Not the end of standby for my sailing, the end of all standby, which these days is the mother of all standbys, sometimes meaning you have to wait up to six or more hours,” one person wrote on Reddit.

“The admin person told me there were 20 ‘no-shows’ like me in my sailing, which tells you they’re not actually no-shows, just late. The boat had not finished unloading, so there was plenty of time, and no reason they couldn’t have let us all keep our reservations. But no — at the crack of 30 minutes before the sailing time, whether the boats on time or not, they cancel your ‘reservation,'” they added.

The social media user asked why the company doesn’t allow for a grace period, or at the very least put that latecomer to the front of the line for the next sailing.

Or give the customer the money back.

“At the very least, they should refund the $18 for the ‘reservation’ if [you’re] late, because at that point they’re not providing a service that you paid for, which is the definition of fraud. The way it’s implemented now is just arbitrary and Draconian, and certainly doesn’t offer ‘a great customer experience.'” they said.

They aren’t alone. Another passenger took to Facebook recently to share a similar experience.

“BC ferries needs to change their system. Holding a reservation should allow you to get on the boat if you arrive 28 minutes before departure time. We pay extra to reserve. The “window” is ridiculous — no more than one hour or less than half an hour before sailing. You have to time it perfectly! You can comment and argue below if you are a fan, but you won’t convince me. This is not my first issue with the system,” they argued.

“I feel like if you pay for a reservation, it shouldn’t be given away after 2 minutes.”

Others agreed.

“It’s so frustrating!”

According to the BC Ferries website, passengers are informed that the reservation window is limited and “will not be honoured,” but some don’t seem to be getting the message.

What are the reservation rules for BC Ferries?

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Currently, passengers who book a non-refundable reservation on several routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island will be charged $20 if they don’t show up for that reservation.

If they prepaid for the whole sailing, which saves a bit of money compared to the reservation-only option, they will still be slapped with a $15 non-refundable penalty if they don’t show up.

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However, the penalty also applies when drivers don’t show up on time. Drivers who book are required to arrive no earlier than an hour and no later than 30 minutes before that sailing. Simply put, if you’re on the 2 pm sailing, you have to arrive between 1 pm and 1:30 pm to honour that reservation.

But while many have echoed complaints about the company in the past, it appears that the consensus on this one is that the late show-er just needs to plan better.

“As someone who has missed their ferry by 2 minutes, guess [whose] fault that was, mine, that’s how a reservation works, plan better,” they said.

BC Ferries “reservations“ aren’t reservations at all.
byu/foulstream inVictoriaBC

“Rules are rules. I sure hope you didn’t give them a hard time for being late (not their fault), which i’m sure you did because you took the time to post this on reddit. Do you expect them to reject other people that are already there because they aren’t sure if you are coming or not? Give your head a shake,” another person said.

BC Ferries says there’s a reason for the cutoff, and it is important for creating reliable ferry service and reducing congestion.

“The reason behind the check-in window policy is to maintain order for our terminal staff to stage vehicles in preparation for loading. Adhering to check-in times helps the ferry stay on schedule, minimizing delays and ensuring timely departures and arrivals,” Reet Sidhu with BC Ferries said.

A screenshot of the BC Ferries window to check-in if you have a reservation. (BC Ferries)

For those who are looking for special treatment, it’s often just not possible.

“At the end of the check-in window, if customers have missed their reservation, those spaces are then opened up for people travelling on a first-come, first-served basis. The tower operators at our major terminals are the final authority over reservation cut-off, right down to the last vehicle that is to be accepted,” Sidhu added.

How much is it to reserve a sailing on BC Ferries?

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BC Ferries increased its reservation fees from $18 to $20 in April on its busiest routes, and fees jumped from $15 to $20 for the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route as well in an effort to discourage people from booking on busy boats they don’t really intend to travel on.

Not everyone was pleased with the upcharge.

“Reservations went from 15 to 20 and reservation portion from 50% to 75% in a false effort to shuffle people away from peak times… assuming everyone lives minutes from the terminal,” one person wrote on Facebook.

“With resos they make $20 more per car for 50 to 75% of the boat, without adding more cost and labour on their end = more profit for them. When what they should actually be doing is adding another boat to our run full time, not just summer months 5 days a week. BUT if they do that… ppl won’t need to buy resos as much and they lose out on profit. We need to demand that second boat!!!”

Many people have expressed their anger over the current reservation system, including someone who chimed in on the initial complaint.

“When they first came out ‘reservations’ were to be limited to not more than 20% of the ferry’s capacity. Hah! That’s long since been disappeared, hmm? Now, it’s effectively a price increase on just about all users,” the user expressed.

Another person lamented that they missed the old way.

“How long has BC Ferries allowed reservations to be made 6, 8, 9 months in advance.
When I used to make reservations they cost $10 and you could only book 3 months ahead,” they wrote on social media.

What do you think of the reservation system? Let us know in the comments.